Mountain House Update

It's been months since I've blogged.  That's because things have been moving very slowly. But they are moving.  After many meetings with architects, builders, and engineers, we are finally getting underway.  So mark it, July 10, construction has begun! Today, they cut dead trees away from the site and started digging for footers.

And so it begins.  Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and they can get the block work done soon. 

In the meantime, we have spent a couple of weekends in rental cabins (our insurance company pays for "loss of use") and we've even had a few adventures.

The guys have done some hiking. Jeff just got his 500 mile pin!

We spent some time at some of our favorite restaurants!

We had some family time doing fun stuff at the cabin.

And we had our annual 4th of July cookout, complete with red, white, and blue Fruit Pizza! I must say it's a nightmare trying to cook in an unfamiliar, under supplied kitchen, but we managed!

During the holiday weekend we did have a new "first time" adventure in Pigeon Forge. We went to Jayell Farms to drive/ride some UTV's. It was fun, but every part of my body hurt by the time we finished our trail.

Jayell Farm is located right next to the Dreammore Resort, back off the road.  It's a neat place.  They have horseback riding

Zip lines

And lots of muddy, bumpy trails for ATV's and UTV's.

A good (muddy) time was had by all!

Meanwhile, back home I've been picking out tile, cabinets, faucets, commodes, sinks, mirrors, light fixtures.....and that's just the bathroom! There's a lot to decide.  There's a lot to be done. But we'll get there, one day at a time, one step at a time. Stay tuned!

Saturday, April 15, 2017: Conclusions

We're home and now Hawaii seems like a distant memory, a magical dreamy place that fairy tales are made of.  But we were there. (I've got a ton of photos to prove it!) During our last dinner in Hilo we spent some time reminiscing and playing what I call "20 questions". In case you're planning a trip to the Big Island, here's what we concluded:

What was the best meal you ate?

Fish at Roy's

Stuffed Chicken at Volcano House

 

What was your favorite dessert?

Pineapple Upside Down Cake at Roy's

Triple Chocolate Brownie at Jackie Rey's

Lillikoi Cheesecake at Jackie Rey's

 

What was your favorite dining experience?

Volcano House overlooking the caldera

Lunch at Tommy Bahama's

Breakfast by the pool at the Kona House

 

What was your favorite sight?

The Kilauea Caldera Glow

The floor of Kilauea Crater

Waipio Valley Overlook

 

What was your favorite activity?

The Kilauea Iki Hike

The Luau

Riding the scooter

 

What is your favorite purchase?

Hawaii Volcano vintage poster, Hawaii quilted purse, wooden salad bowl, tiki idol, malasadas

 

What was the funniest thing you saw, did, or heard?

Underestimated how far it was to the Lava Tube

"Look Mom, it's a bunion tree!"

"Wow, that's the best cantaloupe I've ever eaten!" (It was papaya)

"We're here at the Botanical Garden looking at a bunch of flowers and some other weird stuff!"

Listening to the GPS voice speak Hawaiian

 

What interesting things did you learn or observe?

There are a lot of mongooses and they get along with cats

Chickens run loose

Cows graze in grass up over their heads

You don't have to bury water lines in Kona

The houses in Kona don't have furnaces

Most of the houses in Hilo don't have air conditioning

The chicken, pork, and beef all taste better than the fish

The roads are terrible and there's not enough parking anywhere

The street lights (what few there are) are yellow and point straight down (They keep it dark for the Mauna Kea Observatories)

There are lizards and a few bugs but no snakes in Hawaii

The streets have some strange diamond and jaw tooth designs when there are curves ahead

 

What will you miss the most?

The sound of waves crashing against the rocks at the Hilo house

Hiking the trails

The gorgeous views

The good weather

The smell of flowers

Malasadas

 

 

Where would you like to go next?

Rome

Puerto Rico 

Italy

Paris

We had a wonderful time and made memories that will last forever.  But now we are back home and we've got a mountain house to build.

Aloha Hawaii!

Friday, April 14, 2017: Day Eight

Friday has arrived and, sadly, we have to leave the Hilo house. We ate our malasadas, straightened up the house, and packed the car.  It's time to hit the road again.  

 

 

But, our great adventure is not quite over. You know the old saying: "Arrive early and stay late"? That's us!  We're taking the redeye back to TN so we have all day to see a few more sights.

