I love me a road trip.  Anyone who knows me well, knows this is an incontrovertible truth.  I've personally driven to each of the 10 Canadian provinces, some of them multiple times.  Get me in a car, get me a good traveling companion, and I'm set.  I'm quite lucky to have married an ideal traveling companion, and one who enjoys road trips as well.  And, on our third day in this short getaway, we road-tripped. But before said road trip, we broke fast at a resort down the road from our condo.  That place was something to behold.  Let me give an example.  In Las Vegas, there's this tram/monorail that's handy from getting from resort to resort.  At this Hilton resort in Waikaloa beach, a tram takes you around the resort itself.  Or, if you so choose, you can ride a boat to get around as well.  They have a private lagoon, they're right on the beach, have various watercraft available... it's the prototypical beach resort. I've never stayed at a place like that.  I considered it for this trip, but thought if the hotel was too nice we'd never get out and explore.  Where we're staying, we're in a condo.  It's nice, but there's nothing to do aside from watch TV or swim in the small pool.  So we're motivated to get up, get dressed, and get out.  I'm happy with that. After our breakfast, we hopped in the car to make our way around to the other side of the island to see an active volcano.  Now, a road trip is awesome; we've established that.  A road trip with the top down on a beautiful sunny day is amazing.  We drove around 100 miles, traveling from sea level up to 2500 feet, back to sea level at Hilo, then up to 3500 feet near Volcanoes National Park.  This island really does have many disparate climate zones.  At Waikaloa, it was around 79 and windy, yet around the north side of the island, up at 2500 feet,  it was less windy, but easily in the low 60s.  In Hilo it was warm again, though more humid, them back to cooler climes in the park.  And despite my sunburned scalp, I think it's likely I'm going to have a convertible before the spring rolls around. The vegetation changes so much on this drive.  Here at the beach, it's pretty much a desert.  There's savannah grasses, some mesquite trees (called Kiawe here), and lots and lots of lava rock.  Around the resorts there's the typical palm trees, of course. But go north and the brown grasses give way to lush hillsides full of green grasses and full trees.  Palm trees give way to Norfolk Island pines as you wind your way through the mountains.  Then, coming along the eastern side of the island, you descend and traverse these enormous gulches, crowded with dense green trees and peppered with beautiful waterfalls. Hilo is obviously a population center, with a pretty drive along the harbor as you follow the highway through.  We didn't spend any time there, since we'd be coming back through on our way back from the park, thus we drove straight on to Volacnoes National Park. The road along the southern rim of the Kilauea caldera was closed due to air quality issues, but we got a great view of the activity from the Jaggar observation center north of it.  The enormity of it is breathtaking.  Alas, this was as close as I was going to get to real lava -- your humble narrator, A.K.A. Gimpy McGee Von Urchin Foot, couldn't make the hike out to where the lava is flowing outside the park.  But, I have an excuse to come back.  We did walk to the trail through the Thurston Lava tube -- worth it for the entrance alone. Upon leaving the park, we made our way back to Hilo.  Approaching the town, it lived up to its reputation as being rainy, which put the kibosh on the top-down driving, as well as any serious sight-seeing in town.  So we made our way back to the west side of the island, in time for a late dinner at Roy's (which, apparently, has a location on State Street in Chicago).  After a lovely dinner, we adjourned to the condo, thus ending day 3. This morning, I sit on our balcony for the last time on this trip, as our plan leaves tonight for a red-eye to San Francisco.  We'll do a little exploring in Kona today, maybe take in the brewery tour at Kona Brewing, visit the Royal Kona coffee visitor center. Hang loose!

