Day Three: Moving on from Hilo side to Kona side

Day Three:  Out of the condo early to catch the sunrise!  Although our cottage has a nice view of the ocean....we were not situated for a sunrise view, so Michael used his GPS to find a spot and we got some great pictures.

We watched the sunrise near a closed sugar mill, and I'm sure sugar cane used to grow in these fields.  The last of the sugar industry left Hawaii in 1997 and it really impacted the local economy.  Those of you who know me know that I have been "educating" our group the whole way with "Did you know....?" facts.  I think I drive them crazy sometimes....but they are a captive audience in the car!  We have a great guide book called The Big Island Revealed.  Editions for the other islands are also available.

Back to the little village of Honomu for breakfast at Mr. Ed's Bakery then back to the cottage to pack up.  Our cottage was interesting and comfortable (and cheap) but don't think we'd stay here again.  Below are some photos of the views from there, including the great view Mauna Kea. The tangerines growing in the yard were delicious!

We're off again.....First stop Akaka Falls, less than one mile from here.  Very nice!  My "slap up on the blog" style shots are not nearly as nice as Michael's (which he can adjust for glare, etc....above my camera or skill level).  Michael shots are not available for publishing yet....even on Mom's blog.....he is busy at work perfecting them!  Can't wait to see them all!

Next the guys then were sweet enough to add a visit to the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden to our day's itinerary.  And it was a highlight for all of us.  It has only been open since 1984 but was very well done....if you come here add it to your list.  Michael had lots of opportunities to practice different settings on his camera and get some great nature shots (again...his shots include very cool time-lapse water shots etc.....mine shown here are just "plain").

As you will notice, I take lots of pictures of Michael taking pictures.  This is partly due to his dislike of "posing" for me, but mainly because one of my favorite parts of the trip has been watching him take pictures!

Lunch at "What's Shakin'"......yummy!

Next we drove north around the upper road of the island, throught part of the Parker Ranch and Waimea....really did look like cowboy country....not much like Hawaii....lots of pick up trucks.

We then went north to Hawi (got some yummy ice cream....mine was dragonfruit sorbet) and drove along the northern coast til the road ended. 

Pololu Valley Lookout

Heading back west, we spotted some whales off the coast and enjoyed getting some photos of that.  Humpbacks spend their winters here.  Not even eating!  Just enjoying the warm water, mating before heading back to Alaska for the summer, and then returning here to give birth the following year.  We hope to catch a glimpse of more of these amazing creatures.  Michael really did get some great shots of a whale breaching.....stay tuned until his photos are released to the public!

We detoured over to the Mauna Kea resort along the Kohala Coast to catch the sunset.....a spectacular sight!

After viewing a sunrise and sunset over the Pacific in the same day with lots of sights in between, we finally made it down the coast past Kailua-Kona and found our condo at Kona Bali Kai (rented directly from the owner and it is amazing!  Nicely redecorated and right on the water!)  We slept so well with the door open listening to the wave on the rocks!  Priceless!