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EDWARD JACOBS

Author: Ed Jacobs

  • Saturday, January 25

    Kona to Hilo

    A good night’s sleep, and a quick prep to leave.  All was pretty much packed, so got things into the car, and ready to roll.  We got a little breakfast bowl by the waterfront, then went for a quick stop to the grocery store for drinks/snacks for the drive, and a little cooler for some of our perishables. 

    There are several ways to get from Kona, on Hawai’i’s west coast, to Hilo, on the east.  There’s the ‘saddle road’, which takes about 1.45, and there’s the options along either the north or south coast.  Everyone recommended the north coast drive, so that was our heading.

    Waimea was our first town, just under an hour from Kona, after endless expansive views of the Pacific coast, and road-bordered black lava.  We were us at around 2,500’ elevation, often in the clouds, surrounded by rolling hills and Mauna Kea in the distance.  Waimea reminded us of a small Colorado town; everything you need, laid back, one-story buildings, farmer’s markets, everyone outside and smiling. 

    As we continued north, we saw more and more livestock ranches; lots of head of cattle, some goats, and horses.  The prevalent black lava rock was disappearing, giving way to rich soil and some crops (which we couldn’t identify).

    Our next stop was a charming little town of Honoka’a on the island’s north shore.  Imagine a small town in Colorado, Wyoming, or Idaho…this is it.  A few streets along a main strip, lots of people hanging out along shops, diners, galleries, everyone super-friendly.  A shop or two got our attention and brought nice conversation with shopkeepers, then we were off to the Waipio Valley lookout, a few miles down the road.  The lushness of the plant life–just on the side of the road at this lookout–show the stark contrast on this side of the island vs. Kona’s black rock.

    A spectacular view of a valley “of the kings,” where early communities were established, King Kamehameha received his name, and important battles were fought along the shore. The black sand beach below, the dramatic cliffs, and the fertile valley floor all just breathtaking.

    Waipi’o Valley lookout

    We continued our trip to Hilo and stopped by the Akako Falls State Park for a quick view—we’ll come back here to hike, likely tomorrow. 

    First glimpse at Akoka Falls

    We’d now been on the road for more than four hours with our lengthy and relaxing stops, so thought it best to head into Hilo, just 20’ from Akako Falls, and found Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grille to get us past the hangries. 

    Thank you, Jackie Rey

    And there in downtown, it seems our AirBnB is just a half-mile away, so we got to our place by 6.  This one definitely a step up.  A condo with significantly more space than we’ve been in our studio apts the past 5 weeks, this is a welcome setup.  We’re near the Akako (and other) falls, about 45’ from Volcano National Park, and just minutes from downtown and the waterfront.  Looking forward to a few days of exploring, then our AOW Scuba course Tues, Wed, and Thurs.

  • Friday, January 24

    Kona, final day

    Our last full day in Kona was a thoroughly relaxing one.  Slow to get going after a morning’s work, we strolled into Kona’s ‘downtown’ waterfront area—Ali’I Drive—to succumb to the tourist magnet.  We’d stopped in to a few places here over the week, but today strolled the length of the strip from the Marriott Hotel north of the Iron Man’s start, past the farmer’s market, to condos beyond the hotels.

    Lots of little shops to browse, spots to stop into to grab a bite and/or drink, and basically everything you’d expect on a waterfront tourist strip. 

    But this strip has the Kona waterfront, which is just gorgeous.  Some beaches loaded with the black lava that’s everywhere, some beaches ‘cleaned’ of it and more typical sand.  The waters crystal clean, and the view just slows you down.

    doesn’t get much prettier than this

    We also explored the Hulihe’e Palace, home of Hawaiian rulers over much of the 19th century.  Inside there we found a great deal of history, examples of woods from the local trees and fabrics from local tree barks, clean and simple architecture, but glorious in its spaciousness and opening up to the land and water.

    An unexpected treat as we approached the Palace’s grounds—a ukulele group presenting their final song of the morning’s recital.

    We made our way home by about 6, and got our packing together for tomorrow’s trip to Hilo.

  • Thursday, January 23

    Kona, day 5

    Lots of business today.  Surf City almost seems to be readying to move ahead, and we almost believe the rebuild might even allow us to be there in late March.  That’d be good, otherwise we’ll be staying in Greenville with family, or in a hotel…late March in Surf City is as wonderful as anywhere, and we’re rooting for that, of course.  It’s a long haul since the storm in September, 2018, so we really miss being there.

    Laundry, heading to Lowes to confirm some choices for Surf City, sending another box of overpacking home, taking care of professional obligations.  A busy day, but very pleasant weather and just gorgeous to be here.

  • Wednesday, January 22

    Kona, day 4 (pix forthcoming)

    A fabulous day of diving got going early, with our 7:45 call at the Kona Honu Divers boat slip.  A completely different crew than the group we had on Sunday, and they were every bit as helpful, engaging, and just plain professional as the other group.  Cannot recommend this outfit highly enough. 

