After the lavish welcome and wonderful feeling of the Aloha spirit we received at the Hawaii MVD, we headed out to do some shopping. We purchased six 2 x 4 x 12 for the eastside porch of the shed, a large and heavy digging bar for dislodging large rocks, and a mini refrigerator. I had purchased a used one previously, but I felt that it was causing an overload of the original inverter. In fact, it had even short circuited the new pure sine wave inverter I had purchased so that it will not turn on. Perhaps a newer one would draw less current.
The grocery store was next. Milk, eggs, bread, and we hit the road for Naalehu. It is now 5:30 PM. It is overcast and threatening rain. Traffic up the hill is not as heavy as usual and we make good time – through South Kona, Captain Cook on the hillside above Kealakekua Bay, where the Captain Cook Monument sits at the location where the Hawaiians killed Captain James Cook, then past the turn off for Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park and Two Step Beach where the snorkeling is fabulous. Soon after, we pass the turn off to Hookena Beach, and the houses become fewer and farther between; with developments selling ocean view lots with large iron gate entrances at the highway and the development stretching down the hill. The jungle gives way to rough lava and ohia trees in the Kipahoehoe Natural Area Reserve until we pass the turn off to the fishing villiage of Miloli located on the coast some 1200 feet below. We drive up a hill and the road turns gently to the left as we pass the Nanuka State Park on the left side of the highway. Then we are at Ocean View. Less than ten minutes later, we turn off the highway onto South Point Road. Then on to Kama’oa Road past Discovery Harbor and into Mark Twain Estates.
It was dark when we arrived – and the air mattress had lost a bit of air. The battery powered air pump was dead. So, Alanah began filling it up by blowing into the little nozzle on the side. After she finished, I added a few more breaths, just for luck. We put the sheets on the bed along with blankets and pillows and went to sleep.
“The bed is flat.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
Two questions I was hoping not to hear. Especially in the middle of the night. I just lay there with the wood pallets digging into my back. I’m not sure how long I just lay there before getting up, putting on my pants and shoes to go get the single mattress from under the shed. We moved the air mattress out of the way, put the pallets back on top of each other and put the single mattress back on the pallets like I have had it before. Then I folded the air mattress in half lengthwise and laid it directly on the floor next to the bed. On top of this, I put a small blow up raft – about 5 foot long, and a blow up pool float that was about 6 foot long with a built in pillow. I covered this with a sheet and a couple of blankets and lat down on it while Alanah got into the single bed and we tried to go back to sleep.
As the sun was just coming up, I woke up to find that both the blow up raft and the pool float had lost all their air as well, and I was laying on the floor.
Friday – 8/27
Alanah went on line and found a single bed – a mattress and box springs – for sale for $20 in Fern Acres. I had stayed in Fern Acres twice before, so I knew exactly where Fern Acres was – over by Hilo, past Volcano. It is actually in the town of Mountain View. We called and they still had it for sale. We told them that we would be there around noon. I was putting in 2 x 4 blocking in the walls to support the tin siding. I finished cutting and installing what I could with the wood we had bought in Kona. I had used most of the 2 x 4’s as floor/deck boards for the east side porch.
We headed out to Fern Acres around 11:00. It started to lightly sprinkle as we passed Pohala and after we entered the National Park and headed up the hill towards Volcano, it began raining rather heavily. The rain continued as we went past the entrance to the Visitor’s Center at about 4300 feet elevation and as we started to descend into the Hilo area it became a sprinkle/drizzle as we turned onto S Kulani Road in Mountain View.
When we picked up the bed, we backed onto the lawn/grass area. We loaded the mattress and box spring into the back of the Ford Escape to keep it out of the rain. They stuck out the back about 6 inches, so I wrapped the ends in a tarp and tied the hatch down. As I was doing this, I was attacked by dozens upon dozens of mosquitoes. Further evidence of why I do not want to be on this side of the island.
From Fern Acres, we drove on into Hilo and picked up some double A batteries for a wall clock that Alanah had brought over, and six more 2 x 4 x 12’s. We also got gasoline at $4 .07 per gallon. During all my trips to Hawaii under the previous President of the United States, I never paid over $3.20 per gallon for gasoline. I am so glad we now have a President who cares about my individual welfare! (Thank you Mr President) We also picked up a small block of ice – maybe 10 pounds – before heading back to Naalehu.
We moved the air mattresses out of the way – I folded them and put them outside on the porch. Then we put the box springs and mattress on the floor next to the single mattress. We put sheets and blankets on this and went to bed – Alanah on the “new” bed and me on the single mattress. After not getting much sleep last night, we slept through the night.
The lumber yard has been calling and leaving messages about my delivery. Apparently, half the stuff on the order is unavailable and they may not have it for three weeks – but when they do have it, they will deliver it for free. Every time I call them back, the phone rings, and rings, and rings. The main computer answering message thanks me for shopping there, and asks me where to direct my call. I tell the computer the phone extension the girl left in my phone message and the computer connects me to the extension that just keeps ringing, . . .off the wall.
This morning, Julian – the delivery driver called and I answered. He wanted to verify that I knew that he would not be delivering half the stuff I had ordered. I told him to cancel the order. In order to do that, I would need to call the order desk. I explained to him that they never answer the phone when I call, and when they call back, I have no service – so they leave a message for me to call, which they never answer. He said for me to hold on, and he walked over to the service desk and handed his phone to the girl who has been calling. We cancelled the order.
Alanah is coming to Hawaii this afternoon – This means that I have to take out the single bed and blow up the inflatable bed. And hope it holds air. The single bed is on two pallets – actually it is on four pallets, but it is two pallets high. I need to rearrange these to make it 4 pallets , but one pallet high. The single bed is 3′ wide and 6′ long and the blow up mattress is 6′ wide and 6′ long. This will take up twice the floor space in the shed – it is already crowded in the shed as it is.
I put the single mattress under the shed on top of some lumber that I had stacked there and blew up the queen sized air mattress that I had got from Mom’s house. Then I took off for Kona. It was 11:30. I stopped in at Ocean View and got a bag of ice and put it into the ice chest. I had brought 1/2 a papaya, some smoked sausage, and a small bottle filled with Pepsi. I knew that I would need ice for anything I would buy in Kona like milk, eggs, juice, etc. The trip was uneventful until I got just past Captain Cook. The highway department was repairing a section of the highway and had closed off that one lane to any traffic. they were rerouting all traffic to the other lane by alternating turns for cars headded in opposite directions. they had flagmen to stop the cars from one direction as the cars from the other direction proceeded past. then they switched. This took about 15 minutes to get past. Then, about a mile further on, they were doing the same thing to trim trees on one side of the road. this one only took 5 minutes to get through.
When I got to the airport, Alanah had been there for about an hour. Her plane had arrived early and I was late. We ate the papaya. I had already drank the Pepsi.
We went to the Hawaii Motor Vehicle Department to get a copy of the current registration for the car. When I took the car to the repair shop for the annual safety inspection, I could not find the current registration. The information in the MVD computer system verified that it was current, but I did not have the little piece of paper. Everything else passed, but I failed because I did not have that little piece of paper.
So, I show up at the Hawaii MVD office and there is a table outside the office with a girl who checks your paperwork and only lets a limited number of people into the office at a time – a sort of a gatekeeper. A bad omen to start with because I am not the Keymaster!! Anyway, she listened to my story of what I needed and asked, “Do you have an appointment?”
I answered, “No.”
She frowned and said, “You are supposed to make an appointment!” Then she told me that she would put me on the “naughty list” (she did not call it that) and I could wait and maybe they could get me in today.
“Those who made an appointment have 1st priority.” she explains. “”After they have been seen or if there is time in between, then we will go to the wait list”. As an after thought, she adds, “This is to stop Covid.”
Everyone who shows up, has to eventually get in. It is not like you can go anywhere else to get your car registration, or your driver’s license. This is the only place. They have to see me eventually. I was unaware that you could stop covid by making an appointment!
They believe that by keeping everyone outside, they are keeping their employees “safe” – except for the one girl stationed outside. I guess she is the sacrificial lamb. Or like the have on Star Trek, the “expendable crewmember”. Rather than have one of the regular cast get killed by an alien, they have an unknown crewmember that takes the fall.
So, she is explaining to me why it was that she needed to do her job of keeping the rifraff like me – people who don’t make appointments – out of the office, so that everyone else is safe, and I said, “Look, I don’t even need to go in.”
She looked at me with a strange look as if to say, “Then why are you even here?” and I continued, “All I need is for someone to type the VIN number of my car into their computer and print out the current registration.” And I added, “It will take less than five minutes.”
“Oh, we don’t do that here!”
Maybe I was at the wrong place. Maybe I should be at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant down on the waterfront, or maybe at the ABC Store. Maybe I could get my car registration at Kona Boys Kayak Rentals. She must have been reading my mind, because she added, “Well, we don’t do it that way. It isn’t that simple.”
Then she started to explain that they have an automated kiosk at Safeway where people can renew their car registration, but I could not use that because I do not have all my paperwork. She must have tumbled to the fact that this was just my point. I do not have the paperwork, and that is why I am here . . . to get the paperwork at the only place where the paperwork is available. Then she said, ” Rather than waiting, you could just write a note detailing what you need and drop it in the dropbox around the corner along with a check for $5.” I wanted to ask her if an Italian, or a Greek, or maybe a Canadian or a Mexican, would be just as good as a Czeck, but I thought I was pushing my luck just being there “without an appointment!”
I explained to her that I do not use checks any more. We live in a digital world now where all my banking is done online and with plastic cards. “Well, you can wait, but I don’t know if we will be able to fit you in.”
I looked around and there was one woman waiting at a picnic table, a woman with a young child at a bench off to the side, and one man on another bench behind me. While she was explaining this to me, three different employees had come outside to see if there were any customers that they could help. She shooed them all back inside each time they came out.
Then she called the woman with the little boy to go in – I guess she had an appointment. Then another young guy came up and told her why he was here and she went into the whole appointment thing. He looked around with a helpless look on his face and walked around in circles as he left. Probably to go to his computer and make an appointment. Another couple came up to her and she was very happy! They had an appointment! Two women came out – one was putting her new driver’s license into her purse. The “gatekeeper” went inside to make sure the coast was clear, before allowing this couple with the appointment to go in. While she was inside, another “customer” came out and left. Right after she let the couple in, another “customer” came out and left. The woman at the picnic table opposite us, went up to ask her if she could go in now, as there were three people who came out. The gatekeeper, replied, “In a minute”. The woman came back to the picnic table and confided to us that she also had just showed up “without an appointment”. The gatekeeper lifted up the clipboard with the “naughty list” on it and looked at it rather intently. Then she called the woman at the picnic table’s name and told her to go in. As she was going in, she looked back at us and smiled.
