Two Pictures are Worth Two Thousand Words

This sign by Kealakekua Bay just screams Hawaii:

A recent photo taken from the space shuttle shows the source of our island's vog. Emissions from both Halemaumau and the lava's ocean entry can be seen in the bottom center portion of the Big Island. Notice how hazy the air is over the Kona area compared to how clear Maui appears. Breathing all that sulphur dioxide is reminiscent of driving through Gary in my home state of Indiana. We're getting tired of the vog but we have found one benefit. With so much pollution the sun's intense summer rays don't feel quite so hot.

Time to pay your taxes, Larry

Chris, Larry and I packed about 50 lbs. each of underwater gear into a pristine fishing spot down south. It's crazy how much gear is required for spearfishing: weight belt, wet suit, gloves, gun, dive knife, booties, fins, mask, snorkel, defog solution. But after having spent 2.5 hours in the water and hiking uphill on the way back in the Noon time sun I was still overjoyed that my pack weighed more on the way out. There were fishies in there!

I shot a kala, umamalea, and a really good sized palani, and Chris shot three uhu, a big nenue and several other fish. Larry also got fish but he, "paid the tax collector." (I learned that expression today) When he climbed out of the water, he discovered the steel cable connecting his kui (stringer) to his float had been severed. He recalled having felt a tug on his line on his way to shore. He assumed the float had caught up on a rock, but in actuality, a shark had stolen his fish and kui in one chomp.

It was a gorgeous day. Clear water, no wind. One highlight for me was watching a free swimming octupus who immediatly turned to perfect camo when he detected me. Chris' best moment was when he took a perfect shot at a 50 lb. fish. The shot was perfect, right into the head, but the shaft didn't go all the way through the thick fish and with a few spinning turns it broke lose. Ohhh! That must have been dissapointing, but we have plenty of fish in the freezer now. When we eat that up we can go back for more.

Toys, toys, toys

Bikes seem to be multiplying right under our roof. Chris has been spending some time in the garage repairing and rebuilding scooters and motorcycles. You should see this guy work, it's amazing! He turned what looked like a box of junk to me into a fully operational scooter that carried both of us up the hill after a swim yesterday. It goes 40 mph! (by the way, it's for sale) He has actually fixed up three scooters and the bike shown in the foreground. A fourth scooter is coming soon.

Diving After Dark

Lorelei, John and I decided not to wait for the three-day weekend to start having our fun. So I drove down to Jack's Diving Locker Thursday night to rent some scuba gear and we did a sunset dive off Old Airport and a night dive behind the King Kam Hotel Thursday night. We slipped into the calm water of Kamakahonu Bay while stars shone over Ahu`ena Heiau, tiki torch from Island Breeze's luau danced across the water and the familiar voice of Pastor Kealoha entertained the luau guests with a rendition of the Hawaiian Wedding Song. We knew it was going to be an incredible evening!

The reef is transformed after dark. Myriads of shrimp eyes illuminated by our lights appeared like city lights throughout the reef. Uhu encase themselves in slime and tuck into hiding alongside other daytime fish. We saw crabs, a slipper lobster, crazy big and weird puffer fish and even a couple creatures we could not identify. It was awesome! Just when I thought I felt familiar with the reef I discovered night time.

More Vacation Photos

I got behind and never finished telling our vacation stories. It wouldn't be right if I didn't mention the retired stunt woman we met who has played in scores of famous western movies. She proudly boasted to us that she is fourth generation Kanab resident and a steak and potato kinda gal. Then there was the trip across 30 miles of washboard road in our compact rental car in quest of the Grand Canyon. The paved road was still closed for the winter. The trek was worth it- we drove right up to the rim and there not one human voice could be heard for miles. The trip was truly fantastic, but it's always good to be home and back to our tropical playground.

Hittin' the Slots

Hawaii residents have a fascination with Las Vegas, so much so that Vegas is often referred to as the "Ninth Island" because so many Hawaii natives vacation there.

Chris and I flew to Vegas recently, and boy did we hit it big! We didn't put one coin into a slot machine, but we spent plenty of time in the slots. The main goal of our trip was to hike slot canyons, and we found a few doozies. Our favorite was Round Valley, which we came across by accident in a remote area of the Grand Staircase. We could often touch both sides of the canyon at once, and the rock walls towered at least 200 feet overhead. There was just enough climbing, crawling and chimneying to keep it exciting, and we had no idea what was ahead, so there was a feeling of discovery and a constant element of surprise. We also attempted Bull Gorge, but we didn't get far without repelling equipment. Willis Creek and a slot leading to Paria Canyon (near the famous Wave) also proved to be a lot of fun.

Photos above: Chris enjoys Willis Creek, Andrea stands grinning above the start of Round Valley- our favorite slot of the week, Andrea peers into Bull Valley Gorge which proved to be too challenging for us.

A National Treasure

Chris and I returned from a 9-day vacation to Southern Utah. I'll posting a few pictures from the trip over the next several days.

We camped near the coral pink sand dunes the first night, then spent the day in Zion National Park. We weren't excited about the crowds but the scenery is incredible. There are many unbelievably beautiful hikes that are well marked and accessible from the shuttle bus that carries visitors through the canyon, and there are a lot of backcountry options as well. I definitely recommend this park.

Above: Chris hugs the cliff while hiking on a ledge that leads to Hidden Canyon. Below: taking a break on a nice slab of rock.