I know I married the right person.  That was proven in many ways today, and I'll be sure to point out these instances as they occur in this tale of our second day in Hawaii. We start the day with the very first instance of how I know I married the right person, because my lovely wife suggested we do our lunch today at Kona Brewing Company.  Like I'm going to say no to that. Today was a top down day -- the sun was shining, the wind was still a bit high, but we were going to be at highway speeds, so with the top down and the tunes playing on the radio, we made our way south to Kona. The Hawaii coast is a gorgeous drive.  At various points between Waikaloa and the Kona airport, you have this view where you can see weather patterns make their way down Mauna Loa toward the coast.  Somewhere, far from where we were, it was raining -- where we were, the sun was shining.  We win. Pulling into the Kona Brewing Company, the first thing you see are the giant conical fermenters.  When you see giant conical fermenters, beer is imminent.  We were seated in their nice outside seating area, their myriad umbrellas providing a near complete cover from the sun (and possibly rain). Of course I went straight to the beer menu.  Their limited edition brews were their Pipeline Porter, and their Wailua Wheat. I went for the wheat, being in a mood for a good hot day beer.  It was different, with a definite fruity vein running through it.  It is made with passion fruit, but I don't know what passion fruit tastes like.  So to me, it tasted like peach.  Tisha had the red ale, which was very nice, malty with a nice hit of hop bitterness at the end.  We also tried a sampler, featuring their porters (Pipeline Porter and Black Sand porter) and their two seasonal brews, both stouts (Dry Side Stout and a coffee stout, both served on nitrogen).  All delicious!  I finished with a nice glass of Hula Hefeweisen.  Okay, beer talk done. They serve all types of food, but the specialty is pizza, and that's where we went, ordering this wonderful concoction with all kinds of cheeses, including chevre and gorgonzola, and dotted with enough cloves of garlic to take out the casts of Twilight, Interview With a Vampire, and The Lost Boys.  (Did I hit enough decades in there?  Good.  Moving on.)  It was delicious! After the leisurely pizza and beer extravaganza that was our Valentine's Day lunch, we decided to take it easy and just drive around, exploring.  We drove around Kona a bit, and made our way to just south of Captain Cook before turning around and making our way back.  The plan was to hit the beach, do some swimming, then either grab a nice dinner at one of the restaurants around the resort, or if we couldn't get a table, I'd whip up a glorious dinner at the condo.  Preliminary phone calls indicated the meal à la Craig was the more likely of the outcomes, since our free-wheeling vacationing style doesn't lead to reservations made very far in advance.  And, apparently, Valentine's Day is a popular day to eat out. No worries, beach-ward we were bound!  The beach was practically deserted on our arrival, save for a wedding going on a few hundred feet down the shoreline.  So off we went into the ocean, my first swim in the Pacific Ocean.  The water was great, and so stunningly clear! Shortly into the swim, I kicked into a sharp rock with my heel.  I shrugged it off and continued on my way.  It was stinging an awful lot, though, so I reached down and felt something sticking out of my heel.  So I presented my heel to Tisha to see if she could see anything (since it was too deep for me to stand up and examine it myself).  "Oh." she said.  Hmm, that's not good.  "You've got these spiky things sticking out of your heel."  Great.  I paddled my way in to where I could support myself on my hands while Tisha removed the spikes, except part of the spikes stay behind.  Yup, I'd managed to dig my heel into a sea urchin, or "'wana" as they call them here. I wasn't in too much pain, so we stayed in the water, happily swimming away.  Not ten minutes later, while I was making my way towards Tisha, I put my foot down to see if I could touch.  Can you guess what's going to happen here? I put my big toe (same foot) into another urchin.  This one with tinier spines, so when I stuck my toe up above water, it looked like it was going a porcupine impression.  Sigh. Enough with the swimming, lest I manage to convert myself into some giant hairy hedgehog.  We made our way out of the water, rinsed off, and drove back to the condo.   After some research on the net to see what I should do, I found this, among other pages.  That sure looked like my heel, and it was mighty tender to walk on. And this is how I know I married the right person, yet again.  Because instead of the romantic dinner I would whip up, my lovely wife drove to the grocery store to buy some foot-healing supplies and a deli sandwich for me (with some sushi for her), and spent the night helping me soak my foot and apply various ointments and other folk remedies. And not a complaint. She's awesome, I tells ya! Today, it's off to see some volcanoes!  I'll limp my way to lava one way or another!  Stay tuned, Staceketeers!

