I got back to Wyoming on the 7th of this month, and it was a shock to be sure after three weeks in the arms of the Big Island of Hawai’i. It was an incredible journey and I’ll be sharing some of the special moments over the coming weeks.

The photo at right is the view from the lanai of the ohana unit (family unit) I was staying in during the last two weeks of my stay in Hawai’i. You will notice the overcast sky. Most of my second and third week on th island was overcast, or at the least partly overcast as it is “winter” there. Kiluea is also putting out a good bit of gases right now also, and that contributes to the grey skies. The place is on 1 acre of land, and I can’t say enough kind things about the owners. They were incredibly kind and generous with a true aloha spirit. There is just about everything you can think of growing on this property, and I was told that if I got hungry to just go out and graze. Many mornings when I got up, outside the door on the table on the lanai would be fresh picked mangos, oranges, tangerines and avacados. Also each morning when I woke up they would have put their copy of the “West Hawai’i Today” newspaper on the table outside my unit for me to read.

While we were on the south end of the Big Island of Hawai’i, we noticed a sign that indicated down a side road we could go to the southern most point in the US. Being the adventurous types, we of course couldn’t resist. About a half-hour later we arrived at a rocky cliff overlooking the Pacific, and as you can see, the water color was incredible. What is more incredible is that the camera didn’t really capture the color depth and richness (click on the image to see a larger version).

There were quite a few people there, many of them locals, and it turns out it is a popular place for diving off of the probably 30 foot tall cliff and into the incredibly blue water. I seriously considered putting on my swim trunks and taking a plunge, but decided in the end not to. I’m sure I will though after I move over there.

There are  remnants of concrete foundations at the cliff edge where I expect there used to military structures dating back to WWII. It would have been a perfect place for a radar installation, and just a short distance up the road were some old abandoned structures that definitely look ex-military. At the bottom of the image you can see one of the old metal ladders that I suspect was used during military personnel up and down the cliff, and they are still used by the divers (although the ladders have required some impromptu repair work over the years). There are also a couple block-and-tackle structures there that were probably used to bring supplies up to the installation.

You will notice some white stuff floating on the water which is a combination of organic and (sadly) human debris. Just off frame, there was a white plastic bag floating in the water that one of the divers retrieved during our visit.

Nearly seven days have passed since I set foot on the big Island of Hawai’i and I’ve never felt more at home. It’s all new of course, the rain forests, the falls, the volcanoes, but it feels like “home.” My friends left about six hours ago to return home, and I’m already missing them terribly.

For most of the time here, we had an unobstructed view of the Pacific, and I went to sleep with the sound of the waves on the barriers around the lagoons in front of the Resort, and nearly every day we were out snorkeling and seeing the most incredible collection of tropical fish you can imagine. Did I mention the sea turtles that rest in the lagoon? They are protected, so you need to give them a healthy respect and distance, but WOW!

Tonight I sat at the open air bar and watched the sunset drinking margaritas while just off the coast probably 500 yards, a pod of whales were showing off blowing their noses in the air and waving at us with their tails.

If you have never been here, and you ever get the chance, definitely do it. I’ll have some photos coming in the next post.

Aloha nui.