Nene on side of road

Day 3 was a great day. Tony and Marg headed off in the car to explore while we did out usual Time Share presentation. I don't know how we  did it but we were out in a record time of  less than 25 min. and most of that was waiting for the presenter to return. Any way we got our $100 so we decided just to hang around the pool and dip in the hot tub what could be better.

Later in the morning we walked up to  a local eatery that has been here for a long time. I think it was here when we first started coming to the island 10 years ago. Any way we shares a beefeater sandwich which was really a beef dip with extras. It was  all I could do to finish it but I did. We then went to the grocery store for some extra's and had a Latte at the local coffee shop quite a nice way to spend the day, lots of pool time and a good lunch .

Day two was a grey overcast day but was great for doing the touristy thing. and it was the day to go do some shopping.

We stopped at the market at the north end of Kapa'a first and I was  a little dissappointed with the number of venders there way down from the last time we were here. I was still able to get a shirt I had been looking for since the last time we were in Hawaii.There were orchids from the normal size to tiny ones the size of my baby finger nail and colours you wouldn't believe. 

We then went into the Orchid Alley for a look, and were able to take pictures this time 'Yehhhhh",after spending a long time admiring the blooms we moved along to other shopping then lunch and home to the suite.

Day one on Kauai

Orchids in the wild

The Regent Hotel at Hanalei AKA the Princeville Hotel home of the $50 burger

We had  kind of laid back day today. We got to Hanalei Bay this afternoon as I needed another hat and Tony needed a new pair of sun glasses.We then all went to the beach and walked and bagged some rays before going to the Dolphin for lunch. then heading back to the room for a small rest.

Got there

It was a long day of traveling but we made it and had our first hot tub this evening. We left the house about 6:00 this morning, and had to wait for the taxi for about 15 min.

Taro Fields at  Hanalei Bay

Waves at Hanelei Bay

Once we got to the airport a coffee and some breakfast did the trick and things settled down and traveling became enjoyable all over again. Seattle was Seattle and all was OK, there also was a morning in the lounge and some more coffee etc to keep us awake till later. The close quarters on the plane was OK and it seemed that no one noticed that the lady behind us should have and could have been on Canada's biggest know it all and the loudest talkers talk show. With my noise canceling head phones and an I-POD going I could still hear them nattering to each other.

Next trip Lihue Hawai'i

We are getting ready to head off on our next trip. This time we are going with our good friends Marg and Tony , they live just a short distance from us and were the ones we went to Nebraska with in August. We will be off on Saturday  and arrive in mid afternoon in Lihue HI and am I looking forward to it for sure. I have started packing and I think Laura has another of her long lists of things to take so I think we should be ready to go before the week is done.

The Na Pali Coast

See you in January from Kaiai

Mahalla, Mark, Laura, Isis

Mahalla, Mark, Aaron, Isis

Today is the last day in Hawaii for a couple of months so we will just carry on as if all is normal although the next one is on Kauai in January. We called Mark first thing in the morning and all came down to say good bye, I just wish that we had had a longer time together. It was so nice to see Isis and Mahalla again since it was Christmas 2004  when we saw them last, but it seemed that it was only yesterday that we saw them, pretty incredible friends if you ask me. I can hardly wait for our next get together.

Who said there are no old cars in Kona

We only have a couple of days left so we went on the quest of the cheap Jeans today. I got a pair for less than $16 so not too bad and the best Laura could find was $10 to $12 cheaper than home still not too bad collectively we saved $30 compared to home. We also went back to the fabric store in Kealakekua and got some fabric for a shirt or two since Laura offered to make shirts for me.

We took a walk around the international market also and had a real shock when we discovered it was nearly three quarters empty and it looked like more were going out of business too. It has never the same after they moved it away from the down town site and combined with the economic times it has really been hurt, I don't know if it can survive on the Big O plan.

Dysfunctional Adults

We met Mark and the  ladies for lunch at the Don Mei's beachcomber Bar at Royal Kona Resort. Isis and Mahalla were very taken with the view looking into the town and the meal was excellent.While we were in the bar there was a couple that were having a conversation I thought it was a bit odd but didn't say any thing but Mark decided to get a picture of them so of course so did I. They then went off to discover more of Kona and we went on the hunt for our Christmas gifts. We ended up back around Quinn's to find every thing we needed. 

