Day 4: Loop around the Big Island.

We started off the day at the Hilo Farmers Market. The colors of all the fruit in there is overwhelming.

We hopped into the car and headed north and it was stunning.

We went inland a bit and found ourself on a very pretty narrow road.

We came to a vanilla vineyard where we got a lesson on how hard it is to produce vanilla beans.

We always appreciate a well behaved children sign.

Vanilla stalk they currently don’t force to produce. I didn’t know they were part of the orchid family.

We then headed back to the Hawaii Belt Road

Disclaimer: I purchased a knock off GoPro camera for the underwater pics and used it for most of the drive north and then west. I didn’t realize the settings were wonky and so most of the pictures were unusable. Hilo is in a rainforest but up north is very much a desert.

We drive the speed limit when traveling to take in the sites and we know that can annoy people who are familiar with these roads. We’re used to tailgaters and frequently pull over to let people pass. This car was bad and as soon as he sped off, he was pulled over. LOL.

Stopped for lunch at a tiki restaurant in Kawaihae and had our first Mai Tai.

We have both fallen in love with this tree and we’re finally close enough to grab a picture.

There are three additional National Park sites on the Big Island. This one is a temple for Kamehameha I in 1791 and played a role and him uniting the Kingdom of Hawaii.

This stone heiau was built in one year by a chain of thousands of people passing each rock to the site.

This site included historic fish ponds, fish traps and petroglyphs but the trail was not user friendly for mom’s feet.

This third stop was amazing. It’s Royal Grpunds and Pu’uhonua (Place of Refuge) from around 1600.

This heiau once held the bones of 23 chiefs. Wooden statues are of Hawaiian gods.

I can’t help but take pictures of basalt. Sorry, not sorry.

More of the wall. Not pictured is a family of five that stood at this site the entire time we were here. As we got closer, I noticed they were all standing around while one young woman posed for pictures. Was this an Instagram “influencer” or whatever in the wild? We don’t really care but we had to ask them to take a break from the photo shoot for a hot second.

Homes for canoes! I want one for my kayak!

We made our way back to Hilo and had dinner with tsunami markers.

Ended the day with officially becoming friends with Pumpkin, the hotel cat! 🎃🎃🎃

Day 3: Volcano Day 🌋🌋

We started the day off heading to Leilani Estates, the site of the 2018 eruption.

It appeared that the trip might be a bust but saw on the map that there was a “tour” locally and called the number.

She said she could meet up with us in 30 minutes and to park in her yard, grab a soda. We killed some time in the area by watching steaming piles of hardened lava.

She has the main cinder cone from fissure 8 in her backyard! Around 700 structures were ruined or buried by the lava and around 2,000 people displaced.

Our “tour” guide, Melissa, arrived with two adorable dogs, Coconut and Orchid. We chatted and watched a USGS video on the background of the eruption and then headed out.

We drove past a barrier for residents only and parked. It appears we may be walking up the cone!

Residents who still own their land (it never occurred to me that they would go back and I don’t know why) had made a road to access it and start planting. One had even raised a greenhouse. They have an HOA and we we shortly greeted by an angry man.

Angry man had bought another plot in what Melissa called his goal of becoming the fissure king. He eventually went away and we proceeded to walk up the “road”

Melissa called these smaller cones “baby 8s” and that was adorable.

Melissa gave us a Pink and Green Heliconia plant to offer Pele at the rim.

Looking down the fissure to the baby 8s in and towards Kilauea. We shortly parted ways with our guide and headed to the bigger crater. This was such a wonderful experience.

Another National Park checked off the to-do list!

But one outlook gave us a volcanic steam rainbow.

There is a lava lake somewhere down there.

Buildings at the last outlook were damaged after the 2018 collapse.

And a lovely walk home along the banyan trees!

Hilo day 2

Miles, we didn’t drive, we walked and swam.

I have no idea how to describe today. I am a water baby and love to be in the ocean. My mom is out of practice but thrives when given a challenge. Today was a perfect day. Today we snorkled in the Pacific!

