Modesto, California

Our plan had been to have Thanksgiving in Eugene and then continue on down to California Saturday morning for a quick visit with Nancy's family. The drive was going as scheduled but as we got closer to the border we were a bit nervous as we were still seeing “chains required” signs. They had heavy snowfall on the pass the day before. The traffic slowed and people were putting on chains, which caused traffic jams galore. We hate to put on chains when the pavement and shoulders are clear and dry, so we pushed on as many others were doing. We passed right over the summit with no problems. We can only imagine how irritating it was to the people who had put them on early and didn't need them!. We continued down the valley to Modesto where we enjoyed a short but relaxing visit. Somehow we did not seem to get many pictures taken while we were there. We will share the happy cat in a bag picture and a nice picture of our niece Tara. We sure enjoyed our time there as well as adding helping hands on a few projects they were working on. We headed north on Monday and had no problems getting over the mountains and on to Eugene. We spent the night there with Mom before heading on home to Ridgefield.

Thanksgiving in Eugene

Shortly after our return from Hawaii we traveled to Eugene so we could enjoy a Thanksgiving feast with Bertha. Greg and Geri were coming from Texas to see Lance and Laura which provided an excuse for a turkey even if it was a day late. The turkey was cooked by Anne and I might add it was very tasty. The next morning with a surplus of pie we all declared it was alright to eat pie for breakfast.

Hawaii adventure – six

Since we were scheduled to fly out early the next morning we decided to spend time locally which would allow us time to pack for our early morning departure to Portland. Our first destination was to a beach not far north of Kona known as a best kept secret. We could see the palm trees in the distance but the road to the area was rather rough, across a lot of lava. The story goes that a small farm was located on the beach and a corporation bought the property intending to build a resort. Locals blocked the construction of the resort and eventually the land was donated to the state for a park. After a drive of about 2 miles over very rough terrain that probably took over half an hour, we arrived at the beautiful beach with hardly any people. It had a nice parking lot and modern toilets which really surprised us after such a slow bumpy ride to the site. We relaxed and enjoyed the area before moving on in search of some native fish ponds which we heard were well-preserved. After some misadventures we finally found the elusive ponds tucked between two resorts. The ponds were low areas along the coast that the native population had worked into a series of ponds that connected to the ocean with a gate that allowed small fish to enter but as they grew they could not get out. We were really impressed with the ingenuity and also the beauty of the area. We snapped a picture of this turtle resting on the beach not far from the fish ponds. It was a perfect afternoon and we then worked our way back to the condo where we learned there was a dance group doing a demonstration of native dances at a small shopping area. We found the area and were pleased to see not only the dances but very informative descriptions and history of the hula dance's origins and how it had been banned by the early missionaries in the islands. By then we were hungry so we ate at a local Hawaiian fast food restaurant so we could then go over to the Hyatt resort to see the manta rays feeding in the evening. They put on very bright lights that apparently attract natural foods that the manta rays feed on. We were a bit late for the biggest feeding scene but enjoyed seeing a few working along the rather rugged coastline to eat their fill. We arrived back at the condo and packed our bags for our early morning departure. A stop at Walmart which had a McDonald’s for breakfast also provided a chance to purchase some last minute souvenirs. We even decided to get a meal to go as we knew we were not going to get a meal on the plane. Back in Portland we found our way home so we could relax and recuperate from our fun week in Hawaii.

Hawaii adventure – five

This was the day set aside for our snorkeling adventure which took us out for about 5 hours of explorations along the rugged coastline south of Kona. As we did not have underwater cameras you will have to take our word for it that viewing the tropical fish and turtles was spectacular. The fish came in so many colors, sizes and shapes. We snorkeled at 3 different sites and also learned local history along the way. One spot we explored was the site where Captain Cook was killed by natives. This site can only be reached by boat and you can see the monument in the picture snapped while we were on our boat. The rugged coastline shows how the lava flowed into the ocean and now the wave action is working to break down the rock. The area is very popular to snorkel in as there is little or no sand or dirt to cloud the water. We were glad to have a guide to take us to the best places as you have to be careful with the wave and tide action to avoid being hurt. The places where we snorkeled were pretty protected coves with minimal wave action but we still needed to stay away from the shore where you could be pushed around and hurt. During our adventure we had a picnic lunch hosted by the captain which was very refreshing and provided the energy we needed to proceed with our adventures. Sometimes the ride was a bit rough, but we lost nobody overboard. We were pretty worn out when we returned to the dock and thought that maybe the 3 hour tour would have been enough but certainly did not regret our 5 hour tour.