    The first dive was at “Golden Arches,”  a 45-60’ reef with lots of wonderful viewing.  An easy dive, still clear to me that my skills need lots of honing.  No problems, just using up air quicker than I’d like.

    The second dive was at “Suckemup Cove,” so named b/c as you pass through a little lava tube “overpass,” there’s sometimes a bit of a ‘pull’ from one of the tubes that pulls you into a rock (ouch).  Conditions this day didn’t make this a problem for us. 

    This dive allowed us a few passes under lava tube formations, which was interesting because of all the fish that seem to like to congregate in such structures.  The diving experience was again easy, and implementing some skills suggestions from the guide, air went much further and generally felt more capable.

    Another attraction was the fish gathering around a large coral, moving into the coral from all directions.

    and check out the camouflage!
    and in the cove, a visit from a gentle swimmer

  • Tuesday, January 21

    Kona, day 3

    A work day here, with no exciting excursions to relay…  Attending to writing, other professional stuff, Surf City reconstruction matters.  Sunshine and lush greenery all around made for a great office space.  We also fit in more of our study for next week’s scuba class.  We’re both done with what’s required now, and are doing other elective “courses” because they’re free and we can.

  • Monday, January 20

    Kona, day 2

    Exhausted from yesterday’s dives, we slept in.  Good, good sleep. 

    Some good writing, and getting a lot of help via feedback from James.

    Later morning we drove around a bit; Pattie got some pampering, and I had a great long phone call with a colleague, then got in some studying for the AOW certification course we’ll take next week in Hilo.

    We hit the Ola Brewing Co for lunch, then drove a bit to retrieve some highly-acclaimed cookies at Mrs. Barry’s.

  • Sunday, January 19

    Kona, day 1

    A lazy morning, sleeping late, then onto our covered patio area for a good writing session.  One of our hosts came by to join us for a coffee, and we heard his life story…moved to this island about 16 yrs ago from Idaho, with his wife and two daughters (at the time in 9th and 8th grade).  He was originally a carpenter and cabinet maker, now seems to be doing a million different little things, from silk-screening shirts, to making popsicles, making/selling bikinis (designed by one of his daughters), leading kayak trips…and lots of other things.  “This is how we make a living here,” he said, “by being flexible enough to adapt to different situations, and open enough to embrace any opportunity that comes your way.”

    Nice place to stay.

    The afternoon comprised two dives with Kona Huna divers; one to a reef, and a night dive with manta rays.  The dives were really wonderful, and Kona Huna divers has set a new standard for crew and divemasters/guides.  We headed out for about a 30’ drive to Garden Eel Reef Cove, where we enjoyed a good view of a lively reef.  I caught some pix on the GoPro, but learned the hard way that I need to clip on a red or magenta filter in the future, as much looks gray-green as the water filters the light. 

    Returning to the boat, the camera/housing broke off the handle, and the camera went under.  Pattie was getting on the boat behind me and saw it break off, as i was more occupied with getting up the stairs to the boat.  One of the dive masters took that on as a challenge and, once everyone was on the boat, he found it in about 10 minutes.

    between dives, waiting for sunset and Morays

    We stayed at the same reef until after sunset, and by then about 11 more boats had gather in the same area.  Our crew gave us a briefing, and we went in.  Going to a depth of about 35’ we found a huge circular stone formation, a natural place for all of us to side on the rim of the circle.  They call this area the campfire, and the formation under water makes that seem appropriate.

    With some powerful white lights placed on the bottom facing up, and each diver with a light we were instructed to place by the sides of our heads, also facing up.  The light attracts plankton, and the plankton attract the manta rays.  For about 35 minutes we stayed in this one place as manta ray after manta ray came in for their plankton meal.  For the last 15 minutes there were 4 rays swooping and dancing right above us.  Truly breathtaking.

  • Saturday, January 18

    Saturday, January 18

    Oahu -> Kona (Big Island of Hawaii)

    An early morning, but out on time easily.  Passing surf spots pre-daybreak, but plenty of surfers parked and waxing up their boards for a day of waves.  The drive easy, and we got the car returned, bags checked (still under 50 lbs each, even with some food we didn’t want to leave behind), and at gate with lots of time for coffee.

    The easy 35’ flight got us to Kona’s airport before 10:15am, and we were surprised and delighted to see an airport without an ‘indoor’ area.  Lots of coverage for the sun, but one definitely feels “outside” the whole time.  Very pleasant. 

    Kona airport

    Bags in hand, easy rental car experience (Alamo), and off to the Kona Brewing Company for lunch.  Surprisingly delicious food to go along with a not-at-all surprisingly delicious brew.

    Our AirBnB just a few more minutes’ drive, basically in downtown Kona, and settled in by 1.

    our place for the week

    Very warm here—about 85—so found a shady spot in our outdoor patio, and wrote for a good spell until the hottest part of the day passes.

    When returning from a little bit of grocery shopping, we heard a group of “Marshallese” (Marshal Island natives) gather in the house behind, singing a folk song–wonderful!

