Last day narrative

Notes from Tuesday, last day:
We went to Walmart first thing this morning to get 100 SPF sunscreen and a long sleeve white shirt for Bill. There were two guys playing ukuleles in the McD's area of the store in the front. That was neat for kids to see and hear.

Then we went on the 3-hour tour to see some whales. We rode in a Zodiac raft, which is a 16-seater, rubber inflatable, motorized crazy-bumpy ride. You have to sign a disclaimer that you are not pregnant, and have no back or neck problems. We started out of the harbor and I thought Josie was going to be slung around like a dishrag. But the captain stopped, and we re-positioned the kids (Josie on the hump in the middle-very stable ride, Mitch and Samantha basically in Bill's and my lap, respectively) and that was a lot better. We saw 3 whales together - a momma, her baby, and a juvenile (male?) escort. They were humpback whales. In less than a month, they'll be heading to Alaska to feed. Then the pilot whales will show up in Hawaii. Our captain did a good job of keeping us at a good distance to see the whales, but not so close as to make them mad. Other boats were also in the area, and they got too close. The momma stayed at the surface with the baby. Our guide said the babies are curious, so momma stays with it to make sure it doesn't get into trouble. The escort, though, would show it's tail fins and dive deep down. One time, as the other boats were getting in too close, the escort whale did a full breach next to one of the boats, and it made a HUGE splash as it landed on its side and fell back into the water. Later, as other boats were persisting with their too-close approach, the momma whale circled one of the boats. That was scary to watch. I would have peed my pants if I'd been on that boat. I'm so glad we had a more respectful captain. We got to see plenty of whale action without violating the whales' space too much, I think. I think the kids enjoyed seeing whales. I know they enjoyed the zodiac craft ride. Lots of "Weeeeee's" and belly laughs.

After the whale watching, it was crazy hot (87', felt like 300'). We drove up the side of the mountain because it looked like rain up there, and ee hoped it would be cooler. It was, by at least 7', which was enough to make a difference. We ate a turkey sandwich picnic lunch in the car in an elementary school parking lot, 500' above marina, and it was great. Not because of the sandwiches, but because we were hungry. The rain sprinkled a little on the car while we ate, and it was very pleasant.

After our car picnic, we drove north on Hwy 19 toward Kohala. We turned left and went back to Waikoloa Village (where we'd eaten a couple of night's ago at Macaroni Grill, which was in the Queens' Shops area - they have a series of plaques and information about the various queens of Hawaiian culture, very cool), gassed up the car, and walked around the King's Shops (plaques and info for these guys, too-King Kamehameha I, II, and III, for example). Josie and Samantha used the money Mimi and Papa gave them to buy pretty wrap dresses that will double as skirts as they get taller. Very sweet little dresses that have a Hawaiian 'feel' to them - excellent choices.

Then, we drove on up to Kohala - to the Pololu lookout, which was amazingly beautiful. It's on the other side (west) of the Waipi'o Valley, so there were a lot of similarities. Simply gorgeous. Steep cliffs that drop of into the ocean way down below. Very rugged looking, wild, hardly accessible, pristine beauty. At the end of the road, you could walk down a trail to the water, if you had the inclination, time, and proper shoes. I had one and two, but not three. I had put on flip flops after the whale watching because it was so hot. Well, at the end of the Pololu road, the trail was tucked away and not obvious unless you knew where it was. Bill and the kids found it while I was taking pictures from the parking lot. Not knowing what flimsy shoes I had on, Bill waved at me to come see something. So I came. Not knowing until I got there that this was a trail to the bottom, I didn't think to change my shoes (I'd had Keens on earlier in the day, and those would have been the perfect tool for the job, but alas, we were headed down and I didn't want to make them wait on me while I trekked back up to get the proper shoes.)
We ended up walking halfway down the cliff, and the views were stunningly beautiful. The further down the trail we went, more of the coastline was revealed. Just gorgeous.

We ate fresh pineapple back at the top, and I thought Bill and I were going to collapse from exhaustion. We have gone so hard over the last 4 days - and I wouldn't change a minute of it (except maybe the tsunami event on our first night) - and I think I need a rest. I'm certainly not 18, anymore!

We drove back toward Kona, and stopped in Hawi and ate Hawaiian pizza (ham and pineapple) at the Snack Shack, right across from the original statue of King Kamehameha I. There is a fancier one in (statue) in Honolulu, but this one was the first. KK I was the first chief to rule ALL of the islands, and he could've lived anywhere on any of the islands. He chose to live in the Kona area of the big island. I can certainly see the draw. I haven't been to the other islands, but I think the variety of climates, plants, and animals here would be hard to beat anywhere on this earth.

To cap off this amazing week, the kids ate adventure ice cream in sugar cones after our pizza supper. Mitch had Maui Pineapple (with real pineapple pieces in it), Samantha got Kona Mud Pie (basically coffee ice cream with a chocolate fudge ribbon), and Josie got Vanilla Bean (ok, not terribly adventurous, but fun anyway).

We have had an amazing trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. This is a very special place that I'm glad I got to see with my husband and kids.

Tomorrow, we'll pack up leisurely, head to the airport, and begin our long journey home, including a red eye flight from LA to Chicago. Woof! Should be interesting to see if we can all keep our good humors about us.


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