Heidi in Hawaii

supercallifragilisticexpiallidociuos

2008-03-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

Life is grand. Just thought I'd let you all know that.

Updates, updates... yes, lets see...

The rest of Mike's trip blog will be posted eventually when I get access to my own laptop but until then, you may know that he and I broke up. It was ok. It hurt a little, but things change and people move on.

So then my Grandparents visited over the first two weeks of February. What a trip that was. I'm so glad they did though, it turned out to be the last time I saw my Grandpa. He passed away earlier this week. I believe I have somewhat of a blog of their trip typed out to so that should be coming up soon too.

Then, my looooong time friend Lauren came out to visit on her spring break. That was fantastic. I'm so glad at least one of my friends could see a snippet of my life out here, there's no way I could ever explain it adequately to people with words or pictures.

And most importantly, I'm now completely head over heals for a boy named Decker. I'm ueually the hesitant kind to say stuff like this publicly but I know that I love him more than I've ever loved anyone. I'm moving to Colorado to his hometown in early May and have hardly any idea when I'll be back to Michigan though we hope to make a trip to catch a couple festivals anyways.

Still Alive

2008-02-08T18:11:00.000-08:00

Aloha all! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, I haven't had internet access much lately!

I'm currently staying in the Princeville Hotel with my Grandparents, who are visiting until the 16th and then am planning on moving to a farm for worktrade after they leave.

On Jan 1st, I was talking with a friend, Decker, who I met through Sierra, and told him my boyfriend was coming to visit on the 16th. "Oh," he said, "my buddy John is coming that day too!" So we kept in touch and we went to the airport together in Rich's van. I'd needed a ride anyways, what luck!

Jan. 16th
Mike came in around 9pm and John at 9:30. We left the airport and headed back to Kapahi. We stopped at G.O.'s where Decker (and Tim) is staying, hung about for a bit then headed wearily to Rich and Jami's and stayed in their shack for the night. (Thank you so much you guys, if you read this!) I didn't sleep very well that night, but only because I was so happy to have Mike by my side again.

Jan. 17th
The next morning we started walking down to Kealia Beach and the bus stop that would take us into Lihue to get a month's bus pass. We got to the beach and had a little time before the bus thanks to a guy in a truck that gave us a lift about half way. Mike jumped in the water while I searched my bag for the sunscreen.

We were waiting for the bus when we saw Heidi drive by on her way to her class that she teaches and she called me and asked if we wanted a ride. What good fortune we'd had already! She dropped us off by the mall and we went to the bus stop there to find out where we could get the passes. Mike asked the next bus driver where to go and she said it was by Big Save but we had no idea where that was and thought she meant somewhere there in that mall. So we walked around for a while looking for it but no luck. Finally Mike went in and asked at K-mart. Turned out we were supposed to take that bus that he asked TO Big Save--So that's why the driver looked kind of perplexed when he got back off the bus! So, back on track, we took the bus to Big Save and there was the DMV and we bought our passes and picked up some route listings. Our next plan had been to stop at Salt Pond Beach and then head to Mike's friend/client Henri's house in Kekaha but we'd spent so much time getting those passes that we decided to go right to Henri's so we'd be sure to have some light after our visit to find our next spot to spend the night.

Kekaha is the Western-most town in the USA and isn't much to speak of after their store was finished by a hurricane several years ago and then their sugar refinery shut down just a few years back. We found Henri's apartment, Mike exchanged some broken nite-stix for some new ones and Henri offered that we could spend the night there. We spent the evening chatting, eating and went to bed very tired, but happy.

Jan. 18th
On the 18th we were hoping to get to Polihale beach on the western most coast. Henri had a couple friends he asked to take us out there but nobody was going that day. So, we spent the day at the beach down the street and went shopping and mike made sushi for everyone. Spent another night at Henri's

Jan. 19th
On the 19th we went to the beach again. We finally got tired of waiting around for someone to say they were going to polihale so we head out by ourselves on foot. We walked probably 3 or 4 miles until we were picked up by this really nice guy, Steph. We spent the rest of the the day and most of the next with him and his friend Tom out on the beach and dunes of Polihale. Steph showed us where to look for "sunnies," rare seashells named sunrise shells both for their colors and you have to get up at sunrise to find them before someone else does!

