Going North!

Headed up north up the coast from Kona today, up to Hawi, and the end of the road. This first pictures are the beaches we stopped at along the way.



Another view...


This was a Honu (turtle) that bobbed up to say hello at a public boat launch dock we found. I love the Honu, I feel som strange connection to me. Like they know me, and know how much I love them.


Found this along a beach area that had huge beautiful houses along it. It's a tree stump, and the roots stretched down to the water line. It's amazing how large it seems to have gotten, given that it was growing out of lava rock. The sad thing is, I think that it may have been intentionally cut down to "improve" the view for the houses up the way from it. I also took some very close up pictures of the rings in the tree, and the textures.


We were going to stop at Hapuna Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, but found the gates closed with these signs. We were even more disappointed, because we would have loved to have been able to walk the shore watching for the sharks to take pictures!


The is a close up of a piece of foliage that is apprently not doing well. I thought it looked beautiful up close.


The is at the end of the road where the Pololu Trail down to a black sand beach begins. We only went down about 200 yards or so, still sore from yesterday's hike. How gorgeous is this though?


Another plant along the road.


Obligatory photo-op!


The was near the trail head also, I have no idea who or what it is for, but it looked amazing with the ocean and cliffs as a background. The white string are little shell necklaces that have been left on it.


A lovely butterfly was kind enough to pose for me on some flowers I was doings macro shots of. Isn't he lovely?


Hawaii Cows! An interesting side note, is that on the other side of the Island, at the bottom of the hike we took, you are cautioned to watch for falling cows. Apparently, the cows do not have a gift for depth perception, get to the edge of the cliff, see grass below and just keep going to get to it. The result is cows falling around 1300 feet into the bay below. (What a surprise that would be for a snorkler...)


And to prove that Hawaii has nearly everything, here is a huge cactus! The upper ranges of the north are full of cattle ranches, and wide open, rolling ranges. Some of the cactus trees are amazingly huge!


Another perfect day in Hawaii. The result of the shopping ended up being a beautiful pendent for a necklace, some coconut bread, and some other sweet treats!

Not sure yet what the plan is for tomorrow, but I bet it will be great!

Have a great day!