Wild Times in West Hawaii

Ho`okena was teeming with wildlife today. And lucky me, I brought my camera. I hoped to catch a glimpse of the Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins that were cruising the bay. The dolphins frequent calm water during the day while they shut off half their brain to sleep. I didn't want to disturb them like so many obnoxious snorkelers I see, but I did want to get a peek at the dolphins. So I just floated in the water for about 20 minutes and waited for the dolpins to come to me. It was amazing! I just stayed still and several times groups of dolphins swam right by me. They are so graceful and playful. From underwater I could hear their high pitched squeeky sounds. I could have stayed out there all day, but I'd be pretty annoyed if a bunch of people gawked at me while I was trying to take a nap. So I headed to the north end of the bay to snorkel.

And that was no disappointment, either. I saw several Green Sea Turtles, a few schools of fish, an eel, and two flounders along with the usual ocean critters. Not a bad day.

Q. What do the following items have in common?

A broken boogie board, an empty growler, a lunch box containing a moldy pork chop, a Bible, a dryer sheet, a card board pizza box, a skateboard, a lucky bamboo plant and a pair of Micky Mouse Ears.

A. These are all things I found laying on my bedroom floor.

(Some of the items are still there.)

A Beautiful Day at Kahalu`u

I seldom snorkel at Kahalu`u because it's crowded and I get mad at the tourists walking all over the coral. I guess I forgot how nice it is there. The reef isn't as pretty as a lot of other spots but the fish are tame and the water is shallow, which makes picture taking easy.

Earth Day 2006

They had this baline at NOAA's educational booth at the earth fair at Kahalu`u Beach today. Humpback Whales don't eat while they're in Hawaii. When they eat in Alaska they take take in huge amounts of water with herring and smelt swimming in it. Then they push the water out of their mouth through the baline. The water goes back into the sea but the baline keeps the food in the whale's mouth. An adult Humpback gobbles up a ton of food a day.

At the Earth Day booths I also learned about the effects of fish collecting on the yellow tang population. Thanks to fish replenishment sites along the Kona Coast, the population is increasing. Learn about the community group that made this possible: http://www.lostfishcoalition.org/ I also learned that cigarette butts can leave toxins in the sand and that is harmful to crabs.

There were some tourists at the beach, however, that didn't seem to learn anything. I saw one guy feeding peas to a Green Sea Turtle (an endangered specie) and I saw several other tourists stepping all over the coral. I wish visitors were more educated on proper ocean use. With the number of people trampling the coral at Kahalu`u everyday, it's only a matter of time before our beautiful reef is all dead and busted and crummy just like Haunama Bay on Oahu.

Move over, General Lee

Boss Hog and Sheriff Coltrane won't stand a chance at catchin' Bo Duke or Cousin Luke when those good ole boys make their getaway on this two-wheeler. This moped is new to my neighborhood, I crack up every time I see it.

OOPS

What a great day Easter was. I think I was feeling a little too happy for my own good. Then I went out to the brew pub with Jim and Mike- that made me feel even better. Back at home I couldn't sit still so I went out for a quick skateboard ride. Maybe I am getting too old for skateboarding, maybe the beer left me a bit off balance. I smacked into the garage door and dented it. My first thought was, "Oh, man. Mom and dad are home. I am SOOOO busted!" I don't think I'll ever grow up. Next time I am all wound up I am gonna burn off my extra energy by bouncing on my pogo stick instead.

Easter Sunrise

The sun rises over Hualalai during the Easter Sunrise Service at Old Airport.

Off the Beaten Path

I went out looking for the elusive black sand beach that's somewhere between Mahaiula's and the airport. I set out on my mountain bike down an extremely bumpy road and across pahoehoe lava. When I got hot and tired I continued the search in the Jeep. Where the heck is that beach? I went 1.4 miles which is all the way to the airport fence. No beach.

The Passion of the Christ
Friday night I watched the Passion of the Christ on the lawn of Living Stones Church. I promised never to watch that movie again, but I was flattered by the invitation and I didn't know of anything else going on for Good Friday. I was impressed by their sound system and two clever church members who took the back seat out of their Jeep to use as a couch. I can't say the movie impressed me, however. It's just a bloodbath- half the Roman Army beating on a guy until he finally dies. Most Christian movies are low budget, cheesy and in my opinion an embarrassment to Christians everywhere. This movie actually had a budget and talent, but it failed to tell a story. Who is Jesus? Why did he die? This movie doesn't explain the Gospel message, and that's disappointing. (For an explanation of why Jesus died, click here.)

