Friday, February 8, 2013

The Move North



February 8th , 2013

The drive north was punctuated by stops at the gas station, a farmer’s market and Kilauea Lighthouse and Marine Sanctuary. Carl is now eligible for his lifetime park pass which will cost just $10.00 and never expires. Admission to the Lighthouse grounds was $5.00 per person so for us , the decision was a no brainer. Today was the day to purchase his Lifetime Pass.  We chatted with the young ranger and then continued on to the lighthouse where we observed a large pod of dolphins playing in the cove near Secret Beach. Off in the distance were several spouts indicating whales basking in the sun while their calves nursed and grew stronger. And for all the time spent in Hawaii, we’ve seen little evidence of the existence of the state bird, the Nene until today. There were quite a few on the grounds of the sanctuary along with nesting kites, red footed boobys and even albatross.

We had a bite to eat in the parking lot and headed to Princeville. Our unit wasn’t ready yet so we headed to Hanalei Bay to see the pier and what the surf was doing. You know that saying “surf’s up” . Well, it has been building for the last 36 hours. The normal tranquil bay was cloudy with silt and waves were breaking in the 4 to 5 foot range. The locals loved it, surf, paddle and body boards were everywhere. But that was just a problem for me, the bay was roiling, tons of people were all over the beach and even the pier was crowded.    

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