Goodbye to Nate and Nicole

There's been a flurry of activity the past few weeks with Nate and Nicole attempting to do all their favorite things before they leave. The highlight of the activities was their last full day before departure. Everyone (except Em, Maddie and me) went to Hanalei for a day at the beach to be joined by us near Kilauea at the One Love Gardens for a reggae concert. The bands that night included local favorite Sashamon as well as internationally known (but unknown to me at the time) Israel Vibration.

We met outside the venue, walked the rest of the way and were pleasantly surprised to find out we could take chairs, blankets, coolers, beer, etc., etc. into the concert. No metal detectors, no pat downs, no piles of half empty beer bottles at the door; everyone was just trusted to enjoy and behave themselves - a refreshing concept. You couldn't ask for a better place to listen to reggae. A grass hillside sloped down to the stage providing mostly unobstructed views while surrounded by fruit trees, forest and towering green mountains. We put our blankets down and stretched out to listen to Sashamon while enjoying our beverages of choice. Unfortunately, it rained for about 2o minutes, but cleared up for the rest of the evening. Everyone enjoyed hearing Sashamon (except maybe Mike) and Maddie even got to meet him.

More and more people arrived throughout the evening and the place was packed by the time Israel Vibration started performing. Israel Vibration played a very energetic first show on Kauai and will gladly be welcomed back. We enjoyed the music, the people, the surroundings and our last night with Nate and Nicole.

Naughty, Naughty...good thing he wasn't driving.

After the show we tiredly retreated back to our house for some pupus (look it up, it's Hawaiian). We hung out awhile and then it was time for goodbyes. We've known Nate and Nicole almost exactly a year, but when they're a 1/3 of your support system 5000 miles away from your family, those goodbyes can be pretty damn tough. A big "Thank You" to them for all the babysitting, good times and especially for being great friends.

Now Back to Moloka'i...

As you probably gathered from the quick post on Moloka'i we got to do some really cool things, but lack of sleep may have affected our ability to do everything we wanted. There were highs and lows to the first real family vacation (believe it or not, traveling back to Cincy is considered a less than relaxing vacation for us because we want to see everyone). Highs being the boat ride behind the island viewing 3000 foot sea cliffs (the world's highest) and 4-wheeling to the very remote Kawakiu Nui Bay Beach. Lows being Maddie teething and awakening 4 times a night to her crying and my underwater camera leaking, thus destroying (most of) our pictures of the highest sea cliffs in the world.

After nearly missing our flight due to some late cases in the OR, we caught our flight to Oahu. From there we caught our single prop Cessna to Moloka'i. This was one of the most enjoyable flights of my life, first because the aircraft was very nice, second because we flew at a low altitude so we could see the topography of the islands and third because I got to see Em squirm at the thought of flying in such a small plane. After a short while in the air, I think Em enjoyed the flight as well. We landed on Moloka'i and picked up our ridiculously expensive and dirty Jeep Wrangler from Island Kine car rental and continued to the condo on the southeastern side. The condo was nice and we crashed shortly after confirming our boat ride in the morning.

We awoke for the 12th time to a fairly cloudy morning and drove to the lush Halawa Valley on the east side to grab our boat. Maddie seemed to enjoy the ride with it's constant movement and changes in scenery. I took some nice pictures and marveled at the natural beauty of the sea cliffs. Our guide gave us the history of the essentially inaccessible valleys of Moloka'i's north shore. We saw the tallest waterfall in HI, but at this time of year is was nothing more than a trickle. You may notice some of the "special" copositions of the pictures below due to the camera malfunction and some creative editing.

The scenery was breathtaking and included huge waterfalls, sheer green cliffs, lush remote valleys, sea caves (one of which we drove through), gorgeous beaches and views of the Kalaupapa peninsula ("leper colony"). We paused for awhile to snorkel in a cove with a 30 ft. waterfall pouring into the ocean. The snorkeling was unremarkable, but the surroundings were amazing. It was at this time that I realized my camera had leaked and I may have lost all the pictures/ruined the xD card/ruined the camera. Thankfully, none of these were true, but I did lose most of the pictures and movies that I had taken that day. I didn't let it spoil the rest of the ride (unusual for me). Maddie got a little fussy toward the end of the 4 hour ride as the ocean swells increased, but did exceptionally well otherwise. On the drive back, I counted 3 passing cars over 9 miles.

