Koke'e! *video*

This last weekend has been quite a whirlwind--great fun.

Friday I took Heidi and Luke to the airport to go see Heidi's mom on Maui. On my way back I met up with good Michigan friends Rich and Jami, who had just arrived Wednesday, and met their friend Zach. I saw their place where they have nice bedroom size "shacks" and then we went down to Kealia beach and met Grizz, and then went up to his place and played music, hula hooped, and passed grapefruit with our feet while climbing around on a swing set. :)

I spent the night at Rich and Jami's then took Heidi's car home, got some warm clothes and got a ride back from Rich. Grizz came down and the four of us, myself and Rich in the bed of Grizz's pick-up, headed down the road to Koke'e, the state park up in the mountains in the center of the island. To get up there you have to go all the way around to the Eastern side, making a backwards C around the West side. We stopped at a great thrift store where I scored a great pair of pants from the free bin and bought a bathing suit since I had somehow left my bottom at home. Then we drove around the corner and stopped at Salt Pond Beach, a great swimming beach protected from the waves by a reef. Had a picnic lunch, went swimming, showered off, and hit the road again. Stopped once more for supplies in Waimea then up the canyon we went.

We stopped at two overlooks one of which looks out over the Kalalau Valley! Rich and Jami were excited to see "home."



Then down a long winding road to a camp spot where Grizz had heard there might be a party. We set up camp, cooked dinner,



and met our neighbors, a couple who we invited to play music with us but said they were tired and were just going to chill before going to bed. Well, a little after it got dark, people started showing up. Young people with costumes in the theme of Alice in Wonderland and many colored glow sticks. It was quite fun like this for a while though we wondered if our neighbors were having trouble sleeping. Then, some more people showed up with a big stereo and a laptop full of music and started playing loud techno party music. There was flaming poi spinning, and loud music for hours. Our neighbors packed up and left around midnight. Rich felt really bad... I tried sleeping in a hammock but the rain came down and in under the pavilion and so I went in the tent. Woke in the morning and went on a hike with Jami. We went up the trail for about two miles and would have liked to go further but didn't ahve any watre with us so headed back.

When we got back, most everyone was up and there was more music and more food all morning until people started going down the river to a waterfall. When everyone came down, most of the young people jumped off, about 30 feet, into the pool below. Then we hiked down to the next waterfall which was maybe 40 feet tall and no one jumped off of. Hiked back and decided to head home.

I spent the night at Rich and Jami's again then met Heidi, Ant and Luke and went to a big playground, much like Kid's Kove in TC, where I watched luke for a few hours while Heidi and Ant went on a job. When we got home, I took a shower and relaxed the rest of the day.