Hawaii adventure – four

We spent some time exploring Hilo and had lunch there. It has a military base nearby and we observed several planes landing. It also has a huge park along the waterfront that was very popular. Just on the outskirts of town we observed a very interesting old cemetery. The huge Banyan tree (I think)really was impressive and we learned that during the war they would hide planes under the trees that had massive canopies. We also were impressed by the many different types of palm trees. We moved on into the Volcano National Park in the afternoon and walked a trail known for bird life. We heard a lot, but most were elusive and we only caught glimpses of them. A couple of local pheasants seemed to have little or no fear of people. They came quite close to us, feeding on native materials they found in the trail. We returned to the Volcano center that evening to hear a talk by a world reknowned expert. After the very interesting and informative presentation complete with slides of volcanoes around the world we drove out to the lava dome that is best viewed after dark. During the day it looks like hard lava but at night it glows and changes colors. It was hard to capture as it had been raining and there was a lot of mist and fog that drifted in and out. We wish the lava flow was more visible, but much of the active flow has moved off of the National Park and is not easily accessible. I guess nature does not understand where the boundaries are!

Hawaii adventure – three

Our third adventure took us across the island to the rainy side. We again passed through the area of the Parker ranch, with rolling grasslands that reminded us much of northern California. We drove on the Saddle Road which went between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, which were former active volcanoes. It was amazing how much lava and desert-like landscape we passed through that day before reaching the rainy side of the island. As we got closer to the rainy side we saw more plants trying to exist in the lava. We snapped a picture to capture the wide open space as well as our rental car, a Ford Focus that served us well. On the wet side we found many waterfalls and lush rain forest jungle type growth. You can see Rainbow Falls in the distance, but we were not able to capture a rainbow in the mist that it is known for. There were numerous streams rushing to the ocean because of the abundant rains in the area. The plants and flowers of the area were magnificent and we tried to capture the beauty, but somehow a camera does not seem to do it justice. We found the coastline very rugged with the surf working to break it down but it has a long way to go; not many sandy beaches on this side of the island near Hilo.

Hawaii adventure - two

After breakfast we headed towards Wai'pio Canyon where we were scheduled to meet a tour into the canyon. On the way we passed the well known Parker cattle ranch. The tour start point was at a gallery that displayed a lot of local art which was quite interesting and we were glad to have some time to relax before the tour started. The tour vehicle was a 4 wheel drive van because the road into the canyon is very steep and only 4 wheel drive vehicles are allowed. As you can see from the overlook at the top, it is a very steep narrow canyon and the road hangs to the side of the canyon to the left and descends rapidly to the valley floor. Once on the floor we learned that the land is all private, so getting to the beach or water falls is nearly impossible unless you walk the creeks. We did learn that you can walk down as some did but it was very steep and narrow so we were glad to be escorted. Only locals and licensed tours are allowed to drive on the road which is restricted to 4 wheel drive vehicles only. We learned that it can be very expensive if you break down at the bottom as towing a vehicle out can easily cost nearly $1,000. The canyon used to be more populated but a large tsunami hit the shore and pushed up the valley destroying most everything. Now only a few live in the valley and they have no electricity and very limited roads. The major crop is taro and it is hard to make a living growing it because it is pretty labor intensive. Our guide's uncle had a small operation there and he shared much knowledge of his growing up in the valley and local lore. We were amazed at the variety of wild flowers and abundance of native plants that seemed to grow quickly as you would expect in a rain forest jungle. We were glad to have such a wonderful guide and our tour ran overtime as he wanted to be sure we did not miss any of the history of the area. One interesting fact was that many wild horses are in the valley. They are the remains of herds that used to be raised in the area. When the Tsunami hit the valley the horses seemed to sense the approaching danger and rushed up the valley. Many of the people who followed the horses survived, but many of those people who remained in the lower part of the valley perished in the Tsunami. After a full day, we worked our way back to the condo to collect our thoughts and relax for the next adventure.

Hawaii adventure One

We flew on Alaska Airlines new route direct from Portland to Kona on the big island of Hawaii, leaving late on a Saturday and arriving about 10 PM. After picking up the rental car and finding our way to the condo we were staying at we were pretty tired. Much of the first day was spent getting situated and purchasing supplies. There was a COSTCO nearby which got some of our business and were surprised to noticed that gas was about 30 cents a gallon less than any of the other stations we saw. We also arranged a few tours for later in the week and enjoyed a few local beaches in the area of Kona. Being somewhat settled we headed a few miles out of town to see a church known as the painted church. Our first observation was a little white church but upon entering the church we could see quickly why it was known as the painted church. The inside was rather ornately painted. We learned that it had originally been located near the beach but as people moved up the hill closer to the agricultural fields the church was dismantled and moved by donkey up the hill to the present location. Out on the grounds we observed several statues that were covered with shell lei's. The area was very quiet and invited us to relax and enjoy the scenic area for quite some time. Later we went down to the beach area which was at one time a retreat for the Hawaiian royalty. It is now a national monument with displays of that culture. It was a beautiful setting and we watched the sun slip away before returning to the condo to rest up for the following day.

6 days on Hawaii

In November we spent nearly a week on the big island of Hawaii. The following entries cover some of the details of our fun filled time in Hawaii... We packed a lot of adventures into the time we had on the big island.