The following day we drove the 4WD road to the Kamakou preserve in the mountainous center of the island. Maddie does not like 4 wheeling. I do not like screaming kids. This made for a very pleasant 2 hour, one-way ride for Emily. The preserve contains 250 species of Hawaiian plants, most of which can be found nowhere else in the world. It was an otherworldly place, the bog being very different than the Alakai Swamp on Kauai. We hiked only a short while because the trails were not very conducive to carrying a child due to overgrowth and low overhanging branches. We saw nothing but mist at the overlooks, but it was still a nice thing to see. Thankfully, Maddie slept most of the way down.

Another rough night followed by a day of relaxation. I went snorkeling for a short while and then rejoined Em and Maddie for her first dip in the pool. She looks hilarious in her life jacket, but enjoys being in the water as well as floating around on her back.

We drove to the hot, dry west side of Moloka'i to spend a day at the beach. After taking our chances on a sketchy 4WD road, were rewarded with a beautiful crescent of white sand surrounded by rugged black lava rock sporting a current population of 3 - Em, Maddie and me. I set up the beach tent on the hot sand and then cooled off in the pristine blue water. Maddie enjoyed the waves and floating around while we kept our feet cool in the water at the shoreline. I snorkeled for awhile and caught a glimpse of 2 BIG fish...I'm not saying they were sharks, but I'm also not denying it because it was too hard to tell as I saw them turn and swim away from me. I took the safest (maybe "less dangerous" is more appropriate) course of action and continued snorkeling further north in the bay where the fish had pretty colors and no teeth.

The following day I was unable to secure permission for hiking down to the "leper colony" so we visited the macadamia nut farm, the coffee plantation and did some short hikes to overlooks for the Kalaupapa peninsula.

Em was forbidden to go within 20 feet, but Maddie and I visited Phallic Rock, rumored to have amazing impregnating capabilities. Personally, I think Cock Rock, Bone Stone, Boner Boulder or Mineral Member are better names.
Maddie did not cooperate with the hiking so we returned to the condo and spent a little while in the pool.

The next morning we arrived at the airport in plenty of time to be informed of another legendary Go! Airlines F*#$ - up (that's foul-up).

Go! employee: "We tried to get ahold of you to tell you your flight had been canceled and we couldn't contact you despite having your cell phone number, email address, various other methods of contact and knowing well in advance that our flight schedule was changing 3 days ago. You'll just have to wait 3 hours at the smallest airport in the world with your 6 month old." Me: "Thank you again for your stellar customer service and precise attention to detail. Your airline and your employees are a guiding light to the industry in this time of affordable airline travel. Now let me get a crowbar to remove my size 13 boot from your rectum. Should you need surgical and anesthesia services for this extraction, I know just the person to provide them."

After that, we made it home without much of a problem and on a positive note, I was able to get a picture of the remote Kawakiu beach from the air - Cool!

Laura, Paul and Chuminga the Destroyer

Chuminga - name meaning: of the Lord, Spanish familiar form of Dominic

Destroyer - adjective meaning: one who wakes at God-awful hours of the morning to run, play and throw Nalgene water bottles on the floor thus awakening Maddie the Crier so they may collaborate to create a most boisterous racket

After a day of recovery from our trip to Moloka'i, Maddie and I hiked the canyon so Em could get the house cleaned up for Laura, Paul and Dominic's arrival that evening. Maddie was overall well-behaved as was Dominic on the flights per Laura and Paul's report. They were exhausted, but happy on arrival and we planned a day at the beach to relax the following day. Of note, Laura and Paul were kind enough to supply me with some excellent beers from the mainland to restore my dwindling supply. Stone + Great Lakes + Bell's + Boulder = Yummy!
Maha'ulepu was more crowded than I'd ever seen it likely because of the holiday weekend. Still, it was deserted by Florida standards. Dominic didn't have quite the love of the ocean that Maddie has, but he's probably just old enough to understand that it's something unknown whereas Maddie just rolls with any new experience at 6 mos. By the time Dominic left HI a week later, he was smiling, laughing and asking for more.

