Aloha Hawaii - Part 3

We found the most perfect spot for first time snorkelers. Kahalu'u Beach was just the perfect place to take kids to swim and snorkel around. The entry was shallow and the water was very calm, so no waves at all. There is a natural sea wall that protects the area from big waves. I didn't really get many pictures here because we spent the entire time in the water! It was so amazing! Charlotte and Aliza were fearless and unstoppable. They just kept swimming out farther and farther. Carmen was slower to warm up to the idea of fish swimming all around her. But once she got out deep enough and took a little peek under the water, she realized how cool it really was and jumped right in. David and Dallin spent a lot of time on shore with Grandpa Bean eating shave ice. 

Then we headed to Akaka Falls and hiked down to the waterfall. It reminded of being in Jurassic Park or the tv show Lost. I expected a velociraptor  to come out of the trees at any time! But it was a gorgeous little hike.

Carmen was mad because I took the camera away from her. She wanted to take pictures of all the gorgeous vegetation, but I wanted the pictures to have US in them. And right after taking this winner of a picture below, the camera battery died....

As we headed from the falls to the botanical gardens we stopped at a roadside stand to get a snack! We got TWO fresh cut pineapples and some coconut water. Grandpa Bean was very doubtful that we could eat two pineapples and thought we were wasting out money. But we sat down right there and devoured them both! They were so delicious and fresh! The owners of this little stand also own the farm right there and make enough money a year just by selling pineapples and coconuts to sustain themselves. I'm considering a career change.....

By the time we got to the botanical gardens, everyone was pretty tired and hot and pretty much done with the day.  But we had driven to the opposite side of the island, so we were going to go no matter how grumpy everyone was! And boy am I glad we did! It was beautiful!!! Words and pictures can't even describe how amazing the view was at the end of the hike.

 This pose was Carmen's idea, so that's why it worked so well. If I had suggested it, it would not have turned out as cute.

 Tiki man...

 Carmen found this fallen tree limb that fit perfectly like a crown on her head....

 We took a really long rest here at this pond, but if we had know the view that awaited us just around the corner, I'm not sure we would have stayed as long here.

 Charlotte found this leaf that was bigger than her!

 And Aliza found this amazingly colored lizard.

 We were photobombed by Carmen.....

And then we got up and moved along the trail to discover this outstanding vista of the ocean. Once again, pictures don't do it justice. 

We soon headed back to the hotel for one last great swim in the awesome pools.

And had some dinner at the Queens Shops with Grandpa Bean.

 The next day it was time to go home. Checking in is always so chaotic! I'm always grateful that David handles it all. I just stay out of the way!

Once we were on our flight (Carmen, Dallin and I got first class tickets) our pilot asked us if we'd like to see the cock pit. He let the kids sit in his seat and even took their pictures! He was so nice to let us do that. And still to this day, Dallin wears his pilot wings that he was given.

We had a red eye flight that night. And after nearly 12 hrs of flying, here we are almost home. We arrived back in DC and still had to make the 2 hour drive home. After taking a plane, a train, a bus and an automobile we were pretty exhausted and ready to sleep in our own beds.

This whole trip was really amazing! And we all feel so blessed to have been able to go as a family to have so many adventures together. Many memories were made!

Aloha Hawaii - part 2

The next day we went to church in Kona, which is a beautiful chapel and an amazingly friendly ward. The chapel is right next to the Kona Temple, which was equally beautiful. Because it was Sunday, the gates were all locked and this was the closest we could actually get. The kids were disappointed that they didn't get to touch the doors.

Sunday night we drove up Mauna Loa, where it it completely unpopulated, to do some start gazing. We were at such an incredible altitude and in total darkness with no light pollution, that it made for an astounding sight in the night sky. Never have I seen so many stars before. It was also pretty chilly! All we had were beach towels to wrap up in. And the kids all snuggled in the back of the car.

Monday was David's first real day being a tourist. By this point I was pretty "beached" out. We had swam for two full days already. But he had yet to put his toes in the sand. So we went to the beach right at our hotel. We had gone down on the first day and the water was very calm, but this day was windy and the water was really choppy.

You can't go to Hawaii without indulging in Shave Ice.  I don't really like it... but the kids enjoyed them.

David took Aliza and Charlotte out snorkeling in the choppy water. These two girls have NO fear!  Carmen is more like me, I don't like deep water. It's scary to me.

We also took a little Hula dancing class. It was totally different than what I was expecting, but a really lovely form of dance. 

Tuesday we went to visit the volcanoes at Volcano National Park. It was pretty awesome and really hard to describe in words or capture in pictures the vastness of the effects of these volcanoes. 

 We also picked up Grandpa Bean!! We hadn't seen him in almost 7 years, so it was fun to catch up with him.

 ...I love her with braids.... I had to bribe her with $2 to let me do it. :)

 We are our lunch on the rim of a volcano.

Some of us were still in a bad mood.... 3 days later.

 This is a lava lake that we were able to walk around the brim of. All of that blackness below is hardened lava.

 And what we thought was a quick walk to some lava tubes, turned into quite the little hike. Dallin was asleep, so I left David in the car with him while we went to check them out. But nearly an hour later when we hadn't returned, he got worried that we had fallen off the cliffs. But we eventually found each other again. And the long walk helped put Carmen in a better mood!

 We walked along lava lakes, through a rain forest and eventually made it through some lava tubes! The tubes are ginormous and we didn't walk too far along in them because we knew David must be worried about where we were. So we turned around and headed back through the forest and along the lava lake, back to the car. But this little unplanned adventure was one of my favorite parts of our trip! The girls were happy and talkative and the scenery was beautiful.

 After the lava tubes we kept driving along crater road. It felt like a different planet. Totally desolate! Here the lava flow ran up and over the road, blocking it and making it impassable. Aliza, of course, did cartwheels on it and Charlotte is making an "uh oh" face.

 When the roads become impassible, they just build new roads around the lava flow. This one is a total loss.

This lava field was fun to explore.

 And I really love this family selfie. I just wish Dallin was in it with us. He was asleep still in the car with Grandpa Bean. Carmen is making that disgusted face because there was a warning sign about toxic gases being in the area. We weren't too worried, but she felt like she had to hold her breath.

 Trying to "peel" the lave back.

 A resilient little plant growing up through the hardened rock.

Charlotte was shocked with how light the lava rock was.

Aliza atop her throne!

 Lave arch! The lava flowed right into the ocean and created this archway.

Dallin collected so many rocks this day! My pockets were full and when he wasn't looking I'd throw a few out.

 The girls found these "maraca" plants. When you shake the little seed pods they sound like tiny maracas.

 Lava pile

 We really wanted to find a black sand beach and had been told about this one that would be on our drive home from the park. By the time we got there it was dark. But we still walked about on the back, the pictures just don't really show up at all. And my most favorite flip flops broke on this beach...