The Big Island!!

When Mike and I knew we were moving to Hawaii for real, we talked about the fact that we would like to travel to see some of the other islands.  We did not do that in the Azores, mostly to do with the boys and not wanting to travel with them...  But we decided we would pack a suitcase full of food for these picky young people if we needed to and get out to see something new here in Hawaii.  Of course, we didn't need to do that b/c we are back in America, the land of Walmart, chicken nuggets, and french fries, and drive thrus.  

Baby 4 threw a little wrench in our original plan to head to the Big Island in January or February.  But we decided to roll with it and head out there in November.   We have some friends who had been before and stayed at the military camp, Camp Kilauae (try and pronounce that!) at Volcano National Park and had a great experience.  We decided we wanted to see as much as possible of the island though, so we decided to do two nights at the military camp on one side of the island and two nights at a resort on the other side of the island.  

ps.  Camp Kill-away

Max and Thomas hamming it up at the airport waiting for our flight off of Oahu

Mountainside drive out to camp Kilauae.

We flew into the Kona (west) side of the island and rented a car.  We had about a two hour drive to Camp Kilauae, much of which was through the mountains.  We stopped at a Walmart and got a few things to eat and snack on at the camp and then hit up Burger King for the aforementioned chicken nuggets and fries.  Unfortunately, the windy mountain roads paired with a car heating system we weren't used to as well as playing games on the Kindle did not go well with Jackson and he got totally car sick.  All over the place.  

It was a beautiful drive in spite of the sicky little person.  

Pictures of the coast and the boys from the southern-most point in Hawaii, as well as in the USA.  

To get to the south-most point of the Big Island, we had to take a little detour-drive.  Mike and I were a little hesitant to lengthen our drive to the camp, but we knew we would not be coming back this way, so we decided to chance it.  Jackson was feeling much better by then and Thomas was ready for a break from his carseat (not that he wanted to get back in there after the break!).  

The sign showing us where we were going

Thomas, enjoying being out of his carseat and able to play at the cabin we stayed in at Camp Kilauae. 

The day after we arrived, we decided to head to the Thurston Lava Tube, an old tube inside a mountain where lava used to flow.  The mountain is part of a rainforest and is so beautiful.  However, it was pouring rain as we walked along and while the boys liked the tube, the other part of getting wet and muddy was not their cup of tea.  No more outdoor exploring at the national park for us that day.

Hoping for no rain in Hilo (east side of the island) we decided to try out the little zoo some friends recommended.  The boys loved it, especially all the benches and animal statues they could get pictures on.  There were lots of different tropical birds to see and many other small animals as well.  There were two places for tigers, but we did not see the tigers at all.  

We found a little local diner to have lunch at and then headed back to our cabin to give Thomas a nap (which I think he took in the car, lol).  

Later, we decided to head out to the black sand beach, which is supposed to be a great place to see sea turtles.  Sure enough there were about 14 turtles we saw.  11 turtles in a circle together in one area and two other individuals in little tide pool type areas.  Very cool.  

The black sand is a result of volcanoes, but it feels nothing like the sand on other beaches in Hawaii.  It is much more coarse.  We were definitely glad we had gotten the recommendation to wear our sneakers rather than sandals.  Our feet might have been hurting if we had walked directly on the sand!

Picture of how the lava looks once it has hardened.  Lots of gray and black type colors, mixed in with random green and yellows.

To see this, we took a drive the day we were leaving the camp on Crater Rim Road, which leads down the mountain to the coastline.  You can see these huge craters that have had lava flowing in/through them at some point in the past.  

After our drive on Crater Rim Road, we headed out over a different mountain range on the middle part of the island back to Kona.  This time, Max got car sick.  No joke.  However, we were much more prepared for it this time.  I had actually been sitting in the backseat with Thomas and we had put the big boys all the way in the very back.  Max wasn't much help with Thomas during all the other driving, so for this long drive, we thought we might save ourselves from some crying if I sat back there with him.  We also saved ourselves throw up all over the back seat because I was able to get a bag in front of Max.  Whew!

We checked into our hotel and the boys were in love with the huge pool and long, curvy slide.  We spent the rest of that night playing in the pool and then ate dinner at the Rays on the Bay restaurant in the hotel.  The Sheraton where we stayed was a place where you can view the giant manta rays after dark when boats take snorkelers out there to swim with them.  

Jackson and Max were fairly impatient and Thomas was tired too, so I headed back to the room with them and got them a bath and Thomas down for the night.  Sleeping with three kids in unfamiliar surroundings was probably the biggest challenge we had.  Thomas likes his own crib, dark room, and sound machine for sure.  

The next day we decided to take a boat ride for some dolphin watching fun.  This is the view from the boat.  Hard to tell how beautiful because it was a little foggy in the background, but the mountain really looked awesome. 

We saw both bottlenose and spinner dolphins, which was really cool.  We even got to see three pairs of Mamas with babies.  So cool.  

This time, our last little guy was the one who tossed his cookies...  all over me.  Poor thing.  I guess he couldn't handle the boat rocking motion.  And that was true pretty much the whole trip, as I tried to give him some juice and he couldn't keep that down either.  

Despite the beauty of the water and view of the coast as well as the fun of seeing the dolphins, we were all glad to get back on land.  

Slightly different view from the boat.  

We spent basically the rest of the time playing in the pool and hanging out at the resort.  Thomas napped and the boys and I got food from the little place at the hotel.  The boys and I waited till dark and went down to see the Rays on the Bay and this time they were rewarded for their patience.  We saw 5 rays!!  And they were doing flips in the water too.  

The next and last day we wanted to be chill.  Daddy took the boys for some last swimming fun in the morning and I packed up the room and played with Thomas.  We found a really fun place to eat near where we got on the boat the day before and then had some frozen yogurt before heading to the airport.  We were there a little early, but the boys were not wanting to walk along the boardwalk, nor did we want to take them anywhere else, lol!!  

We decided next time we will get a night at a more local hotel/resort and let them enjoy the pool, as that seemed to be the most satisfying part of the trip for them.  We had previously thought about taking them to Kaui with us as well, but I suggested to Mike that maybe after Baby 4 is out and weaned I could make a girls' trip there with friends.  He was surprisingly agreeable to that.  What a husband!  Not to mention Daddy who is willing to stay with four kiddos while I am gone!  That is a long way off, so we will see about it actually happening.  It is definitely on my radar though.  After this trip some time to read a good book and put my feet up at the beach with a drink in hand sounds really lovely!