Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Last Oasis Before Home

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Dear Family and Friends,

Ah....Hawaii....other than the significant temperature difference, we feel a bit as if we have come full circle. We started in Iceland, driving through lava fields and we end in Hawaii, driving through lava fields! When we first started to plan this trip 4 years ago, Ken knew he wanted to include Iceland for its rugged beauty and Kate knew she wanted to end with Hawaii, as a pretty good place for a relaxing transition.

After another long travel day from Melbourne, Australia, to Kailua Kona, Hawaii (about 18 hours, door-to-door), we were thrilled to be warm, see the sun, speak English, and still have western-style toilets! Using US currency has taken some adjustment - we still find ourselves examining the money closely before using it. We are in a timeshare for the week, a one-bedroom condominium with full kitchen across the street from the ocean. Sam has been sick most of the week (flu, ear infection, fever, sore throat), so we haven't gone farther than about 10 minutes away (except one day). Thankfully, the island's best snorkeling is close, at Kahalu'u Bay, where turtles swim past you and come up on shore and the water is filled with incredible, beautiful fish. The kids begged to go every day and Sam always seemed just a little bit better while we were there.

One day, however, we drove over 2 hours to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, where one of the volcanoes had erupted in March and there is still sulfur dioxide spewing out. A large section (probably 1/2) of the 11-mile crater rim road is closed as a result and the "Volcano Alert Level" on the day we visited was "watch." The largest volcano, Mauna Loa, is 13,677 feet tall, but is the highest mountain in the world, when you consider how far its base goes into the ocean. The road to the Park took us past the lowest southerly point in the U.S., and through miles and miles of lava fields (we noted that the brave souls who built houses among the rocks don't have to worry about mowing their lawn!). We watched the outside temperature range from 71 degrees to 84 degrees with altitude changes. And, when the lava seemed never-ending, Kate read "The Long Winter," part of the Little House on the Prairie series, out loud (it's our third volume on this trip- thanks, Cathy, for sending the last one!). In the park, we took one short hike through a lava tube (when the lava pours out, the outside hardens first, leaving the inside still liquid, until it empties out, leaving a hollow tunnel), but were limited by Sam's sickness. We got lots of incredible views of the volcanic fumes and steam vents, so were satisfied.

A little humor before our sign-off...

You will recall that Kate had a hair disaster in northern Italy - she wanted a 1/2 inch cut off and got 2 full inches. The result: spiked hair which made her own children shriek in horror. But, to find the good in the bad, Kate has compiled the Top Ten Reasons A Really Bad Haircut Might Be Good Afterall:

10) A few people have mistaken her for Liza Minelli and requested an autograph (or is it the dark circles under her eyes on jet-lag days?)
9) No hat head!
8) scalp massages don't mess up your hair
7) Doesn't matter that all the 2-star hotels don't provide hairdryers
6) For once, Kate is not the last one ready to go in the morning
5) She has saved a lot of money not needing to get a haircut since
4) She doesn't have to worry about being recognized
3) She didn't need to stress about finding someone to cut it in Tanzania or Thailand
2) No bed head!
1) If there is a long line at the woman's bathroom, she can use the men's room!


Today is our last full day and we have to leave our condo at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow, travelling through Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Chicago, before arriving in Hartford on Saturday late morning. In all, it was an incredible, indescribable trip. We are grateful for the people who made it possible (Nancy, Liz, Cathy, and Carolyn, for starters!) and who encouraged us to do all that it took to pull it off (that's the rest of you!). Sam and Lauren have been told countless times by people we meet how very lucky they are and we are proud to say that they already know it. We look forward to how the trip will shape them (we hope they continue to love traveling!) and make the world more relevant to their learning and reading. Every aspect of the trip has gone so smoothly, people have been kind, our children have been a delight to be with, and the memories will last forever. When asked separately which country each of us would like to return to, the consensus is Switzerland, then on to Tanzania. We are ready to start planning for South and Central America (maybe summer of 2010), a trip to China and Japan, and, in March, 2011, we will be in New Zealand (right, Brad and Jocelyn?). Somewhere in there, we need to include a stop in Tanzania to see and hold those precious children (we wish other family members and friends could join us).

We are catching pieces of the Democratic National Convention (the 4-hour time difference keeps messing us up), but we are determined to hear all of Barack Obama's accpetance speech scheduled to start any minute, jealous of our three family members who in attendance. We have been privileged to see the world and some of its needs and are more confident than ever that we need a major change in our nation. So, we are hopeful for our nation and the world.

Thanks to all of you for reading these messages and for your good thoughts and prayers over the past 3 months!

Love, K4

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Photos

Hawaii
Steam and Sulfer Gas rising from Kilauea Crater

Volcano National Park, Hawaii
Sulfer Gas spewing from Caldera

Endangered Sea Turtle
We snorkled near this big guy who then swam right up to the beach to feed on nearby plants.

Volcanic Black Sand Beach
Still fun to dig and play--black, green, or white, the color of the sand doesn't matter

Beach Bums...
Haven't we seen these no-goods on this blog before?