MAGESTIC

I went to the Hot Pools and was absolutely mesmerized by this rock. I think I have about 15 pictures of this rock alone.

So if anyone is wondering: Not a single regret on this trip.

To get the full magnitude of this photo, click on it so it will open in a new window.. I took 7 pictures and merged them together. I will be doing this with a couple of other sceneries as well.

One More Day

One more day and I'm headed home! As much fun and adventure this vacation has provided, I am truly ready to make my way back to Kansas. Oh yah, if I had a dollar for everytime someone said, "You're not in Kansas anymore", I'd have 1/4 of my vacation money back in my bank account. It was funny - when I went up to Hawi, the Northern part of the Island, I went into a gift shop and was having a chit chat with the owner who, after looking at my license, said, "Kansas has a really good football team this year!" I looked at him kinda strange because I was thinking about the Chiefs and said, "Kansas City? Really?" He said, "Yes! They're going to the Orange Bowl!" Ahhhh. You must be referring to KU. See? All you KU fans - news of your team even hits into the Northern part of the Big Island.

So I'm just adding some pictures that I don't believe I've uploaded yet since I haven't taken any pictures today. I have over 500 pictures to sort through and am really excited about what I can "create" with them to frame. With all of the information in my blog, I won't go into great detail about each of the photos. The first one is of one of the mountains, which you can actually see from both sides of the island, with the big crater in the foreground. It's magnificent to see the extreme differences. Obviously I had to put a picture of a flower...however, I can't recall if I uploaded this one already but it was taken at the Akaka Falls. The third one is of the hot pools, which I did not dip one foot into. The water is actually kinda yellowish and from what I read, you smell like sulfur when you get out, so those were additional indicators that I seriously didn't want to enter the water. However, the fact that the "eels can become aggressive" was the final point. The next photo is at Akaka Falls and I thought it was beautiful. This is the one I was standing in front of in one of my other posts about the Hamauka Coast. Today I ran some last minute errands and have been busy packing and getting my things ready for tomorrow. My flight doesn't leave until 9 p.m. but I want to go back to the Farmer's Market tomorrow morning and want to beat the rush, so I'll get up and get there by 7 a.m.

I have really had a wonderful time here. There were a couple of days where I felt inadequate (physically)...like I was a 'chunky monkey'..however, I took a couple of deep breaths and just said, "I am enough in God's eyes and that's good enough for me." I am not really keen that I struggle with my worth being reflective of what a stupid scale says. Hmmm. Maybe today is one of those "off" moments. To some that may sound petty or insignificant....to me, it's a struggle.

So I've discovered that if you just ramble on about anything and everything, the text automatically wraps around the photos. :) Nice that I just figured that one out. When I would be driving (1500 miles in all, thank you!), I would think of all kinds of great things I wanted to write about in my blog. However, by the time I would get home, I'd have lost the thought and was concentrating on uploading photos, so this is my "lost thought" post. If there are any photos that you really love, please feel free to save it to your hard drive or email me and I'll send you the image. I can't believe how much money I spent on gasoline! It was anywhere from $3.38-$3.58 per gallon! I thought it was too much before I left OP. However, the experiences and the pictures are worth every penny. I think next time I come over, I will stay on the Kona side. I think if I would've been on that side of the Island this time, I would've most likely kept to myself and not ventured out as much. But I'm not sure. The things I've seen while being on the East side has been phenomenal and I wouldn't trade that for the world. I wanted a real "Hawaiian" experience - not a touristy one, and that is exactly what I got. One thing that unnerved me is the number of dogs I saw just running around. I don't know if they don't have leash laws here, but in the "country" where I am, they are everywhere. At one point today when I was talking to Emily about Rafe, I saw a small dog running across the busy highway and then run up the road the wrong way! So I turned around to see if I could find the little fella and call his owner (he had tags on) but I think someone else already picked him up because when I got to where I last saw him, he was gone. There were 4 dogs that came up to my door last night and this afternoon....when I opened my mouth to whistle or call them, they all ran off. Then I heard a couple of women walking down the road "shooing" them away. No wonder they didn't trust me. Made me a little sad that dogs aren't given more attention. Okay, no I don't know for certain that they aren't being given enough attention. Just not the amount of attention I give Rafe. :) (Who is very spoiled. This I take full responsibility for! Sorry Emily!)

