Honeymoon: Day 6

After such a long hike the previous day, we decided to take it as easy as possible. We slept as late as we could and were pretty slow moving in the condo before we headed out. My upper body was pretty sore, too, from all the climbing.

We got my coffee, got some grapes from Target, and headed to the beach. Laura had suggested the beach, Kaloko-Honokohua. It was pretty close to where we were staying, but we still had to drive to it. We parked and took about a 5 min walk to the water. This beach still had a lot of rock, but some sandy (more typical beach shore) spots. We found a large grass hut that no one was using and planted ourselves under that. At first we were worried in was a sacred spot, but there were no signs! We hadn't got in the water just yet, and were eating our lunch when a family walked by. The kids were older, more around our age and were with their parents.  The mom was saying she didn't want to stay there. The beach "smelled." I could tell there was some disappointment that it wasn't the typical sandy shore beach. Most of the beaches I've seen here are pretty rocky and do have some sandy shores, but not like Florida's beaches. I wouldn't want all rock, but like the diversity of shores.

We got in the water and were just walking around. The native Hawaiians had built a rock wall in the ocean to create a fish trap. When the tide came in, it would bring in the fish. Then when it went down, the fish would be left in the "pond" area for them to catch. Well, now it's mostly used as a sea turtle haven. It was really cool to wade around and all the sudden you'd walk by a turtle! Some larger ones would just sit there, but others were swimming around. We didn't try to get too close because we didn't want to alarm them, but I'd say they got at least 5 feet away from us on their own. I took some time to walk along the wall and away from the shore. I saw quite a few yellow fish and even a couple puffer fish. There were these big, red slug looking things stuck to the rock. Craig heard they were lipstick urchins and they can hurt you. Apparently the women used them as lipstick. eek.

We went back to the condo to rest for about an hour and then headed north for our horse back riding session. It was about an hour and 20 minutes away. That was one of my favorite things we have done so far next to the hike to Waipi'o Valley. I was a bit nervous because I've never been on a horse before. We had to put on cowboy boots and a jacket. We were given a quick demo of how to get on the horse and control it. Our guide was Mana, and we let him know we met his friend, Owns. He was excited to hear that and got to talk to him about our previous hike because we grew up right by Waipi'o.

Craig sporting basketball shorts and cowboy boots.

Craig mounted his horse, Maili.

I mounted my horse, Kohaku. He was a golden color, and did a good job of responding to my commands. I would make a kissing noise and kick him with my heels to get him moving. Most of the time it felt like he knew what to do and where to go already. I could tell he's done the trails a lot. Mana said that Kohaku was usually a good leading horse so that's why I was in the front. Another lady, Allison, was on the trail with us. Her horse, Coffee, was a bit more stubborn at times. She had to be more forceful with her commands. Allison also hadn't had much experience riding, so that made both of us feel better.

The South View of the Ranch

Picture I took while riding. It was bouncy.

Craig Silhouette. 

At Sunset.

At the Ranch. 

The ride was so fun and beautiful. We chose the sunset ride so it was cooler and the sun wasn't beating down on us. We first started walking, then Mana would regroup us and tell us how to trot. I thought trotting was fun. It was funny because Kohaku would have a difficult time following my commands before we would trot and afterwards I figured out that he was ready to just go! He knew what being in that area meant--was was going to go fast. It was the same when we did galloping for the first time, too.  It was funny to see their personalities come out. Craig's horse kept stopping to eat grass. I liked trotting better than galloping, but it was fun to do both. Galloping hurt my back. We got to the top of the mountains and the sunset was beautiful.

Honeymooners on Horseback.

Beautiful.

Our guide, Mana.

Riding through the sunset.

This is a circle of trees that is a grassfield in the center. 

The Hawaiians used it for training horses.

Taking a break.

The South View of the Ranch.

We headed back to the ranch and on home. Craig was asking me about why I liked it so much and I think it's because of being with another animal. If it were on a go cart or 4 wheeler, going over those mountains wouldn't have felt the same. It was cool to see their personalities. Riding through Nature with Nature.