No sooner had the door closed, when it opened and two employees came out and had a rather lenghty discussion with the gatekeeper, who showed them her appointment list and then the naughty list. The two employees went back inside. The woman with the little boy came out and left. The gatekeeper called in the man sitting alone behind us. He went in and another customer came out. A few minutes passed and the woman who had been sitting at the picnic tablrecame out and she smiled and noddedmher head as if to say, “You’re next” The gatekeeper called my name and told me I could go in. “Once I get inside, where do I go then?” I asked.
“Go to window 16.” It was 1:46 PM
Inside, each “window” is encased in a makeshift tent made of plastic visquine. Each one also had a plexiglass shield in front of it. I sat down in a chair in front of the plexiglass and leaned over to the side to talk to the clerk around the plastic barrier. I handed her my “failed” inspection report and told her that I needed a copy of my current registration. She asked for identification. I gave her my driver’s license. She swiveled over to her computer and began entering information. Then she hit print.
She handed me a sheet of paper with a box printed on it with sections in the box. In different sections was my name, my address in Naalehu, the vin number of the car, a heading that said Hawaii MVD, and a signature line at the bottom with the words above this line that said something to the effect that I agree to pay $5.00 for a copy from MVD.
I signed her form and gave her a five dollar bill.
She went back to her computer, and hit a few keystrokes. Then she went to her printer and retrieved for me a copy of my current registration, which she handed to me along with my driver’s license and my failed safety inspection and asked, “Is there anything else I can do for you today?”
I told her no, and thanked her. Then I got up and left. It was 1:49 PM and as it turns out, they DO do that here!
Worked on the gates. When I built them, I was one slat short. I purchased one more slat when I arrived on Wednesday and when I went to put it in place, it was wider than the space. This meant that I needed to either cut it down, which would make it smaller than all the others and possibly stand out – or reposition all the other slats to make room for it. I removed the other slats on one gate and repositioned them to have just a little less space between the slats. The last one now fits.
I went into Naalehu to the Post Office. I picked up one parcel that had three orders from Amazon that were packaged together. Four solar lights, a 500 watt pure sine wave inverter, and a mosquito net for the bed.
I installed one solar light on the gate
Not a very good picture, but the gates with all the slats and one solar light.
And one each on two trees down the pathway to the shed.
Saturday 8/21/2021
I have long wanted to have some kind of structure under which to fix my meals. Something that was more sturdy that just a tarp. Something that I did not have to put up and take down each time I came. At the Punaluu Bake Shop in Naalehu, they have two open gazebos under which they have picnic benches where people can sit and eat their baked goods. I have thought that some type of a gazebo would be just the thing.
I have toyed with where to locate this outdoor kitchen gazebo, and finally decided to place it halfway between the shed at the bottom of the property and the deck up on the knoll.
Today, I measured out as well as I could the locations for the footings. I tried to put up strings outlining the edges to make sure it was square, but this is difficult to do alone. Nonetheless, I think I am somewhat close, so I dug the footings for the four corner posts. I installed another solar light on the gate.
Gates withn two solar lights. Also see the full moon just barely above the gates.
Sunday 8/22/2021
Removed the tin siding from one side of the shed. I had installed it so that the leading edge was pointing out. I need the leading edge pointing in. Reinstalled the tin siding on one side with the leading edge pointing in. I used the last of the 2 x 4’s for bracing in the walls to nail the tin siding to.
As Michael Douglas said in the movie “Romancing the Stone” – “I may not be cheap, but I can be had!” I saw a sign on a gate down around the corner from my place that said: 2 – 12 volt solar RV batteries – $50 each with a phone number. I called the number and agreed to meet the seller on Sunday. Picked up the two batteries.
It turns out that one holds a charge of 12 volts, while the other only charges to 11.4 Volts. Obviously, I’ve been had!
Monday – 8/23/2021
Removed the siding from another side of the shed and turned it around so that the leading edge is pointing in. Went into Naalehu and turned in the paperwork for a PO Box
PO Box 1123 Naalehu, Hawaii 96772
At 2 PM, I took a shower using my water bottles laid out in the sun. The water was scalding hot! Only used 4 bottles.
Hauled water from over at the transfer station.
Tuesday – 8/24/2021
Removed the horizontal tin on the south side of the shed. Cut it to size and installed it vertically, with the leading edge turned in. Cut two 2 x 6 bird board blocks and installed them.
Went to Kau Auto Repair for the annual safety inspection on the car. I could not have the current registration slip – only the temporary one – but John said he could still do the inspection. Twenty six dollars please.
He stood in front of the car and had me roll up the driver’s window. Then roll it down. Turn on the headlights, then the high beams. Left turn signal, right turn signal, windshield wipers. He took a picture using his tablet of the front of the car with the headlights on. Then he had me turn the steering wheel all the way to the left.
He then went to the back of the car and had me turn on the left turn signal, the right turn signal, push the brake pedal, then put the car in reverse (to turn on the back-up lights). He took a picture of the back of the car with the back-up lights on. He went into the office. He came out with a notice that I had passed everything except for having the current registration paper. I had thirty days to return with the current registration and I would not need to pay the $26 again. I told him that I was going to Kona on Thursday and I would stop in at MVD and get a copy of my registration. He replied, “If you need to go to MVD, you’re fucked!”
Wednesday – 8/25/2021
Checked the PO Box. Looking for another package from Amazon. Not here yet.
Built the last door needed for the shed. Then took a shower in the late afternoon, around 5 PM. Water was still slightly warm, used 4 bottles, and it felt great!
I ooked up the one good battery to my other two. Now my solar battery bank has three batteries.
Tomorrow I need to go to Kona and pick up Alanah from the airport. Also, I have my delivery coming from Home Depot. Gonna be interesting.
After getting off the bus, I walked back up the highway about a hundred feet or so before turning onto Kama’oa Road. I walked past a couple of houses to the left and the highway maintenance yard on the right. I was glad that there was a full moon as it was starting to get dark. The moon lit up the black pavement just well enough to see while walking on the road, but if I stepped off the pavement into the mowed grass on the shoulder, it was impossible to look out for any branches or rocks, or holes, or gullies. The highway department periodically mows the grass along this road but there is no way to tell if anything is hidden in the grass. This mowed shoulder can be anything from a few inches to maybe three feet wide, with the tall, thick jungle beyond. So, I stayed on the road as much as possible and only strayed off when a car came on my side of the road. After the maintenance yard at the first side street, there is another lot/house before the next street that goes into the Waiohinu neighborhood for about three football fields before ending at the highway as is winds around the bottom of the Waioninu Hills. Past this street, there are a couple of houses and then a dirt road. I’m not sure if this is a street or someone’s driveway. Then it is jungle on both sides of the road. The road rises up over a slight hill as it turns to the right, then descends into a small valley. There are two or three bed and breakfast properties on the makai side and a large pasture on the mauka side. As I was walking over this rise, I got out my flashlight – mainly to be able to see better when I stepped off the pavement into the grass when cars came. After the short valley, the road begins a steady climb for the next 800 to a thousand feet with a couple of hoeses on each side on large properties. At the top of the rise, there are two or three houses on the right. As the road leveled out a little, but still going uphill, I walked past a large pasture pasture on the left, the makai side. At the gate to this pasture, during the day, there is usually a teenage boy there with a table selling fruit, and jars of honey and coffee. Then there is a short but steeper climb with a few more houses to the right, and then jungle, with another pasture on the left that usually has sheep and a donkey. Past a dirt road on the left that may be someone’s driveway, there is more jungle on both sides of the road. Suddenly, there is a house on the left with a dirt road that goes off at an angle from Kama’oa Road. Beyond this road is a subdivision of lots that are about 1/2 acre each. This is the upper section of Mark Twain Estates.
The road that angles off from Kama’oa Road is called Lewalani Street, and goes down past one house and then another road branches off to the left and heads straight down the hill towards the ocean. This street is called Amepela Road. This is the path I take. It starts out as a fairly good gravel road, but after a few hundred feet, it begins to get a bit rougher – with larger rocks and holes. Every three or four hundred feet, there is a road branching off to the right. I pass four of these roads, all the while glad that I had my flashlight to assist the moonlight to light my way down this road as it gets rougher and rockier as it descends down hill. About a quarter mile from Kama’oa road, the first dirt road that heads off to the left is Palaoa Road.
After leaving the paved road of Kama’oa Road, I have walked past maybe a dozen homes. Some of them are quite nice, others are not. Most of the 1/2 acre lots in this subdivision are still christmas berry tree jungles. Even though I know the street names, I also know not to look for a street sign, as they are few and far between, meaning, not many intersections have a sign of any kind.
The walk along Palaoa Road is a gentle down sloping dirt/rocky road that makes me glad to have my flashlight as well as the moonlight. About two hundred feet along this road, is Mankani Nalu Road that goes off at a 90 degree angle to the right. On the corner of Palaoa and Mankani is a home with well manicured lawns and gardens.
A few more hundred feet and I come to Ahi Road that angles back to the right. Following Palaoa Road on through the jungle, I eventually come to Holowai Street on the right. This is about a quarter of a mile from where I first turned on to Palaoa road, and Palaoa Road turns about 60 degrees to the right and heads down the hill.
Turning right onto Holowai, I come to my gate about 125 feet down the road. It is 10 minutes after 8:00PM. It has taken me 1 hour and 20 minutes to walk from the Chinese Store in Waiohinu. In the dark.
I set up three of the four solar panels on the roof of the shed. I need to either cut off the connectors from the fourth or get connectors to continue the leads. I hooked the panels to the controller and to the two batteries. The controller shows that they are charging. After breakfast of a bowl of frosted flakes, and a tour around the property to survey how it had fared since I was here last, I drove to Kona to return the rental car.
I arrived in Kona around 11:30. I needed to return the car by 12:30 and the bus was not until 4:30. So, I figured to use the car to it’s fullest. I did not want to go to the market as I did not want to have to carry much on the bus, so I went out to the old airport to check out the beach there. I hung around the beach and watched the waves as they tumbled onto the rocky beach area for about thirty minutes before hearing out to the airport. Before getting to the turn off for the airport, I turned off the highway and drove up the hill a few hundred feet to gain a little altitude. From there I could see the island of Maui.
From the airport north, this area of the island is called the Kohala Coast – after the now dormant Kohala Volcano that formed this area. As you can see in this picture, the area is on the dry side of the island. It is also where most of the high end resorts are built. I guess that is because of the ability to see Maui across the channel. I guess the advantage of the dryer climate is fewer mosquitoes, but I prefer a bit more greenery. I love the green tropical jungle of the Hilo side, but I don’t like the daily rain that goes along with it. My location near South Point is the perfect mix between the two.