I think that when we do the one thing that elicits the most fear (False Evidence Appearing Real) within us, we'll actually see that there isn't merit to giving the "experience" so much control (for lack of better word) on what we do or don't do in our lives. I say that because my intense "fear of the unknown" and "being completely by myself - even minus Rafe", really wasn't what I had perceived in my own mind that it would be. I felt God's protection everywhere and in moments when I felt uneasy or a bit frightened, He reminded me of His Promises. So I breathed in and breathed out, listened to my heartbeat and experienced my days with Him.

And of course, what would a post be for me without a picture of the water? I thought about going to the World Botanical Gardens just North of Hilo but I wanted to see the flowers in their own setting, so I didn't go. However, I have heard that they are beautiful. Maybe if someone else comes over, they'll have time to go and let me know how they are. Unless I write more tonight, this will be my last post until I'm on the Mainland. I just want to say thank you to those of you who have done nothing but given me support and encouragement from conception to action on this vacation. Your words of encouragement have touched my heart.

My Beach

Today was another low key day except I spent it at the beach. I think I took about 50 pictures but most of them were of the water, which I uploaded from Tuesday's visit. I went back to the Waikoloa Hilton beach....it's my fav. :) And of course, what would my trip be if not to add flowers?

These were taken on the drive up so technically, they aren't part of the beach. However, they were taken shortly after it stopped raining so I thought they turned out lovely.

The beach has rows of palm trees that dictate the path (for the beach just in front of the hotel) and I thought the wind blowing them looked cool, so I took a picture.

Of course, there's a golf course here....the houses and condos that surround it are absolutely beautiful.

I spent about 2 hours "sunbathing"....flipping over from one side to the next because I thought my skin was going to fry! How people can do this often is truly beyond me! I really enjoyed myself though - it was great to spend time singing to my Nano and forgetting that people can actually hear me when they walk by. :) I saw a few people turn back after walking by but thought nothing of it. I was enjoying singing to Aaron Shust. Maybe someone recognized the song and sang it for the rest of the day. :)

There are boats that drop anchor in the bay so I thought I'd attempt at capturing the emerald colors of the water.

This, of course, is the actual Hilton hotel. Someone needs to pay for my next vacation here. Any takers? :)

I couldn't believe how many rainbows I saw today! The colors were magnificent! I could see all of them - ROYGBIV. I wonder if the people who live here realize the magnitude of the beauty that surrounds them.

I love the way the sun shimmers and reflecs off the water in this photo and the deep blue colors of the sky and the sea. God knew what He was doing when He was creating!

I'm thinking that this picture and the one above it are my favorites from today (aside from the orange flower). I absolutely love the colors in them. This is in a harbor just north of the Hilton. I forget the name. It's Hawaiian so it most likely has an "a, i, l, m, o and n" in the name. :)

I am ready to come home, if anyone can believe it. After being here for almost 10 days, I actually wonder why I was so anxious about coming by myself. It's been awesome - so much fun and not once did I feel llike I wanted to avoid people or isolate myself. :) One of the best things is that because it's not the high traffic tourist season, the roads, beaches and parks have been fairly sparse with people so I didn't feel like I was being over crowded, etiher. Someone explained to me that the Hilo side is the "real working people" side and the Kona side is more for the tourists so if you're looking to come to the Big Island, my suggestion is to stay in Wimea, which is at the Northern part of the Island but is 1/2 way between Hilo and Kona. You won't be rained on every day like you would be in Hilo (this time of year) and you'll be able to enjoy the sun by driving less than 30 minutes. Literally. Well, "2 more sleeps" and then I'm on a plane back to Kansas! And back to Rafe!!

