Less than 48 hours and we will be flying to the Big Island of Hawaii. I ♥ Hawaii – so much that we seriously considered moving there in 2005, but the distance from our families was too great. It has been over 2 years since our last visit, and this Island Girl (now shriveled from desert dwelling) will return to the wondrous diversity and Aloha of the Big Island.
Waipo Valley
Waipo Valley is amazing beautiful and incredibly secluded.
Cowboys on the Parker Ranch
The wide open spaces remind me of Texas!
Pele's Crater in Kilauea Volcano
Kilauea has been spewing lava since 1983 and adding acreage to the Island. We have seen active lava from foot and via plane and helicopter. Spectacular!
After many visits, we always rent a condo on the Kona side, which is technically a desert receiving about 10 inches rain/year, as opposed to the Hilo side that gets > 130 inches/year. See what I mean about diversity!
Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world – when measured from the sea floor it is 33,000 feet about sea level, towering above Mount Everest by over 4,ooo feet. Seeing snow on this gorgeous shield volcano from the beautiful warm beaches in the winter is a staggering sight.
Mauna Kea viewed from Hilo
My strongest connection to Hawaii is the ocean. I love snorkeling with turtles (honu) and go in quest of whale encounters with the amazing humpbacks.
Honu - protected green sea turtle
Humpback mom and babe
Leaping humpback
I will be just short of my goal weight of 200 pounds for the trip. Who the heck cares! We will be in paradise drinking 100% Kona coffee, eating fresh fruit, savoring fruits of the sea, and connecting with some of the most wonderful people in the world.
Aloha!
Jan
I’m envious! Have a great time. Beautiful photos.
Have a great time! Pick up some of those sun rays for me. Thanks!
Do you have any idea how much I’m kinda hating you right now? Seriously …I kinda dislike you at this moment.
Moment passed.
So jealous. But, Cowboys and TX looking landscape-uck. Sea Turtles are my fave sooo awesome. I want go there soooo badly. Someday!
Good morning,
I’m following from Over 40 hop. I’m a bit jealous that you’re going to Hawaii. It’s so beautiful. We were there 21 years ago for our honeymoon. Two weeks in paradise. It was wonderful. Enjoy your trip!
Debra
http://fitandfab365.com/
Have a wonderful trip!
Hi I’m from the 40 & over blog hop. I don’t see where to follow you, so if you let me know where I’ll be back. Wow, that is totally awesome that you’re on your way to your paradise. Have tons of fun & send us pictures. These pics are awesome. Snorkeling with the turtles? How awesome is that! TAKE ME WITH!!! Well, nice to meet you & I’ll be back for your update!
Well Hello, Dolly … And, thanks for stopping by! Unfortunately, this free version of WordPress doesn’t allow friend connect plug-in. You can use the RSS feed or just paste the URL in Google Reader or clutter up your email with a subscription to my posts.
Jan
Have a wonderful time! Don’t worry about those of us stuck in the dregs of a winter that won’t end. We’ll be fine! Jealous, but fine.
Visiting from Follow Friday 40 & Over. Wow you lucky thing, make sure you take lots of pics so you can share and tease us when you get back! Hope you have a lovely week ahead. If you have a few spare minutes please stop by and say Hi.
Helen x
http://acraftykindoftruffle.blogspot.com