I can't be too disappointed, however, in any experience, movie or otherwise, that reminds me of my Lord. Here was a guy who truly traveled off the beaten path. Here's a God who willingly left his heavenly home to walk planet Earth for 33 years where he experienced every possible pain and hardship of the human condition. He did this out of his great love for us. And he teaches us to have that same unselfish love toward others- even our worst enemies. These ideals seem so foreign and impossible for us to attain. Yet I know the same Spirit that raised a dead body from a tomb on that first Easter morning dwells in us today, urging us to also live a different kind of life and to travel off the beaten path.

Woo-Hoo! I'm getting Wet Okoles!

I ordered a set of Wet Okole seat covers for my Jeep. (Okole is Hawaiian for butt) These custom made, neoprene seat covers are basically a wet suit for your car seat. My seats are already splotchy and white from the salt. I had to crack out the carpet cleaner on them Sunday night. The stupid seat covers are expensive as all get out but everyone says they're the best. They're made to order so I won't actually get mine for another 4-6 weeks.

An Interesting Guest

Verna had this little visitor at her desk today. She knew I'd like him so she said I come over to catch him. One picture is under normal lighting, the other is under a black light. I am not sure what makes scorpions glow under a black light. Any ideas?

Practically Perfect

There's nothing like waking up on Saturday morning knowing you have the whole day free to do anything you want. I packed up my longboard and headed down to Pine Trees. After some really great rides I rode up to Hapuna Beach for a birthday party. I filled my tummy with grilled meat then decided to head back to town with the intention of conning another Harley ride out of Sarah.

However, instead of hitting the highway I found myself exploring some trails just south of the beach in my Jeep. I ended up near a cliff with an amazing view of Beach 69- and the surf was going off! So I HAD to go to 69 to check it out. On my way home once more I still hadn't heard from Sarah and I tell you it's not easy to keep a Jeep on the highway. So I was forced to drive down to Mahaiulas- and the road gets worse every time I go. There was actually one point where a Ford Explorer and Toyota Tacoma gave up- their sorry owners parked their trucks and walked the rest of the way to the beach. But not me and my trusty Liberty. She may only have 6.3" of ground clearance, but that's all we needed. She's a great truck, I'm a great driver, and we're American by golly. And we're not afraid of a little lava rock.

After four beautiful beaches, scores of waves and three 4-wheel drive trails how does this great day end? How about a ride down Ali`i Drive smelling the plumerias and tasting the salty air from the back of a Harley Davidson? It was one of those moments where you stop and say, "AHHHH. This is what life is all about! This day is practically perfect." I went home, polished off the growler and called it a day.

Pau Hana

My dad requested that I fill the growler with Duke's Blonde Ale on my way home from work tonight. (I would have chosen Fire Rock Pale Ale) Another week pau, man am I glad for the weekend.

Harley Chick

Sarah came by the office today to show off the Harley she rented and to take me for a quick ride. She's working for a guy who is filming a Swiss TV show on the Big Island. I think it's supposed to be a reality show where two women- one a diva, the other an outdoorsman, supposedly go camping in remote places. Sarah's job was to drive the Harley up to Waimea and then to Hawi for use in the filming. She's also taking them to Makalawena and other cool places in her truck.

Another Beautiful Day

I went down to Pine Trees after work today and caught some pretty fun waves. The sun was still shining and the clouds were drifting away from Hualalai. The summit was clearly visible. Someone told me Hualalai means obstruction, the Hawaiians named it that because it's always obstructed by clouds. But this afternoon it was gorgeous.

Not much excitement this week. Last weekend was pretty cool because it was Sarah's birthday. Her roommates got her a fishing knife and I gave her a Leatherman Juice. We went to Puako to spearfish so Sarah could use her new tools but she didn't get any fish to use them on. We could hear whales singing from underwater. It was louder than I have ever heard; beautiful and eerie at the same time. I practically expected to swim around the point to see a whale staring us down. Apparently, both male and female Humpbacks can sing, but only the males do. They all sing the same song, but the song evolves over time. The amazing thing is the whales in California and Alaska sing the same song. PBS has some great Humpback Whale info if you're interested.