As the husband–and “official photographer/videographer”–of Go Visit Hawaii’s fabulous editor, Sheila, I get the enviable task of following her around Hawaii. Hey, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. 
We were lucky enough to find ourselves on the Big Island of Hawaii just as the recent Kilauea lava flow reached the ocean. Even luckier, we grabbed a prime viewing spot–just a few hundreds yards away–and snapped lots of photos and videos.
In case you’re not able to witness Pele in all her glory yourself, we’ve put together the following exclusive video for you.
RSS/Email readers: if you can’t see the video, click here to view the post.
We’d go to the end of the earth to capture a beautiful photo for our Go Visit Hawaii readers….or at least to the end of Highway 270 on the Big Island. 
This beautiful view on the north coast of the Big Island is worth the trip along (Hwy 250) or around (Hwy 270) Kohala Mountain. The scenery all along the way is beautiful and then when you arrive at the end of the road, you’ll be sure to say, “Wow!”
From Kona, we took Highway 19 North to Highway 250 which passes by acres and acres of island pastures and ranches near the ridge of the Kohala Mountain. Then at Highway 270 we turned right (East) until we came to the end of the road. On the way back towards Kona, we followed 270 all the way back to Hwy 19 South for pretty views of the ocean. We really enjoyed this particular route.
A big mahalo to my friend Evelyn from Homespun Honolulu who took time out of her busy day to greet us at the Honolulu airport with these lovely leis. They are very special leis from a very special person.
Have you ever taken a long flight and your nose gets uncomfortably dry. I won’t get into the disgusting details and side effects, but let’s just say the dryness makes you wish you could pick the heck out of something.
Recently my sweet friend Eleanor told me she’d been using Ayr this winter to help moisturize her nasal passages. She raved over it. She even thinks it’s helped her stave off colds all winter long. When she told me about Ayr, I immediately thought it might be something that would help me when I fly to Hawaii.
So, what is Ayr? It’s a saline nasal gel with aloe vera that “moisturizes and sooths dry, stuffy noses.” It comes in a tube or in individually wrapped gel swabs. I found this Ayr at Wal-Mart and it cost less than $4 for a tube. I couldn’t find the swabs in my local store, but they would be much more convenient for travel.
I put Ayr to the test yesterday as I spent about 13 hours in total flying yesterday. I applied it before I boarded my first flight and then again about nine hours later. I think it really helped keep my nasal passages moisturized. If you suffer from a dry nose when you travel, I’d recommend you give Ayr a try.
Here’s one of my favorite Hawaiian tunes by one of my favorite Hawaiian artist, Iz (Israel Kamakawiwo’ole). Take a listen and instantly be transported to relaxation on a white sandy beach in Hawaii.If you like this song and video, you might also like this post on Iz singing another great tune, Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
What’s your favorite Hawaiian song?
Lots and lots of news today.
Kauai is loaded with great free stuff to see and do. If your vacation budget doesn’t allow for a luau on Kauai, then catch a free hula show at the Coconut MarketPlace in Kapaa on the East side of the island. (Click here for directions.) The shopping center offers a free hula show every Wednesday evening at 5pm.
The Coconut MarketPlace has 60 “distinctively Hawaiian shops and restaurants” where you can find souvenirs. The center also makes for a good place to grab an inexpensive late lunch, shave ice, or early dinner before or after the hula show. It’s easy on the wallet and we all love that!
Oh my, gas prices have hit an all time high in Hawaii. According to the Pacific Business News, the statewide average price for regular unleaded gas is $3.58 per gallon. The highest Hawaii price reported was $3.93 on Maui in Wailuku. I bet the prices in Lana’i are even higher. Eek!
I hate to the the bearer of bad news, but I thought it might be helpful for you to know about gas prices before you go to Hawaii. It’s better to get sticker shock while you’re sitting down reading your computer than when you drive by the first gas station after picking up your rental car. You could go into sticker shock at that point and that could be a dangerous situation when you’re behind the wheel.
Photo Credit to cobalt123
Here’s fresh video of the lava flow to the ocean that was just loaded yesterday.
Isn’t it amazing?
A couple of tourist on Maui captured a rare photo of two sea turtles, um, well, ah, um being amorous. The two love birds, I mean love turtles, were observed at DT Fleming Beach Park in Kapalua. The photo on the left (courtesy Maui News) shows the happy couple.
Apparently, it’s mating season and the males will attempt to mount “any large object” in the water, including divers, swimmers, and snorkelers.
George Balazs, a leader in sea turtle research, told the Maui News that
“Maui is a very fascinating and exciting place for sea turtles. If turtles are going to start mating in Maui waters, it could get exciting for snorkelers and divers, too. During breeding season — right now — “the males get a little wacky.”
Now, I don’t think there’s any kind of major danger for snorkelers and divers, but it’s something to consider when you’re in the water. Humorously, Balazs went on to tell the Maui News about the raging hormones. He recommends that
swimmers and divers practice safe interspecies relationships and “be a little careful” when in the water with male green sea turtles at this time of year. They can’t help themselves. “It’s the hormones.”
*Snicker*
Be sure and read the rest of the article for other interesting tidbits about sea turtle mating practices. I promise it’s PG rated.
