Makapu'u Ridge

This past Saturday was one of our rare rainy days on O'ahu. Generally, we'll get a five to ten minute passing shower. But as (I hear) they say in England, it was "chuckin' it down!"

The forecast was for rain across the island, but we had been talking about going for a hike. We decided to head to the southeast corner of the island (which also tends to be one of the drier spots). Sure enough, within a mile or so of the point, the rain had slowed to a mere drizzle.

Right near the beginning of the hike we spotted these beautiful cactus flowers growing near the trail.

We've hiked the point, out to Makapu'u lighthouse a number of times (including a full moon hike). This time we sprinted across the road to hike along the ridge that forms the start of the Ko'olau Mountains. We started up what seemed like an old access road and worked our way up to a lookout. We built a cairn along the way.

We picked some prickly pear fruit to bring home, Then spent the rest of the day picking tiny sharp hairs (called glochids) out of our fingers and arms.

From there, we kind of lost the trail and spent the next half hour picking our way through, grass (thankfully there are no ticks here), prickly pear cacti, some nasty thorns, and lava rock formations. Eventually we worked our way back to the trail. We enjoyed some great views (despite the clouds) and got a little a freaked out when the girls got too close to the edge! (Danielle said that it kind of reminded her of a hike we did with my parents in Yosemite.)

The surf was up at Makapu'u Beach ( a great boogie boarding spot!)

The view of Sea Life Park below. It's on our list of places to go.

Makapu'u lighthouse in the distance.

The ladies with Manana and Bird Islands in the background.


It was tough to motivate to go with it raining so hard at the house, but we're really glad that we did!

After the hike we stopped at Shriners to swim. It's the rock wall formed "pool" in the ocean where Magnum used to swim in the TV show...

Neighborhood Kids

Generally, if we have been out and about. Within about 30 seconds of walking in the door, we will hear a voice coming from the driveway..."Gabbi, Jacqui can you play!"


There is quite a collection of kids (Jackie, Alia, Tehani, Justice, Kaulipe, Jordell, Alex, and others) that come over to ride bikes, scooter, jump on our mini-trampoline, limbo, dance, play hopscotch, tag, etc.


They share jokes -
Jacqui: "Gabbi, I'm going to tell on you!"
Gabbi: "Why?"
Jacqui: "Because you put ants in my pants and made me do the hula dance!"

and share made up stories about 81-year old sisters that were eaten by sharks -

and do cheers (see the video)!

It can be tiresome to have them vying for our kids' attention whenever we are home, but it's also really nice to see such a diverse group of kids playing every chance they get!

Mamas' Hiking Day

Khris, Gretchen and Liza (from left), taking a rest.

Liza and Khris.

Yesterday, I (Danielle ) and 3 other friends(Gretchen, Khris and Liza) went for a great hike to Mt. Olomana (which we've done several times at this point with the kids). The top of Olomana is very narrow and exposed and every time I've been on the top, it has been with Gabbi and I've always felt very nervous (not knowing if the nervousness came from my own thing or being nervous about her up there). Well, as it turned out, it wasn't nearly as scary up there without worrying about Gabbi.

Me, almost at the top.

Gretchen and me.
Me, Khris and Liza at the top, but as you can see, the trail continues on to two other peaks...I'll have to do that with Bill some day!!

It was a great day. After the hike, we went and picked up another friend (Maria) and went to my friend Khris' favorite store for a whirlwind shopping trip (a used clothing store called Savers). Then we went to the "most-authentic" Tiki-Bar on the island called La Mariana's to have a drink. Lastly, we went out to dinner at the same place we went to for Bill's birthday, Pyramid, an Egyptian/Mediterranean Restaurant. We had a beautiful day, filled with fun chatter and laughter, celebrating Gretchen and I's birthdays this month. I am blessed to have these amazing ladies in my life here.

African Dance Class

Gabbi and Jacqui have really been enjoying their African Dance class that they've been taking for the past month. They are taking it from some of the same instructors that teach Danielle's class, but at an elementary school's after-school program. It meets outside under a nice shady tree, in a big field. Live drumming is accompanied with the dancing. I (Danielle) love to watch them during class, they are so darn cute, taking it all pretty seriously. The teacher has complemented them on how good they are (I think so too, but I'm a bit partial!). It's great fun and we feel lucky to have this cool opportunity.

Underwater Shots

Danielle and the girls got me an underwater camera for my birthday. So, over the past 6 months we've remembered to bring it on some snorkeling trips (and forgotten it on more...) Still getting the hang of exactly where to point. I seem to be shooting high on many.

We finally got a roll of film developed from the camera (when was the last time you dropped off and picked up film??!?)

I think I see it!


There it is!!

The not so elusive, but slightly blurry humuhumunukunukuapua'a


It's always exciting to see and swim with a honu (Pacific green turtle)


That is a red pencil sea urchin in the upper left corner.

Some of our favorite places to snorkel are Hanauma Bay, Shark's Cove, Molokini Crater, and Lana'i.

Smile!

Jacqui lost one of her top front teeth about a week ago. It is so cute!

She is planning on dressing up as a witch for Halloween, which will be absolutely perfect with her tooth the way it is!!

African Dance in Haleakala

Danielle has been taking an African dance class on and off for the past six months on the North Shore and downtown. Now Gabbi and Jacqui have been taking a class at the local elementary school. They have been having a blast and Gabbi really wanted to show off her talents for the camera!