Low-Key Day

I didn't go exploring today. I was absolutely exhausted this morning. I wrote in my blog this morning but when I went to change the font, the entire thing was deleted. I was not a happy camper when I started so when that happened, I just shut down my laptop and went to Hilo to the massive Farmer's Market. The jist of it was my unpleasant surprise to my pillows being covered with mold because of the lack of heat in the house (there is one heater but it doesn't work....and it's not cold so there wasn't a need to attempt to turn it on.) AND because of the wet, rainy time of the year. The windows are always kept open so what I thought was humidity on the bed and pillows, actually turned out to be heavier than humidity. I got into the habit of putting my blanket in the dryer to warm it up (again, thinking it was just a little humid) and realized that the pillow cases could use a good warming up, too. So I removed them and voila, mold. So, in case you're wondering, yes, I was breathing that in for the past 6 nights. I kept waking up in the middle of the night to make sure I remained on my blankets and not face down on the mattress because I didn't even want to remove the sheets to see if there was mold growing there.

Peggy, the woman who lives in the cottage, had invited me to go the Southern most point of the Island, which is also the Southernmost Point of the United States, but I respectfully declined. I didn't want to drive anymore and I just wanted to go to the Market and then come back and figure out how to take a nap. :) Which I did. The couch will be my bed for the next couple of nights with lots of blankets. It's very subtle so it's not like I went to bed and immediately got drenched or anything. Afterall, I didn't pick up on it completely for 6 days. :) When I was explaining my night to Peggy, she smiled and said, "Yes - everyone has a mold problem and in case you're wondering, you were breathing it in." I thanked her for the invite and told her that I know myself and would not be very communicative and as tired as I was, would be asleep within 15 minutes of getting in the car. She was so kind. She said that she had a ton of things she needed to get done (Wednesday is her day off) and that it wasn't an issue at all. I was very thankful for her response. She told me about a great chocolatier in Hilo that she would like to take me to so we'll most likely do that on Friday or Saturday. She truly is a lovely woman.

So as I drove to Hilo in fowl mood I was in, I prayed. I felt much better by the time I got to the Market. :)

The Market was HUGE! I am definitely going to go back on Saturday. My flight doesn't leave until 9 pm on Saturday so I'm covered timewise. When I went through Wimea the other day (about an hour north of Hilo), I stopped in one of the jewelry shops (it was a VERY EXSQUISITE shop!) and ended up having a very long conversation with the owner and co-owner. They are having their First Annual Holiday Party on Saturday and invited me to come. However, as much as I think it would be a great time, it goes from 4-8 pm and that's a long drive for not being able to enjoy the whole event. I would rather not press my luck (no whammies!) with getting everything packed, organized and any last minute things I need to do before heading to the airport. I'm going to go to the beach tomorrow (I should be well rested after the 2.5 hour nap I just took!) so I will pop in and say hello and MAYBE see what additional deal they can give me on jewelry. :)

I walked around Hilo a bit today as well. The downtown is very quaint. It was raining pretty hard all day so I didn't take any pictures today. I've only been posting less than 1/4 of the pictures that I take in a day so maybe I'll put together a powerpoint presentation and send it out. :) (I think I just heard some groans....okay, maybe I'll just put one together for myself and use it as my screen saver. :)

So that was my day today. Nothing exciting. Very quiet and uneventful. Those are nice to have, too.

If you are reading my daily blog, thank you for taking time out of your busy days to read my updates, view my pictures and share in my journey with me.

Alenuihaha Channel

(This is actually Tuesday but since I keep forgetting to change my time on my laptop, it still shows Central time.)For those of you who may be wondering...no, I have not "mastered" how to actually wrap my text around my pictures without accidentally deleting them and then having to reattach them...blogging is time consuming! :)

Today I decided to go up to the Alenuihaha Channel (say that 5 times really fast!) so I left the house by 8 a.m. and was on my way. On the trip to Hilo (about 20 minutes), I noticed a really pretty rainbow. So I followed it straight to the Hilo Bay. It was beautiful. An incredible way to begin the day with one of God's Promises.

As I was driving out of Hilo, I stopped by the side of the road and took a picture of the full rainbow. It was an awesome sight - the rainbow actually ended in the water (the Rainbow's End! I found it!) but I couldn't stop to take a picture of it. I wasn't able to pull over to take a picture of the DOUBLE rainbow, either, however, I did tell God "most excellent!" "Thanks for sharing that with me!" Okay, so I didn't actually yell it to Him but I was ecstatic that I was able to see it.