Honeymoon: Day 5

Waipi'o Valley took up most of Day 5. My friend, Laura, had been there several times and offered to drive us in her Jeep. We would need 4WD to get down in the valley, so the jeep was the way to go.

We met at Laura's house first. She has an adorable little apartment that has an outdoor kitchen. She showed us some of her current work, gave Craig some sunburn cream, and packed us a picnic. She has little lizards running around her kitchen just like we do on our window sills. I commented on it and she then showed us some eggs they had been laying in a the bowl of shells on her table! It was pretty cool.

We packed up the jeep and headed over to her friend, Scott's, house. He would be going with us. He came out holding three kittens and I said I had to hold them for a minute. I was having cat withdrawals. I held the black one and it was so cuddly and began purring. Once Scott got in, we were on our way.  I had mentioned to Laura about stopping at Tex Drive In, and she said we'd be close. I'd heard about this place from a couple of people who said their malasadas were the best. When we arrived, we walked to the back of a little shopping center. I thought it was going to be more old and retro, because I'd heard it had been around for years. But everything was pretty updated. I got a bavarian cream one, and Craig got plain. They were really good. Not very greasy, but light. They are kind of like a square donut that you have have filled with something. I originally wanted mango, but they were out.

So, we headed onto Waipi'o. We started with the lookout which meant we parked our car and headed down a long steep side walk. We took some pictures and started eating lunch at the pavilion nearby. There were stone walls about 2-3 feet high to act as a barrier, and we saw some young girls standing on this while getting their pictures taken. It made me sick to my stomach to watch because it was a cliff right behind them that would plummet them to their death. I assumed they were cheerleaders because I saw one of them do a stance with their arms in the air. So so stupid.

View from the Look Out

Us at the Look Out

After Lunch, we got back in the jeep and headed down to the valley. That was quite the experience because it was a 25% incline and the road was in horrible condition. There were some people who hiked on foot there and back. I saw an old elderly, asian couple taking a break on their way back up. It was funny because while Craig and I were bouncing around in the back Laura was just casually telling a story as if it were nothing!  We got down to the valley and saw the shore. It was a beautiful black sand beach. There were also signs everywhere that stated not to camp there because it was sacred burial ground. We did see some campers, but Laura said they probably got special permission. She said another way people get around camping on the beach is to say they're "fishing."

Down in the Valley/Shore

Getting ready to head out

I thought the "Rules of Enjoyment" were worth noting

We headed down a slightly paved road. We passed a car that crashed down the cliff and had been there for awhile. I hope the person made it out ok. We passed several houses along the way that looked pretty interesting. I read that many people who live in Waipi'o Valley don't have running water or electricity, and are perfectly fine with that. Many move out there to detach from society. They can also be wary of outsiders.

Heading down the paved road to the trail

Looking at a plant wall

Getting closer to the trailhead

The view of the waterfall from the road.

There actually used to be two falls here. You can see the trace of the old one on the left. They had to reroute it because the island needed the water.

We started on the trail and it was mostly walking at first. There were a couple river crossings we had to do. Most were no higher than our calves, but one river crossing went as high as our neck. I guess if we didn't have our packs with us we could have just swam across, but I wanted to take my camera of course!  There were tree trunks to climb through, and boulders to climb over. It was the most involved, diverse hike I've done. What was nice about it is that I didn't have to worry about snakes, because there aren't any in Hawai'i! I could grab onto a rock crevice without worry.  My legs were definitely feeling shaky after awhile.

We had to climb through all kinds of trunks and over boulders.

My Jungle Boy.

Scott at one of the river crossings. This was the deepest one we had to do.

Almost there!

We got to the base of the falls and hung out for a bit. Laura and Scott got in the water, but it was way too cold for me. It was nice to just hang out for a bit and talk before taking the trail back.

Looking up.

Laura, our friend/guide.

Craig, Me, Laura, and Scott

Awkward Picture of Craig's Butt.

Cute Picture of Us.