After dropping the rental car off, I hung around the airport and used their wi-fi to check emails. Then I took a nap. I was on the mauka side of the airport at the restaurant/snack bar that is closed due to the pandemic, right next to the stop for the rental car shuttles, shared ride pickup point, and the Hele-On bus stop. I used an electrical outlet there to plug in my computer and cell phone. At 4:00 PM, I decided to go to the bathroom – it’s a two hour and twenty minute ride to Naalehu. As I was coming back, I saw the bus on the outer loop of the drive. It had to go down to the end of the parking lot, turn and then return back to the bus stop. I wanted to get a picture of the bus as it was approaching.
I figured that the bus would stop at the designated bus stop, so I was standing back taking the picture, . . . and it just kept right on going. Didn’t even hesitate. Just drove right on past. I ran out into the road and waved my arms trying to get the driver’s attention, but it just kept right on going to the end of the drive and turned up towards the highway and was gone. Just like that. I had missed the bus. I looked at my cell phone and it was 4:25. According to the schedule, it wasn’t even due for another ten minutes!
What do I do now???
I looked down at my cell phone again, and it died! It just plain shut off. WTF???? It had over 80% charge!
So, I went back to the benches outside the closed restaurant/snack bar and plugged in my cell phone. It went through the whole start-up routine. . . which takes forever . . . especially when you are stressed because you just missed your ride home!
Finally, I checked out the cost of a taxi – $165.00. Then I checked on the cost of an Uber – $148.00. OUCH!
Well, you gotta do what you gotta do. Other than going out to the highway and trying to hitchhike, this seemed to be my only option. Maybe I could get an Uber to take me to a bus stop down the line in hopes of getting ahead of the bus. How long would it take for an Uber to get here? And then if it took me to someplace like the Keauhau Shopping Center, or to Captain Cook even, and I arrived there two minutes after the bus? Then what?
As I was contemplating what to do and wandering around in circles, I looked up and on the outer road was the Hele-On bus! I quickly unplugged everything, shoved the computer and all the wires into my backpack, and cell phone into my pocket, and hustled down to the bus stop just as the bus was pulling up.
The placard on the front of the bus said ” SOUTH KAU”. That is the district where Naalehu is – Kau. The driver opened the door and I asked, “Do you go to South Point? Discovery Harbor? Naalehu?” I was stammering. He replied, “Yeah, to South Kau.” Then he looked at me as if I were an idiot, because I probably sounded like one as I went babbling on and on about how I thought I had missed the bus when the other one drove past and didn’t stop, and was I glad to see him. I got on and gave him the full $2 fare. I moved down three rows and sat down. Relief flooded over me like I could not believe!
This was a different driver than I had experienced before. On my other bus trip the last time I was here, the driver was a large Hawaiian who had played football at NAU in Flagstaff. He had gotten hurt in his second season, and has been driving the bus here in Hawaii for the last 25 years. I had looked forward to seeing him again, but I was too relieved to have been so lucky. This driver was a small thin haole – a white guy.
I sat back in the seat and sighed! I was the only passenger as the driver closed the door and right at 4:35, pulled away from the curb and headed down the drive and turned up towards the highway.
Once out on the highway, he changed lanes and a couple of miles down the road, he turned left up a road towards the mountain. Just after leaving the highway, he was flagged down by another passenger. After picking up this passenger and putting his bicycle in the luggage compartment under the bus, he drove up to the community college and pulled off this road to the left and out in front of the college where he turned around in a cul-de-sak and went back to the road. Then he turned up towards the mountain again and went up to an intersection with a traffic light. Here, he turned right and drove on for about a mile, and turned into the parking lot of the West Hawaii Civic Center. After a loop through the parking lot, he was back to the upper road and then turned right and headerd back down to the highway. Turning left, he headed towards Kona again.
At the edge of town he again turned left and went up the hill, this time to the Court House. After a turn around in another cul-de-sak, he was headed back to the highway when he was flagged down by another passenger who came running up the road towards the bus waving his arms. Once this passenger was on the bus, he drove down towards the highway in the direction this last passenger had come from.
Rather than turning left, he crossed the highway and drove down to the shopping center and around to the back side, where he picked up four more passengers. Then down towards the ocean and towards the King Kamehameha Marriot Hotel. He drove past the hotel and out onto Alii drive past the waterfront and marina. He continued through the tourist area for a few blocks and then stopped across the street from the ABC store where he picked up two more passengers – one who could barely walk, with an ace bangage wrapped around his left knee, and had half a dozen large packages/bags. The driver helped the guy with his stuff as the guy folded up a walker and brought this on board.
We continued on down Alii drive past all the small houses on the waterfront that would each sell for a few million dollars, and past a couple of billion dollar resorts. He did not stop until he pulled in to the Keauhau Shopping Center. Here, the guy that got on near the community college got off and retrieved his bicycle from under the bus.
Off to the side of the parking lot was another large Roberts Hawaii Hele-On green bus. I tried to get a look at the front to see if this was the one with the placard that said PAHALA that had passed by in the airport, but did not get a good look. The driver turned up past the L & L Barbeque restaurant and up from the parking lot towards the main highway.
He stopped twice before we got to Captain Cook to let passengers get off. The guy with the bandaged knee and the walker got off in Captain Cook across from the two banks. The driver got out and helped him with his bags.
It was well after 5:00 PM and possibly even 5:30, and I was trying to figure out if the sun had set yet or not. The sky was very overcast so the sun could not peek through. There was a thin layer of open sky just above the horizon. Because this area of the sky was still light, I figured that the sun was still up behind the clour layer. This was important to me because I hoped we would get to Naalehu before it was dark. I figured that it would be around 6:30 orm 6:45 and was hoping that there would be just a little light for me to start my walk up the hill.
And, it had started to rai as we pulled into the Keauhau Shopping Center. Most everyone who had gotten on the bus, had an umbrella. I had forgotten to bring my vinyl jacket and I wondered just how wet I would be when I arrived in the dark at Holowai Wai Wai. Alanah has started calling it that – Holowai Wai Wai – Wai Wai translates as place, so it is Holowai Place.
As we passed the turn off to Miloli, the rain quit and the sun dropped down out of the clouds at the horizon. Less than ten minutes later, it had sunk into the ocean and was gone. It was just starting to get dusk when we pulled in to the park and ride at Ocean View where three people got off. I was pleased to see that the driver didn’t tarry here too long, but headed right out onto the highway and down towards Naalehu.
One woman approached the driver and asked him to stop at South Point road. At Ocean View as well here, it was not raining and the clouds were pretty much gone from the sky. As we were weaving through the town of Waiohinu, I told the driver that I needed to get off at the Chinese store. He nodded, and after a sharp left turn, then another sharp right turn, he pulled up in front of the Chinese Store and I grabbed my back pack and got off. There was still just a little light as I headed up the highway to Kama’oa Road. It was 6:50 PM. The bus ride had taken 2 hours and 20 minutes.
I called a septic tank supplier in Kona and spoke with someone named Dusty. He gave me the contact information for an engineer for a septic system.
I called the number he gave me and spoke with a guy named David. We discussed the project in Naalehu and he quoted me a price of $1100.00 for the engineering drawings and the county permit. He emailed me a proposal along with an invoice for $732.00 for him to get started. I sent him the money along with a pdf of my building plans that included a site plan.
I plan on returning in mid August. Being that this is Hawai’i, I do not expect him to have accomplished much by then.
Wednesday – 8/18/2021
Left Phoenix at 6:00 AM, and flew to San Diego. At the gate in San Diego, the airlines was doing a pre-check of travelers going to Hawai’i. Theoretically, if one were to do this pre-check and get a wrist band, you would not need to do anything when you arrived in Hawai’i.
I had to show them my QR code from the Hawai’i Travels website, which they scanned and pulled up my information about my negative covid test. I was good to go along with my cute piece of plastic jewelry.
I arrived in Kona around noon and went right through to baggage claim. No stop. No screening. The process in San Diego worked! Gathered up my lugage and went to get the rental car. Had to show the rental car agent the QR code and then got my overpriced rental car. Went to lumber yard and ordered concrete, block and lumber to build a gazebo. It will be delivered next Thursday. Went to the grocery store and drove to Naalehu.
I arrived at about 3:00 PM. The first thing I did was pull the tarp off the car and started it right up. Then I unloaded the rental car and started to set up my kitchen. I got out the ice chest, and put my refregerated items into it along with what was left of the ice, my milk, eggs, cheese, etc. Then I went into Naalehu to the Post Office and picked up the 2 burner stove I had ordered. I picked up an application for a PO Box, as they had some available.
Returning to the property, I opened up the shed and hooked up the wires to the battery. The lights worked. Then I set up the tarp over the kitchen area. I had picked up some fried chicken in Kona for lunch, and ate the last two pieces for dinner. Then I went to bed!
“Arizona’s Beach” is located three to four hours south of Phoenix (depending on who is driving). Affectionately known as Rocky Point, this town is in the upper section of the Gulf of California. After a drive through the lovely town of Gila Bend, and past the military gunnery range, through the Organ Pipe Cactus National Park, then you cross the border at Lukeville and into the town of Sonoita. The radar guns that the police in Sonoita have are all fixed on 40 MPH so that when they see a gringo (someone with license plates other than Mexico), they pull them over and tell them that they were speeding through Sonoita where the speed limit is 20 mph. Your options are to go with them to the police station and wait until the Judge arrives (four to six hours) or pay the “fine” of anywhere between $40.00 and $80.00.
After successfully navigating the gauntlet at Sonoita, it is a relatively straight shot through the desert to Rocky Point.
On the way back to Arizona one time, we came up to a traffic jam in the National Park. It had been raining in the area quite heavily. All of the washes were running with water,
and one had washed so much sand onto the roadway that the Highway Department had to bring in heavy equipment to clear the road. Of course, this brought traffic to a stand still for about an hour.
Rocky Point is a fishing village that has evolved into a tourist trap. Many Americans have gone there for a weekend getaway. In fact, North and west of Rocky Point is the development of Cholla Bay that is kind of like the original Ex-Pat hideout. Now there are many developments south of the town that dwarf Cholla Bay.
To the north of Cholla Bay, about ten miles outside of Puerto Penasco, on the road to El Golfo, is a development called Laguna Shores. There are many developments along this stretch of road, but this particular one, we had the opportunity to stay there a few times. It is a development of home sites with a common olympic sized swimming pool on the beach, and a restaurant on site.
The poolm is on the right. there are day beds, lounge chairs, and kayaks for use on the beach.
The idea is for individuals to purchase the lots and build a house that meets the requirements of the developers. They have plans for an 18 hole golf course, but when we stayed there the golf course was still in the planning stages.