Maui Beaches and Snorkeling (Part 3)

After coming back down to sea level, we found the campground that we were planning to stay at. They don't take reservations, so we weren't sure how busy they would be. It turned out to be a fine place to stay. The sites were a little small and the outdoor showers were closed in by bamboo that did not really provide privacy and didn't have doors on them...

There were all kinds of critters around the campsite as well. Danielle and Ruth found a whole bunch of cockroaches near the port-a-potties on the first night. This is one of 2 scorpions that we saw. This one was under our tent when we were taking it down.

On Saturday morning, we decided to explore the south shore of Maui. We looked through our guidebook and found a couple of beaches that looked promising and headed out. Our first stop was Kalepolepo which was a little off the beaten path, but well worth it! There was this crazy thing going on where there was enough time between waves for a wave going out was able to form. At some point that wave would run into the wave coming in. The wave would double in size and come crashing to shore! It was a lot of fun!

Playing in the sand at Kalepolepo Beach

Body surfing!

We were really keeping a close eye on the girls here! They really love the waves though!

When it was close to lunch time we headed to Big Beach and the waves were really coming in! We found a slightly protected spot to swim with the girls and had a great swim and walk on the beach. After a while, I wanted to go to Kihei to check out an education center run by NOAA that has recently opened. Turned out they were closed at 3 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon, which was pretty disappointing. So, we decided to head south again to a black sand beach that we read about. The roads must have changed quite a bit since the guidebook description was written, so we ended up walking quite a way. It was another beautiful beach and the sand was a neat mix of red, black, yellow, and white grains (we've got some for you Petra!!).

Big Beach! It stretched for three-quarters of a mile or so.

At the end of Big Beach, a nice somewhat protected area with fun swimming!

Black sand

The view from the Black Sand beach back over to West Maui.


Sunday was a trip that we were really looking forward to! We were doing a full day snorkel trip to Molokini Crater off of Maui and to a bay off of Lana'i. We went with the Pacific Whale Foundation. The captain and crew did a great job! The water was crystal clear. We saw a ton of fish, beautiful coral and even got to see all 3 dolphin species when we were traveling from Molokini to Lana'i (spotted, bottlenose, and spinner). The food was good and the drinks on the return from Lana'i to Maui really capped off the day! We had a couple of hours to kill, so we headed to the town of Pa'ia. We walked the beach, then did a little window shopping (Danielle found a very cute hat, that I'll have to get a picture of), and finally got a nice dinner from a little hole in the wall place. The trip back to O'ahu on the superferry was much less rocky and we even managed to catch a couple of minutes of sleep.


Starting the day!

Our first stop...Molokini Crater! Clear water, red pencil urchins, lots of species of fish!

I think that this is a bottlenose.

And a spinner riding our bow!

Watching for dolphins and hanging out! Between Molokini and Lana'i.

A last look at Lana'i before heading back after a long, fun filled day!

But not before a virgin pina colado for the kids!

and something a little stronger for the adults!

Haleakala (Maui Part 2)

For our first night in Haleakala National Park, we camped in a Park Service campsite called Hosmer Grove. It was at elevation 7,000 feet and quite a bit colder than we've experienced in quite a while! Even the nights at elevation in Kaua'i weren't this cold! We saw a group of 6 i'iwi, which is an endangered forest bird.
Fleece pajamas, hats, and gloves!!

We woke up really early to make the half hour drive to the summit of Haleakala to watch the sunrise over the crater. Then we had to drive back down, pick up our gear, and get our permit to spend the night in the crater.
Brrrr.....

But the sunrise was definitely worth the cold, early rise!


We hit the trail by about 10 a.m. and started down the Sliding Sands trail. We had 7.5 miles ahead of us to our campsite. The trail was like hiking on the thicker sand of a beach. Gabbi and Jacqui did great! They each carried a backpack with their clothes. We passed a group that was taking a horse tour into the crater. Then they passed us while we ate lunch when we were getting close to the bottom. Getting ready for sliding sands!

Some parts of the hike really felt like we were on the moon.

The silversword plants were absolutely beautiful! They had an almost iridescent shine and the ones that were in bloom smelled wonderful. It produces its huge flowering spike only once after growing for about 20 years. They are endemic to Hawai'i and are only present at high altitudes.

Maybe they wouldn't mind if we just borrowed one....

Very interesting lava formations.


When we got to the campsite, we set up camp then went down to the water source (a spigot) to filter water. A couple of very friendly nene (hawaiian goose) visited us and drank from our pot.
There's always time and energy for gymnastics!

The quiet and stillness of being in the crater, was like no other experience we've had in Hawai'i yet. Part of the crater was considered a cloud forest and the clouds were level with the inside of the crater, so for a while, we were totally in the clouds.


The view of the stars from in the crater was absolutely breathtaking. I really wish that I had a tripod to attempt a reasonable picture, but it wouldn't have done it justice. I had a hard time picking out the constellations that I did know because all of the stars were so bright! On Friday (Danielle's birthday!), we took our time getting started and were treated to African dance in the crater. The hike out was about 4 miles and almost all uphill. We made it and I caught a ride to pick up our car. I was actually pretty surprised that even though I was in the Park at a designated hiker pick-up/hitch-hiking spot, the first 13 cars that I saw went right by. But, a friendly couple from Oregon finally picked me up and I completed the trip for the car!

We are so done with this hike!

After a stop at the Visitor Center for the girls to pick up their Junior Ranger badges, we started back down toward sea level.