Hawaii '17: The Kailua Bay

We had to be to the heliport for our helicopter ride around the island at 11:30, so we decided to get brunch a few blocks from the lava beach (behind Target) at Kailua Bay. It's kind of the center of the tourist area of Kona. Labor day weekend they have a huge Hawaiian canoe competition. After brunch overlooking the bay, we walked to the pier to check out a group practicing. The commentary from the coach on the pier was fantastic, though R rated, and had a great Hawaiian flair.

Hawaii '17: The Beach Behind Target

Saturday morning we got ourselves familiar with the Kona area a bit. We ran to Target to get sunscreen (yes, 12 hours on the island and I had already visited Costco and Target. It was just like home). We drove around behind the back of target because we saw a sign for a beach. And it was a really cool lava rock beach, right behind Target! The only thing behind Target in Perrysburg is a soccer dome. Not as cool. The waves were crashing pretty good against the rocks and small cliffs. The leeward (aka west, aka non-wind side) of the island usually doesn't get very big surf, but they had high surf and king tide warnings that weekend.

Hawaii '17: The House on a Hill on a Coffee Farm

We arrived in Kona around 6:30 in the evening, just as the sun was setting (and the island was turning into a pumpkin). After getting our 4x4 Jeep Wrangler (key to a successful trip), our first stop was Costco. Yes, Costco. We picked up muffins and sandwich wraps and had ourselves dinner and breakfast! And then we headed for the house we rented, south of Kona, in the pitch dark. The island is insanely dark, first because there are so few people, and second because they keep it that way. What street lights they do have, are all anti-light pollution. It made the winding roads in the dark drive fun.

But we made it to the house. We couldn't really tell much when we got there, but when we woke up to the roosters at 5:45 the next morning, we got a much better look at where we were staying. It was beautiful!! The house is on a coffee farm in south Kona. We were surrounded by coffee plants, avocado trees, lime trees, and lots of tropical plants and flowers. And the view was crazy! We had a full, unobstructed view of the ocean. We were about 600ish feet, maybe, above sea level, but the ocean was right below us. In addition to the very loud roosters, our neighbors also included a mama pig and her six piglets. 

The only view of the house from the road up to the house

A panoramic of the view from the lanai 

Want to know why Moana has a pet chicken, HeyHey? Because there are chickens EVERYWHERE in Hawaii!

Looking to the north.

Hawaii '17: So Long, Kids! See you in a week

For our 10th anniversary, Adam and I decided on a trip to Hawai'i, the big island of Hawaii! When we first started planning it, Hawaii was never in the mix. We were thinking Yellowstone or Yosemite, but then Adam caught a documentary on the big island, and added it to the list. And well, the number of frequent flier miles to fly to Hawai'i was less than the flights to Yellowstone or Sacramento, so we were sold!

My parents came up to stay with the boys for the week we were gone. We dropped the boys off at school and hit the road for the airport! A few late afternoon beverages ensured an enjoyable 5 hour flight to Seattle and then on to Kona!

Smoky Mountains 2017 - Fire Damage on Roaring Fork

Smoky Mountains 2017 - The BEARS

Isn't it always the #1 Smoky Mountains vacation goal, to see black bears? Well, we checked that off the bucket list within 24 hours of arriving! A mama and her cubs came to check out the hot tub (they think it's the bromide tablets that attract them). Mama stayed in the woods, but the cubs came right on up to the porch and hot tub. It was quite the sight. And those little cubs were so darn cute! Later that evening, another bear came walking down the driveway of the house! They think that the fire displaced a lot of bears, so bear sightings on the ski mountain are very common this year.