They had developed a few condo buildings with four or five units per building – each one a two or three bedroom unit with a full kitchen and two or three bathrooms. Typically 1600 to 2000 square feet. There were about eight or ten homes built in the development, and a four story apartment building with four or five units on each floor. A rather nice development.
Looking across to Cholla Bay
They would rent these condos to prospective buyers. We purchased a packaged deal where we could stay there for five weekends – three days and two nights, check in on Friday, and check out on Sunday. Very peaceful. Swim in the pool or the ocean/gulf. Walk along the beach. North of the property about a quarter of a mile was a place where there was a small estuary. The sand piled up next to the estuary and thousands of large shells piled up here.
When the tide went out, the shore extended out about quite a ways, so that it would take twenty to thirty minutes to walk out to the water’s edge. Then a few hours later, it would be back up near the pool.
The tide is out
Another place we contemplated purchasing for our “shack on the beach”
This post is a rather long post. It is a daily log of my three plus weeks in Hawai’i.
Monday – March 22, 2021
So far, so good – no major mishaps so far on this trip – only a few minor ones.
This morning I woke up and went on line to the Delta app and paid for two checked bags. I weighed them at home with the bathroom scale. One weighed 50 lbs and the other was 48. Both are a bit close to the 50 lb limit, but it should be OK.
The line at the service counter at the airport was rather long, but it moved quickly as they had every booth manned with an agent to assist. I would guess that there were about 100 people in front of me in line, but my wait was only about five minutes. Before getting in line, I weighed both bags on the provided scale – 50.5 and 49.5. A little juggling and I was set. With both bags checked, I headed off to TSA. No problems here. Usually they pull my bag aside for further inspection, but this time both bags came through just fine. I was worried about having two pipe clamps in the carry on, but they didn’t say a word. They pulled both bags for the lady behind me – I think they were after mine, but missed.
The flight from Phoenix to LA was uneventful, but the terminal area we pulled up to looks like a major construction project. I would think that this pandemic would have slowed down air traffic to the point that the future of air travel would not justify the millions they are spending. Further evidence that this entire pandemic is a political ploy. We got off on an exterior stairway and rode shuttle busses to the terminal.
The gate for my flight from LAX to Kona is within 100 yards of where the shuttle drops us off. I have time to grab a greasy burger and fries. One pleasant note about the flight from Phoenix was the boarding process. They boarded according to seat number – from back to front. Meaning, they called for the passengers in the last three rows to board the plane first. Then the next three rows, then the next three, etc. There was no crowd inching forward to be first in line when their “zone” was called, but more importantly, the person in seat 10C was not blocking the aisle in the plane when the passengers in the seats behind were trying to board. What a novel idea! I imagine that they are doing this to comply with “social distancing”. So far, one of the few positives to come out of this pandemic.
They followed this same procedure in LA. Again, it was much more orderly, more calm, and by far easier.
According to the flight tracker on the screen on the seat in front of me, we are about 45 minutes from Kona. We have filled out the Hawaii Agriculture forms that no one will ever read. I have my negative test result from my covid-19 test, my QR code from the Population Control website reminiscent of the George Orwell novel 1984 (aka Hawaii Travels)
Everything is in order – everything is going according to plan – so why do I have a feeling of dread? Why am I filled with anxiety over this trip?
Arrived in Kona at 4:00 PM. Went through the Covid-19 gauntlet. Every time I come, it appears a bit more sophisticated. They have really learned that spreading the panic is beneficial to more governmental control.
They now have their own testing lab set up on site and everyone who arrives gets the same new form of “Aloha” greeting – “Welcome to Hawaii, now let me shove this cotton swab up your nose . . . twice!” The next thing will be “Drop your trousers and bend over so I can shove my fingers up your ass while I grab your balls with my other hand and tell you to turn your head and cough!” The new “Aloha”.
Stopped off at the lumber store for concrete, spray paint, 1/2″ plastic pipe and elbows, 20′ rebar, 2 – 2x4x8 and 1 -2x6x8. The concrete and the rebar is for gate posts; the plastic pipe and elbows are for a solar water heater; the lumber is for more doors for the shed. Using the hacksaw I brought, I cut the repar into lengths I could haul in the rental car.
Stopped off at KFC for dinner.
I had contacted someone on line who was selling a Kohler undercounter sink and faucet. I called the phone number when I was leaving the lumber store – told them I was going through South Kona in about an hour and asked if we could meet and I could purchase this sink. The woman said that she was actually closer to Ocean View than Kona – told her that I was headed to Naalehu and would be going right past. She said that would be fine and we discussed a location on the highway out in the middle of nowhere to meet. She arrived a few minutes after I did. It was quite dark as it was about 8:00 PM. I got out of my car and approached her as she was walking to the back of her truck. She got rather hysterical and said, “Stay back! You aren’t wearing a mask!” She put the sink in the truck of my car and I handed her the money. She grabbed the money and made a beeline for her truck to get as far away from me as quickly as possible. I didn’t have time to warn her that the Presidents on the bills I gave her weren’t wearing a mask either!
Tuesday – March 23, 2021
I set up my “kitchen”. I got out the propane stove and placed it on the pile of pallets, got out my cooking pans and dishes. I installed the tarp over the area where the pallets were stacked. I placed the two individual inflatable solar lights out in the sun to absorb energy. Had a bowl of cereal for breakfast. After I unloaded the lumber and concrete from the rental car, I went for a scenic drive.
Former sugar cane fields with Kileauea in the background
There is an upper road between Na’alehu and Pahala. It rises to about 2,000 feet in elevation and in many places you can see down to the south coastline.
To get to this road, I turned off the highway in Na’alehu on a road that passes between the hardware store and the Punalu’u Bakery. This road goes up past the Na’alehu cemetary where they have a sign warning about an epidemic of Dengue Fever. From there it winds up the side of the mountain past the old sugar cane fields that now are grazing pasture for cows.
Former Hutchinson Plantation sugar cane fields – now cow pastures.
There are odd clumps here and there in the pasture land of what looks to be sugar cane. This was a nice easy leisurely drive along a country road with some nice scenery.
Upon returning to the property, I proceeded to get the rental car stuck as I backed it too far down the driveway. I didn’t think the slope was too much, but the combination of loose material, slick surfaces, and too short of a distance to get enough momentum to get up out of there was too much for the two wheel drive Nissan Rogue. I called up a neighbor down the road a ways and he said he wasn’t very busy today, and he could be there in just about ten minutes or so. I had heard that somewhere before as it has a familiar ring to it, but sure enough, he and his oldest son came by and pulled the car out with a four wheel drive truck.
I took the solar panels out of the shed and placed them on the roof, tying them in place with some small ropes. I drilled a hole through the roof for all the wires. Hooked up the batteries to the charge controller and the solar panels to the controller as well. They started producing electricity for the batteries instantly. I hung up the lights I had brought in the corners of the shed and ran the wires to the switch box, and hooked up the switch box to the batteries. I tested them and they all worked. Success!
Later, I drove in to Hilo to purchase some more concrete for the gate posts. I would find as I build these posts that it will take more concrete than I had initially thought. I also picked up the lumber to build the framework for the gates. Then I contacted an individual who was selling used solar panels on line. I went to Hawaiian Paradise Park (HPP) and picked up two panels originally rated for 75 watts each. Not bad for $40 each.
Wednesday – March 24, 2021
I retrieved the Ford Escape from the neighbor’s back yard. Removed the tarp I had covered it with, climbed in and inserted the key. It started right up. No dead battery. I put it into drive and it moved out from under the tree where I had parked it and onto the level higher area of a driveway. I got out and looked at all four tires. None of them were flat. I was worried that one or both of the rear tires would be flat and that the battery would be dead. Worrying for no reason. Need to stop worrying.
I worked on clearing out the branches from below the first deck. Previously, I had trimmed the branches from the trees above this area and just let them fall helter skelter into a huge pile. After clearing out the branches, many I moved out to the end of the driveway to use as fill, I started pulling out the rocks. I want to create a garden here by building a series of rock walls to create a terraced effect.
After clearing and building rock walls
Around noon, I drove the rental car into Hilo and returned it to the airport. Then I called Uber for a ride to WalMart to catch the bus back to Na’alehu/Waiohinu. I got off the bus at the Wong Yuen Chinese store in Waiohinu, that is no longer operating.
Then I proceeded to walk back to the property. I figured it was about 2 miles. It took me an hour and 15 minutes – most of it up hill.
Upon returning to the property, I worked a bit more on moving rocks from the new garden area, and then fixed dinner.
When I went to bed, it was comforting to have lights I could turn on with a switch.
Thursday 3/25/2021
Went to Ocean View to buy ice and sugar. Stopped at the county water station on Lehua Street to fill up my jugs with water. When I got back to the property I began to dig out the footings for the gate posts. I cut some rebar pieces for reinforcing in the footings as well as for uprights. After digging the holes for the footings, I started mixing the concrete for the footings. As I reached into the car for the water I had collected this morning, I saw my bag of ice sitting in a puddle of water! DANG! (OK, I didn’t really say dang)
After putting what was left of the ice in the ice chest, I continued mixing the concrete and poured the footings. Then I gathered together some cast off boards to be used as forms for the columns. I tried to build boxes 18″ by 24″ that were 16″ tall to be used as moveable forms. My idea was that after pouring one 16″ tall section, I could move the form up to prepare for the next section.
Under this wooden box is a concrete footing about the same size as the box. I hope it will be big enough.
I then continued clearing out the branches below the 12 x 12 deck and building rock walls for the tiered gardens. I used the power inverter attached to the batteries in the solar system all afternoon to charge the batteries for the cordless tools. Having lights at night that turn on with the flick of a switch is wonderful!
Friday – 3/26/2021
Breakfast – scrambled eggs and sausage.
Finished moveable forms for gate posts – posts to be 18″ square – form is 16″ tall. I will pour the posts in 16″ lifts. I’ll let the concrete cure overnight then raise the form. Once the form is in place, I line the inside of the form with rocks and fill the area inside the rocks with concrete. The rocks will be/should be visible when the form is removed. I set up my computer and was able to answer emails etc in the evening.
Saturday – 3/27/2021
Spent most of the day working on clearing out dead branches from below the original deck. Started on building rock walls.
Sunday – 3/38/2021
Continued moving old branches to driveway area where I cut then into 6″ pieces. More rock wall building.
Monday – 3/29/2021
Put the starter pull assembly back on the chipper. Put in gasoline and started the chipper. There was a loud banging noise coming from the chipping wheel area. Shut off the chipper, and proceeded to disassemble it.
