Hawaii Day 8 Kona, Hawai'i Island

November 7, 2007

We took a tender to Kona.  From the moment I stepped off the ship, I loved it:  we were in "old Hawaii" Pu'uhonua o Honannau National Historical Park.  I enjoyed watching the surf hit the rocks.  It is a place of refuge with Hawaiian huts and sea turtles.  But, this is a historical place too---where King Kamahameha died and where Captain Cook was killed.  His monument is on a strip of land owned by Great Britain.

First,  we went to Norm's Cloud Forest---a friend of Art's who started his own re-forestation project.  Every day around noon, the clouds roll in and water the plants.  We hiked a bit and then went back to Kona were we visited a coffee roasting place, had coffee and saw the coffee plants growing.

coffee plants

That night we had dinner at Liberty where we had Prime Rib or Lobster from Kona.

Hawaii Day 7 Maui

November 6, 2007 Haleakala National Park

We drove up through such a variety of landscapes---lush rainforest to barren mountain top.  We saw birds where I didn't expect them (they go for the seeds in the pony dung left my those who ride ponies to the crater).  Although Becky and Jason rode bikes down the mountain (and it was on my original bucket list), it is now banned.

This was the coldest I felt on the whole trip---you can see in the photo, I had multiple layers.

The "Missing Summit" sign explains that the basin was formed by erosion not volcanic blow out.  this is an active shield volcano.

We learned about the indigenous animals and plants including the silversword.  The park is recognized as an International Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations.












After a delicious lunch at Sandalwoods (pulled pork), we went back to the ship where we had dinner in Little Italy dining room.  The small specialty dining rooms were far better in service and food quality than the main dining room.

Hawaii Day 5 Hilo Hawai'i Island

November 4, 2007

This was one of my favorite days---Hawai'i Volcano National Park with the Kilauea Caldera---it was like being in another world.  We drove around Halema'uma'u crater---some had to stay on the bus because the sulfur fumes were strong and not healthy for those with coronary or respiratory issues.

 Yes, we went on this trip before we had a digital camera, so these are photos of snapshots.  Next we went to the Thurston Lava Tube (a natural phenomenon created during volcanic eruptions) in a rain forest.

 After lunch, the rain resulted in a change of schedule---a macadamian Nut Plantation and Akatsuka's Orchid Nursery where you could have some shipped home, I think.

 There won't be a lot of photos of us on the ship.  First, it was the least favorite part of the trip, but it got us to all of the islands.  For example, my journal says dinner was 3 hours---that's not an elegant dining 3 hours, that's poorly trained wait-staff 3 hours.  Fortunately, we had great company with the Elderhostel group.

Alaska 2002 Part IV

 Still sunny on June 16 as we entered College Fjord.  Here we saw otters and whales in addition to the beautiful Glaciers.

 Our dinner table on this cruise was the most interesting one we have ever had----we all were from Missouri or had Missouri connections:  two couples (minister, wife, church secretary, her husband) were from Lamar, Mo (Gages and Littles) and the other couple were the parents of Larry Rice.  All of us being from Missouri were familiar with his ministries---Dave had even volunteered there.

 We disembarked in Seward and took a bus to Anchorage.  We saw a lot of dead wood which is from the 1964 Alaskan Earthquake, a 9.2 on the Richter scale.  Because the area dropped 5 feet, salt water rushed in killing all of the spruces.   Click here for more information.

 We also stopped at a Wildlife park where we were able to see moose, elk, caribou (there are more caribou than people in this area). 

 We took a bus tour telling us more about the Alaskan earthquake---damage was still very visible almost 40 years later.  Ships no longer come to Anchorage after the earthquake but with tides of 35 feet, I can't imagine the large cruise ships managing it.

 We also had some time to walk around Anchorage.  The cruise lines had a large terminal in Anchorage where we could check our luggage or just sit waiting for our flights.  We had been told that Mt. Ranier is rarely seen from the ground----thousands are disappointed.  But, as we were leaving Alaska, there it was reaching out past the clouds.

It was a great vacation---we look forward to going again sometime. 

Alaska 2002 Part III

 After lunch on June 14, we went on my favorite excursion---a helicopter ride to a glacier in Skagway, Alaska.

 I was a little nervous about taking Dave out on ice, but we had no problems.  We were all given special boots and spiked canes.  And, yes, the people in the background have on shorts.  The temperature at the ship was in the 80's.

 The glaciers weren't really slippery---they were more like chunks of popcorn sized ice with rocks embedded.

 We were able to fly over the glaciers, but also saw the Chilkoot Trail.

 Having just read a book on the Alaskan Gold Rush, I could appreciate how difficult that pass must have been.

 June 15 was one of our days at sea---we cruised Glacier Bay.  The onboard naturalist told us periodically where the glaciers had been with the various explorers.  The retreat of the glaciers was astonishing.

 We saw glaciers "calving" into the water and otters floating on chunks of ice.

 It was a bit cooler with the temperature in the 60's, but a cold wind made it feel cooler.

The next day, we cruised the College Fjord.