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.

DoDDS gathering

With several Mannheim retired teachers within a few hours of our place we decided to host a gathering. Our summers turned out to be too busy to schedule a gathering but in October we were pleased to arrange a date that Susie Walker and Roy Harris, Marcia and Ray Reass, Margaret Burkhart and Jane Black were able to come for a couple of fun filled days. During the reunion we ate very well as our guests arrived with lots of delicious treats. As you can imagine we spent lots of time reminiscing as we shared memories of our teaching times in Mannheim, Germany and our adventures since enjoying retirement. The time visiting on the deck during the day was very relaxing as we experienced a rare warm sunny fall day. As dusk arrived so did some pesky mosquitoes, so we moved indoors. Our area has not yet had a frost so mosquitoes are still a problem after the sun starts to go down. According to the locals this year has been much worse than normal because we had such a wet spring.

Fall Color near Eugene

Mid October was our time to be in Eugene for Ray's blood tests. Before arriving in Eugene we traveled up the Santiam River where we saw our first brilliant colors. Of course Salalie Falls is beautiful any time of the year and we enjoyed the stop. While in Eugene we did a few projects getting Mom's place ready for the winter. With the house projects in order and the results of the blood tests excellent, we decided to celebrate. Luckily we had beautiful fall weather for a trip into the Cascades. We packed a lunch and started up the Mackenzie Pass, enjoying a picnic at the Leaburg fish hatchery. After lunch we traveled past Blue River where we turned south past Cougar reservoir and then followed the minor pass towards Oakridge on the Willamette Pass. Along the way we were treated to lots of fall color along the rushing streams. When we came out at Oakridge we found a covered bridge that used to connect the town with the mill. The mill is no longer in operation and the railroad that used to transport logs to the mill has disappeared but they have converted the rail line into biking and hiking trails. It was getting late so we had to head on toward Eugene but we will have to return with our hiking boots or bikes to enjoy the trails that looked inviting.

Bird Fest / Bluegrass

We have enjoyed a lot of wonderful fall weather but luck was not with us for the local Bird / Bluegrass festival. We kept hoping, along with the organizers, that the festival would have some decent weather. We spent quite a bit of time inside as the rains tended to take over much of the weekend. Celia did not seem to mind the time with her great grandma there to read to her. Greg had suggested that we have borscht (Russian beet soup) to go with the Birds and Bluegrass. The recipe came in two versions, one with tomatoes and one without so we decided to make two pots and give people a choice. Both seemed to be a hit as the two large pots seemed to disappear. Celia also enjoyed having extra family at the house and was good at sharing her toys with others like Ted and Rosalie Hulbert who were also visiting. Roy had a surplus of green tomatoes that needed to be used, so we checked for recipes and found little. A decision was made to try a rhubarb custard pie recipe and substitute green tomatoes. It was a good fit and we now have a new way to use green tomatoes at the end of next season. It sounds strange, but sure is tasty. As groups we wandered down to the town center and found many bluegrass bands “jamming” which we enjoyed listening to. As part of the festival there were many activities involving birds. We enjoyed seeing the kestrel and owl as well as other birds displayed by a local rehabilitation facility. There were also tours through the wildlife refuge and we enjoyed taking the tour. It was a bit early for the fall migrations of Sand hill Cranes but we did see a few. We enjoyed seeing the coyote working the grasslands and blue heron along the banks.