On the afternoon of the 20th we had to leave polihale for lack of supplies; mostly water. Steph and Tom dropped us off at Salt Pond beach park where we set up my hammock like a tent on the ground. It worked pretty well that way though the ground was pretty hard and we didnt have any padding.

On the 21st we set out do some shopping in waimea and went and made dinner at Henri's. I took a very refreshing shower and we went back to Salt Pond for another night.

On the 22nd
We explored the Salt Pond beach and the tide pools surrounding it. There we saw a big monk seal lounging on the sand. He was completely relaxed and acted oblivious as I took pictures of Mike lying down behind him. The woman cleaning up the park told us not to get too close though, he might bite! He didn't seem the least bit vicious but as we were leaving a man went and started roping off the area.
We then went back to Henri's and the beach nearby. I went to the bathroom accross the street and as I was walking back, Rich and Sierra drove by and saw me! I was so excited to see them, I had just been thinking about Sierra that morning and wishing to see her. She said she had just been thinking about me, too, when they drove by and she thought "hey, that looks like Heidi!" Incredible.
They were on their way back to polihale after a supply run which was just where Mike was set on going back to. Perfect. We went and got our things from Henri's and set out with them in a van FULL of coconuts. Heaven.

The next day, the 23rd, we had to move down the beach due to missile practice at the military base to the South. Mike and I walked all the way to the cliffs at the Northern end of the beach. We stayed another night at polihale, playing music, eating and swimming with Rich, Sierra and Ben.

We left early in the morning of the 24th. We picked up the rest of our things from Henri's and rode to Kapaa with the Bighams. We walked up and down and back again, all around Kapaa, figuring out what to do that night. We thought about staying at the international hostel there but decided not to spend the money. We felt rejuvinated after a well needed load of laundy at the laundromat, then took the bus up to Princeville. We stopped at the store and the library there then went down a little trail I knew to the beach. We went well around a little point and set up my hammock between two branches of a very large tree. The hammock worked alright though we were inches from the ground with both of us in it and when he tide came in the waves started hitting our bottoms. That was cold so Mike got out and slept on the beach. I was higher without him and slept for a little while like that though after a while I couldn't stand the dampness that had already started from before and got out as well. I don't think I slept the rest of the night.

On the morning of the 25th we walked back up the trail and went down to to Heidi and Anthony's. I dropped off a few things there then we went down the little cliff trail there at the condos. Mike was exuberant to see the sealife in the rocks and tidepools down there. Crabs, crayfish, opihi mullusks and some sea turtles in their cave.
We then caught the bus from princeville down to Hanalei and had dinner of fajitas at the polynesian cafe--too much to eat!
We hitched a ride intending to spend night at haena beach, but when we got a ride from Uiam (Yam, rhyming with mom) offered a tent and air mattress on his land in ___ valley. He and his parter Katrina have a nice little spot with a 10x10 shack (we learned you dont need a building permit for uner 10x10 structures, that's why they're so common). They have a beautiful daughter, Ariya (papaya), 1 year old, such a cheerful baby! Their friends Kumar and Irie Sky were there too and they were all just deciding to head to polihale the next day. We decided to go along.

So, on the 26th, we were headed out for one more trip down the bumpy road to polihale again! We stopped at Papayas, the natural foods store, and several places for coconuts along the way. We got to the bumpy road, but the gate was locked closed! We asked some locals nearby who told of us of another road to take. What a maze those dirt roads are, but we found our way and camped again by queen's pond.

The 27th was spent completely on the beach. You know, sunshine and salt water.

On the 28th we left early in the morning after I made a pre-dawn saeshell hunt. I found a few sunrise pieces.
Our new friends dropped us off by Henri's, where we both took a shower and then went to Waimea for supplies. Mike bought shirts and gifts for a box to send home as well.
Back in Kekaha (Henri's town) we went to the post office to send off Mike's things (though, now as I write this, the box is lost in the mail, probably confiscated due to one of the winebottles breaking. What a shame!) and paid a visit to the laundromat. We had dinner and spent one last night at Henri's.