One of the hammers in the chipper has come loose. The set screw has fallen out and it is hanging at an angle, flopping and banging. I was able to get it off and took it in to the hardware store in Ocean View. They didn’t have a screw that would work, but I was able to get a heavy cotter pin that I slid into the hole in place of the set screw and through the pivot. This held the hammer in place. I ran the chipper for a couple of hours creating quite a pile of wood chips until it quit. I could get it to start, but it acted like it immediately ran out of gas. I need to clean the carburetor. Not today, maybe another day. Maybe I can just install the new one.
Tuesday – 3/30/2021
Worked on clearing out the branches piled up downhill from the original deck. Previously, on other trips, I had cut branches from trees in this area to increase the view and maybe get a view of the ocean from the deck. I had just cut them and let them fall helter skelter into a huge tangled mess. Today, I continued trying to clear out this mess. My intent is to build rock walls to make terraced gardens in this area.
As I was pulling on some branches, I saw something moving very slowly within the branches.
It was a Jackson Cameleon. He is about 8 to 10 inches long, a bright green body with a darker green tail and with other colored markings, and two horns on his head pointing forwards and one on his nose. FABULOUS! I worked around him to remove the branches so I could get closer to him. Luckily, they move very slowly, so I was able to keep an eye on him. As I was working on the branches around him, I saw something else that I didn’t expect – but I should have.
It was a female Jackson Cameleon. WOW! She was a little smaller, maybe 7 to 9 inches long, with a bright green body and darker green markings much like a giraffe. I was able to get the branches cleared from around these two, and capture them by grabbing the branches they were hanging onto. I transferred these two to a large pile of branches in the northwest corner of the property where they would be safe. Then as I was finishing, I saw a third one. This was the baby. It was maybe 4 inches long and light grey with darker grey markings. He blended in so well to the branches, that I lost sight of him, and could not transfer him up with momma and papa.
Wednesday – 3/31/2021
Found baby Jackson Cameleon. Caught him (it has horns, so I assume it is a male) and placed him up in the pile of branches where I had released the other two yesterday. These two are nowhere to be seen, so I can only hope for the best.
Thursday – 4/1/2021 – April Fools Day
This morning I had malasadas from Punalu’u Bakery in Na’alehu. They are basically sugar donuts without the holes, or in reality, they are large sugar coated donut holes. They also slice these open and insert filling – strawberry, apple, custard, etc.
More branches still to remove
I had an easy day today. I worked on removing rocks from my new terraced gardens and reinforcing/building the rock walls directly below the original 12 x 12 deck.
Friday – 4/2/2021
Changed oil in the car/ Ford. Oil drain plug was stripped. The shoulders on the bolt were rounded off so a wrench would not turn the bolt. I raised the car up on cement blocks so it was stable enough to get underneath it. That was a chore in itself! I tried different sizes of wrenches, different types of wrenches, I even tried a small pipe wrench, but the bolt would not budge and every wrench kept slipping off. So, I used a hammer and a chisel. No, I did not cut the bolt off with the chisel . . . I used the chisel to create a niche in the outside of the bolt. Then, with the chisel in this niche, I was able to drive the bolt in the direction to loosen it. I was able to get the bolt to turn, and then to unscrew. I drained the oil and used a screw driver driven through the oil filter to unscrew the oil filter. I installed the new oil filter and reinstalled the bolt. I wish I had a new bolt to replace this with, but I’ll have to get one from the mainland the next time I am there. Then I filled the crankcase with oil. Success.
I also found a new place for obtaining water in Waiohinu. At the park, there are only two spigots. At this station, there are 7 or 8. It is at the garbage transfer station as you are going out of Waiohinu towards Ocean View.
I also took a shower. I have filled eight to ten 2 liter soda bottles with water and placed them out in the sun.
My Solar Water Heater.
They heat up and in the afternoon around 3:00 PM I have water hot enough to take a shower by pouring the water from the bottles over me as I stand on a wooden pallet.
Saturday – 4/3/2021
I worked on another lift of the gate posts. I was one pipe short for the hinge pivots – I actually had the pipe, it just was not threaded, so I had the hardware store in Ocean View put threads on both ends. Then I used two elbows – one buried inside the post so the pipe cannot be pulled out through the concrete. I also planted the onions and the potatoes I had left from my previous trip – they had sprouted. I planted them in the corner of my new terrace garden.
Easter Sunday – 4/4/2021
I worked on the gate columns. One is at about 5′ tall. All it needs is the cap.
I have been installing 1/2″ pipes in the concrete with an elbow sticking out of the side of each column, one about a foot off the ground, and one about 8″ from the top to be used as the pivots for my gate hinges. I will install two eye bolts in the side of the gates at the correct heights to pivot on the tops of the elbows. The one post that is 5′ tall only needs a concrete cap. The other one is about 4’6″ tall. I need more concrete.
Monday – 4/5/2021
Went to Ocean View and picked up one more bag of concrete to finish the top of the second gate post, and a bag of ice. I stopped along the road and gathered up 4 buckets of cinders for the driveway. When I returned to the property, I poured the final bit to bring the second gate post up to the 5′ height. I spread the cinders in the driveway and tried to wash the excess cement from the gate posts. Started to build the frames for the gates.
Tuesday 4/6/2021
Neighbor Scott brought over some “ant soup” – the concoction of peanut butter, vegetable oil, and a control substance called Tango that makes the queen sterile so she cannot produce more worker ants. Sprayed this on the trees.
Finished the frames for the gates. Now I need slats. Also need reinforcing for the corners of the gate. Took some corrugated roofing pieces and hammered them flat. then cut them into triangles about 14″ on a side and 18″ on the long side (the hypotenuse). I then created a hem on all three sides by folding about 1/2″ over on each side. I then painted these black with spray paint. I installed one triangle on each corner of each gate using 2″ long screws.
I did some laundry. washed a pair of levis, a shirt and some socks.
Wednesday – 4/7/2021
I wanted to get a better idea of the lay of the lot and the state of the slope of the property. So far, other than the house pad clearing, the driveway, the far northwest corner and the west side of the property for about 30 feet from the property line, the rest of the lot is still untamed jungle. At the northeast corner of the shed, I began creating a path through the jungle. I tied the end of a 100 foot long tape measure to the fence at the west property line, and extending to the east in a line that seemed perpendicular to the fence line, I began measuring. The corner of the shed is approximately 15 feet from the property line. This makes the north east corner of the deck next to the east side of the shed some 30 feet from the line. Following this direction which is as best as I can tell, to the northeast, I began cutting into the jungle. From the shed, the ground goes uphill as I go northeast in a line that I think is parallel to the street. There is a small knoll or hill about 80 or 90 feet from the fence line, then it drops down again.
Cutting a pathway into the jungle in the center of the lot
After clearing this path, I worked on the porch framing on the east side of the shed. Then I pulled all the nails from the pallet 2 x 4’s so that I can install them closer together. I think I am going to need more pallets.
Thursday – 4/8/2021
I nailed the pallet 2 x 4’s to the porch framing on the north side. I almost have enough to complete this side. The east side is 1/2 framed.
I worked in the driveway; trimming more trees to extend it into the property. Worked on digging out large rocks without much success. I need a larger prybar. . . or perhaps a backhoe or an excavator:)
Friday – 4/9/2021
Worked on building another door for the shed. I took the last few 2 x 4’s and a 2 x 6 to Bill’s to use his table saw again to cut a kerf lengthwise in each board. This will make it possible to inset a panel into each door – one above the lockset and one below. For now, these inset panels are 1 by boards from pallets. I may change out the upper panels for glass later.
My door factory
I met another neighbor who lives on Palaoa Road two lots south of (makai) Scott. Her name is Elaine.
I got another door done.
Saturday – 4/10/2021
Drive in to Hilo to the lumber yard. I needed fence slats for the gate, 2 x 6’s for the porch, nails, wooden dowels for the doors, and concrete for the caps on the gate columns.
When I got back from Hilo, I unloaded the lumber.
Then I went for a walk towards Palaoa Road. As I walked past the end of the 2nd lot, I saw what looked like palm trees growing in the jungle about 20 feet from the road. Then I remembered that I had planted three coconut palms at what I thought was the far northeast corner of this lot. These were about 2 1/2 feet tall – not as tall as the others. I assume it is because they don’t get much sunlight. I got my clippers and climbed up into the trees above these coconut palms and proceeded to cut out a bunch of the branches directly above the palms and to the south of them so that they could get more sunlight.
Sunday – 4/11/2021
I needed to pour a cap on the top of the two gate columns. I don’t want it to look like concrete, but more like a square chunk of lava. This means it needs to be black, and it needs textureing similar to natural pahoehoe lava.
To start with, I went to the hardware store in Ocean View to see if they had any coloring agent to add to concrete. They do . . . but they only have red and green . . . they are all out of black, but they did have charcoal grout. I’ll give that a try.
I wanted the cap to overhang the column a little so I made a frame with some 1 x 4 scrap material that would fit snugly to the top of the column. I made this flush to the top of each column and then took some old corrugated roofing and cut it into pieces about 8 or 9 inches tall. These, I screwed to the 1 x 4 frame. I then took some scraps of corrugated roofing and hammered it as flat as possible and cut pieces to cover the gaps between the wood frame and the rock columns so that the concrete would not just run out all over the face of the rocks. I had rebar sticking up from the columns, so I bent it over to be inside the cap. I also cut some rebar to be placed in the caps – two bars each direction.
I then mixed my concrete. One bag at a time in a bucket, with one small can of charcoal grout in each batch. It took two batches per column cap.
On a television reality show I had seen a few months ago about a construction company in Kona, I watched a woman go out onto the lava fields and pour a liquid plastic/rubber substance on the lava. After it cured, she peeled it off and had an imprint of the surface in a large rubber stamp about three feet in diameter. She was going to use this as a stamp to simulate lava on a concrete sidewalk in front of a home in Waikoloa. I wanted to do this, but I didn’t know what the material was that she used, and I did not want to have some local accuse me of desecrating some sacred Hawaiian site. So, I took an old window screen and some tubes of silicon caulking and I attempted to recreate the patterns I had seen on the lava. I then used this to stamp the top of the column caps as the concrete was setting up.
At the driveway, there are three coconut palms growing that we planted about a year ago when we planted all the others. I had pulled a bunch of rocks out from around them and created a small garden area where i was throwing the kitchen scraps to create compost. I had also placed some avocado seeds here. Two of these avocado seeds have sprouted and are growing. I dug out more rocks in this area, expanding the garden area and making it deeper. The rocks were used to create a rough rock wall at the bottom of the driveway by the walkway towards the house clearing as well as a rock wall from the east gate post along the driveway back into the property.
I then cut more branches and trees in the direction I want the driveway to go towards the two house pads. My intent is for this same gate to serve both lots. After cutting about 5 or 6 feet of jungle 12 or 15m feet wide, I had a huge pile of branches. I used my clippers to cut these into pieces about 6 inches long.
