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summer 09

a travel blog by AnneC

Our 25th Wedding Anniversary trip, (not to mention Nick's 50th Birthday - OOPS I just did!) trip to Hawaii and Phoenix. And the kids came too!
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day 1

Heathrow, United Kingdom

After all the planning and panicing we were finally ready to go. Well, almost ready when Phil turned up to drive us to the airport - Thanks for taking us Phil. Of course when we got to the hotel it was photo in the corridor time etc and then we found that we couldn't get into our room! Nick, thinking American already had us on the ground floor not the first!

hotel corridor


Abbie in restaurant.
Then it was to the bar for a quick drink and something to eat before getting our last nights sleep for some while.



permalink written by  AnneC on August 2, 2009 from Heathrow, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: summer 09
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day 2

Heathrow, United Kingdom

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear Nicholas,
Happy birthday to you.

Yes it was Nick's Big 50!

We went down to the breakfast buffet where surprisingly we all found lots to eat. Nick opened his cards and had the obligatory Photo taken.


Nick's birthday breakfast

Then it was off to the airport in the shuttle bus. It took three people to help load the cases and we were still within our limit!
At the airport we loaded the cases onto trolleys and wheeled them through the airport. We checked in at the first class desk BECAUSE OF ABBIES WHEELCHAIR and they bought it. Again the obligatory photo and while we were lining up Abbie is sure she saw Sienna Miller and evidently we missed Cameron Diaz by one day.


First class check in

First class check in (2)
Then it was off to the airport lounge - first class of course and drinks and food and lots of ice for Abbies knee.

Our Plane

Then it was onto the plane, and champagne.


The family in First Class

More icebergs off Greenland coast

Abbie relaxing
Dining was an experience. I had a "guest" as the steward told me. I was getting excited then along came Tam!

Tam in her corner seat.
Seriously though, dining table for two, table cloth, proper cutlery and glasses.The meals were personally made, adjusted to our needs which was great.

dining first class

Our jetsetters!
You should have seen Abbie's face when she was given two giant slabs of orange cake! For a while I didn't think we'd get Tam off the plane!

Through immigration and customs then to the hotel.


At the hotel in Phoenix
Phoenix was experiencing its rainy season so with temperatures on landing of 105F it wasn't long before there was a huge thunderstorm with sheet and yellow fork lightning. What does yellow lightning mean? The girls and Nick went for a quick swimm before the storm got too close. Then it was down to dinner. Disaster! We were jet lagged and hungry - food took a lifetime to get to us, then mine was wrong and Tam's juice was off! So we gave up and went to bed. So much for a nice meal to celebrate Nick's birthday - at least we dined in style on the plane.

permalink written by  AnneC on August 4, 2009 from Heathrow, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: summer 09
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day 3

Waimea, United States

This was the day we were all dreading. Phoenix to San Francisco, San Francisco to LA and then LA to Kona and all in economy! The guy on the desk at Phoenix did his best to get us on a flight to LA but it wasn't to be however he did manage to move us so that we weren't right at the very back of the plane so that was something. The flights weren't too bad -it was the getting on and off. In fact at one airport we were just left there as the plane didn't have a gate and so had to unload on the tarmac. With Abbies leg bad there was no way she would have got down the steps. Eventually they did manage to find a "slope" for us and another person who had a broken back. Then we were again expected to manhandle Abbie and the wheel chair up some steps into the air port building. Thankfully a guy who was unloading the baggage got us into the lift so thank you who ever you were that was really helpful unlike many of the other people we encountered.

Eventually, after hours of peering out on cloud and endless ocean we got our first glimpse of Hawaii - Mauna Kea poking through a fairly thick cloud cover. We could see the cinder cones and the observatories. Then it was down to the coast and Kona airport.

Here they brought a lift in for Abbie and there was no terminal building to have to get into.


getting off the plane Hawaii style!
The girls couldn't believe how laid back it was there with just little huts and benches on the side of the runway. The air was thick and heavy with the sweet smell of the tropical flowers that were all around us. We got our bags and made our way to the rental car place. everyone was really friendly and helpful at the airport in contrast to the mainland.

then it was party game time! How could we get all our luggage in the small American boot of the car?? Well, the girls and I stood back and let Nick get on with it. Thirty minutes or so later we all squeezed around the luggage in the car and we were on our way to Waimea. Slightly worrying that we were on the dry side of the island and it was raining but then again the Cowley family can break pretty much any drought!

We were a bit worried about our accommodation having seen a few bad reviews however it was clean and functional for one night so it was fine.

And so to bed.

permalink written by  AnneC on August 7, 2009 from Waimea, United States
from the travel blog: summer 09
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day 4

Hilo, United States

We didn’t get up bright and early but I think we slept fairly well. Then it was up and breakfast and off to explore Hawaii.

View from room at Waimea Lodge

We drove through pasture lands of the Parker Ranch and onto the Old Mamalahoa Highway- a small country lane that wound up through the lush hill country that used to be the main road.