In the morning of the 29th we got a ride from patrick and will to Kipu falls near Lihue. There, Mike jumped off the appx. 25 ft. cliff and went off th rope swing a couple times as well. We then hiked to Lihue, had lunch at the mall and decided to take the bus back to Hanapepe for the afternoon.
We went to a couple thrift stores and walked to the ocean then back to the bus stop for Lihue again. We rode bus to Big Save where we took seperate busses, his to the airport and mine back North. This was the end of Mike's vacation.

We both had a wonderful time those two weeks, though there were moments, hours even, of frustration and distance between us. From here we also decided to take our sepperate ways in life as well as by bus. We were not staying together in a long distance relationship. I took it kind of harsh at first, and didn't really understand, but now see how things are better this way and am enjoying my time being free. I'm in Hawaii! Life is grand.

Oh Kalalau

2007-12-30T11:35:00.000-08:00

From journals kept in the valley:

Sat., Dec. 22nd - early morning
The hike in wasn't as bad as I was expecting. My pack didn't ever really feel all that heavy until I was just plain tired of walking. We, good friends Ben, Sierra and myself, hiked two miles to Hanakapiai (ha-nah-kah-pee-ai) in the nearly full moonlight on Thursday and spent the night there. We rose early Friday morning and hiked another 8 miles here to a camp spot called Honeymoon Suite. The ground here is covered in narrow leafed plantain, perfect for packing on all the little cuts and scratches from hiking all that way barefoot.
Later
I slept alright in my new hammock last night though I got a little cold from underneath. This morning we went down to check out the beach and helped some guys come in off a boat. Then Sierra and I hiked up-valley to Rich's camp where we are now. That was a very tiring hike. After 8 miles it seems like 1 wouldn't be bad at all but it was a lot of steep, up hill. After dropping off our backpacks we went down to the river and bathed at "Outlaw Pools." I took a nap on a rock between two small waterfalls... so peaceful. The Mosquitoes though... ouch. We went back up to the camp, cleaned it up some, I set up my hammock, made a water run and then Ben showed up. Sierra's gone to gather taro and things for dinner now and I'm cozy and dry in my hammock. Long day.

Christmas Eve 2007
Yesterday I went roaming with Sierra. We walked a labyrinth and did a whole ton of weeding at "Community Garden." I also saw the "Unforgotten Garden" and we gathered oranges, breadfruit and kukui nuts. We took the kukui nuts up to "Big Pools" and smashed them up to rub on the oils after we bathed in the pools. Then we gathered shrimp from some pools around "Outlaw Heao" and headed back to clean a scrape on my finger that was starting to get sore and infected. We met Ben who had found four coconuts and we boiled water for my finger at "Couch Camp," then hiked back to Rich's, took a nap and had dinner of a salad of fresh greens from the valley with olive oil, nut. yeast and honey, breadfruit(baked in the fire, then peeled and cut up and fried, tastes just like potatoes and gravy!) and green papaya and wild lemongrass tea. Oh, life is good. It's so beautiful here! Almost everything you would think of in a tropical paradise, besides the voracious mosquitoes...
Today we hiked up to a camp on a ridge ("The Shelf") that Sierra and Ben are going to set up at. Sierra and I watched a helicopter come and land on a ridge further up valley. It's supposed to be illegal to land in the valley so the people here seem to think something suspicious is going on up there. We saw its blinking light where it landed then it took off and went out the opposite side of the valley as it came from. We want to go check out what's happening up there but then again we're scared to.
My hammock is treating me well though I've been sleeping with a tarp wrapped around me and my sleeping bag to keep it insulated.

