First full day in Hawaii began with a bowl of Raisin Bran and a walk among the lava rocks with my niece and nephew. We spotted some mongooses (mongeese? mongoose?) playing among the brush. Then we took an hour drive up north Kohala to Polulu lookout. If you get a chance, google it and take a look at those pictures. Truly spectacular… We started to take a hike down to the black sand beach. Fortunately, our pounding hearts made us think twice, so we turned back after a few candid snapshots of family smiling.
Just to take a time out from the Hawaiian splendor, let me tell you how much I love traveling with my family. Not just my wife Nicole, but my brother-in-law’s family (Dave, Dawn, Taylor, Jake). We have a great time together, we laugh and soak up those life changing moments as we trek through the Hawaiian desert and rainforest. This trip in particular has been fun so far, as both kids have finally reached the age where they’ve developed their own personalities and can do things on their own. Im enjoying their sense of humor. After the lookout, we drove down the coast, through beautiful mountains and pastures, stopping in a little town for some local ice cream. Favorite flavor of choice? Homemade macadamia nut…dear Lord, so good. After that we stopped at a beach Nicole and I discovered while here three years ago, Mauna Kea beach. At the back end of a hotel, it featured some of the best snorkeling I’ve ever had, but it was VERY windy. So we drove back to the hotel and spent a couple of hours at the hotel pool. My niece and nephew giddy as they got to plunge down the pool’s three waterslides before coming back to the room for some sandwiches and college football. All in all, a great first full day on the Big Island. But what will tomorrow bring?