Monday – 4/12/2021
I removed the forms from the gate post caps. and hung up the gate frames. Then I screwed the fence slats to my gates – only to find that I had mis-calculated and was one slat short. DANG! (once again, I didn’t really use the word dang!) I think it turned out pretty good, other than the fact that the charcoal grout did not make the concrete as dark as I would have liked.
I took a shower in the afternoon, then went in to Ocean View for water and ice. went to the hardware store to see if they had any cedar fence slats – nope. Gathered three more buckets of cinders and spread these out on the driveway. I cut out some of the vegetation that is growing back in the house clearing, and worked on the framing for the east side porch on the shed.
Wednesday – 3/14/2021
Last full day here. Spent most of the day putting things away, and storing stuff. I put away all my dishes except what I would need to cook a can of spaghetti tonight, and cereal for breakfast in the morning. Took a shower in the afternoon. Took down the tarp over the “kitchen” area. After the sun went down, I disassembled my solar system and removed the solar panels from the roof of the shed.
Thursday – 3/15/2021
It was early when I got out of bed. A necessary evil. A day for mixed emotions. Going back to the mainland today – leaving this paradise behind. A paradise where I have done nothing but work. A glance backwards in time makes me wonder if I’m doing this wrong. Maybe that is the feeling of anxiety I had at the beginning of this trip. However, I do enjoy staying busy – doing things, building things. I should be spending more time at the beach or the ocean. Later. There will be plenty of time for that later. Too much that needs to be done now. Thoughts of a more pleasant toilet. Perhaps an enclosed shower instead of in the middle of the clearing standing on a pallet dumping bottles of water over my head. A better, easier kitchen. But it all takes time. One step at a time. My objectives for this trip have been accomplished – oil changed in the car; gates for securing the car behind; additional solar panels; doors for three sides of the shed; floor boards nailed down on the porch on one side; and the second side framed and ready for floor boards; the garden terraces created after the removal of the eyesore pile of branches; extending the driveway a few more yards. Finding the Jackson cameleons was an added benefit, as was the road trip from Na’alehu to Pohala through the back country.
My ride came just as I was walking out to the road after putting away the last items in the shed and locking the door. There isn’t a cloud in the sky, another beautiful morning; perhaps I should just stay. The bus will be in Waiohinu in 30 minutes. If I miss that, I might have to stay. Hmmmmm.
Bill and his oldest son dropped my off in front of the Chinese store where the bus would stop. There was no one else there, the bench on the porch was all mine. My carry on roller bag had my duffle bag I had used as a checked bag on the way here, folded up and stuffed into it along with my computer. My backpack had a towel, board shorts for swimming, khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, along with two oranges and an oatmeal raisin cookie I bought last week in the market at Ocean view, two small bottles of Pepsi and one of POG juice (Passion fruit, Orange, Guava).
The trip to Kona was uneventful, scenic, and thoroughly enjoyable – except for the thought that I was leaving – and not sure when I would return.
The bus pulled in to the park and ride lot at Ocean View, and there were at least ten people lounging around waiting. The view of the ocean was magnificent, and Mauna Loa was lounging in the middle of the island, the clouds nowhere in sight to obscure the mountain top. The town of Ocean View is situated in a huge lava flow from Mauna Loa in 1868.
The stark dark black jumble of lava surrounding Ocean View is directly in contrast with the thick, lush, multi shades of green 10 or 15 minutes down the road around the town of Captain Cook. At mile marker 100, I saw the white pickup truck that had crashed over a year ago, laying on its side about 30 yards from the road, leaning up against some trees. Further on, there are three or four houses on then ocean side of the highway (makai) that have almost been totally reclaimed by the jungle.
In a few places, the vegetation opens up alongside the highway for a view down to the ocean.
Once again, we turn down towards the ocean and Keauhau Bay.
Alii Drive follows the coast through Kona. This is where all the million dollar homes are right on the ocean – not one of them over a thousand square feet, and the lot not much bigger. Location, Location, Location. Just before getting into the business district of Kona, there is a bridge over a gully that most likely carries water when it rains hard up in the hills. They are trying to rebuild this bridge. The road is one lane each direction and the detour around the construction site is one lane. Flagmen are stationed at either end and they alternate letting a few cars at a time drive through from each direction. There was a good ten to fifteen minute delay to get through this bottle neck.
There is quite a steady flow of foot traffic around us going both directions on Alii Drive, mainly tourists, but there are others who appear to be locals – people transplanted from somewhere else and have settled here to live; out for their morning walk, or bicycle ride, and some jogging – living the good life.
Clear of the construction zone, and past the tourist areas of Kona on the waterfront, the bus stops at the shopping center at the west end of town, and most of the riders get off. This is my opportunity to talk with the bus driver.
“So, how is my fellow Lumberjack doing today?” I ask as I sit down in the row of seats behind the driver. The driver is the same one from a few months ago who told me that he played football for NAU.
His face brightens and he gets a big smile on his face,”Hey, how you do?” he asks.
“I’m trying to get to the Hawaii County Offices – where they issue building permits” I explain. “Where would be the best place to get off?”
“Well, you can get off at the courthouse, and wait at the bus stop.” he says. In a little while, another bus will come past that will take you right there.”
“That’s better than I expected.” I continue, “So, when were you at NAU?”
“1986”
“How long were you there?” I ask as we pull up to the bus stop at the courthouse.
“A year and a half” he says. “I got injured”
“You’re lookin’ good now.” I say over my shoulder as I get off. “Thanks for the help.”
There is a young girl at the bus stop when I get off, so I put my two bags on the ground at the opposite end of the bench. A few minutes go by and she makes a call on her phone. After which, she walks away from the bus stop, around the corner and down towards the highway, a few hundred yards away. I pull out my cell phone and find it only has 12 % charge, but yet it is plugged into them solar charger, and the charger is fully charged. I unplug it and plug it back in and it starts charging. Then it quits. I touch the cord where it connects to the phone and it flickers. It charges as long as I hold the cord into the phone, just right. Any movement, and it flickers off. The charge on my phone goes from 12% to 32%. then to 24%. I’m in trouble! Without my cell phone, I cannot check the bus schedule for the next bus. I cannot call uber for a ride into town, or for a ride to the airport later this evening. That is what I had planned to do. After the Building Department, I was going to spend the day at the beach on the waterfront in Kona, then call uber. I can’t risk being stuck in downtown Kona and not making my flight.
After a wait of 20 to 30 minutes, a smaller bus pulls up to the bus stop – more like a shuttle that they use at an airport to take you to get your rental car. We drove up the highway near the airport to a subdivision where we picked up two people with their bicycles. In a round about way, we ended up at the West Hawaii Civic Center – my destination.
I found the County Building Division and spoke with Maile. She looked at my plans and Engineering Specifications and had a few problems that I need to have corrected before I can submit. So, I went in search of an electrical outlet to plug in my computer and phone. By the time I found the bus schedule on my computer, I had missed the last bus pickup at the West Hawaii Civic Center, my phone still would not charge, I think it is the cord, so I could not call for uber. So, I proceeded to walk to the airport . . . 6 miles away. I was within a half mile of the airport, when a guy and his wife stopped and gave me a ride. I didn’t get their names, but THANKS!
My flight wasn’t until 10:30 pm and it was 5:30 when I arrived at the airport, so I opened my computer, answered a few emails and waited. The flight to the mainland was uneventful, and when I got to Phx, I grabbed a cab and was home.
I came across this journal type synopsis written by Alanah, of our trip to the Big Island to see the volcano erupting.
Marlene took us to the airport early 6:15am to catch our flight at 7:30am… from phoenix Terminal 3. Luckily for us we took the extra time as the TSA were checking everyone’s food bags for dangerous goods. Evidently putting everything in clear plastic bags is not enough for these experienced persons to note that there were nuts and raisins and pretzels in them that they had to scan them and too the feel touch procedures…. Ugghh. Almost David’s undoing. Gate 24 is almost at the end of the terminal…. Of course. I do not like the way Hawaiian Airlines calls for zones because everyone lines up no matter what zone they are and shuffles towards the gate. We originally had seats apart – I was in 14J and David was in 14C and when I sat down the gent beside me started to chat and when the plane was almost boarded, he offered to change seats with David so we could sit together…. Nice man. 5 ½ hour flight to Honolulu. Mainly overcast when we flew in…. 2 hour layover for our flight to Kona.
Arrival at Kona
Overcast when we got into Kona. We think it’s VOG.
Is that VOG?
We stopped at the fruit market in Kona and picked up some rainbow papayas at 6/$5. Then found our way to a supermarket where we bought up some supplies hopefully to last us for a couple of days. Everything is expensive. Bread $3 a loaf. Eggs $4 dozen Milk $4.79 for a gallon. Etc.
Then hit the LL Hawaiian BBQ for dinner even though it was only 4:45pm local time – that meant that it was 7:45pm Phoenix time…. Then we hit the road to Naalehu and our AirBND lodgings in “Discovery Harbor”. The highway 11 was pretty good. Not much traffic but a couple of slow pokes to get around when we could. We had a little bit of trouble finding the house because Google couldn’t pull up the address…. So we were driving blind but David seemed to know where he was going because we drove right up to the house, driveway and parked as instructed on the booking notice from our host Thea. It has started drizzling as we arrived so we had to unload in the rain.
Our Air-b-n-b unit – upstairs
Nice one bedroom open loft type with kitchen. Patio out front gives beautiful view of ocean.
July 27 David is not on island time…. He was up before the birds!! I was able to go back to sleep and get up at a reasonable time of 6:15am. We had breakfast and decided to go explore our little subdivision on foot. It was a nice walk but I did notice that at first we were going downhill which meant our way back home was going to be UP HILL. We spied some pineapples and avocados growing in people’s front yards.
We both worked up quite a sweat despite it being nicely overcast with a lovely breeze – again – Alanah’s breathing was okay. Even though it was overcast which we thought might have been VOG we came across some locals who told us that this neighborhood doesn’t get VOG so that made breathing easier all round. We found the couple of lots for sale but didn’t like their situation so headed for home. Back at the unit we had morning tea. Toast and Guava Jam before packing up and heading out for the day.
First stop were a couple of lots David had found online and the subdivision they were in is called “Mark Twain”. The roads in here are not fully developed like DH but they were passable but primitive.
Halowai Street
One would need a little FWD pickup to survive in it. So we found the lots.. remarkable that there were street signs… YAY. David was checking them out on foot and we had parked on the road in front of a house that had a dog barking at him.