Christmas 2007
It's a warm night. Either that or I'm really hot from the hike home to my hammock.
Christmas was a memorable one! I woke up and hunted for some lilikoi and got stuff ready to go as we had planned to meet at Couch Camp to make a big breakfast. I took everything down then washed most all my clothed in the river then cleaned up Couch Camp and scavenged some trash camps then Ben and Sierra came along. We cooked some DELICIOUS banana pancakes with lilikoi and honey on top. Oh, they were so good.
Presently, along came Santiago and he and Ben decided to go investigate the helicopter activity up-valley. Sierra and I took the breakfast things back to Rich's and got ready to go down the Christmas celebration at the "Sanctuary," a community kitchen camp on the bluff over the ocean. We brought along with us a taro root, two cocos and a little rack of bananas and headed down the "Hippie Highway."
A guy we ran into on the trail asked me (while Sierra was talking to Daniel) if this was the way up to all the ancient Hawaiian walls. I was like, "yeah man, they're all over!" He didn't seem to get it and thought there were some really big ones somewhere.. You see, the ancient Menehunes used the Kalalau Valley for growing food and they had the whole valley cleared and terraced with lava rocks, which I guess are scientifically traced back to Maui, not Kauai. Whoa. And now the valley is still covered with 3-4 foot tall terraces but the jungle has completely taken over and people have to find just the right spot to clear out and get a little sun for their gardens.
We arrived at the Sanctuary and immediately fell into the wonderful Rainbow Phamily scene happening. Sierra started making baskets out of sage and hao and then this guy, Neil, comes up to us and asks if we'd like to make any calls home with his satellite phone. What a treat! I called my mom and said hello but somehow lost the signal and ended up leaving a message a while later.
Meanwhile there was food and music galore. Fire baked pizzas all night and taro, coconut, and chocolaty, raw goodness bliss balls. I am stuffed. What a wonderful day.
On our way home we stopped by the river and watched the moon... I should sleep well tonight.

Dec. 26
It's true, I think I slept better than I have in a while, though today has been a tired, cold and wet one... I woke up late, after the first helicopters had started flying. It was pretty drizzly so I stuck around Rich's instead of heading to meet Ben and Sierra at Couch Camp as planned. Eventually they came up and we cooked some oatmeal and hung around some. Then they headed out to take care of a rotting dead goat by Outlaw Pools and possibly hike up to Big Pools. I, meanwhile, took a nap and slept into the afternoon. I woke and hung out at Rich's (still drizzling), played his nice little baby Taylor guitar and went for a walk up Spirit Ridge which gave me a spectacular view of the valley. If only I'd have had my camera... it would have gotten so wet and dirty though. I picked guava plums and lilikoi for lunch. Now I'm sitting in my hammock again, a little cold and damp and wondering if they'll be back this way again tonight... It's getting dark. How will I sleep tonight after having napped a good part of the day?

End of journals. Let's see if I can remember the rest of the time...