I didn't stop on the way up to the Alenuihaha Channel to take pictures because I've already posted the pictures from that adventure. The drive is about 1.2-2 hours but it didn't seem long at all. I sang along with KLove (Contemporary Christian radio station) until the signal faded and then jammed out to Blue, which is a UK "boy band". I know....but they have an awesome beat - and it's not techno! :) I feel like I've got carpul tunnel in my right knee because, after driving over 1,000 miles (I hit that mark today!), without being able to use the cruise control, I think I'm straining it. I got out of the car last night and thought, "Sheesh! Arthritis already?!?!" Some of you may not believe I've driven that far, but it's the Truth. The receipt for the car rental read "Write down your beginning miles" so I did....in the power outage.

My first stop up Highway 11 North (towards the top of the Island) was at a historical site - Lapakahi Point.

Apparently it's a village that is over 600 years old (yes, I realize you can read) so I stopped to take a look.

Unfortunately, I didn't bring my tennies along with me on this trip so my flipflops were not truly conducive to making the 1.5 mile trek around the village. So where did I head? Down to the beach, of course!

On the way there, I came across a black bee (at least that's what it looked like) on a flower so I stopped and quietly and gently zoomed in and took a picture.

Then I quickly ran down the mud clod and rock path, trying to avoid spraining my ankle. I realize they are a part of the "circle of life" but after watching Velvet get stung by a big 'ol Yellow Jacket at the Iowa State Fair when we were about 9 years old, I want to avoid them at all costs. Well, unless I have a camera that has 4x zoom!

Here I am, sitting on a very old piece of wood that I'm sure had it's use 600 years ago. I feel badly for saying that but since I didn't take the full tour, I don't know what it was used for. It was actually very cool. I attempted to ask the family from Russia? (educated guess on that one) to take my picture but they just smiled and me and carried on their merry way.

This is the picture of the shore that the villagers frequented. Yes, I know this to be true. :)

As I was looking around and at the shoreline, I wondered what it would've been like to live 600 years ago in a village. No running water. No electricity...that right there would freak me out!....no technology - well, like what we have now anyway. No books or magazines or iPods and your day is determined by the rising and setting of the sun. Hard labor work. None of this checking email from your phone drama. (In case you are wondering, NO, I have not logged into work! Yah, me!) I just think it's all amazing....
I continued on my drive North and came across another park - Mahukona Beach Park and as I was driving down to the shore, I looked out and as God as my witness, saw a massive whale tale come out of the water and then splash back down! I was so giddy! I hurried to the shore, raced past a woman who was waiting for her husband and said, "There's a whale out there!" So we both ran to the water's edge and her husband went back to the car to get his binoculars. I said, "Aahhh! Binoculars! Now why didn't I think of that?!" However, as hard as I tried, I couldn't get a picture of him. I stayed there for about 20 minutes and then wondered if I could follow the whale up the coastline. (what am I? A dolphin??) I did not have luck with seeing the whale and came upon another park - Kamehameha Park and was impressed with the swell of the waves. So I took some pictures.

And of course, a self portrait. I attempted to get the waves and not so much rock but I think it turned out pretty okay anyway. :) Do you see the progression of my hair throughout the day? It does start out down but by the end of the day....barrette city!

This is the end of Highway 290 on the North part of the Island. I will say, that I have a favorite part of the Big Island, and it is most definitely the Northern part. It is absolutely amazing. I met a couple from Canada here and as I was looking out into the water, I said, "Hey! I think that's a whale out there!" Again, (leave it to the menfolk!) out came a pair of binoculars.

Breath-taking....

Look! It's me....on a very windy cliff!!

Here is my 80th attempt at catching a picture of the whale. However, I think he knew how popular he was and was playing games because everytime I turned my head to look at something else, the Canadian couple yelled - "There he is!" So my pictures were only of the splash the tail made. It's the white area in the middle of the picture. Just in case you were wondering. :)



Casie - this is for you!