  • Friday, January 17

    Oahu, final day

    Another day that brought unexpected broadening of perspectives our way.  We’d planned a tour of a local citrus farm—Lokoea Farms—and had a relaxing and tasty day, enjoying more after the tour with some new friends.

    The tour itself was led by Noe, who runs this spread next to her father’s farm.  After time in the states teaching, then running a pet store, she took advantage of the opportunity to take over this land, build a house, and be back home on this land.

    Not unlike the previous night’s time exploring a tidal pool with a marine biologist, this time spent with a small-scale farmer who’s constantly trying to find new and/or more efficient ways to get things growing most productively, trying new crops to test viability, etc., was a good chance to see and think about things we’re usually oblivious to.  Noe’s farm is actively growing oranges, grapefruit, limes, guava, papaya, mango, guava, passion fruit, bananas, dates, soursop, coconuts, kui nut, coffee, macadamia nuts, and nurturing bee hives/honey. 

    coffee beans
    chocolate pods
    papaya on the tree
    coconuts ready to fall for us

    Lots to see, and lots to learn about; most humbling to hear Noe talk about how much new she seems to learn every day, how many ways she’s stepping into and exploring the unknown.  What a way to make a living; every day a leap of faith re the crops, the weather, the choice of fertilizing, and so much more.

    The tour ended with a delicious picnic of most all of the fruits I listed above.  So fresh, so tasty, and so hard to resist having too much.  Alongside our picnic area was a Hala tree; just magnificent.

    The hala tree’s weave…
    with Pattie in front you see how enormous this tree is!

    On the tour we met two young ladies, Emilie and Jackie, from Stockholm.  They’re in Oahu for two weeks, couch surfing their way around, though mostly in Honolulu.  Post-tour Pattie and I were heading to Old Hailewa and they asked to hitch a ride.  We took a little detour to explore Wameia Valley, a site we’d passed many time on our drives.  We walked the trail there for about 90 minutes, awestruck by the lushness and variety of leaf design and flower colors along the way.

    so lush, so mossy, trees with character to spare

    At the turnaround point of the trails was a waterfall with folks enjoying the water.

    Wameia falls

    And at the very end we saw this Eucalyptus tree with multi-colored bark, new to us, and a new kind of Hawaiian rainbow to apprecaite.

    Rainbow bark!
    and, of course, an orchid near the trail’s start.

    Then we did head to Old Haleiwa, and enjoyed a sumptuous sushi meal at Banzai Sushi with Emilie and Jackie.  They’re tattoo artists, likely in their early 20s, eager to explore the world and continue their travels.  Their English was just perfect, so conversation was free, easy, and wide-ranging.

    We left them to continue their journey, and we headed home to begin the final laundry and pack for Saturday’s early flight to Kona.

  • Thursday, January 16

    Oahu, day 5

    Today a day of sleeping later than usual, catching up on correspondence and some non-writing work, and getting GoPro replacement parts—very helpful and easy customer service, happy to replace bad battery and broken handle.

    Lots of writing in the afternoon felt good; but a particular passage needed multiple re-writings until getting closer to ‘right.’  Time will tell.  Seem to be maintaining about 1’/week of finished music these days; it’s ok, and a huge change over any normal semester, but I’d like to do much better.

    The night brought a really eye-opening activity, as we joined a marine biologist (Don) for a few hours at Shark’s Cove, an area with a tidal pool teeming with life.  Armed with our masks, snorkels, lights, and Don’s sharp eye (and great camera skills), we waded in to focus on the small animals hiding in and under rocks and crevices, and the fish and others often hiding in plain sight. 

    We got to know Don a bit—raised in Idaho, a hunter, free-diver, spear fisher, he came to UH to study marine biology, travelled far and wide on research trips.  He and his (nurse) wife bought a home on the north shore, converted part into an extra apt for AirBnb; he’s home with 1-yr old; they grow and/or hunt/fish all that they eat.  And now he’s studying to be a commercial pilot.  A real Renaissance man, and fascinating to engaging. Certainly Don’s passion about marine life—looking for it, the thrill of finding a few things he’d never seen in this particular area, and even bigger thrill of finding a few things he couldn’t identify—was truly contagious.  Pattie and I quick learned to focus on slight color changes on the rocks, algae, sand, and truly enjoyed this 2-hr trip into the small areas illuminated by our underwater lights.  Don sent along pictures of our finds afterwards—and they’re remarkable. (awaiting identification of each of these to provide captions…)

    Our first find of the day was a bristle worm, which Don said he’d not seen in this cove before.

    Bristle worm from afar…
    and getting closer…
    closer…
    and closer.

    A starfish hiding out, regrowing an arm
    A convict fish–just a baby, about an inch long.
    A boxfish posing for a few shots

    And some iridescent algae–

    w/o blacklight
    and with blacklight
    up close without blacklight, and (below) with
    waiting i.d.
    waiting i.d.
    waiting i.d.
    waiting i.d.
    waiting i.d.
    and finally this tiny little guy, only about 1.5″ (waiting id)

    so much to see, focusing on the micro-scale.