Sierra did come up that night. We chatted and cooked falafel and quinoa and stayed warm and dry around our little fire. It rained throughout the night, and I'd decided by the time I got out of my hammock in the morning of the 27th that it was time to move from the valley to the bluff where it was drier.
After saying goodbye to Rich's camp and the giant mango trees I was camped by, I walked with Sierra down the main trail to the minor trail that led to her camp (she wanted to go check up with Ben) and then continued the rest of the way down myself. I arrived at the Sanctuary in time for some fresh bread and stew and a fire to warm/dry up by.
I went and set up my hammock a while later then Sierra came down to figure out when we were going to hike out. I had originally said I wanted to leave Fri the 28th but since being down the aptly named Sanctuary I had really come to feel at home so we decided to stay another day.
I sat up around the fire with some folks until quite late (or early) half because I was enjoying myself so much and half because I was hesitant to leave the warmth if I didn't have a tarp to curl up in. The highlight of the night was when a cat, who we had seen climb up a tree inside the camp, fell out of the tree onto the tarp roof right above, almost on top of, someone's head. He then climbs to the edge of the tarp and literally stumbles right off the edge. We then see that his head is stuck in a cheese wrapper and the poor thing couldn't see at all! He stumbles around the camp for a little bit, almost into the fire until someone can get him and remove his little space helmet. :)
I ended up sleeping at Spencer's camp as he offered me some extra blankets. I slept in one of his fleece sleeping bags, the same as I had and stayed warm on the ground though I had to keep my head completely covered, both for warmth and for protection against the mosquitoes. I woke in the morning, had some coffee with hot cocoa mix and then went up to Ginger Pools to wash. I met up with Shawn, who had sprained his ankle the day before and was mostly confined to his camp. When I had finished washing, I returned to the Sanctuary and my hammock, telling Shawn I'd be back with some salves and some remedies. I got my satchel with all my necessities and went back up again. It was just me and him for a while, making conversation and keeping each other company. It seems we have a bit in common, he's a really cool guy. A little while later, Santiago and Jay come along and join in on the conversation and company. Soon, we have a little party going on as Spencer, Niel, Torrie, Sierra, Ben and Lonnejoin and others come and go. Shawn made some mulled wine ("is it mold? or mull-ed?") with cloves and fresh orange peel and Lonnie got out his shell jewelry collection. He gifted me with a little niihau shell bracelet, I wear it constantly. Sooner or later, it becomes dinner time-ish and everyone heads down the Sanctuary. Sierra and I lent our shoulders to help Shawn hobble down the trail.
That night was a party! Oh, it was the most fun. More good food, good music and good company. I've come to the conclusion that I have never bonded and become comfortable with such a group of people so quickly. I was not my usual corner personality that night. I was not a loud participant, but I WAS a participant. It was bliss.
Sierra and I discussed leaving in the morning and I was half trying to convince myself that I had to stay forever (at least a couple more days!) but I ended up being "sensible" and we decided to leave in the morning in order to allow myself a couple days to rest and readjust to the outside world before the family returned from their trip.
So, Sierra came down in the morning on the 29th and I packed my things up, said my farewells to my new friends and we set out up the coast on the now slippery, muddy, narrow, sometimes relatively treacherous trail. It took us most of the day, and when we finally got to Ke'e beach and the road Sierra asked a young, friendly looking couple if they would give us a ride to our homes, which they did. At first, it seemed so foreign to ride in a car, but soon it was a luxury and we were thrilled to receive rides that required hardly any more walking to our doors.
I arrived at the apartment to find Matt, Kim and Kela over. I jumped right in the shower and they left but they offered to bring me some soup soon. I was happy to see them and grateful for the warm meal, but very happy to clean off and rest.
The next day I was very sore. My legs, feet, everything. I did manage, though to get out to the store and buy some indulgent food, ice cream, chips and salsa and meat! I probably gained in that day whatever weight I'd lost living so lightly in the valley. Oh well. :)
So, the trip was certainly an adventure. It had it's moments of near breakdown and wanting to escape, but it had plenty of beautiful moments too. Overall, it was a complete success. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants really get off the beaten path and learn to live harmoniously with nature in the tropics.

Mahalo, Kalalau, I will return.

2007-12-14T23:07:00.001-08:00

The only thing I can think right now is: I miss Hannah!!

I would like more than anything to be able to take her with me into the Kalalau valley next week... I am heartsick.