Our first stop was the Hawaii Botanical Garden. It was established  by Dan Lutkenhouse in 1984.  He bought the property in 1977 and spent over seven years turning a jungle, covered with trash and junk cars into a botanical garden that features streams, waterfalls, and a boardwalk along the ocean.  It contains over 2000 plant species and is one of the most impressive tourist attractions in Hilo. 

 

I couldn't begin to choose which photos to show you so here's a link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ctamuowuwhub7ql/AAA3AwGaYMPs6joUUKEvKQTaa?dl=0

You can browse to your heart's content.

After touring the gardens, we got back in the car and headed up the road to Waipio.  The Waipio Valley Overlook is probably the most photographed sight on the Big Island. You may have seen it before on tv or in a movie. You can take the scary road down to the beach if you have 4WD and a lot of courage. (Most rental companies forbid travel on that road).  Or you can hike down, but it's a long, steep hike back up to the parking lot. 

 

 

 

We took a lot of photos then headed to Waimea where we dropped off the rental scooter and then headed across the street to Big Island Brewhaus for lunch.  After a detour through church yards, a cemetery, and back alleys, we finally found a parking place!  

 

We enjoyed our late lunch on the patio and then headed onward towards Kona. 

 

 

We still had lots of time to kill so we stopped at the Waikola Queens' Marketplace for ice cream and a little last minute souvenir shopping. I particularly liked the Quilt Shop. (Think, Vera Bradley, Hawaiian style!). I couldn't resist buying a cute bag. 

 

 

 

Shopping complete, it's time to go to the airport. 

 

We're headed home.  Good night Hawaii!  By morning we'll be on the mainland. 

Thursday, April 13, 2017: Day Seven

Good morning, Hilo!  It's a beautiful day in paradise because the sun is shining!  

 

That was the view from my bed this morning. It's time to get up and start a new adventure!

Whereas the past two days have been all about geology and astronomy, the next two days are going to be more about botany.  Our first stop took us to downtown Hilo. Kona is on the west side of Hawaii and is rather hot, mild and arid. But, Hilo, on the east side is a totally different place.  It gets lots of rain and with high winds, it is subject to tsunamis. Apparently, all the businesses on the shoreline have been destroyed at one time or another, some more than once.  One tsunami wiped out a school and many children perished.   So the city decided not to rebuild so close to the shore.  Instead, they built a series of parks, recreation areas, and gardens all along the coast.  One of the most popular places is Liliuokalani Garden. This 30-acre park with Japanese gardens is a great location for everything from an elegant wedding to a simple picnic. We really enjoyed strolling around the grounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got back in the car for a short drive up the road to Rainbow Falls. We didn't see the rainbow, but the waterfall was nice.

 

 

 

There was a lot of vegetation up top.

 

But the view from below was spectacular!

 

Our next stop was Pe'epe'e Falls. This waterfall is only a short drive, 1.5 miles upstream from Rainbow Falls.  

Rainbow Falls is larger but PP Falls Park is gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

For our last stop before lunch, we drove 10 miles up the road to Akaka Falls State Park. At 422' tall it is the granddaddy of waterfalls on the Big Island.  

 

 

Breathtakingly beautiful!

After a morning of waterfalls and lush vegetation we headed back to town for lunch.  We decided to try Cafe 100.  You step up, order your food, and eat outside.

 

 They specialize in Hawaiian food, but they have regular American fare as well.  My BLTT (bacon, lettuce, tomato, turkey) was quite tasty and Keith enjoyed his clam chowder.  As you can see most of us stayed with American fare, but Bobby decided to "eat like a local"!

 That is called "Super Loco Moco" and consists of four scoops of rice, covered with a hamburger patty, brown gravy, and two fried eggs, with a side of Spam and macaroni salad.  He said it was good and he ate all the important parts.  No offense, but personally, I think you would have to be "super loco moco" to eat that!

After lunch we made a quick stop at the grocery for some breakfast food (malasadas!), then we headed back to enjoy some time at the house. Some of us spent time by the pool.

 

Others enjoyed time out back, listening to the waves crash against the shore.

 

While others spent some time flying the drone.

 

 

All of us were trying not to think about the fact that we head for home tomorrow...sigh...

Eventually, we headed back into town for our last supper in Hilo.  We ate at a quaint Italian sidewalk cafe called Cafe Concerto.  

 

We enjoyed salads and plates of pasta as we reminisced about our favorite parts of the trip.  We topped the evening off with tiramisu and/or coconut ice cream then headed back to the house to begin packing for the journey tomorrow. It's difficult to think about leaving this place.