Hey Everyone,
I've decided to chronicle our trip through the Big Island of Hawai'i. I won't be able to post this until after we get home (internet is hard to find!), but we are doing some really fun stuff! We were only able to take this trip due to a free plane ticket (got bumped from a flight - score!) and the generosity of the Brights, who let us have their timeshare for a week - thank you so much!
Anyway, our trip started early on Friday morning (March 26, 2010): we woke up bright and early, hopped into my car, and drove all the way to LA to catch our flight. We parked the car, caught the shuttle, stood in a ridiculously long line for security, but were still 3 hours early to the flight (yes, I am neurotic about being early for flights…). Surprisingly, for such a huge airport there was absolutely NOTHING to do or see near our gate, so we just sat and waited.
Of course, the flight was delayed by about 2 hours because the pilot’s altimeter was malfunctioning, but lucky for us they replaced it and we were on our way to Hawai’i! Even from the West Coast the flight takes forever…but we landed safe and sound and rushed to our rental car. We had previously decided to spend as little as possible on the car (ie get a Hyundai!) but the appeal of a convertible was immediately apparent when we landed in the warm, beautiful Kona airport. We let the rental car guy talk us into renting a convertible Mustang, which we affectionately named Sally.
Since we flew in on a Friday, but we weren’t able to check into the Bright’s condo in Kona (on the West side of the island) until Saturday, we thought we would explore the opposite side of the island. This was a great idea when we 
were supposed to arrive at 4pm. But with the delay we arrived just as the sun was setting, and it was dark by the time we had Sally all packed up with our bags. Undeterred, we set off for the Northeast corner of Hawai’i, aiming for a town named Honoka’a.
The drive wasn’t too bad (even though we couldn’t figure out how to get the top down in the dark….) and after about 2 hours of winding through the mysterious, dark countryside we arrived at our little hotel. The room wasn’t much to look at (I didn’t even take a picture), with just a bed, a sink in the room, and a tiny, ridiculously old and outdated bathroom. We were starving, but were informed by the hotel manager that the town “rolls up the sidewalks at 8pm” and that nothing but the convenience store would be open. We took a gamble and drove back to a town we had passed on the way in called Waimea. We made it there in about 20 minutes, and found a Thai place just in time to place the last takeout order of the night.
It was raining and chilly (well, I’m a wimp so chilly starts at about 70 degrees), so we sat in the car, scarfed down our Thai, made a quick stop at the grocery store to get snacks for our morning hike, and returned to our teeny little room. It was awesome to fall asleep to the sound of the 
frogs croaking through the gentle rain, which we could hear amazing well thanks to the fact that our windows were just screened in :)
We woke up pretty early on Saturday morning thanks to our different timezone and the bright tropical sun. We enjoyed our free organic breakfast (homemade breads, local fruits, and Kona coffee :) and set out for our first Hawaiian adventure. We were aiming to explore the whole Northern point of the island, and started at Waipio Valley. The guidebook said it was the “greenest green you will ever see” so we were excited to get out and see it!
We arrived at the top of the valley as a rain shower was ending, and stepped out of our little car just in time to see an awesome rainbow hanging over the 2000-foot sheer vertical cliffs overlooking the amazingly blue ocean. It was a quite a site and motivated us to attempt the hike down the 30% grade road/trail.
We made it down the HUGE hill, and explored the valley. There were 2 giant waterfalls on the inland end of the valley, and after snapping way too many pictures, we hiked to the ocean. It was so cool to come out of the 
dense, jungle-like vegetation and be on a pristine black sand beach between the towering cliffs. We wandered the beach, ate a snack, and decided not to scramble over the slippery rocks at the mouth of the river to get to the other trails in the valley. Instead, we mentally prepared ourselves, and hiked UP the 30% grade 2000 foot hill.
I made Taylor time us on the way down (26 minutes) and I was prepared for an epic hour long struggle up the cliff. Amazingly, somehow we made it up in about 35 or 40 minutes, and we were psyched to know that maybe working out a little was helping! :)
We tore ourselves away from the amazing vistas at the top, and headed back towards town. The hotel manager had tipped us off, and we stopped at a little roadside art gallery for amazing homemade ice cream (I had passion fruit sorbet, and Taylor had strawberry ice cream). Going furth
er north, we crossed over grassy ranch land (there is a huge ranch on the North side of the island – it’s about 225,000 acres!) and up a mini-mountain (3000 feet) to reach the Northern point of the island and a town called Hawi (pronounced Ha-vee). It used to be a sugar town, but once the sugar industry abandoned the island, it was deserted. Now revived, it’s a cute little town, full of tourist sho
ps, art, and food. We stopped for lunch and had a fantastic meal. I had kalua pork and cabbage (so good!) and Taylor had 3 sliders (one pork, one chicken with pineapple, and one hamburger).
Fortified, we set out to find another valley and more beautiful scenery. We found Pololu Valley – another valley which meets the ocean with sheer cliffs and dramatic views. It looked pretty similar to the last hike, so after 
watching the wild horses wander the flat valley through the locals taro patches for a while, we headed on. Every turn on the winding road back revealed a waterfall or an incredible view!
We took a long drive down the coastal road on our way to Kona and the condo. We passed through grassy scrubland along the 
water. We quickly learned that the East side of the island is the “wet” side: it gets all the rainfall, and as the clouds pass over the huge mountainy volcanoes, they dump all the rain on the East side, leaving most of the West side dry and barren. We crossed ancient
lava flows and about halfway home I almost ran us off the road – I saw a humpback whale from the road! I quickly pulled over and we watched the whales play for a while. After considering safety, I reluctantly let Taylor drive the convertible (we figured out how to get the top down) and I watched whales for the next 40 minutes of our dive. Every few miles there would be another whale in the water – I was so fascinated that we could see them from the road and had a 
blast staring at them almost all the way into town.
We arrived in Kona and checked into our condo at the Kona Coast Resort. We were asked if we would like to pay for air conditioning…we hesitated, but decided to see if we 
could survive without the A/C and picked a 3rd floor golf course view room. It was great! We had a full kitchen, 2 bathrooms, a dining table, and a balcony with a table overlooking the golf course. Just after we put our bags down there was a knock on the door. Mrs. Bright had sent us chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, champagne, and a beautiful flower arrangement! Thank you so much, Mrs. Bright!!!
After unpacking a little, we ran to the market, grabbed dinner, and had pasta on our balcony before heading off to bed. It was a great way to start our first full day on the island!
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