Friends - always there when you need them

2007-12-10T00:24:00.000-08:00

It has been raining ALL week... by Friday I was getting kind of depressed being cooped up for so long but then, thank the lord, Tim, a friend from back home in Michigan, called and invited me out on Saturday.
So Saturday afternoon I took the bus down to Kapaa and met him at small town coffee. He has a nice new scooter/moped and we cruised up the mountain for a little sightseeing. All the waterfalls in the mountains are flowing hard now after all the rain and we could see at least 6 or 7 in the distance. Lovely.
Then back down the hill we went to find somewhere to eat dinner. Tim suggested a little Italian place he'd seen so I said sure though I wasn't that hungry so I probably wasn't going to eat much. As we pulled up there are two other scooters parked outside so we think, "yeah, this will be a nice place." We head inside. As we walk in, we instantly notice everything is spotless, there are wine glasses on every table and it's generally a very formal cafe. (Though you wouldn't know from the outside!) A waiter gives us a table and we sit down with the menus feeling a bit awkward... We look inside the menus. Yes, as suspected, just the appetizers are $9.95 each. We discuss the situation and when the waiter comes back around we announce to him, "We've decided this isn't our scene." He almost looks relieved as we walk out the door laughing. :)
We head back down the street to a little place called Burrito Head which a friend of Tim's works. I got a mini quesadilla which was perfect for me at the time for $3! Oh yes. We hung around there for a while chatted with some locals and some tourists, made some calls, and discussed what to do next. We had been planning to go over to Blossoming Lotus to a DJ party at 9 but we go over there at 8 and the flyer says 10 so we head up to chill at Tim's for a bit.
When we come back down, we stand around for a little bit for the party to start. When it got started we went in and I stood back and surveyed the place while Tim went and danced. He tried to get me to dance but I wouldn't... it's just not really my thing. I'm more of a "corner person" as Sierra calls it and that's the way I like it. Just because I'm not out on the floor doesn't mean I'm not having a good time. After a while I moved upstairs and watched the dance floor from the railing. There were some pretty good beats, and I was moving quite a bit (for me) by 1am when it was winding down and we hit the road. The skies were finally clear and the stars up in Kapahi at Tim's were just fantastic. I saw a couple shooting stars that night.
In the morning we took a 4wheeler down the hill where Tim's staying and gathered some lilikoi (passion fruit) for on top of our pancakes. Yummy.
After breakfast Tim scootered me down the road and dropped me off at some property where my neighbor Matt was to teach a fire building class...

More on that and pictures later. Got to get some sleep.

Time Flies By

2007-12-06T23:04:00.000-08:00

When you're having fun!

Let's see, I haven't posted in a month...

shortly after I last wrote I went comping at Haena beach with Rich and Jami. Rich left for Kalalau in Alakai's boat the first morning and Jami and I spent the day on the beach collecting seashells,

snorkeling and being in the company of new (to me) friends. We spent one more night there then went and looked at a wet cave in which, if you swim under and into a connecting cave is called the Blue Room. We were talking about doing it but ended up being just too nervous. Next time. :P

Later that evening we went to the airport and picked up her daughter Sierra and Sierra's boyfriend Ben. It was so good to see them again and I'm so grateful to have friends from home around me.

Other highlights from November:
Spending time with new friend Luna and her two young daughters Leilani and Nai'a.
Exploring a path down the cliffs from the condos where I live and finding a sweet little cove.

Thanksgiving with Luke's tutu (grandma) and my former teacher, Teri.
Going to a peace dance with Jami and Sierra. (It was much too short though!)
Running into Tim at Foodland.
I bought a camping hammock complete with mosquito netting and rain fly.
Gosh, I feel bad about not being able to remember more about November...

December came along quickly.
Last Sat I went with Kim and Matt to the surf swap in Hanalei and got me a great deal on a nice surf board. I got to try it out for a little bit that day but the weather has not been allowing me to go out again lately. Lots of rain and wind and (relative) cold. (I've been wearing long sleeves and pants the last few days!) Plus the waves have been much to big for me and not really that good for surfing anyways.
The night before last at least the whole of the north shore lost power sporadically in a big wind storm and I was almost scared for my life lying here in my bed next to a big window... haha.

Today Luke and I followed Matt and Kela to their friend Carrie's place. She and her husband have three sons, Tyler(14), Gage(12) and Kolea(5), and live on some nice property with a bunch of goats. They remind me a lot of the Grabowski family back home. :) They also have a new orphan baby boar; so, so CUTE!! It follows Tyler and Gage around like a little puppy. :)

3 weeks in

2007-11-08T18:59:00.001-08:00

Halloween was pretty fun, I hadn't really dressed up in years. Luke had an airplane costume, Heidi was the standard bed-sheet ghost and I was a zombie tourist!

The family and I went to a "fall festival" in Kilauea where there were games and a petting zoo for the kids but you had to buy tickets for everything so we just wandered around for a while with Kela's family.

We were still there when Brian, who I met in Koke'e the weekend before, called me and we took the bus down to Kapa'a got picked up by the white rabbit (forget her name at the moment) and eventually went down to a party at Lydgate park. There was a keg and loud music (too loud to carry on a decent conversation) and lots of people... It was alright, but not really my thing.

The rest of the week I spent watching Luke while Ant and Heidi went on survey jobs. We go outside and play with trucks, go to the beach with Kela, go to the library, park and pool. He can be pretty testy at times but he's really a sweet kid.