This is the Hibiscus Tree flower....if you're wondering why I'm taking so many pictures of flowers (of which I have absolutely NO idea how to take care of! Not just these. Any flower. Any plant. With the exception of the one where you can forget to water it for weeks and then water it and it instantly comes back to life.) Anyway, I want to make a collage of my favorite pictures and have them enlarged and printed so I can frame them in my home. Just ask Carol - I need color on my walls!

I absolutely loved what happened next! When I was driving up to the Point, I saw 2 horses in a pasture and asked God to help me remember to stop so I could take a picture of them. I know, we do have horses in Kansas but I rarely get to see them upclose - and in their own environment. Plus the fact that I am incredibly intimidated by them. So as I was driving back down in elevation (up, up, up I go...and down, down, down I go!), I saw the horses and pondered in a nanosecond whether or not to stop. Since I asked God to help remind me, I slowly pulled over, walked across the road and took the picture of the two of them. The brown horse looked at me and began walking over to me and came right up to the fence, stuck his head over and kinda nudged his head like he wanted me to pet him. So I did...hesitantly at first and then I started talking to him. A-MA-ZING! This may not seem like a big thing to some but to me, I was thrilled! I said, "Oh my gosh! God! Did you see that!?! Did You see what he just did!?" I just couldn't believe it....and the fact that he didn't bite me or sense my fright because I was quite nervous about petting him.


Isn't he just amazing???

Here he's posing for a profile picture. :) He did it on the other side as well and then looked back at me one more time....and then turned around and walked back to his buddy. I realize I was in Cowboy and Ranch country and the horses are most likely used for that purpose, but I still loved the moment!


Horses have now joined the ranks with dogs in my heart.

A beautiful flower to add to decorating my home. :)








A picture of the water - via a Ranch. I didn't know ranchers could afford such luxurious landscape! I could see myself livin' on a ranch. One of these though - not like SouthFork. :)

This was a "spur-of-the-moment" turn and it turned out to be the Waikoloa Hilton Resort and Beach. Thankfully, all the beaches in Hawaii are public so this is where I landed to watch the sunset. I cannot believe the "poshness" of this place! It has it's own shopping area called "King Shops" and more immaculately groomed gardens, golf course and grounds than what I am accustomed to. The shops? Louis Vitton. Rolex. Tiffany & Co. So what did I do? I went into each of the shops and bought myself a gift. :)

I am now a firm believer that I could actually be a beach-goer on this beach. I went and located a spot that had my name written all over it, spread out my beach towel and sunbathed...while listening to my ipod and praising and thanking God.

How awesome is this? There were turtles sunbathing about 50 feet from me....so I had to take their pictures. I watched them swim in the water and frolick about....I could've stayed and watched for hours.




I named this guy "lone shell McGraw" because he was the first to come out of the water. He's a risk taker....I like that about him. We've bonded.


This is just before the sun was getting ready to set.....

I am speechless with this beach!












This is the view of the Hilton area. Next time I come here, this is where I'm going to stay! Of course, according to some, I would need to rob a bank to stay here. :) I'm thinkin' I'll come back on Thursday and see if I meet the "gingerbread man in the speedo" who will want to pampler, pamper, pamper me! LOL (Not talkin' 'bout the diapers here! :)




I really love this picture....











Here I am, wide-eyed and thrilled to see the sunset, heading out of the park. I had to stop and take a picture by the flowers.
This is the view from the parking lot looking towards the middle of the island.

The one thing I did encounter that made me feel a bit lonely was seeing a bride and groom get their pictures taken on the beach. I didn't wallow or anything - kind of felt the sadness until it naturally went away and said a prayer for the couple's marriage. I will definitely be going back to this beach. Even though Kauma Kea and Hapuna had "white sand", I really love this beach more. It's not as crowded, it's quiet and I even have my own "spot". :) There are alot of pictures that I didn't upload because I was getting really tired tonight and blogging takes alot of energy when you've been exploring for 12 hours!

Beaches Galore!

I went to the West side of the Island yesterday (Monday, Dec 10) to check out the beaches....and I was kind of tiring of the rain, to be honest. Not fed up with it but wanted to feel the sun.

