Hawaii #3

After our time in Oahu, our parents had to depart back home...it went so quickly, but we enjoyed the time we were able to spend together! Scott and I were not done with Hawaii though yet -- we headed back to the Big Island! I had a CME meeting in Kona. We really became quite fond of the island, its diversity and beauty...
This was the highlight of our week - we rented kayaks and headed out to snorkel. We spotted dolphins and jumped into the water with them. It was amazing - the sun was out, the water was crystal, and we spent the next 30 minutes admiring these beautiful creatures who seemed almost as curious about us as we were of them -



ah, and my favorite part, there were 2 mom and baby pairs swimming around! it was adorable!


After my meeting ended, we drove over to Volcano Nat'l Park. While some craters they fenced off miles away - this one was deemed "inactive" and a hiking trail trekked right across it -


we were hoping to see some lava flow action - unfortunately the course of the flow crossed out of the park and now the dramatic meeting of lava and ocean is viewed from quite a distance -
I don't know which was more impressive, this view of the smoky union or seeing the few lone houses sitting in middle of desolate lava bed, with a hillside of active flow visible from their backyard.
Our drive back to Kona: Rainbow falls
then across the Saddle Road to Mauna Kea:
(the stop signs are "hole-y" to keep them up during the violent winds that sweep the mountain)
Here we are at the top (over 13,700 ft!) - the observatories in the background

and a chilly lunch - including some rambutan (yumm!)
we kept seeing signs out about these guys, so it was fun to spot some Nene (the Hawaiian goose, sadly endangered).

and with that...our Hawaii trip drew to a closure - it was a fabulous time, especially seeing family & friends, and we appreciated the change in pace for a little while, the cooler weather, and the beautiful islands. Aloha~

Hawaii #2

After the Big Island, we headed back to Oahu with my folks. From there Scott and Andrew went to Kauai. Scott's folks took a couple extra days in Kona before meeting us in Oahu.

In Kauai, the guys set out on the Na Pali coast trail and did a tremendous 23 miles in a day!

a monk seal trying to blend in with the rocks :)

Meanwhile...back in Oahu, we did our own big hike up Diamond Head :)



Here's our own wildlife viewing, a beautiful turtle that was napping in the warm sand along the North Coast.


Our party rejoined and spent the week in Oahu - the dental folk attended the ADA meeting...
We went to the opening ceremony, listened to some amazing ukulele!


and really appreciated a talk by Sidney Poitier -

We all had enjoyed visiting the Polynesian Culture Center:
Our last dinner in Oahu - some delicious Italian food....my Mom, que bella! :)
peek a boo!
and did Diamond Head (#2) in an early morning hike:

Hawaii #1

Our first leg of the trip: Guam to Oahu to the Big Island
We set out to Hawaii the last week of September. Our first destination was the Big Island

Scott went diving with his dad

Hawaii diving

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- there we met up with our parents and our friend Andrew. The dental-folks attended NASDAD (National Assoc. of S.D.A. Dentists) while the rest of us relaxed by a fabulous pool, and did a little exploring. On Sabbath, after church we all took a picnic lunch to the beach and then beach-hopped around till we landed at a beautiful one where we stayed until sunset....



Most of us had never been to this island before and enjoyed exploring about - these photos are from a historical park, Harbor of Refuge, just outside Kona.
The parentals below: