First day- onward to Virginia- July trip

The first we go through is Louisville, stopping briefly at the Indiana Travel Center. We stopped at Frankfort, Kentucky, the capital, and then Charleston, the capital of of West Virginia and having a picnic dinner at New River Gorge.

More Grant's Farm photos.

There were goats to give milk to, camels to feed, horses to pet and and a sister with a big smile.

Grant's Farm is an historic farm in St. Louis, Missouri, which was once owned by Ulysses S. Grant. The Farm is now owned by the Busch family, who used to own Anheuser-Busch brewing company. The Farm is free and open to the general public every summer, and it is a frequent tourist attraction in St. Louis. The farm is filled with many animals including buffalo, elephants, camels, donkeys, goats, peacocks, the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales and many more.

Also on the farm is the Busch family mansion and the house in which Ulysses S. Grant resided between the Mexican and Civil Wars. This was the land his wife, Julia Grant, gave to him.

Information provided by Wikepedia

May 21-- last day in Hawaii

The last day we went to Akaka Falls , which has a drop of 420 feet. Then we headed up to the Waipi'o Valley overlook, which was gorgeous. We checked out the petroglyphs on the Big Island, then went to our last beach, Beach 69 -- which was not well-known, but a very nice beach-- so no one tell anyone about. 

May 20 - Out and around Hilo

I drank out of cocoanut- which was cool today, but not so good tasting.  We started the day at the Lili'uokalani gardens and then spent most of day at the beaches just outside Hilo. We ended the day with a taro pie and McDonald's.

May 19 Top of the World

David and I started our day at Rainbow Falls. A big part of the day was going to the highest point in Hawaii of Mauna Kea to catch the sunset and even saw snow in Hawaii. It was beautiful up there.

May 18-- Todd versus the volcano

Today we headed for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and spent the day exploring the realm of the volcano. We also went through the Thurston Lava Tube . We ended the day at the Hale Kai Hawaii which overlooked Hilo Bay. Food wise the best part of the trip-- I might have to go back to have those cocoanut macedonia nut pancakes with cocoanut syrup. I love pancakes and those were the best I have ever had.

May 17 -- Running around Puna

May 17 we started our Sunday at the Star of the Sea church, appropriately enough. Then we headed to a market in Pahoa. Then we headed to the Lava Tree State Park-- the drive was beautiful and the park was nice. After the park we headed out to do some snorkeling at Kapoho Tide Pools. Then we ended the day swimming in a volcano heated pool at Ahalanui Park

 and then having dinner in Pahoa.

May 16 to Puna and Black Sand Beach

Our first stop on our way to the east side of Hawaii was Wamea where the Hawaiian cowboys were founded. A connection to the Cheyenne Frontier Days and rodeo I went to when I lived in Colorado. Along the drive we stopped at beautiful Laupahoehoe Point Beach Park. The next place we went to was the lava flow. Our bed and breakfast was near the Black Sand Beach in the Puna area.

May 15-- onward to South Point

The view from Coffee Shack was great and below was coffee plants (above).

The place that we visited that day was to step back in time to a sanctuary of Hawaii’s past where traditional Hawaiian lifestyle is preserved called the Place of Refuge. Ancient temples and ki’i (wooden images) whisper stories from the past. This place provided refuge to Hawaiians who came here. Today, the park continues as a sanctuary for visitors seeking a peaceful place and as a safe haven for all of the native wildlife living here.

Then after that we went to South Point, which was a long drive for Dave, but it was nice to be facing Antarctica. The only photo I have of it that is digital was a blow-hole-- top photo.

We ended the evening on a beach near Kailua-Kona with the sun going down.

First night included a luau at King Kamehameha Resort

The luau had a good selection of food. The march of King Kamehameha to the luau was a nice touch. Also on the grounds was the Ahu'ena Heiau, a replica of King Kamehameha's personal Heiau (temple). It was also nice to see Hawaiians canoeing, they were preparing for a competition that would take place that weekend.

Learning the history of Hawaii on the first day

Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site

Built between 1790-91 by Kamehameha I, Pu'ukohola Heiau displays the skill of chiefs, men, women, and children under the astute leadership of Kamehameha I. With the assistance of two stranded European sailors, John Young and Isaac Davis, Kamehameha I extended his reign over all Hawaiian Islands. The remains of John Young’s homestead may be toured at the site.
emple of War

Heiau (temples) were places of worship that were central to Hawaiian religious beliefs. From the heiau, the kahuna (priest) communicated with the gods and advised the ali'i (chief). Pu'ukohola Heiau was constructed for ceremonies related to war. Many heiau once existed throughout the Hawaiian Islands, but their use ceased with the destruction of the kapu (taboo) system in 1819.

This was a great site to see to learn about the history of Hawaii.

Going to Pololu Valley

Pololū (Hawaiian spelling: Pololū, stressed on the final 'ū') is the Northernmost of a series of erosional valleys forming the east coast of Kohala Mountain on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. The word Pololū means long spear in Hawaiian. This was the end of the road on the north tip of the Big Island it was a long drive but well worth the view and the hike.

On the way we stopped at the first casting of the Kamehameha statue (first photo), now at Kapaʻau, North Kohala.

Kona Coast and our stay at the Honu Kai

Wendi was our host at the Honu Kai . It was a great place and I highly recommend it. We spent our first few days on the west side of the Big Island. I loved the fresh coconuts, geckos and the Bed and Breakfast.