Search for the Perfect Beach

My main objective when in the Hawaiian islands, is to see as much as I can see. From people's backyards to tourist traps, I'm interested in everything new (to me).

The guys, however, were on a quest to find the perfect beach. It was a little more difficult on the Big Island than last year on Maui.

We first stayed in Hilo. The vegetation is lush and tropical in this area, and the shoreline is picturesque, but the beaches are not top quality for boogie boarders. Not if they want to survive.

(I'd like to give Jonathan credit for these photos.)

We checked out a couple of beaches that are rumored to be good for swimming. This one has a subterranean spring that keeps the water at 95 degrees. It has a seawall, though, so the waves don't get to come in. Not a boogie boarding spot.

The guys passed on that one. Near Hilo is Richardson Park. It, too, is more of a place for swimming. There is a pool that is separated from the ocean. We mostly saw little kids using it.

Again, the shoreline was pretty rocky. The guys passed on this one, too.

Up the shore from Hilo there was King Kamehameha's personal boogie board beach at the edge of Waipio Valley. The guys decided it was a neat looking beach, but weren't willing to walk the mile or so down the steep hill to get there.

Let me correct that. They weren't willing to walk the mile or so back UP the steep hill on the return trip.

As we continued to the top of the island, then back down the Kona side, we found an absolutely beautiful sandy beach. There were only about 500 other people there and the guys said the waves weren't big enough. When we got to our condo in Kailua, we were thrilled with the beautiful ocean front location. This was the view from the living room.

Those are surfers on the water, out there in the distance. We got to watch them right from the window. These were experienced surfers, however. Another view of the "beach" shows the rocks those surfers had to negotiate when they came back to shore.

Also notice the pool. The guys DID spend lots of time in the pool and the spa.

Finally they found the perfect beach just a mile from our condo, Magic Sands. There were waves that were just the right size, and a nice sandy beach to land on.

Wahooooo! Here comes Bob!

And here come Jon, Bob, and Brent. Alex is heading the other direction. Please note there is a small child in the foreground. This beach was suitable even for small children, which is one reason the guys liked it.

Bob and Brent, playing frisbee in view of one of the "babes" on the beach.

A Sign from the Gods?

Does anyone know what it means when you see a white bird sitting on a white cow? These were the only animals in the field. Surely it's a sign of something.

Lodging for Kyle

We found this tent camp on the way to a beach near Hilo. The guys decided this would be ideal for Kyle.

Most of the tents seemed to be inhabited. There were several people in a common area playing volley ball. If these were homeless people, they appeared to be happy and doing well.

Jan Tan

The only way my pasty white skin will tan is if all the freckles get so big they grow together. So I only sit outside under a tree, and on a cloudy day. With spf 56. And I still get a sunburn.

Volcano Hopping

We tried to see some nice, red lava coming out of Kilauea. We went to both sides of the most recent lava flow in search of red stuff, but to no avail.

There are maybe a dozen houses that were surrounded by the lava flow of 1996 (I think that's the one). The houses were not harmed and people still live in them. Its sorta like living on the moon. One good thing is you have no lawn to mow, no landscaping to tend.

There are a few living things out there on the lava, in spots that weren't burned. And there are already new ferns coming up on the stark, black rock.

Remember the lush noni tree I showed you that was growing near our condo in Pahoa? Well, we found noni growing out on the lava, too. You'd think it was a source of food for any animals that are stuck out there, but we picked up a ripe fruit to examine it and it stunk to high heaven. Anything that eats noni would have to have a poor sense of smell.

The boys consulted a big map and talked to the ranger (3rd from left) about where they might find some dandy red lava. That's when we found out there currently was none. We watched the movie in the auditorium, though, and that satisfied our curiosity.

End of the road at the volcano.

Auditioning for Sorcerer's Apprentice

The guys think it would be neat to work in Hawaii. Jobs are scarce here, however. The only opening we heard about is Sorcerer's Apprentice (do you recall the Disney movie?).

And the winner is Jon!

But he already has a good job at Apple, so I guess he'll be turning this one down,

Unsolved Mysteries

This was in Pahoa, on the road to our condo.

The little truck had run into a house. It had to swerve pretty far off the road (speed limit 35) to do this. How did it happen? Why did they just leave it this way? It was a mystery to us.

Alex was thirsty at Rainbow Falls. How did he drink all this water?

Out on the lava, near Kilauea, we saw this Polish tourist (easily identified by his lack of fashion sense) brandishing a log. It was Bobzilla!

How was he able to lift that thing? He must have absorbed subterranean energy from the volcano. Oh no! Watch for the new movie in which he battles Godzilla and Mothra to rule Tokyo.