At Lorenzo’s driveway
The owner came out to see what was bothering the dog and invited us in to see what he had done to his property after 30 years. He had 5 lots together that he bought back then for $4k each. He showed us photos of his house when he first moved in… not a tree in sight – just lava. Wow. His taxes for the year he said was $1000 for all the lots. He had a mass of fruit trees which he began getting and giving us samples to take with us. Texas Pink Grapefruit, Orange, lime, Tangello, etc. we left with our arms full. Lorenzo was so excited to have visitors I really don’t think he wanted us to leave except he had a to do list to get to or his wife would get mad that hadn’t been completed. We had spent a good half hour exploring his acreage with him as he showed us his trails and little bungalows he’d built on each parcel… odd little shacks complete with screens and what I could see – a small kitchen was down at the bottom of his property. We didn’t get an explanation as to why this was here but Lorenzo was such a nice guy pointing out all his trees and plants… He had chickens and everything that you couldn’t see from the main house. On the side of the road in front of his propeerty is the 1950’s era International pickup truck he had when he originally bought the lots. He left it wher it died – a common theme in Hawaii – and now it is a planter; more rust than bucket, but you can still see that it once was a truck.
So reluctantly we left and David completed a full circle of the subdivision on the unpaved roads to see how and where the roads went to….. we got the most wonderful views of the coast and ocean on several roads. This subdivision was zoned Agriculture – meaning you could grow stuff on it – not that you were supposed to make a farm of it but you could grow enough to support your own table. This subdivision is in Lava Zone 6… same as Discovery Harbor.
On our way heading to the beach we passed through the little hamlet of Naalehu and found the Post Office where we mailed Jeremy Ryan’s card. David wanted a soda and found a shop and purchased an orange soda 2ltr bottle for $7.50… YIKES.
So then we headed off to the beach… we first stopped at Whittington Beach. Lava frontage – no beach but some great pool to dip in if you had pool shoes to walk in with.
Wading pools at Whittington Beach
I had conveniently left mine in Phoenix. Ughh! So just dipped the toes in the water – cool but okay. We explored around the beach park and went out to the old pier that was just a skeleton of it’s old self.
The park had a huge tree in the center that had branches that could have supported a mass of people the girth of the branches was at least 4 feet round. They were massive.
Alanah walking under the tree behind the picnic table.
Then we headed off to Black Sand Beach (Punaluu). The beach is just black sand – ground up lava!!
It is awesome to see.
It is also home to a large group of turtles. We saw at least 6 bobbing in the pools that were close to the beach.
Even the little sand crabs are black. I saw several skittering over the lava rocks and they were all black. It was so nice at the beach we brought the beach chairs and towels and set up on the beach to relax and read our books. It was overcast and there was a nice breeze blowing that kept us cool without having to go for a dip to cool off. We stayed on the beach for over an hour before heading off to explore some more.
Going out the other exit road toward Hilo David saw a road heading off into the hills so decided to take it….. yes it was only 2 dirt tracks for most of the way. There we some magnificent huge trees – looked like the huge mahogany trees of Fiji along the roadside. There were papaya trees all growing in the wild along the roadside too. about 2 miles in the road deadended at a subdivision of 290 acres – we could see the white posts dotting in and around the high grass and along the fence line. so we headed back out to the main road and back to Naalehu. We found the password for the Wifi and both got on computers to do some work, send some emails and then get dinner.
David is still on Phoenix time so he was asleep at 7:30pm Hawaii time. Alanah watched a movie “Dr Strange” on Netflix and turned out the light on Hawaii time at 10:30. Of course, David was up before the sun again this morning. I am going to make him stay awake longer tonight to try and get him acclimated to the right time zone.
Saturday July 28
We took off north towards Ocean View to look at some properties that David had researched.
We spent a good 2 hours climbing over lava looking at views from various properties before going down to a trail off Maikai Road. Come to the end and find the trail impassable for a vehicle. So that meant trudging all the way down to the Bay. I could see the end of the trail 4 miles off in the distance and decided that that trek was not for me so we headed off to Milolii to explore around there and look for their Beach Park.
Coming down off Hwy 11 into Milolii was a hairpin bend one after the other down, down, down the mountain. At least a couple of thousand feet drop down from the top, some quite precipitous and houses all the way down, some hanging off the edge, others parked back up into the mountain.
The lava ledges were incredible. We wandered down off to the right end to see some new houses on the lowest FLAT of Milolii – looked like mostly new construction (less than 10 years). Then we headed off to see the Beach…. Ha ha. This was the oldest part of Milolii.
To say that the houses looked like the ghetto was an understatement. It also looked like this was the spot to just park your old vehicle when it died and then fill it with trash and hope someone would come and take them away eventually. All up on blocks and filled to the brim with trash bags. Why??? When there’s a dumpster not 30 yards away for the community to fill.. oh well. I read that the 2011 Japanese tsunami wreaked some damage in the lower levels here and it looked it. Being a Saturday there were a lot of families parked under shades and tables and large groups together at the water’s edge. We kept going to the end and finally found a sandy walk in beach where we finally got into the water. Heaven. Salt and pepper sand with lots of small stones and rocks to snag your toes on. Only about 18 inches of water but enough to wallow in and cool off. WE set up our picnic in the picnic rotunda where there were several tables and ate our sandwiches and fruit watching the waves over Milolii Beach Park.
We then set out our beach chairs and soaked up the sun for about an hour.
Climbing back up out of Milolii you really see how far down the mountain you went. We stopped at Ocean View shops and got a roast chicken and some sodas, and luckily for us they had some sample fruit out on paper plates. The first one looked like a beet but it was jelly like – come to find out it is DRAGONFRUIT. Okay but nothing really to write home about. As we were checking out a lady came out with plates full of pineapple. Snagged a couple as they will probably be the only pineapple we get here because they are $1.39 per pound. (Funny how I can buy a Dole pineapple in Frys Scottsdale for 88c on sale.) We also made a discovery on the oranges we had bought that they were imported from Australia…. What???? Oh well.
We had seen a cheap gas station at $3.83 so David decided to fill up with the cheap gas. Everywhere else it is over $4 a gall. Then back to the house for afternoon of checking out emails and doing reports on the patio. The sun was out today and not much haze. We could even see the windmills on South Point from the patio. Watched a couple of movies from Netflix and kept David awake until 9:30pm. Yay he’s on Island time.
Sunday July 29
We decided to go back to Honomalina Beach only to find out that access to it was from Milolii Beach Park. So we headed back that way. Along the way David wanted to check out another couple of lots he’d researched online in Ocean View so we spent another couple of hours wandering over lava and checking out the lay of the lava at the various lots.
Then we headed back to Milolii. We found the entrance to the pathway easily enough and glad to have had on the sandshoes as it was over a pretty rocky terrain.
The Hawaiians have a pretty good rort going on with sections of the beach frontage signed off as Private Property do not enter and signs saying private beach no swimming etc. we thought that the Hawaiians had advocated that all beaches should have access for everyone???? Oh well.
Over hill over tree trunks… come out to a salt & pepper beach lined with coconut trees and with several houses up along the shoreline and then a couple of buildings in one corner that look like they should have been open for business – like renting paddleboards, etc and selling hot dogs etc but they were all boarded up even though some of the structure looked pretty new.
We found a green coconut and David went about smashing it open. Photos to prove it. We actually got some juice but the inside was fabulous so we ate it all.
David spied some small ripe papaya in a tree in the back of the lot and was able to reach them so we pocketed them. the riper one we had with lunch on the beach. The salt and pepper sand was really hot.
Larger smooth pebbles bordering on rock size at water’s edge but smooth and silky underfoot until you found a bigger rock to stub your toe on as you walked in deeper. About 30 feet into the water it got over David’s head. We explored along the shoreline and found some really nice houses that didn’t look currently occupied but really nice.. how to access??? Who owns them???
Back home with a stop at the store to buy some vitals.
Monday July 30
Got up early to get Monday reports started. No dramas. We eventually took off to seek out Ho’okena Beach between milepost 101 & 102.
First a stop at a farm that was advertising free tastings of macadamia nuts, chocolate, honey, coffee etc…. so we took the tour and had our free tastings. YUM.
David had another couple of lots to look at in Ocean View so we stopped their first along the way to check them out – see what the view was from the lots and check out the lava.
Looking into a lava tube on a property in Ocean View
Stopped at the Post Office to mail the postcards to the grandkids that David had bought, I had filled out and completed.
Found the turn off for Ho’okena Beach easily enough – I wonder why we didn’t find it the previous time we were stopping at every beach there was? This park is fairly popular to the point where we had to wait for someone to leave for us to find a park. Lots of tables, toilets and showers and camping areas.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have a snorkel or mask packed with us this trip because this was a mecca snorkeling beach. Turtles everywhere and schools of fish.
Schools of yellow fish that we could see from the shoreline up in our chairs. Again, S&P sand really hot with the sun on it….. water was divine. Had to seek out the sandy entrance otherwise we were walking over rocks but there were seams to go in…. again silky sand sensation underfoot. Water as clear as a bell…. Wonderful.
Tuesday July 31, 2018
Up doing reports early this morning… had a bloody scam phone call that woke us up at 5:30am Hawaii time. UGHH!!
It’s helicopter day.
We took off for Kona about 9:30am David had emailed the realtor of the property in Mark Twain beside Lorenzo’s and we stopped in to talk to him. Pinky found the address and we sat and chatted with Tony Arruda for a while. We left having put in an offer for both lots for $13K each. YAY.
NEXT was directions to the airport to Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. This airport takes up a lot of space. We parked and then checked in. we sat in on a TV briefing and then were herded out to “waiting area” where another girl gave us the same safety briefing before we followed her out to the helicopter waiting landing area.
We were assigned seats. 1 2 3 5 and 6. David 5 Alanah 6. And we’re off…. Over lush green farmland that surrounds the airport out over the ocean. Sky was blue, ocean was blue/green and off in the distance we could see the smoke plumes of Fissure 8. We headed over to where the lava meets the sea and it was really something to see….
Then followed the RIVER OF LAVA back up the river to the spewing lava fountain that had consumed a large portion of LEILANI ESTATES.
Lava river flowing towards the ocean
Truly amazing sight to see. Hopefully we got some good photos and videos. Then we came back across the airport over Hilo and up the coast to see where the normal rivers meet the see.
Some amazing waterfalls right into the sea.
Hopefully some good photos of those. Then back to the airport. Had it really been 50 minutes already? Rats.
Decided on looking for Rainbow Falls. For something that is as accessible and in Hilo to all the tourists of the area, the parking lot was a joke. Only about a dozen parking spots and people galore. Sure there were spots for buses which accounted for a lot of the bodies around, but there were definitely not enough car parking spaces to accommodate a regular day at the falls.
What a spectacular sight. Pity we didn’t see it in the early morning with the sun on it. Then up to Boiling Pots State Park to see where the water comes crushing down over large boulders in the river.
