A short week after we returned from Disney found us packing our bags for another adventure. This time, we were headed to Hawaii! The Big Island to be exact. It would be our first time to return to this island since the very first travel adventure as a family of four took us there nearly 6 years ago. Let's just say that I was looking forward to traveling with my now 6 and 9 year olds much more than I was my 7 month old and 3 year old. Time flies, and thankfully, kids get easier to travel with! We took the big flight over to Honolulu, and then hopped over to Kona. Despite my careful booking of tickets, we discovered we weren't all seated together--as we were getting on the plane. This created an intense situation that resulted in the flight attendant yelling at me, copious tears, and also several people flat out refusing to switch seats with Matt so he could sit with us. It wasn't my finest hour, but we recovered and had a very smooth flight, with girls being on perfect behavior. Whew. We were all glad to be reunited in Honolulu.
After landing in Kona, we made our way north to the Kohala Coast and the Fairmont Orchid (this was also the same resort we stayed at in 2012). We stopped for a late outdoor dinner along the way.
Our arrival at the hotel was full of excitement and giddy-ness, as we discovered the full magnitude of our room upgrade: a 1500 square ft suit with 3 lanais, 3 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, and literal steps from the resort beach. Pure insanity. So, every time I stepped out of our room, I saw this.
With Matt at the conference, the girls and I found some breakfast and enjoyed it outdoors.
We also found the conference rooms where Matt was, and decided to pose in front of signs.
The great thing about the Fairmont Orchid is that it has zero waves, and the beach is shallow and full of coral reef. You can basically stand in the water, put your face in, and see beautiful fish. This was so awesome for the girls, and so relaxing for us, as we could sit on the beach and watch them without panic.
After a full day of fun in the sun, we got ready to go to the conference welcome reception (the girls always love this at any Mayo conference). Hawaiian dresses? Check.
Adrienne decided she wanted to try coke. It did not disappoint her, as nothing with sugar ever does.
We decided this would be our big volcano day adventure, and geared up for a 3 hour drive over to Volcanoes National Park. We downloaded the GyPSy app at a recommendation of another radiologist, and we were delighted to have an amazing audio tour as we drove. This app was worth about 50 times more than the $8 we paid. We learned so much about the scenery, where to stop, what to avoid, and on the way back, the entire history of Hawaii. The app was entertaining, at a good pace, and definitely made our day. That and giving the girls Dramamine to avoid car sickness.
The GyPSy app told us to stop at Punalu'u Bake Shop (which happens to be the Southernmost bakery in the US) for a malasada (Portuguese donut). The lilikoi flavor was so amazing. What a treat!
Driving around the Southernmost part of the US
We made it to Volcanoes National Park and had lunch at The Crater, which is literally a restaurant that sits outside the crater, so you can see the steam rising. Apparently, it glows at night. We took a few pictures before setting off on our hike down into the crater.
Standing at the top: We hiked down into that crater!
Down in the lava field at the bottom of the crater. Amazing.
Feeling the steam come out of the vents. It was super hot! Duh.
A little blip of the sunset on our drive back to Kailua-Kona
I did a little research and so we stopped at Umeke's Fish Market in Kona for dinner. We were all beat, but the food was just amazing. A hole-in-the wall place, famous for it's poke nachos (and about a dozen different kinds of poke) did not disappoint. Poke nachos and an Ono bowl with kimchi cucumbers? Yes, please!
It was late by the time we made it back to the resort, and Adrienne was just toast. Needed to have her daddy carry her to the room.
The next day we spent hanging at the resort. Hard to beat a day at the beach and pool.
We ended the day with dinner at Tommy Bahamas (home of what I decided is the strongest Mai Tai in Hawaii) and some shopping.
The next day, Adrienne lost her second front tooth! She is so proud that she lost both front teeth on a vacation!
We took a little drive north to Hawi and the Pololu Valley, then down through Waimea.
In this picture, Matt is standing in Hawi at the turnaround point for the bike portion of the Ironman World Championships (while wearing his Ironman WI shirt). He says the next time he is in this spot he will be in the race. Wouldn't surprise me one bit.
The girls and King Kamehameha
The views at Pololu Valley are just incredible.
Probably the biggest surprise to me on this trip was the drive from Hawi to Waimea. I didn't expect the road down to the cowboy town to be so incredibly stunning. The rolling hills, the views of the ocean, and the enormous cattle ranches was quite a combination. I just loved it.
It was so so windy that when we got out at a lookout, Jillian's beloved NASA hat fell off her head and down the hill. She started running after it, which totally freaked me out, but luckily Matt saved the day.
We ate lunch at Big Island Brewing, and had some fabulous green chile burgers from the local ranch-raised beef, and of course I had to try a flight of local beer.
More shopping later that night after dinner. I always delight in finding my name on stuff in Hawaii!
On Thursday, Matt had to do his talks at the conference. He was so proud of this shirt he found in Madison while we were there for the Ironman. Yes, it is a Hawaiian shirt that also has skulls on it. Perfect for an MSK radiologist who is giving a talk in Hawaii!
The girls always beg me to do the big resort breakfast buffet. It is so outlandish that I only allowed it once this trip. They were not disappointed!
After our huge breakfast, the girls and I took a little hike over to the Petroglyph Park and saw real petroglyphs. Super cool.
We then hit the pool for the rest of the morning.
This picture cracks me up. When we were in this spot the last time, Adrienne was crawling along the grass near Matt. He looked away for a millisecond, and she toppled over, bumping her newly cut front tooth on the concrete. He was traumatized, and I had to call my friend Rachel who is a dentist to get her advice. The re-enactment was pretty hilarious.
Their featured cocktail was called "permanent vacation", which was just my speed.
After dinner we just HAD to return to the shopping area because Adrienne was obsessing about this stuffed google-eyed octopus she saw two days earlier. She was so fixated on this being her souvenir. We high tailed it back to the store, and she was giddy with excitement adopt "N8" (get it?)
Breakfast with Adrienne (and N8!) on our last morning. Guava bread all around.
Jillian left a sweet little note with the tip for the housekeeper.
One last stop at Umeke's.
And then, reality sets in. Nobody is smiling when it's time to go home.
But discovering Tropical Dreams at the airport did perk everyone up a little bit.
After a quick stop in Honolulu, we were all seated together in one big row for the long haul to MSP (see N8 again?)
Jet lag is real. This is Adrienne early in the evening on the day we got home.
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