Mom hasn’t swam in 40 year’s and she’s never snorkled. We had the best guide ever for her.

I’ve never been so proud. She really went outside her comfort zone so fast and so well.

Our guide, Adam (the best), is on the right, mom in the middle and then my face.

Next stop is Richardson Beach. Black and green (olavine) sand! And a coconut!

Good spot for a snack and a dip with basalt.

Just keep swimming.

I’m just a big fish swimming with smaller fish. 🐡🐠🐟🤙

Open to any suggestions on what mom found outside the dive shop?

Then had lunch at this wonderful establishment.

And where we realized I was too happy to care that my dress was inside out.

Then studied the flowers around the pool🌺

We found out it was a papaya tree! The next adventure will contain volcano activity. 🌋🌋🌋

Day 1: Ontario, CA to Hilo, HI

Miles: we flew halfway across the Pacific. The pilot didn’t give us mileage.

We’re like to arrive early to have a proper breakfast with fruit and vegetables.

Just kidding. Mom spoiled us! First Class baby.

We had a real breakfast with real silverware at 32,000 ft.

The clouds finally parted to show us the most perfect and powerful body of water: the Pacific. I mean, look at her! She’s flawless! Ugh. I faint.

We had a bit of a layover so we ran to an exit to smell and look at plants we’d never seen.

So, on all of our trips, I’m always on the hunt for cold brew or iced coffee, ALL THE TIME! Not here. We found a shop with instant iced coffee and an espresso and chocolate bar. This made me very happy. And hyper. Very hyper.

Imagine you just let your kid off to pick her favorite candy (or coffee) and then took her to her most favorite thing in the planet (a volcano that is just surrounded in basalt). You win mom of the year or decades! 🏆🏆🏆🌴🐠🌋🌋🌋🥰

The end of our hallway is just basalt and the Pacific! I may have teared up and also it started to rain.

Okay, in Hilo for less than 30 minutes and we have a rainbow. 🌈

AN ORANGE KITTEH! His name is Pumpkin and we will be friends!

Is that smaller tree an avocado? It has something that looks good.

We sat down for dinner and I looked up and saw perfection. I ordered a print of this fire and ice before we even ordered food.

Pele will win the long game. I have no doubt.

We slipped on some water shoes and stepped in a bay of the most perfect body of water that ever existed. Yes, the Pacific. We are about in six inches of water.

Back at the hotel and the sand on our feet has a green tinge, could it be olavine in the sand or moss. Stay tuned to find out.

Ronald Reagan Presidental Library and Museum

Around 200 miles. We haven’t been sticklers on being accurate this time.

We love the National Parks but we also adore a Presidential Library. We’ve been to Kennedy, FDR and LBJ and hope to visit Nixon later this week.

They had a huge temporary FBI exhibit and it was fascinating.

Part of the plane of flight 175 from 9/11.

I’m love true crime stories and the case of DB Cooper has to be a favorite. He hijacked a plane, asked for loads of money and parachutes and then jumped out the back never to be found.

Car stolen by Bonnie and Clyde shot up by the FBI.

Massachusetts connection. I followed the trial very closely. He would hate that this said he was an informer to the FBI.

They also had a section on TV shows and movies on the FBI and I couldn’t help but find Mulder and Scully.

Headed into the regular part of the museum. Inauguration clothes.

The White House china was stunning and Princess Diana’s signature on the guest book.

There was a great section on the Berlin Wall and the Cold War.

They have the actual Air Force One that seven Presidents used. We couldn’t take pictures inside but it was really cool!

I’m obsessed with Iceland 🇮🇸 so mom had to call me over to read this. Iceland was one of the locations to negotiate the end of the Cold War.

If you’re in Southern California, go to Simi Valley and check it out. It was fascinating.

Death Valley back to Oak Hills

Mileage: let’s say 267

OMG. I totally forgot to mention in yesterday’s post two major events. We woke up on Wednesday and saw a mountain lion running across the golf course which we both took as a sign that my cats surgery later that day would be okay. We were right! (She’s thriving in my aunt Christina’s care). Also, we had scattered clouds all day so didn’t have any expectation of star gazing. We were wrong this time! We saw the fricken Milkey Way! Our necks still hurt from looking up for an hour or two but it was worth it to feel so small and see something so amazing!