On Thursday, we went from a climate of 35 degrees Farenheit to 79.  It took three airports, two planes, two airplane meals, one TSA screening, and 12 hours from beginning to end. On Friday, we went from a climate of 83 degrees Farenheit to 27.  It took one van with 13 people, one picnic of stew, and about 3 hours.  And it was awesome. But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Our Friday began with us waking up quite early for us -- that 4 hour time difference is great right now, but it's going to burn us when we return. We did a quick breakfast at a nearby strip mall and make our plans for the day, knowing whatever we did, we needed to be done by 2:30.  Tisha and I  are typically very laid-back vacationers and don't make a lot of plans in advance.  A vacation isn't enjoyable if you're constantly checking a schedule and trying to cram too much in.  Our philosophy is that if we miss something we wanted to do, that's all the more excuse to come back.  But we did have this one booking we didn't want to miss, so we opted for some light exploration and gathering of supplies. Since we're staying in a condo with a full kitchen, we picked up some staples like coffee, creamer, juice, and beer.  Oh, we got some decent beers, too.  I didn't buy anything from Kona Brewing Company, since we'll be going there to eat and I'd rather try it on tap, but we got some Blonde Lager and some Coconut Porter from Maui Brewing, in cans!  I'm really coming around on canned beer -- it's environmentally friendly, but it's also beer friendly.  No light == better beer!  Both are nice, though I prefer the porter (which is hardly surprising, given my tastes), but I felt something light and crisp would be good for drinking on this awesome blacony after a hot day. We visited the beach nearest the condo -- we're in the Waikaloa resort.  I'll be heading back there for a swim today or o tomorrow, but at the very least, I wandered into the water so I could get my feet wet in the Pacific for the first time.  We then took a little drive, exploring Waikaloa village, which seems to be the main residential area in the area.  I always think it must be weird to live in such a touristy place, but people do it, obviously.  I have the same thoughts whenever I visit Las Vegas, too.  The village was a nice little drive, and we visited their grocery store to pick up some things from their grocery store that the one in the resort didn't have. (What kind of grocery store sells only cone coffee filters and not basket style?) As I'd said earlier, we don't typically schedule things rigidly, but Friday was a bit different.  It was the one thing I'd booked in advance, on the advice of Ti who noted he wanted to do it when he was here but couldn't get an opening on any of the tours.  And that is the Mauna Kea Stars and Summit tour. At 2:45, we were standing outside the Kings Shops, looking up to the peak of Mauna Kea.  It looked so far away, covered with snow, and dotted with observatories.  It looked that way for a good reason.  And that reason is that it was far away, covered with snow, and dotted with observatories.  I'm a clever one, n0thing gets past me. Around 3, Buck pulled up in the van with 6 passengers on board.  Two other couples were waiting with us, and shortly we were underway.  After a short stop in the aforementioned Waikaloa Village to pick up our dinner, we made the drive onto the infamous Saddle Road. If you look at a road map of the Big Island, you'll see this road bisecting the island from the west side to the east, from Waikaloa to Hilo.  you might see this road and think, "Hey, shortcut!"  No.  Get that thought out of your head.  At least for now. The Saddle Road was built by the Army Corps of Engineers a long time back to access their training grounds in the middle of the island.  It was a single lane road at that time.  Eventually, the county and state decided to make it a two lane road, so they widened it.  The county paved one side, the state paved the other.  Imagine in your head what that road must look like -- two separate entities each working on the same road.  If you've any experience with bureaucracies, you probably have a fairly adequate picture in your head. Most rental car companies will not let you take your car on the Saddle Road.  It's that bad.  It's getting better -- partway the road becomes much-improved as they're re-engineering and re-paving the road.  If you come from Hilo, you can make it to the Mauna Kea summit access road without driving this horrendous section, for example.  But since we came from the west, we drove the bumpy, twisty road that would probably best be served  with a lunar rover than with anything used on this planet.  Foreshadowing alert: it was not the worst road we'd be on. From pick-up to our first stop, we spent about 2 hours driving.  Buck made the drive fun and interesting, feeding us the facts that I'm spouting here to make myself sound knowledgeable.  We went around the van and introduced ourselves.  Everyone else had been to the islands before, but for some it was their first visit to the Big Island.  A couple from Regina, Saskatchewan was in front of us -- represent north side! At 5, we stopped for dinner of stew and corn bread.  This stop allowed us to acclimate, since we went from sea level to 6800 feet in that time.  After a nice picnic in this wooded area, we were off again toward the summit, climbing more and more over the next 30 minutes to around 9000 feet, when we reached the visitor center.  And the end of the pavement. The summit of Mauna Kea is public access, but they don't want to make it easy for you to get there, since too many people means light and radio pollution at the top, which messes with the observatories.  So, for the next little while, you're driving up a 17% grade on bumpy dirt road.  Very bumpy.  We were waxing nostalgic about how nice the Saddle Road was.  Happily, once we passed the tree line, pavement kicked in again.  They pave it from that point since snow is frequent and it's much easier to plow.  Indeed, when we passed the visitor center, it was a bit surreal to see snow blowers, snow plows, and large equipment with chains on the tires, considering we were in Hawaii. By 6:30 or so we reached the summit, with a dozen or so observatories peppered about.  There were the 7mm radio telescopes first, followed by some impressive beasties, including the 8.2 meter Subaru Telescope witht the largest finest mirror on the planet.  Back at 6800 feet, parkas were distributed, and you need them up here.  It was snowy, slightly windy, and a blamy 29 degrees with the sun just peeking over the cloud horizon. Shortly after arriving the sun dipped below the clouds in a marvelous display of beauty.  It might have been the hypoxia, but it was moving.  And it would not be the first time I was moved that night. After a half hour at the summit, we made our way back to the visitor center at 9000 feet.  Buck parked the van and set up the 11 inch telescope beside the van while we perused the gift shop.  Then we got our own stargazing lessons, learning how to find various stars and constellations using guideposts and markers in the sky. At that altitude, in that darkness, the sky is simply enourmous, bright, and crowded.  With my naked eye I saw a satellite move overhead.  With the telescope, we could see the phase of Venus (it was slightly gibbous).  He pointed it at the middle star of Orion's sword, or at least what appears to be the middle star to the naked eye.  In this telescope, it was a nebula, the dust cloud plainly visible, and a trapezoid of young stars in the middle.  I could not believe the resolution -- I really felt in awe of the enormity of the universe upon seeing that through the scope. At that altitude, to the naked eye the stars of the Pleides are plainly visible, the band of the Milky Way stood out like I'd never seen before.  Through the telescope, we looked at the Andromeda galaxy, its shape clearly visible, and we looked upon Saturn, and could plainly see its rings. I've always had a fondness for astronomy -- the NASA Astronomy Photo of the Day is a part of my daily reading regimen, but this was just breathtaking.  It's a shame we live in such a light-polluted area, else I could see myself doing this every night. By 9:00, we were on our way back to Waikaloa, back over the Saddle Road, pulling up in front of the King's Shops around 10:20.  A full day, and worth every penny.  Ti, you have to come back and do this. I'll be peppering these posts with pictures upon my return to the mainland.  For my Facebook chums, I'll be uploading iPhone photos pretty regularly. What will today bring?  I have no idea, but it's time to start!

