I decided to get just a little more time on the beach before leaving. I went to Hanalei Bay before I left. It was a nice bay and had a lovely beach. It was also pretty neat to see where the Hanalei River runs into the ocean. I am not sure but I would say that river comes off one of the mountains because it was very chilly. The bay was very protected because of the off-shore reef. The bay was as flat as a lake. It was going to rain so I went back packed up and headed for the [View Full Entry]

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Today is my last full day on Kaua'i. The natural beauty of this island is amazing. It was a pretty overcast this morning so I decided to drive to a couple of the waterfalls located on this island. I went to Opaeka'a Falls first. On the drive up, you could see several Heiau (structures built of lava rocks used for religious purposes). It was a bit muggy this morning; it was so bad I swam through the air to view the falls. The drive up also featured several places view the Wailua river and valley. I then went down to the [View Full Entry]

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I decided to go find another beach to try snorkelling at today. I had read alot about Tunnels Beach. After I found it, I realized that it was packed with others. I went on up to the end of the road. There are a couple of caves up there. One was dry the other had water in it. I finally found a county park that had some spaces to park. I walked a pretty good ways up to Tunnels. It was impressive. The offshore reef protects the little bay which makes for a protected area to swim. About 50-60 feet offshore [View Full Entry]

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I had just planned to take it easy today and find a beach to lay out on. I went to Kilauea lighthouse this afternoon. When I arrived, I was a little upset that I had five dollars to get in the park. It was worth it. The lighthouse is on a cliff sitting several hundred feet above the ocean. I don't even know how many pictures I shot before I even got to the lighthouse. The place was just buzzing with birds. All kinds and sizes. I even got to see the nene the Hawaiian goose. Down from the lighthouse dolphins [View Full Entry]

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Spent most of the day travelling around Hawaii. I flew out of the Kona International Airport (an open air waiting area around the gates). I went to Oahu and then flew onover to Kaua'i. I picked up my convertible mustang and finally found The Cliffs where I am staying. I missed the resort at first and had to go over some of the famous one lane bridges here in Kuau'i. I am looking forward to exploring more over the next few days. [View Full Entry]

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What a drive!!! I decided to head up the Waimea Canyon today. That is an amazing drive up and down the canyon. The convertible definately was nice to have. The canyon is awe inspiring. You definately see why they call it the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It is amazing to look at this huge canyon and then you realize you are on an island in the Pacific. WOW.!!!! I went up a little farther and caught a small glimpse of the Na Pali coast of Kauai. I kept looking around for a T-Rex or one of those spitting dinos. I [View Full Entry]

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Last day on HI. I did not really have big plans just sort of chillin out my last day here. I have been here 4 days and had not been swimming yet. I went to a reconstructed ancient hawaiian site that was on the ocean. Pretty neat to learn about their ancient culture. I walked just down the beach and went snorkelling. It is amazing how brightly colored the fish are. The water was very clear and cooler than I was expecting. Did not spend a lot of time in the water, don't want to get burnt first time in the [View Full Entry]

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Thursday was my 35th birthday. I spent it on the island of HI. That is not a bad way to celebrate another year. I spent the morning walking around the town of Kona. Every Oct triathletes from around the world come to Kona to compete in the Kona Ironman. The ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and then a 26.2 mile run. The race starts and finishes oceanfront in Kona. It is a nice place to walk around and people watch. My big plans for the day was the Mauna Kea Summit tour. We were taken [View Full Entry]

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VOG what is that? It is volcanic fog. More about that in a bit. What a difference a day makes. I actually feel almost human today. Sleep is a great thing. After breakfast this morning decided to hthe road. I loaded up the Dodge Caliber and headed off to see Volcano National Park. It is only 85-90 miles away but what a drive. Reminds me of some of the highway 194 near Valle Crucis (except up there you can not see the Pacific Ocean). While driving, I saw a sign directing to a black sand beach. That was pretty neat to [View Full Entry]

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Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii. Day one was an adventure to say the least. An extremely long day of travel. Left Charlotte at about 8 am eastern time. I arrived in kona about 2 hawaiil time. Got my rental car and found my bed and breakfast that i am staying in. The Rainbow Plantation is very ecclectic. Not to bad except the peacocks were pretty loud this morning. Went to bed and died for sleep Tuesday. [View Full Entry]

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