When we got back to the beach, we hung out there for awhile. The black sand is really fine and feels good to walk on. We passed some horses and one of the ranch guides offered to take our picture with his horses. We told him we'd be riding with Paniolo Adventures the next day, and he said his friend, Mana, worked there. We hung out for a bit longer and headed back. Laura suggested we eat at this little Italian Cafe called, Cafe Il Mondo. It reminded Craig and I of a place we ate in NYC last summer with his sister called, Mapamondo. It was delicious. I got a veggie calzone and Craig got the clam chowder with foccocia bread. It was all so fresh and well made.

I'm now in love with black sand beaches.

Me on the beach.

Craig on the beach.

Beach Boy.

Fresh water, meet Salt water.

Us with a horse.

We didn't get back to our condo until 9:30 that night which was REALLY late for us, but so worth it. It definitely didn't take that long to fall asleep. Craig and I both agreed it was our favorite day so far. It was such an adventure and different from any hike we had been on so far.

Honeymoon Day 4

On Day 4 we went to Hilo. It is on the east side of the Big Island and is known for being the "wet" side.  A few days ago, Craig was at the beach across the street from our condo while I was napping and he made friends with a couple from Hilo. They got to talking and invited us to a party they were throwing. We thought it would be a great chance to meet some more local people and see what the east side was like.

We left around 9 am, and as we were driving out we saw some of the marathon that was going on. Reminded me how glad that part of my life is over. We headed out of Kona and it was nice to do so. The drive was stunning. Before we got to Saddle Road we could look back over Kona and see the ocean and island from above. So green and colorful. When we began on Saddle Road, it was so brightly green it looked like we could have been in Ireland. The sky was a bright blue, as well. We stopped for a couple pictures, but Craig said "no more," because his sunburn was getting to him. At one point, I was on the phone with my mom and saw a wild black goat on top of a boulder.

On the Kona Side of Saddle Road

 On the Kona Side of Saddle Road

The transition of terrain on Saddle Road was interesting and dramatic. I wanted to take more pictures but there were signs that said to only stop for emergencies. It started out green as Ireland, then quickly turned to more of a dull green, to black dried lava everywhere, to brown desert. In the desert area we were driving in between two Volcanoes. Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. There aren't many days you can say you've driven through 2 volcanoes. The cloud cover was getting thicker and thicker. We started to get back into the dull greens again, and this transitioned into a lush rainforest-type terrain.

Mauna Kea

When we got to Joel and Diana's we had to open their gate to enter. Most people have gates into their home as a safety precaution. They live in a home that seems like a beach getaway to me. They have a beautiful wrap around porch and it's so green and lush around their home. We met a lot of nice people there and most were originally from the main land. We talked with one couple, and the husband was from St. Louis. On top of that, his parents graduated from Houston, where Craig taught last year. That was pretty crazy.

Craig, Diana, Joel, and Me

The food was really good. It was a taco bar with puupuu's (appetizers). I had a chicken taco (tortillas warmed right over the gas range). Some kind of coleslaw, spanish rice, lychee salsa, and quinoa. My favorite thing I had later, it was apples with a cream cheese/toffee dip. Never would have thought of that combo.

We hung out until about 3 and decided to head out. Our stop on the way back was Rainbow Falls. It was a beautiful giant waterfall that had a little hike to the top. Before you walk out to the water, there's a giant banyan tree that makes a gigantic shaded area that, as Laura said, would be a fairy heaven. We went out to the water and climbed over the jagged rocks to get to the edge, took some pictures, and headed back. It was a little too much sun for us at that point and we were sweating.

Rainbow Falls Lookout

Hiking Path to the top of the Falls

Giant Banyan Tree

Climbing over the Rockage

Giving Craig "the Look"

Me having a wonderful time.

Something that surprised me about Hilo was that it was more sunny there than we had experienced in Kona the whole time so far! I've heard that's not usual. Anyways, we headed back across Saddle Road and made it to our condo. Craig was pretty tired after our delicious frozen pizza dinner and fell asleep at 7:30pm! That's good though. We will need our rest for Day 5's big hike through Waipi'o Valley with Laura.