About a month back, I decided to surprise Tisha with a long weekend getaway for Valentine' Day, our 15th together. What with the complexities of getting time off work and booking things in advance, she had to know we were going somewhere, just not exactly where. After finding the right schedule and her confirming the days off, I booked the trip to Kona, Hawaii, 6 days in total, 2 of them travel days. That left us 4 full days on the Big Island. Last week I broke down and told her exactly where we were going in case she had any last minute things she needed to do/buy before we left. Also, I have a really hard time keeping happy secrets. Our adventure started yesterday at noon Chicago time, when our very full plane left from Chicago en route to San Francisco for the first leg of the journey. An uneventful flight ensued, which is pretty much exactly the type of flight everyone is hoping for when they buckle up. (Having flown on long haul flights overseas on Lufthansa, we're both pretty spoiled because United just can't match the experience. First Class was moderately comfortable, but the seats were still jammed in close enough that the person on the aisle has to get up to let the person on the inside get out. I'm just saying, Lufthansa is awesome.) The flight from SFO to KOA was a bit longer, on slightly more modern equipment, and the crew on that flight were fantastic. Before depearture, the captain came out and introduced himself to everyone in the front of the plane, shaking hands, and personally thanking each one of us for flying with them. On flights to Hawaii, they play a "halfway to Hawaii" game where you make your best guess on the time when we cross the geographic halfway point between take-off and landing. They collect the guesses and the top 3 win a prize. Tisha came second, only 18 seconds off the actual point (on this flight 5:23:28 HST), and won a coupon for some chocolate covered Macadamia nuts. Tisha doesn't like Macadamia nuts. I, on the other hand, LOVE Macadamia nuts. Real Winner... [caption id="attachment_416" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="This Guy!"] [/caption] One of the flight attendants, on finding out this was our first Hawaii trip, gave us a bottle of champagne to celebrate with. So tonight, we'll make a toast under the stars. The Kona airport is a weird experience for someone who hasn't been there before. Specifically, because you're never inside. It's all open air, from the gates to the roadway, with sections that have rain cover but are still decidedly outdoors. I imagine this is old hat to people who've flown to warm climes often, but for a pair of cold dwellers like Tisha and I it was something new, and pretty cool. The car rental counter kept offering me upgrades, so I asked about the convertible. They wanted an extra $70 a day for it, which seemed completely crazy. I played aloof until she got down to $30, at which point I offered $25 andwe called it a deal. I love convertibles. Our place is enormous. We're staying in a condo at The Shores of Waikaloa Beach. It's got a full kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a giant wrap-around balcony (from which I'm writing this entry). Ostensibly there's wired net I can pay for, but I'm happy to mooch off some other resident's wireless. :) We're ab0out to go grab some breakfast, do a little exploring, and eventuall get some lunch. At 3 we're going to the Mauna Kea summit, details here. More later!

I have a special wish. It's not one that will ever be realized, but imagining it makes me happy in all my happy places. I just wish that for every spam message that annoys someone, the person who generated that spam message gets a slap in the head. Nothing violent, nothing injury inducing.  Just one of those smacks to the back of the head.  Like this. The say that spammers spam because for every thousand people they annoy, they get one person who buys whatever they're selling.  I just like to picture the results if those 1000 annoyances result in 1000 smacks to the back of the head. Oh, and we should also get to slap the people who buy the spammer's snake oil, too. It's a pretty picture, innit?