So, Lloyd and I need to get our act together. He actually wrote a post about his second day in Hawaii, but I didn’t see it in the drafts, and now – as you read this – he is on his fourth day, so what are we going to do with all this chaos? We’ll have a mashup, that’s what we’ll do.
First, his witty writing:
**********
Yawn, another day in paradise. We got up pretty early again today and Samith and I went to the beach. I think we walked a mile or so and then walked back. On our walk we met an interesting character who told us of his exploits, recent and not. I’m not sure how much of what he said was true, and I’m not sure if it mattered. I blamed Samith for the conversation. He blamed me.
We came home and ate some of our supplies from yesterday for breakfast. After that we went to a weekly swap meet. It was a huge collection of people who set up canopies and sold things. I got my second shave ice. Samith got a coconut just to drink the milk (which tastes very different fresh). Brad almost bought some pottery and I paid too much for a jar of mustard (but it is quite good).
After the swap meet it was a trip up the volcano. Switch-back after switch-back through eucalyptus forests, Alpine like meadows and eventually clouds and lava. We made it up to 10,000 feet. And not that wimpy 10,000 feet that you might see in Colorado where you start at 5,000 feet above sea level. We started, quite literally at sea level with a walk on the beach.
It was cold at the top and very windy. There was a cool plant called a silverleaf (or something like that). It only grows on the volcano and can live for up to 50 years. Then it blooms. Then it dies. There was one blooming while we were there. It smelled good. I would like to grow one, but will need to find a volcano first.
We hiked up a short 0.2 miles to a great look out spot. There were lots of German tourists around. I’m not sure where I was going with that. Lets just let it drop.
On the way down we stopped at this great burger place. Fatburger is a chain, but as this is the first one I’ve ever been to and as I am on Maui, I’m going to choose to believe that this was the only one. We did not accept the challenge to eat a 1.5 pound burger, even though we would have gotten our picture on the wall.
Back to Brad’s house for our afternoon nap and then off to the other end of the island to see the most recent lava flow. It stopped flowing in 1790, so we didn’t see any actual glowing hot lava. Instead we explored tidal pools and lept gracefully from rock to rock. We saw our first sunset from the beach. It was well done.
************
And back to Seward: Here is a dumb photo of what I did on Sunday when I was scavanging for bricks for a future project.
I remembered that long ago by the fairgrounds they used to dump rubble. I went to check it out and it just happened to be by our full-of-rain creek. Huh. I like the sound of running water so I sat in the back of the truck and did some work and listened to it whoosh by. It was almost like being by the ocean, but without all the terror.
Take that, Hawaii.
Kristi says
Well, Lauren, throw enough red dye into the creek, and you’ve got your own lava bed.
Lloyd, I’d love to see vide of you leaping gracefully from rock to rock.
Deborah says
Your comment, Lloyd, about starting out at sea level reminds me of a comment by a mutual friend of ours. When we lived on Long Island, she wondered aloud about the elevation. I pointed to the ocean and said, “I’m pretty sure we’re at sea level.”
Beth says
You need bricks still? We have bricks. Come on over for your pick.
Lauren says
Some time after next Wednesday I’ll be right over for ’em! Thanks!
Peggy says
Ahh…..the trickling sound of a creek certainly does make one relax…….as well as…..hold on, be back in a second.
Lloyd says
I see what you did there.
Lloyd says
Finally have the photos easier to view.
Peggy says
LOVE LOVE LOVE the pictures! Love the one of Samith taking a picture of you taking a picture of him. And the sunset one. And the beautiful vegetation ones. Btw: Brad looks like he’s growing a mustache & beard in a few of those pics.
Will you keep posting pictures to this site?
Brad says
Yay for scavenging projects! Did you find your bricks?