Old Mamalahoa Highway - cattle country
We stopped off at what is known as cave no3- an old miners quarry that goes into an old lava tube from an old Mauna Kea flow. These caves were also used by early Hawaiians and some contain structures that may have been built by them. Our torches weren’t strong enough to explore any further than a couple of metres beyond the cave entrance but it was good to explore something that was so quiet and unspoilt.

Cave No3 with Anne and Tam

Cave No3 and Abbie

From here we rejoined the new main road and the other tourists to go to Waipi’o Valley overlook. As we didn’t have a 4 wheel drive car, to travel into the steep sided valley, we stayed at the overlook. Legend has it that the valley was gouged out by a powerful warrior with his club to prove how strong he was, and was once a powerful place where kings made decisions and homes to many living on farms. In 1946 a large tsunami struck washing everything away and then most people left although a few farmers still remain as is evident from the taro fields we could see.

Waipio Valley

Waipio Valley with Anne, Abbie and Tam

From Waipi’o valley we drove inland, or mauka, to Kalopa Native Forest Park for a picnic lunch. There were huge ohia trees and tree ferns. We also had our first encounter with a mongoose. You know the sort of thing – Oh look isn’t it cute etc etc then finding them everywhere after a few days its just oh no another stupid mongoose trying to get run over!
Then we headed south along the Hamakua coast to Laupahoehoe Point. Here on April 1st 1946 a tsunami with a 30’ wave struck a school on the coast sweeping 21 children and 3 adults to their death. There were records of the event by those involved describing how they survived but others did not and a memorial.

Laupohoehoe Point, memorial to tsunami victims

Laupohoehoe Point, the sea
All was quiet when we were there with some locals swimming in what used to be the harbour. Abbie couldn’t resist the temptation and had a little paddle in the rock pools.
As we stayed here quite a while we had to miss out on several other sites and drive the main highway to Hilo where we did a quick shop and then made our way to Turtle House.



permalink written by  AnneC on August 8, 2009 from Hilo, United States
from the travel blog: summer 09
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Day 5

Hilo, United States

Our Silver Wedding Anniversary
It was a strange night and even earlier morning with no curtains at the window and no door either. Our loo and shower were peculiar again no curtains at the window and they were quite low. I sort of showered stooping over and got dried in the shower. I am sure no one could see me but I wasn’t taking that chance!
Back to our wedding anniversary. Abbie and Tam got up early to make us breakfast – juice, coffee, bacon and pancakes. Then it was off to the park- Hawaii Volcanoes National Park that is.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

We went to a talk by the ranger, looked at the exhibits and watched the film to orientate ourselves before setting out to explore.
Our next stop was at Thurston lava tube – a lava tube that runs 27 miles down to the ocean.

Entrance to Thurston Lava Tube, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Only a little bit is accessible and you have to share with lots of other people so it was a very different experience to the one at Waimea. However it was still quite eerie with tree roots coming through the ceiling dripping water on us. There were also small ferns growing around the lights that lit our way over the bumpy ground. We didn’t see any but there are reported to be small insects that have adapted to living in this darkness. At the far end of the accessible tube you could see quite clearly how far the later flows came up the tunnel from the tide marks left up the walls.

Thurston Lava Tube, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

After the lava tube we headed down to Devastation Trail an area that had been covered with ash from the 1959 Kilauea Iki eruption but is now starting to recover with some plants starting to get a hold.

Devastation Trail, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
It was getting quite dark now but we kept coming across Kalij pheasants. They were quite comical as they were desperately trying to jump up at bushes to get ohelo berries and missing by miles! I have no idea how they get up into the trees that they are supposed to roost in at night – step ladder maybe?
By that time night was creeping in as it does quite early in Hawaii so we had a quick piccie stop at Kilauea Iki

Abbie taking photos at Kilauea Iki, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
and then went on to Halemaumau overlook at the Jaggar museum. Unfortunately, even though it was our anniversary, Pele didn’t oblige and there was only a slight curl of fumes coming from the crater. It was still an awesome sight to think of the potential of the magma a liitle way beneath our feet. Then as the Sun finally lost all its power we headed back to the Turtle House for dinner and to open our cards – thank you anyone who sent us one.




permalink written by  AnneC on August 13, 2009 from Hilo, United States
from the travel blog: summer 09
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day 6

Hilo, United States

Today we had a lot to do and we also had to move accommodation. Fortunately Turtle House had no one moving in so we could worry about moving later on and get straight out and about.
First stop Halemaumau overlook again. Pele again didn’t perform but there was a little more in the way of steam/fumes probably due to the overnight rains. It seemed strange actually being where I’d been watching for the last year on the webcam. I was one of those lucky people I had seen on there. You could smell the fumes and it was catching in Abbie’s throat quite badly but we did manage to get a few photos.

Abbie and Tam, Halemaumau Crater, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
There were also some white birds with long tails that kept swooping over the vent that we looked up afterwards. They were Tropic Birds and live around the crater so I assume they knew what they were doing. Then we popped into the shop and museum to see the exhibits and also check on the seismographs – only background tremors.
We then headed for Steam Bluff where steam and sulphurous fumes were escaping from large cracks at the side of the caldera due to slippage down fault lines.

