Mama On The Move

The most historically significant spots on the island was also on our itinerary while we were on the Big Island. We didn't dare take our rental van out to this area. You really need a good off-road vehicle to make it. The road is dirt and studded with holes and large rocks. Luckily our host was able to take us in his truck or we wouldn't have been able to visit this area. Of course, the kids were thrilled that they got to ride in the back of a truck. It's illegal in most places now, so this was a highlight of the trip for them. The area we went to was right on the coast. Many of the coasts on the Big Island are black and rocky with dry grass and shrubs growing here and there. It makes the ocean look even more blue to see it against the stark landscape. We passed a "wind farm" on the way out. Cool windmills dotted the landscape. First, we stopped by the Mo'okini Heiau. A heiau is a sacred area. This particular one was built to honor the war god Kuka&#

Another one of the fabulous activities we got to try on the Big Island was that we each got to take a riding lesson at Rancho Vitorino on Paso Fino horses. Kerry particuarly enjoyed this. He's definitely our horse man. Paso Fino horses are known for their evenly spaced four beat lateral ambling gait. This means they have a very smooth gait which doesn't bounce you up and down while you are riding. While riding the Paso Fino you have to hold the reigns in both hands with your thumbs up. You have to keep your hands even with each other as if you were shifting gears with both hands in order to direct your horse. First we would ride in a small ring to get the hang of how to hold the reigns and practice for a bit. We were right on the ocean and had this gorgeous backdrop behind us. Kerry began to covet. Katie was not happy that she didn't get to ride all by herself without someone leading her. But these horses are big, and she is small, and we just had to assure her that

One of the first things we did on the Big Island was a hiking trip. There's this great hiking area called "Iole". They have three different trails, all well marked and easy to follow. They also have hand held recorders you can use as you walk which tell you about the flora and fauna all around you. Unfortunately, because we arrived late from the airport, we didn't get to use the recorders and we were only able to hike the shortest trail. We had hoped to get back over there but never had time during the rest of our trip. It's really a beautiful area. Since I didn't get one of the recorders, I can't tell you about all the things we saw, but here are pictures of everything. Just sit back, take a look, and know it was peaceful, quiet, and lovely.

In case you aren't sick of hearing about the zipline (I know, I could listen to me talk about it forever), here's more pictures!

Here is the view as we were going across the 7th zipline!

I'm going to move on to our zipline adventure. We went to Big Island Eco Adventures for this phenomenal activity. And I really do mean phenomenal . I don't think I've ever experienced anything this exciting, and this much fun. AND it's easy enough that even Katie was able to do it. It requires almost no strength or training of any kind, but it makes you feel as if you are doing something crazy and death defying. These were our guides. I can't remember their names, but trust me, if you get a chance to go there tell them you want these fellows. Print out a copy of this photo, take it in with you, and tell them you want these guys to be your guides. They were hilarious and made the day even more fun. They had warned us a couple of times that there could be some wild pigs up there, and not to go near them if we saw any. They really emphasized that these are wild animals, not pets, and that they could be mean. At one point as we were hiking between zips, we heard

I know you've all (both of you) been on pins and needles wondering why I haven't finished writing about our Big Island trip. Well, my computer picked a most inopportune time to wig out on me and I couldn't upload any photos or videos. Now, all is well, and I'm going to talk about ziplining until you are sick of hearing about it. It was hands down the most exciting thing I've ever done. You have to start with getting all your gear on. Fortunately, you are not required to hold on to the zipline in order to keep from falling. You are strapped in quite securely and hooked on to the line so you don't fall. No major muscle groups required. They give you cool helmets with names on them. Katie was "Princess", Emily was "Turbo", Ben was "Spaz", I was "Honey", and Kerry was "Tunderfoot". No, I did not spell that wrong. I did feel like he should have bought me dinner after this. We rode in an enormous Humvee for 30 m

We were walking along the other day and all the sudden Katie pipes up with, "What's a hickey?" Before I could even wrap my mind around the question, much less formulate an age-appropriate response Ben responded, "Mickey Mouse's little brother." When Katie said she'd never heard anyone say Mickey had a little brother Ben amended, "Actually it's one of Mickey's friends. Hickey Horse."

One of our first stops on the Big Island was to see the statue of Kamehameha I. We have the twin of this statue in Honolulu. In 1878, a statue of King Kamehameha I was commissioned to commemorate the discovery of Hawaii by Captain James Cook. A sculptor in Italy created this statue which was supposed to be displayed on Oahu. On it's way here, the ship wrecked somewhere around the Falkland Islands and a new statue had to be commissioned. Before the second statue was completed, the first statue was salvaged, sold to a member of the Hawaiian government and was sent to the Big Island to mark the birthplace of King Kamehameha I. The statue on the Big Island was painted with the brighter red and yellow colors while the statue on Oahu has a golden color for the clothing. Our guide told us there was a lot of uproar over whether or not to paint it. There are also issues because the sculptor who created the statues ignored the photos of Polynesians which were sent to him and gave the

One big surprise.............. While we were eating our lunch the first day, someone spotted us and came over to ask if we were the military family who were there for Operation Vacation. His name was Steve and he lived next door to the guest house we were using. He introduced us to his friend Bennett who was having lunch with him. We chatted about how much we were enjoying our stay and what a great program Operation Vacation is. Then we all returned to our lunches and took silly pictures. Later, when we met up with the director of Operation Vacation, we mentioned that we had met Steve and Bennett. He looked completely astounded and said, "You got to meet Bennett!? I haven't even gotten to meet Bennett!" Turns out, "Bennett" is Bennett Dorrance, heir to the Campbell Soup Company. It was his guest house we were staying in and there we were blathering on about it without knowing we should be thanking him. I should have at least curtsied.

First stop: Pico's Bistro Pico's Bistro is a wonderful restaurant in Kapa'au, Hawaii. That's up on the northern end of the Big Island. It's a small restaurant, so look closely for it, you don't want to miss it! I had a lamb burger, and my mouth still waters when I look at this picture! There was some sort of seasoning in it that was just fabulous! Even Emily's dairy allergies were easy to get around. She had a lamb kabob with rice - no dairy involved! If you are on the Big Island, this is a "must"!

My friend Mary likes to complain that I always win things. She says that if we go to any gathering where there's a gift to be given away, she has no chance because I'm going to win it. My name does tend to get picked out of a hat on a regular basis - I don't know why. I have quite a collection of scented candles and plaques with inspirational sayings because of this. Lucky me. But this time.......... this time , oh, you won't believe it. We won an all expenses paid vacation - air fare, accommodations, rental car, food, activities, spending money - everything ................... .......................to Hawaii. I know, right? Because it's not enough that I get to live in Hawaii, I have to get a free vacation there too. *wink* Okay, it's not what you think. This was actually a trip to the Big Island. And it was through the generosity of a program called Operation Vacation . They provide vacations to soldiers who have recently returned from a deployment so that th