Health, Wealth and Happiness

No we weren’t hypnotized, no Dragonfly Ranch, and we didn’t fly over the stinking volcano either….

We just got back from our visit to the Big Island, and we DID get some things done. It was a kind of a second honeymoon, and we did the things that honeymooners do.  We also stayed in a villa in the Hilton Waikoloa area, and we liked the place so much we bought it!  Fractionally, of course.

For those that don’t care about that part here are some of the more interesting parts.

The vog (volcanic fog) was out and for that reason and just the time factor, we did not venture over to the places we wanted to see near the volcano.  It obscured the views we would normally have.

We strolled around the Hilton Waikoloa grounds and talked to the dolphin trainer on duty.  They just had a calf (the dolphins did) and the trainers were taking turns pulling the night-watch shift.  Of course on the grounds you will see a rhinocerous and horses and a Buddha-all statues.  In the parking lots there are a lot of cats, presumably waiting for handouts.

As is common in Hawaii we saw a mongoose, and then, up north we saw, and interacted with, some horses, the real live kind.  Then, down south we saw a zebra, yeah really brah, and two longhorn steer.  They looked contented, obviously all out of their ‘normal’ territories.  It was so unusual for me, that I was walking around trying to get better camera angles, and even somehow thinking they could have been fakes.  I mean some old hippie artist could have had a field day painting the stripes on that horse to make him a zebra.  I’m pretty sure that it WAS real, (he had zebra ears) and I will have the picture to show it-soon.

Also, as we ventured down a steep incline toward a marina, and then  headed back, we ran into a family of turkeys that really had no intention of sharing their road with our rental car.  I did NOT actually ‘run into them.’

The real excitement was, as we crammed too many activities into the last day was that we almost ran out of gas.  Some places had gas pumps as we headed south out of Kona, and after a while, I realized that the gas pumps were no more.  In fact houses for the most part, were no more.  Off to the left was lava, and off to the right was a sometimes very steep decline to the Pacific Ocean.

Well we slowed a little, coasted some down hills, turned of the air conditioner and prayed.  My wife was a little stressed, and I went through all the possibilities in my head should we have to coast to a stop amidst the moon-like terrain.  They all involved hitch-hiking and missing our flight home.

Then we saw it!  The last gas station for another 8 miles, at least.  We refuled, bought some Pringles, and turned around, admitting defeat to our plan to make it to South Point, the apropriately named southern most point in the US.  For those of you who are thinking Key West, that’s the continental US.

We headed back and stopped briefly for some Kona coffee, and some Key Lime pie.  How could you not?  The bonus there was the beautiful view (even with the vog) of Kealakekua Bay.  We were in a wooden structure teetering over the cliff.  Please remind me not to be THERE when the next earthquake hits.

All in all a great trip.  I will talk about some of the natural wonders next blog…..rick    

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