Steaming Bluffs, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
We then wheeled Abbie in her chair to Sulphur Banks where the gases coming out of the ground are mainly sulphur and turn the ground yellow. You can even see the crystals of sulphur that are forming.

Sulphur Banks, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
By this time it was midday and hot and Nick and I both got “wheelchair pushers sunburn” down our arms.
We then headed down Chain of Craters Road to Hilina Pali Overlook for a picnic lunch. The view was fabulous from the top of the 1000’ fault escarpment where the coastal land is slipping away and was laid out like an aerial map way below us.

Abbie and Tam on Hilini Pali Overlook at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
After lunch we retraced our steps to the Mauna Ulu overlook where in 1973 the road was buried by lava and to a fissure that once fountained. There was lava everywhere from this series of eruptions of both a’a and pahoehoe types and upslope you could see steam rising from vents.
We then carried on down the pali planning to stop several more times to see views of lava and petroglyphs but the fumes were too bad so we had to stay in the car with the aircon on full. Poor Abbie and Tam were suffering with it rather and Tam spent a lot of time with a tissue permanently attached to her nose!
By the time we got to the end of the road we were in clear air and we were surprised to be able to see a cloud looming up ahead of us. We didn’t really expect to see the Ocean entry from the park as it had moved quite a way down the coast but there it was looking quite spectacular. So, photo time again at the end of the road and the lava plume. Then on the way back to the car we went to Holei sea arch and watched the waves crashing into the land –Pele arguing and fighting with her sister.

Holei Sea Arch, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Then we had to go back up to Volcano Village and try to find Nahele where we had to move to. That took some doing as we had to go down tiny grassy tracks through a maze of houses and tumble down shacks in the middle of the rain forest. We did find it eventually and entered it into our Sat Nav then left Abbie there and went back to Turtle House to get our stuff. That wasn’t a problem. Finding our way back to Nahele was the problem. We seemed to be going round in circles on tracks that were getting less and less navigable in the pitch black. The Sat Nav had us in totally the wrong place! Eventually, with a bit of map reading and total guess work we found our way back to Abbie, unpacked and settled in.




permalink written by  AnneC on August 13, 2009 from Hilo, United States
from the travel blog: summer 09
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day 7

Hilo, United States

Off to the Puna district today. First stop was the Lava Tree State Park. The lava trees were formed when fast flowing Pahoehoe lava came up against wet ohi’a trees. A thick lava coating was left on the trees which hardened while the trees slowly burned. In some of them you could even see the bark pattern left on the hardened lava.We had to be careful with Abbie in the wheelchair as there were huge cracks on either side of the path created by an explosive eruption in 1790.

Bark pattern on lava tree, Lava Tree State Park, Puna

Lava tree, Lava Tree State Park, Puna

We then went pasta thermal power plant. Twenty per cent of the electricity on the island comes from thermal sources. Here there is a basket ball sized hole in the ground that is 1 mile deep. This releases steam which drives turbines.
This is also an area of papaya farms and due to the decimation of the crop by disease in 1950’s papayas were the first GM crop sold in the USA. The plants were quite odd looking reminding me of brussel sprouts as the bald stem had a crown of fruit and leaves at the top.
We then went to Cape Kumukahi, the Eastern most point of the Island. It is said that some of the best air in the world is here and many governments use it as a measure to compare their own air quality to. I was really looking forward to this but all got was the smell of lava and dust!
We then went to the Kapoho tide pools. These are a series of tide pools some volcanically heated that link up and are great swimming and snorkelling holes. Tam and Abbie saw lots of fish there.

Abbie and Tam, Kapoho Tide Pools, Puna

Abbie and Tam, Kapoho Tide Pools, Puna
We then moved onto the Ahalanui Hot Pond. Again volcanically heated being spring and ocean fed but this time in the form of one large natural swimming pool. This time Nick braved it as well.
Then it was time for the highlight of the day – hiking to within half a mile to where the lava hit the sea. It was amazing.

lava hitting Ocean, as seen from road Puna
From the road we got quite a good view but as we hiked across the already cooled lava the sun was going down and the lava and fume cloud became clearer and the colours reflected more. It was like firework night as the lava exploded into the air in showers of sparks and fire while the whole show was reflected in the fume cloud. Each explosion was met with oohs and aahs from the growing crowd. We had to turn to go back before it got too dark as, although we had torches, it was starting to rain and we didn’t want to take a risk with Abbie on the uneven surface. On the way back to the car we even managed to see some red glow of moving lava on the cliffs high above the sea!

lava hitting Ocean, Puna

lava hitting Ocean, Puna

lava hitting Ocean, Puna

After that all we could do was go back to Nahele and the Jacuzzi!

Family Cowley in the Jacuzzi, Nahele, Volcano

permalink written by  AnneC on August 13, 2009 from Hilo, United States
from the travel blog: summer 09
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