We spent most evenings talking and having a few cocktails while the kids were sleeping. It was our 2-3 hours of respite from the hectic days of hauling 2 kids around and trying to do/see as much as possible.

The next day we spent driving Waimea Canyon Road and checking out the overlooks to the canyon and north shore valleys.

Dominic feeding the pests

On Monday, Paul, Nate and I hiked to a waterfall which will be chronicled in a separate future post due to it's utterly spectacular nature.

The rest of the week we spent checking out the drive up waterfalls on the east side, Sheraton beach and Ke'e beach. Paul and I managed to sneak in a couple 4-6 mile hikes on Sleeping Giant and the Kalalau trail.

Sheraton Beach and pool (illegaly, of course) because Em's still pale enough to pass as a tourist

"I'm not so sure about this..."
"It's all good!"
The 4 of us...I mean 6 of us. Boy, a lot's changed in the past 2 years.

Laura, Paul, Em and I also got an evening to ourselves at Tidepools thanks to our friends here who babysat as a team. We enjoyed a tremendous dinner and as a surprise treat imbibed the most excellent Rochefort "10" belgian ale, which until this point I did not think was available on the island. At 14 bucks per 11.3 oz. bottle, I don't think I'll enjoy it on a regular basis, but this was one of the first truly excellent tasting beers that I've bought and consumed here. Often, excellent beers arrive here in poor condition due to the long, hot transport over the Pacific. This one was perfect. See what RateBeer.com had to say about it http://ratebeer.com/beer/rochefort-trappistes-10/2360/3/1/

We also spent an evening at the Sheraton beach, drinking, grilling and watching some of the luau.

Like I said, he couldn't get enough by their final day.

Upon their departure to the airport and onward to Cincinnati, everybody was sad, but ready to resume their normal lives with kids who behave themselves when napping and eating at regular times. Their visit was thoroughly enjoyable, but it took a lot of work and patience to keep the little ones happy. I think Laura, Paul and Chuminga got a good taste of island life, but I don't think they'll be moving here anytime soon unless they can bring their air conditioner. Thanks for an awesome week, we look forward to seeing you 3...make that 4 in a few months or so!

Hippies and Secret Tunnels

We went to an Earth Day celebration because there was going to be some live music, but we got more than we bargained for. Now I'm pretty tolerant of hippies and some of you may even think that I am one, but this was a little ridiculous. My suggestion to you before watching this video is to grab a Stone Ruination IPA, pick a hippie, watch and laugh. My favorite is the old chubby one in the purple to the right of the screen and second place goes to "Convulsing Lady" to her left in the white shirt/red skirt.

Question: What's yellow and orange and looks good on hippies?

FIRE!!!!

Ah, yes, that's a classic. Now on to something more interesting - the Secret Tunnels Hike.

This hike consists of a 2-3 mile slog through sloppy mud along hunting trails until arriving at the opening of an old irrigation tunnel through the mountains on the east/central side of the island. You may question the safety of such a hike, but according to the guidebooks and my friend Nate (who's done most of the hike) it is essentially impossible to divert water through these tunnels anymore. In any case, we did it and survived so I'll tell you more about it. By the way, that is mud up to my mid-thighs - it wasn't exactly a clean hike.

The first tunnel is about a mile long, starts out at about 7 ft. high and at times the irregular ceiling drops to about 5 feet high - don't forget about the 6 inches of water on the floor. You exit a small opening to a small waterfall, then back into the tunnel, but smaller this time with some wood framing through which you need to squirm to continue.

Our backs were hurting a bit by the time we exited this tunnel due to all the bending over so we were happy to hike a little toward the last tunnel which Nate had been unable to locate last time.
With the help of some people we saw on the trail, we found the next tunnel and continued onward 7/10's of a mile through a smaller, more rickety tunnel. Upon exiting the tunnel, you arrive on the north side of the island in a lush slot-canyon with inward-leaning walls and moderately-sized waterfall to the left. It's a pretty cool place, but it took a lot of effort to get there and even more to get cleaned up afterward. It was a cool hike with the feel of trailblazing the whole time even though it's written up in the guidebook.

More adventures coming soon. If you like the hike posts, keep your eyes peeled for Jurassic Park Waterfall hike.