We started the day at Zabriski Point in the Badlands here.

We passed some lava flows on the way to …

… the Armagosa Opera House! I stayed in the hotel portion with some friends (Hi Claire! 👋🏻) over a decade ago and it was something very special.

Marta Becket ran this for decades and had painted murals inside and would perform every Saturday! She passed in 2017.

Lobby entrance. They were closed but there was a Christmas tree on inside.

I see the table and chairs from our room made their way outside.

It looks like they are trying to open again in February and I wish them all of the luck in the world. This place is a treasure.

Anyhoo! We made it to Mesquite Dunes and mom walked on them!!!!

These will always be my favorite sand dunes.

I have a picture of me from ages ago walking away on sand dunes and now mom has hers!

Death Valley is the largest National Park in the lower 48 and there is just so much we didn’t explore. This is it for this trip but we will come back in a couple of years. We also have some day trips we are planning over the next week and will share those too!

More Death Valley

Didn’t really keep track of the milage so let’s say another 200 or so. This park is huge.

We had to back track to visit the Devils Golf Course.

Pictures can never grab all the colors and do it justice.

Right after you leave the Artists Drive and head north, we run into Ventifact Ridge, a collection of rocks shaped by wind and sand. This basalt is a delicious example.

We had to top off for gas. I think it physically hurt mom to pay these prices.

We kept driving north with this mound as our destination.

A mound that was hiding Ubehebe Crater! 🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋

Mom was not a fan of getting close but it was her first encounter this close to a crater! She called it hebejebe crater!

… where they lock you up to eat an expensive mediocre meal!

More to come tomorrow!

Oak Hills to Death Valley

Mileage: somewhere around 200 to 250

Hi there! I came back to California for the holidays and we’re gonna have some adventures around the Southland. First stop is my absolute favorite National Park, Death Valley. I have been twice before but this is moms first time and she’s already blown away with the very little we’ve seen so far.

We are very happy at being bad at selfies!

Silly ugly mountains. So hard to look at these.

Geology nerd alert! 🚨 Alluvial Fan! Fan shaped deposits at the end of a canyon.

They had a good storm here about a week ago so there’s some water in what used to be Lake Manly.

In the red circle is a sign that reads “SEA LEVEL”. We arrived at Badwater at 282 feet below.

Fries and secret adult grape juice in the mugs while we wait for the restaurant to open for dinner.

20 mule borax wagon inside the Last Kind Word Saloon.

Mom loves a jackalope. They are real. Believe us.

We have another two days here and will have more to post tomorrow.

Day 5: Salida to Pueblo to Denver

Miles traveled – 225

Total miles together – 1,026

Our hotel in Salida had a patio that had great views.

We saw so many deer on this trip and watched this guy for a moment on our way to breakfast in downtown Salida.

The Arkansas River runs through downtown, so we followed it for a bit to an art festival before we hit the road.

We try to take smaller roads when possible and got off highway 50 on the way to Pueblo and it was a treat.

Stop yelling at me! All I do is watch the rocks. Jeeezz…

Some rocks just look scrumptious and I want to eat them.

We hit some traffic on our way to Denver so mom could practice for her commute home.

We dropped off the giant truck and caught planes landing while we watched the sunset waiting for our Lyft.

Our hotel only had paper cups and wine just doesn’t work in paper. We reached into our Girl Scout skills and improvised with a water bottle. We call it “Fromwatar Crystal”.

This trip was too short but we’ll be back together in Massachusetts in October. Denver airport is too entertaining so we’ll have one more post tomorrow. – ShooKy

Day 4: Montrose to Salida

Miles traveled – 157

We stumbled at this local establishment to grab breakfast from a small cafe called Starbucks.

When we planned this trip, we picked one National Park to focus around and it was Black Canyon of the Gunnison. We’d never heard about it but it looked cool. It was breathtaking.