On Tuesday, November 6th, John, a guy from Australia who I met on facebook came to Kauai from Oahu for the day. Matt and one of his friends Peter took me and John on a little hike to a huge waterfall. The water was kind of muddy but it still wonderfully refreshing and it was nice to swim in some freshwater again.

On our way back from the falls John and I swung from a cool little rope swing over the river. I was kind of nervous at first but once I jumped once I couldn't stop.

Koke'e! video

2007-10-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

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.

settling in to everyday life video

2007-10-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

I missed a couple days... usually whenever I'm online I elect to talk with friends on MSN instead of write in here, but I'm feeling guilty today so will put a little more effort into it.

Lets see... Today's Wednesday...

Monday H, L and I went west along the North shore to a beach with the intent of snorkeling. The water was a little bit too rough though and Luke was really fussy so we left shortly. After we were home for a while, H took L for a long drive to get him to go to sleep. I stayed inside for a while then went outside to take some pictures.

Tuesday Anthony had a survey job down in Waimea so we all went out there together.

L and I played at a little park while A and H did their thing.

The drive one-way is about an hour and a half so Luke had a good nap on the way home and the rest of the day went smoothly.

Today, Wednesday, is apparently play-group day at the little local park. L isn't very interested in organized activities though so his regular trucks and things were a big hit as usual. After playing at the playground for a while we came home, ate a little, then headed to the beach to surf. The waves were great for surfing, if only my skill level was up a little. It kind of felt like I was in a washing machine... The salt water bothers my eyes so every time a 4' wave would crash over me the recovery time of just wiping my face would take so long by the time I was done the next wave would be on top of me! Anyways, I got out after quite a while trying and watched Luke and Makela while the Heidi, Kim and Matt went out together. Luke was very tired and we came home and took a nice long nap. :)

more surfing and a goddess festival

2007-10-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the beach to surf around 8am... I probably spent about an hour in the water. There weren't many waves but I managed to catch a few. I'm getting better!

Came home and took a shower then off to the Guava Kai plantation where a friend of a friend told me there was going to be a little "goddess festival". Heidi dropped me off and I went in. It's a beautiful place, the road leading up to it is surrounded by guava trees, and the festival itself was in a garden--

There were vendors and food booths, one of which had raw chocolate samples and I had some chocolate banana pudding with chopped macadamia nuts. yum yum yum!!
There was some music then some hula dances and then some circle dances in which everyone participated. I can't say I was too good at the hula... :P
After the dances I met a couple people. One guy, Paul, who played the tabla drums knew Daniel Paul who we met at the Maui sufi camp in '03. He's actually also originally from Michigan as well as another guy that we were talking with(I cant remember his name...)! Some of the people I talked with know my friends Rich and Jami who are coming this week and were all really excited when I told them they were coming too.
I got a ride home from a guy, Robert, who played the guitar with Paul. He stopped and got me a guava to taste on the way out. they're yellow on the outside and pink with little seeds that you can swallow on the inside and taste somewhat like a sour strawberry. Really good!! He dropped me off at the park, I said mahalo for the ride, and gifted me with one of his cd's. Very sweet of him. (Note to curious readers: these guys I'm talking about are all much older than I... in case you started thinking anything of it. ;) I then walked back to the apartment, about a mile or so...

After a little while at home I took Luke out for a little walk. We took his "big tonka" truck out and "tested the gravity" at some little hills. Kim and Makela were out for a walk too so we hung about for a while. Again, Makela wanted to hold my hand or for me to hold her much of the time. We came back home and had dinner then I spent long hours talking to friends on msn... I might be having fun, but I still miss everybody back home!!

Of Sight-seeing and Surfing! - Getting used to my new home

2007-10-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

Friday morning I woke around 5 or 6, partly because of being accustomed to the eastern timezone and mostly because of the excitement of being in a new place.

