Surfing

We took surfing lessons today. As you can see, Kurt decided to keep his clothes on for this one

We practiced on the sand and then we were off!

Take ONE

Take TWO

Take THREE

Trisha surfed too, but did not want to pay $20 for pictures of her. 

So, you can imagine, she looked about the same!

Some more beautiful places

 Trish and I did some new things yesterday.  First we went and hiked through a lava field along the ocean.

Next, we went through a forest that was next to the lava field.

Then I learned to surf at the nude beach!

Another day off

We went around the island and found a random blow hole

Then we went down the road to find some pools to swim in.  We found some vacationers to talk to. That is one thing we haven't found in Hawaii... people to talk to other than each other! Therefore it is decided... I guess we need more visitors! When are you going to come?

 

Olivine rock pools with a pretty good view.

September 20 is a great day

It was our third anniversary yesterday. 

In keeping with the beach theme, we had dinner at the Four Seasons,
right on the beach.

It was a fancy restaurant with most of the food in a different language. We ordered something... and ended up getting fried squid and octopus!

I think I can still feel the octopus legs swimming in my stomach.

Here's to another great year!

Sunrise at Haleakala

Yesterday we woke up at 2:30 am, drove up 10,000 feet, and watched the sunrise on the top of Haleakala Mountain.

There were about 300 other people who had the same idea... so much for quiet serenity!

That is not the ocean you are seeing. We were above the cloud line.

Home Sweet No Home

You know that homeless person or panhandler that you drove past on your way home from work?  You know how you thought, "why don't they just move someplace warm?"  Well, take it from us, plenty of them did.

Kurt is very happy because he was able to go body boarding. After eating a lot of saltwater and sand, he decided to top off lunch with a sandwich.

The other day we went to Big beach. After working at the hospital the last couple of weeks, I have learned that most of the spinal cord injuries from the island occur at big beach. As you can see, the waves were not very big when we were there.

Secret Cove at sunset

Joel, Hawaii was calling your name today.

A morning on the water

We went snorkeling today by Molekini crater. The crater, which is actually made of ash, is the remains of a nearby volcano.  It is a wildlife sanctuary with an adjacent reef.  Overall it was a blast, although Trish turned green a couple of times and almost fed the fish her breakfast.

We saw lots of fish, a shark, and 5 of these turtles. The Hawaiian green turtle was on the endangered species list until last year.

Hawaiian fruit

 We went to the farmer's market yesterday to get some fresh produce and hoped that it might be cheaper than in the grocery stores. We found the fresh part, but we definitely did not find anything cheaper!

 

This is a dragon fruit which is from a cactus. It takes an entire year for this fruit to grow. It has the consistency of a kiwi but tastes like a ... dragon fruit. It really doesn't taste like much... hard to describe.

Week 1 Completed

The first week in a new place is always a bit of an adjustment.

There are definitely cons to Hawaii, but the pro is that there is always a new beach to look at.

Haleakala National Park and the Road to Hana

Well, it was a three hour drive to the other side of the island, but it was well worth it.  It took us all the way to Haleakala National Park.

The sweeping tropical ocean views were amazing.

When we got there we took a short walk to the "seven sacred pools" and went for a swim.

We went on a hike up to a waterfall and there were guava hanging on trees ready to eat.

There was a bamboo forest along the way that was so thick that it hardly let the light in.

The hike was worth it, because it led us to this.

Aloha!

An early morning walk on the beach by our place.

Miles and miles of sugar cane fields.

It isn't your conventional rental car, but it should get the job done.  We carried out a deal in a gas station parking lot.  We handed over the cash, he gave us the keys.

This is the "ocean view" from our lanai.  If you squint, you might be able to see the ocean.

Our place!

We made it to Hawaii

This is what we are going to live off of for the next three months. 

Our checked bags weighed at 50lbs, 49 lbs, and 46 lbs. I was bummed... I could have taken 5 more pounds of stuff!!

Our view from Seattle airport of Mt. Rainier. They were having a gorgeous day there.

After 16 hours and 4 flights we made it to Hawaii. Props to Delta for getting our luggage here too! We had bets that it wouldn't make it.