The drive was very emotional for me. I was listening to a CD that Velvet made for Kip's celebration of Life and I think I cried during half the CD. I was thinking about Kip but not in a "100 steps forward - 1,000 steps back" kind of way. I was overwhelmed by God's Grace and Mercy and I wept. At one point I realized I was trying to "stop crying" and realized the words of "Miracle of the Moment"...."and if it brings you tears, then let them soften your heart..." so I let the tears flow. At one point I wasn't even sure why I was crying and then prayed that God would hear my Spirit and my heart and interpret whatever it was I was attempting to communicate. I came around a bend and was overwhelmed by the sight. It made me cry. God is TRULY Magestic. As I sang along with the songs (Third Day, Jeremy Kamp, Mercy Me, Rebecca St. James, etc) I just cried because of God's Promises. It truly was overwhelming.


The beach drive wasn't as long as I thought it would be. Afterall, I've already logged 804 miles on my rental car so maybe I was on auto-pilot or something. :) There were two main beaches I went to - Mauna Kea and Hapuna Beach. Let me just say that the West side of the Island is so very different than the East side. Where there is plush trees, foliage and of course, the infamous rain, the West side is very dry and desolate. I think the only things (that I've seen thus far) people go to the West side for are the beaches.
When you drive into the main 'gates', it is prestine, to say the least. I felt a little out of my budget and then decided God's country isn't only for the rich! :) The hotels may be.....but not His Beauty!!
These were two little fellas who greet you at Mauna Kea so I had to stop and have a bit of a chit-chat with them. I looked at them and said, "Dawn Rocks!" and they replied - "Dawn Rocks!"....OR....maybe I just heard that in my head because you know, I DO ROCK! LOL
I was impressed with the beaches and after awhile, realized that I'm seriously NOT a 'beach goer'. There were alot of people on the beaches and as I attempted to sit and watch the ocean, converse with God and take in the scenery, I realized I couldn't just "sit" and do nothing. So I walked up and down the beaches, attempting to engage people in conversation. Of course, I bypassed the women who were in thongs as they gave me strange looks because of my coconut bikini! (LOL...just kidding!)
I did find the scenery to be absolutely beautiful and amazing and it only made me want to be out on the water instead of being on land. However, knowing myself, the minute I would get on a boat to go out on the water, I'd want to be back on land. I seem to minimize my sea sickness trait.








This is Kevin and Tom - two "chaps" here on a 10 day holiday as well. They're getting ready to go snorkeling and asked if I wanted to join them and I replied, "As much as I would love to THINK I wouldn't freak out snorkeling, I would hate to put the two of you through my first encounter and ruin your experience with the sealife." Very nice couple and incredibly nice to invite me along.







I spent 4 hours at the beaches and will be returning today. However, just in the short time I was there (it felt short since I was walking everywhere), I got the dreaded heatrash on my arms. Having allergic reactions to the sun isn't a good thing! :) Well, I don't know if it's actually allergic reactions but it sounded dramatic enough! LOL

On the way home, I was talking to Velvet on the phone and saw a little puppy on the side of the highway and my heart broke. He looked so scared .... and I couldn't turn around to go get him so he wouldn't get run over because it was a one-way highway. I cried. (See? I said it was an emotional day!) I prayed God would protect the little fella and give him a good home. I think I've completely missed my calling. If I had a million dollars, I'd buy a huge piece of land and build a mini doggie shelter. Or I'd just keep them all!!

Last night when I got home, I went back outside to get my beachbag (an incredible and thoughtful gift, thank you, Carol!!) and as I opened the sliding glass door, there was a little froggie on the frame. Of course, he scared me. Of course he jumped....and as he jumped, I jumped and slammed the sliding glass door right on the little fella. He's hopping around the Beaches and Rain Forests in Heaven now. Peace be with him.
So I'm going to sign off and get ready for another trip to the beach. My goal today is to get some pics of the sunset...minus the people swimming in my line of sight! :) Who do people think they are, enjoying themselves and the water and relaxing to get away from the rush of their lives? Sheesh. :)

As a side note, I CANNOT believe how expensive gas is here! I gasp everytime I fill up the car....so if you're expecting a Hawaiian gift, please shift those expectations unless you're happy with grains of sand from my sandals. :)

I thought this was beautiful!