COOKIE DAY TEN

I challenged myself yesterday to avoid "green" pictures....on a road that is nothing but green.  I have enough of them already and they never turn out the way I want.  It was kind of fun and I started to notice different things.  And I have to admit it wasn't hard at all to resist the green shots.

I love that trip around the southern part of this island, especially the second half which is wide open, big skies, beautiful blue ocean and many shades of darks and lights on the rolling dry mountain sides.  I know everybody loves that first windy lush overgrown flowery beautiful half, but I like the second half best and its especially awesome coming out of the first part.

We left the house at 8 am, loaded up with tuna and bologna sandwiches, thermos of creamy coffee, tin of molasses cookies, oranges and a separate cooler full of ice and V8, iced tea and beer.  What an incredible fifty miles (first half) of visual food.  Weird flowers, towering orange flowering trees, waterfalls and creeks, expanded sparkling blue sea vistas, cliffs, lava, palms, birds singing and a thousand other tourists doing the same thing.  When closely slowly passing oncoming cars, you could talk to them through the open windows!  And thanks to the steady stream of crummies (small passenger buses) bathrooms have been provided every so often on the trail.

Our first stop was at our favourite picnic spot.  It was too early for lunch so we had coffee and molasses cookies.  Keanai point is where there is a huge taro farm, an old stone church, the only building to survive an old tsunami, Captain Cook landing point, and beautiful ocean views.  We lingered there for quite a while exploring and taking pics.

Our second stop was down at the little church that George Harrison and his wife donated the stained glass window.  Just beyond that is another beautiful stopping point overlooking a very busy and active ocean.  We had our lunch there.

We then made a quick stop in Hana for the loo and drove on.  The stretch between Hana and the dry side of the volcano drive is spectacular and a lovely transition between the two halves.  The only other stop we made was at our favourite church site half way along the dry side.  I simply love it there and this time we didn't have a crazy old hawaiian try to chase us off.

The whole trip took just under ten hours.  You just can't stop and do everything, so some things, like the bamboo forest, will have to go on next year's list.

I made pancakes for dinner and everyone except me was in bed by nine.  Bill went to bed at 7!!!  And now its 8 am and he is still sleeping.  Today Makawao and Lahaina.  TTYL

FIRST COFFEE SPOT/CAPTAIN COOK LANDING

CRUMMIES

BLACK SAND BEACH

MY FAVE ROCK

LAVA TUBE...SORT OF

GETTING THAT PERFECT SHOT