Look to the left and you could see Pe’epe’e Falls – PEH-EH PEH-HE. Less than a mile up the road we came to a bridge and thought we had seen the Wai’ale Falls which looked like a manmade wier from the bridge we had walked out on.
We drove past and headed up further to see if you got any views of the sea but saw only mountain views. As we were crossing back over the bridge, I spotted that there was another waterfall behind the weir so we stopped again and walked back to the bridge to the other end a saw the real Wai’ale Falls.
Not really sure which falls this is, but spectacular all the same
There was a track that lead back from the road where we could see people were off in there swimming somewhere but we weren’t interested in that.
Back to Hilo in search of a McDonalds for an ice-cream cone… Yay. Then looked for a supermarket to buy some supplies for the last couple of days. Then headed back to Discovery Harbor. The road at the Volcano Park was marked off with cones.
Signs saying Earthquake Damage and roads closed were all around.
We could see evidence of road cracking and the pavement had lifted slightly along the small stretch of highway 11.
Road repair after earthquake and volcano eruption
Other than that, smooth sailing. Moana Loa loomed large along the side of the highway being engulfed in cloud. Unfortunately the sun was directly behind it so I couldn’t get a good photo of the enormity of the volcano. It took us 90 minutes to get from Hilo to Discovery Harbor.
August 1, 2018
Woke up to no Wifi or Internet. UGHH so I can’t check any of my emails or reports.
Borrowed a ladder from landlady and took off to get a better look at the two lots in Mark Twain. David climbed the telephone post but a big tree in front blocked his view straight ahead – but to the side there were views from up there and to the side. So he came down happy and reloaded the ladder into the back of the car. Then he took off into the lots – not for me… but about30 minutes later he emerged back on the road after I could hear him thrashing about in the underbrush.
No way in – too much tangled underbrush
He walked down a little further then came back with a big smile on his face and I could see he’d already built the house in his imagination. He loved the property.
Back to the house and still no Internet access…. UGHH!! Checked in to Hawaiian Airlines with David’s phone – it was the only thing that had Internet access – thank goodness.
Off to Honomalina Beach again. Today there was hardly anyone there. We saw a group at the far end that obviously had a vehicle to bring in all their camping gear – paddleboards, BBQs etc and tents. So they had more help than lugging it in over the trail. We set up under the palm trees and went down to the water – cool to start then fabulous. We lolled around in the surf and on our towels – had lunch and then one last swim before hiking it back out again. Tide was up so I had to change shoes to get across the one spot where the Hawaiians don’t want to you to trespass on their property that goes under water (only a couple of inches) at high tide… and then changed back into my sandshoes to trek the last 100 yards back to Miloliii Beach Park.
When we got there we decided to have one last swim in the tide pools. David borrowed a mask that was on the beach and found huge parrot fish just beyond the surf break. Pity he didn’t have a spear or we would have had fish for dinner. Waahh!!
Last swim before we head back to Phoenix tomorrow…. What a vacation.!!!
So we have a plan to put into action for getting ourselves up and at em tomorrow morning (we have to be in Kona by 9:00am to hand in the car and go stand in line. We are both checked in so all we have to do is get boarding passes once we are there – we have almost packed our carryons now. Just a couple of wet things we are trying to air out before that last step. I have TSA Pre (I think). For the first leg out of Kona – yay.
Back at Thea’s we have Internet finally. I checked on my emails and there didn’t seem to be much that needed immediate attention so I let it go and went about cooking up dinner on the one burner element. I stacked the frypans and saucepans on top of each other keeping things warm so I could dish up everything at the same time. This made the preparation of dinner a lengthy process. On Netflix I found Thor Ragnarok so I started it early. Strange movie… not one of my favorites of the Marvel movies.
Aug 2
David got a phone call at 4am – UGHH!! Thinking it was just a junk call he ignored it and we went back to sleep eventually. 5:30am I got a junk call that woke me up – being up I decided to stay up and get the process of packing up and getting out of here started. David got another call at 6am that got him out of bed. When he finally checked his voicemails he found out they were both from work and he probably should have answered both of them. So I had already showered and was in the process of having breakfast – David had packed and we were enjoying the last of our papaya… YUM.
The drive back to Kona was uneventful – a little bit of traffic but nothing to complain about. Dropped the car off and headed off to TSA. Got our boarding passes – I had TSA Pre and breezed through. I watched as David was waylaid as they checked his sand bags. The agent checked a couple and then gave up. It took him 20 minutes to get through TSA. I had found a table in the shade and we watched as an Hawaiian band and dancers had set up in the forecourt and entertained the howlies as we departed their shores. Off to Honolulu. The walk from the gate we came in at was long. We had to go through another produce check station – took a little time. WE got to the gate and they were asking for folks to check in their carryons so we obliged. We settled down and I made our lunch sandwiches and they started boarding. So we gulped down the sandwiches and got in line to board. David and I weren’t sitting together but my seat mates were nice fellas from Chandler.
We got to Phoenix and unfortunately mother nature decided we needed to extend our holiday and sent the biggest dust storm to Phoenix just as we were arriving – followed by rain in parts of the Valley. We were put in a racetrack pattern with several other planes and stayed that way for about 45 mins. Then we got the go ahead to land. Pilot bounced us a little. Dry at the beginning and then raining on the plane as we got to the other end of the runway. Typical Phoenix storms.
As our carryons were last on the plane – they were first off which meant they were buried on the carts as it took the longest to get them at baggage claim. Taxi home – the whole trip it was dry. Not a drop in Scottsdale. 11pm we arrived home. We were still on island time so it took us a while to get to bed and sleep. David has to work tomorrow.
Aug 3.
Wash – my whole carryon of clothes went in the wash. Some still a little damp from Hawaii ocean. 😊
I’m headed back to Hawai’i. Leaving on the 22nd of March, returning to Arizona on April 15.
I like the times of these flights. I will arrive in Kona in the late afternoon instead of late at night like my last trip. Also, the return trip is at 10:30 PM and is a red eye flight – arriving in AZ in the morning of the following day. Both trips go thru LAX. I hope this will be better than returning at 8:30 in the morning – necessitating I be at the airport at 7 AM, leaving my place around 5:30. That worked out alright last time, but I would like to find a different way.
When researching this trip, I was also looking into flights to Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte North Carolina, and other places back east. I was checking out different dates and different airlines, trying to get the best prices, etc.
I was also looking into rental cars. In Hawaii, I figure that I will get a rental for the first two days there so that I can get to my place from the airport. Then I will return the car to Kona at a convenient time to catch the bus to return. While I am there, I will use my car that I bought last time I was there. I guess that I did not pay close enough attention to what I was booking. In the movie “Knight and Day”, Cameron Diaz as June Havens is visiting Roy Miller’s (played by Tom Cruise) parents. The mother, Molly says, “You don’t know what you are typing into that computer, Frank.”
Sometimes, that pretty well describes me . . . except I’m not named Frank!
But, apparently, I input the wrong dates for the rental car . . . March 15 thru the 17th instead of March 22 thru the 24th. I got a great rate . . . but the dates just wouldn’t work. I don’t arrive until the 22nd. By the time I realized my mistake, it was less than three weeks from when I would leave – or two weeks before the 15th, . . . anyway, I called the rental car company to change the dates. The cost would be more than double. I could make a complete new booking, ignore the one already booked, and save money rather than change the booking dates. Is that crazy, or what?
Now I’ll need to book a covid-19 test for 72 hours before my last flight from the mainland. That’s 1:40 PM on the 22nd. So, my test has to be taken after 1:40 PM on the 19th. Which is kind of weird, because 72 hours before I arrive in Kona would be 4:41PM on the 19th; but I would be in Arizona 72 hours before I arrive in Kona, and Arizona is three hours ahead of Hawaii, so 4:41 PM in Hawaii would be 7:41 PM in Arizona. But it is 72 hours before your last flight leaves. My last flight leaves at 1:40 PM from Los Angeles, which is one hour behind Arizona, so 1:40 in Los Angeles is 2:40 in Arizona. Does that mean my test must be before 2:40 PM? But yet, 2:40 PM in Arizona is only 11:40 AM in Hawaii. When I tried to discuss this with the “trained medical professional” who was checking my medical information the last time I went to Hawai’i, he gave me a blank stare. I guess that they don’t teach time zones until eighth grade in Hawaii.
Anyway, my bag is packed and weighed. Trying to get it as close to 50 lbs as possible without going over.
I’ve got the switches and the lights , and the wires all packed for the solar lighting in the shed. I have a few more tools. Another blanket. I’ve got plenty of clothes there, but I do need more socks. And a pair of tennis shoes. The ones I wore while I was there are pretty well shot. They were not much more than rags after stumbling around in the rocks for three weeks. Of course, they were pretty well worn out to start with.
The waiting is always the worst part. I’m anxious to get back and continue with the projects that I could not finish. I’m worried about any new rules the government has instituted since I was there last regarding this pandemic. My mind is working overtime creating all manner of scenarious.
I tried to book my covid test today. I need to schedule my test for sometime after 1:40 PM on Friday to be within the 72 hour limit. They are only scheduling through Thursday. Tomorrow. I’ll check back tomorrow.
Done. Covid Test is booked for Friday afternoon. Here we go again. After the test, and after I get the result, and within 24 hours of leaving for or arriving in Hawaii (I’m not sure which) I will need to go on to the Hawaii Travels Website and upload the test results.
I have signed up with a website ( https://earthquaketrack.com/about ) that tracks earthquakes world wide. I have identified the island of Hawai’i and it gives me updates of major happenings. Three or four days ago, it sent me an email that there was an earthquake measuring 4.2 with an epicenter 17 miles NNE of Pahala. Pahala is about 10 miles NNE of Naalehu. That means this earthquake was about 30 miles from my place. According to this website, there were 20 earthquakes near Pahala in the last 24 hours, and . . . 6,860 in the last 365 days! ROCK AND ROLL!
Apparently there was a cluster of over a hundred quakes in the Mauna Loa/Kilauea area within the last 24 hours. WAHOO!!
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ORDER #67974605SPECIMEN COLLECTION DATEMarch 19, 2021RESULTS RECEIVED DATEMarch 20, 2021TESTSCOVID-19 LAB PDFPATIENT FRIENDLY PDF
Your results suggest you were negative at the time of testing.*
*Although the possibility is low, a false negative result should be considered if you have had recent exposure to the virus along with symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
I received my lab results for my Covid-19 test – Negative – I’m good to go.
Now I need to remember to register with the State of Hawaii, and check in with the airlines – both within 24 hours of my flight tomorrow. . . so, I’ll do that at 11AM.
TropicalCastaway 
