Another day, another river, another waterfall

Sarah and I went up to Laupahoehoe Monday to visit some friends and hike to a waterfall. We walked up a river for about an hour hopping from one boulder to the next and wading through the water. The walls of the gulch towered over us, carpeted in bright green grass, wild orchids and ginger. A chorus of birds accompanied the babbling brook that resonated through the canyon. The garden of Eden must have been something like this.

We had a fun swim in the pool at the base of the falls, jumping off rocks and floating on our backs, watching the sun lit water pour over moss-covered rocks. The sky was bright blue and I was amazed at how fast the clouds flew by- as if someone had pressed the fast forward button on the remote.

After the hike, Luke made us a vegan meal of broccoli, mushrooms and millet. Then we hung out with some folks who are developing a 13 acre farm. They live off the land and their kitchen is constructed of PVC pipe and some plastic tarps. We sat on the ground near the kitchen and drank coconuts together. I felt like a tourist in another country, their lives are so different from mine, but they were really welcoming and we had a good time together. Sarah felt guilty later when we pulled off at Tex's to order a double cheese burger and a chocolate milk shake. The vegetarian food was delicious and healthy, but it didn't fill our meat-loving tummies for long.