Best Pizza on the Kona Coast

Drove through the Kona Heritage Corridor today which is at about 3000 ft elevation , kind of sad to see the heritage buildings being pushed out by new construction.  Lots more coffee plantations, and a few coffee mills with signs out, "buying cherries now" that's coffee cherry.  Signs also out indicating that work as a coffee bean picker available, but its slow, hard work on fairly steep hillside for the most part.  And in the sun, so everyone involved seems to be pretty well covered up head to toe.  I think I'll go home and do office work quite happily, even if there is a wet grey winter ahead in Victoria. 

After the bad experience in the submarine I decided to put the Canon camera away and continue with the Nikon D80, it takes better pictures, the view finder is better, it is more reliable, and won't take over the focusing, the only thing the Canon has is HDMI video recording I guess I will have to live without.

Dinner tonight was at Sam Choy's what an experience great rib eye for me and a three way of fish for Laura, and we both aggreed the main attraction was the salad absolutely fab.After dinner we caught up with Mark and had a great evening catching up on all things in the universe. Sorry no pictures allowed.

View of the Kahua Ranch entrance

We had a dinner arrangement at the local Kahua Ranch this evening. About a 2 hour drive north with a bus driver who fancied himself a comedian. He did throw in a good bit of interesting stuff too, where to find some lava tubes from the 1800's eruption of Hualalai, where the rich and famous have houses and private golf courses, how to find some of the non-marked beaches, the history of Parker Ranch and how it was assembled, and then why and how it has been disassembled, where there is a 2 mile stretch of highway that was built as an emergency landing strip for the Concorde back in the early 1970"s.  The Kahua Ranch itself has a visitor center with store, dining area, bonfire rings, benches and entertainment.  Between the country music played by Jack Martin and the introduction by Rancher John we were well fed with a steak and chicken dinner with all the fixins ending up with smores by the bonfire.   Sweet..... Jack is a local hero that has a couple of bands and has somewhere in the area of 50 guitars, and can represent almost any instrument you name Since it was Halloween he also dressed in a wizards costume and played a lot of CDB ( Charlie Danial's Band ) tunes.

Front entrance

Lanai

View towards K

Earlier in the day we had our traditional Wyndham up date session (Buy more  ) it didn't go too bad and we finished right on time for $150 we just told them we had things to do and people to meet which was true, realy. It was great as we had just moved to a new unit due to problems, so we ended up in a front unit with much better views and the sound of the waves was all we heard best night sleep since we got here. Front desk  Rosie is a dear and we thank her very much for her efforts. And we thank her for putting up with us.

"Explode a boat"

This was  our first activity of our trip, we remember a friend of ours went on the Atlantis VII with his daughter so lets give it a try. It was an awesome trip max depth was 100 feet and a light in the sea floor with a couple of wrecks one was due to a storm ans the second one was from an explosion a couple of propane bottles decided  to expand at a fast rate.  Yellow tangs, moorish idolfish, goatfish, milletseed butterfly fish,  6 or 7 different types of coral but no sharks.  Clownfish aren't found here either but almost all of the other stars of finding nemo could be seen.    Unfortunately, because the new camera doesn't work well, we got very few decent pictures.  Anyone thinking of a powershot X40, be warned.  

We then went over to "Quinn's (not quite by the sea)" for lunch. Probably the best meal out we have had so far this trip for sure.We puttered around Kona for the rest of the afternoon and really enjoyed the downtown of Kona even though it has a lot of vacant store fronts.

We then had a quick stop for water and some provisions and back to the hot tub and an other perfect sunset in Kona. Later our friend Mark and his mom Isis and Aunt Mahalla arrived and we had a short visit they then went for dinner and off for provisions also. Great to see the Krause's again, certainly a long and arduous journey for them from Ausi Land and both the ladies are in there late 70's.

Dinner was Caesar salad and Kim Chi shrimp with bean sprouts it was quite delicious an I would recommend it if you like spicy.

Monday started off with unbelievable noise from our neighbors, before 7 in the morning no less.  After we offered to be relocated to a quieter location, and some other neighbors' complaints about the noise phoned in to the front desk, quiet arrived.  A couple of cups of Ferrarri coffee improved our dispositions and then we enjoyed our breakfast on the lanai.  Ferrarri really is one of the best coffees ever. 

Exploration of the south Kona coast took us to Ho'okena Bay, a beautiful little black sand beach which, naturally enough was pretty hot on the feet.  Walking along the beach just where the sea lapped up was the order of the day.  A sea turtle had beached him/herself on a rock in the bay, just hanging out, back feet in the water enjoying the sun too. 