If I recall correctly, we walked around the grounds of the apartment for a little while then Heidi, Luke and I went into Hanalei. We went to Papaya's(a healthfood store) and then met their neighbors, Kim and Matt and their daughter Makela, at the beach. The little ones had fun running around in a little tidepool and sliding in the sand. Makela is very sweet and after a little while was sitting on my lap and wouldn't get up. Heidi and I went in the ocean for a little bit just before we left. It's going to take me a little while to get used to the taste of the salt water...

Then we went to Foodland, another grocery store, for dinner supplies and kleenex(I've been quite stuffed up after all those plane rides) where Luke started falling asleep in the cart. We took him home but when Heidi tried laying him down in the bed he woke up and wouldn't nap any more the rest of the day. Wasn't always pleasant after that, he would get pretty fussy.

We had lunch then drove over to the library where Luke got a couple new books about trucks and loaders and excavators and I got a library card of my own. Then stopped at the park for just a little bit then home for dinner--honey glazed tofu and pumpkin seed couscous. Yum! They're vegetarian and I think that's going to suit me just fine.

After dinner we went down to the pool for a bit then home and to bed; I was tired!!
------------------------------
Woke early again this morning. I organized my closet a little before everyone got up.

Around 9 or so Heidi, Luke and I went down to the Princeville hotel. As we were preparing, Heidi was talking about trying to dress "touristy". This confused me as I'd never gone anywhere and tried to look like a tourist! When we got there I understood; It's quite a big fancy place and I felt kind of out of place.

We took the elevator down to the beach, walked around then took a looong flight of stairs back up to the parking lot.
We then went to Kilauea Point which is a National Wildlife Refuge and visitor's center. Lots of sea birds and Nene geese, Hawaii's state bird.

Threre's also a lighthouse.

We came home and Luke took a successful nap which made for a happy boy the rest of the day. When he woke up we all went back to the beach in Hanalei. Heidi took me out surfing on some little waves. I've wanted to learn to surf ever since I visted Maui in 2003 and now I'm hooked! Cant wait until I can catch some waves a little bit bigger!

Home, dinner, bedtime.

Of Airports and Aircraft - The adventure begins!

2007-10-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

I said goodbye to Traverse City at 8:15 yesterday morning. Looking down from the plane as we took off the city was all green with spots of red, yellow and orange. Beautiful; I will miss it.

Detroit airport was uneventful. I tried to get a breakfast sandwich at a Charley's subs but (at 10:30) they said breakfast was over so I had to settle for a philly ham & swiss with the works which was much too hot to handle at first and not much to talk about anyways. I tried to connect to the internet but the "free public wi-fi" was "restricted"... ?? We had a slight delay as our flight attendants had arrived late and had to travel the whole length of the airport, but soon we were on our way.

Mountains somewhere on the way to Phoenix, AZ

At the Phoenix Airport, I had to go from "terminal 2" to "terminal 4". This involved going outside the airport, finding and catching catching the right shuttle and asking several information desks along the way where I could get my boarding pass for ATA airlines. Then through security again. (laptop out of my backpack, shoes off, everything out of my pockets...) Then I was in though and set to sit and wait another hour for the next flight. I thought about getting some food, but airport food is quite overpriced.

The flight to Honolulu was a little over 6 hours... very long and tiring. I managed to catch a little sleep but never as much as I would have liked. They showed two movies on the flight, Spiderman3 (which I didn't watch) and Wild Hogs (which was sort of dumb). Mostly I read my current book, Brave New World.

At Honolulu I had to get my bag and change terminals again, go through security again, and wait another two hours to then board an little plane to Kauai who's flight took about a half hour.

Then, at 10PM, I was there! I grabbed my bag at the baggage claim and called Heidi to let them know I was there a little early. Heidi, Ant and Luke walked up from the parking lot and gave me the traditional lei. It was quite dark so I couldn't see much yet. Pretty much we just drove home and went to bed; I was very tired after 20 hours of traveling!

I slept well and dreamt lengthy dreams about how my new life would be.
Then I woke up to this -

More about today at the beach later!

dunegrass festival 2007 video

2007-09-29T15:42:00.001-07:00

video from Dunegrass Festival.

New Blog

2007-09-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

Not much to blog about... but do please leave a comment to let me know you've been by and check back again later!