This is a good season for flowers, bouganvilla, hibiscus, plumeria, tulip trees and orchids.  During a stop at Kona Joes, another great coffee brand, we found a little orchid garden on the side of the roasting/retail building.  We have phaelenopsis orchids at home and are enjoying checking out the dendrobium orchids here.  Hope we can find a supplier and get one of these when we get home.  We can bring home coffee but not orchids, darn. 

 

Getting there

Royal Sea Cliffs

Sat was a weird day starting with me in the blood bank Friday night and we finally got home at 12:30. followed buy a few short hours of sleep and leaving the house at 4:30 for the airport.  We got to Seattle in the pouring rain at about 7:00 and ended up in the lounge having breakfast and coffee.
The flight to Kona was great but we ended up an hour late about 4:00 pm but the sun was out what more can we ask, getting the car as easy because of the pre-arrangements and I say good planning. After leaving the airport there was a quick stop at Wally's Mart for the basics then to the room for setting in and fighting the TSP people sorry no presentation this time.

After settling in we thought a reasonable dinner was in order so over to the local Sam Choy's for dinner and oops forgot and didn't know about the Halloween parties, we finally ended up at Denny D's even so not too bad and fast to boot.

On the way back to the room we heard sirens going off was it fire.......was it practice ????????? no it was the real  thing a tsunami alert,  it appeared that the Charolette's  had dropped one on us, so every one was in evacuation mode with no one left out so in the end at 2:00am  a destructive 1.5 foot wave hit Hawaii so back to the room and a few well deserved sleeps were made.

Sunday started with an Island information session as though we need it but we might have won some thing in the draws.  Like ya really?

Today we got a slow start to the day I didn't wake till 9:00AM however Laura had been up for quite a while and exercised the dogs and got a lot of the pre-departure stuff done. A quick breakfast and on the road again ......wait where's Willie...... any way the idea is to get to Thermopolis this afternoon and stay the night.

Scott Bluff National Monument Gering NE

Scott Bluff National Monument Gering NE

Scott Bluff National Monument Gering NE

We made it to Thermopolis alright about 7:00PM a little late for me but after all said and done it is quite a nice camp ground. Laura is looking at our route for tomorrow. It is now 8PM and it is still over 85 I am finding it quite warm and will probably get to bed quite early tonight.

To day is the day we start home. After a roaring evening with Steve, Mel, Cathy, Randy, Milli, Marg, Tony and a few others we had dinner drinks and lots "O" laughs.

Just as we were leaving Cathy had three beer in a case when the bottom fell out and spewed two bottles of Blue moon all over the floor for 10 feet around, one survived  for another day. Needless to say half an hour later we had collected all the broken glass and mopped all the beer off the floor. We didn't let the night teller clean since we did it with many thanks from the young lady. I guess all those years of my mopping the floor at McDonald's wasn't wasted.

Today we started with packing and storing things better than the last three days so nothing gets broken. With all the cords, mats,and chairs stored we said our good byes to Tony and Marg as they head south and we head west.

We had been looking for some where to get the oil changed, since I didn't want Cooter to do it, it took 5 stops till we finally found a Ford dealer in Ogallala 120 miles west of Kearney to change it for us.we drove to Gering just before the Wyoming border on highway 26 and booked into quite a nice camp ground  quite a way from the train tracks for a change. We had time to work on our blogs and do a laundry you know the usual stuff that is hard to on the road. A nice quiet dinner and time for dog walks and bedtime.

Today we are seeded first in the division it seems there are the same teams in it but our seed time didn't change it is going to be interesting to see how it works out. One of the apprentice judges had to go home mid day I think Randy Kenzie will give him a favorable report, at least I thought he did quite well and has the makings of a good judge.

After watching three days of judging I think that I am safe to say that it doesn't seem to mater where you go the teams are the same. There are different dogs and people but the teams don't change. There are those there for the points those for the dogs and those for the glory, as it is every where else.

Ultimately today was a great day we worked hard and just tried to run clean and it finally paid off as we won our division and the beat the team that beat us on Saturday. It took 4 heats but we enjoyed them all and Stan said he would rather loose to us than anyone else,thanks Stan. All our dogs got better over the weekend which tells me they are very fit dogs. After the tournament was over we all sat for a well deserved drink with Cathy and Randy Kenzie what great end to the racing day