A few weeks ago, we were loving beautiful weather without having to share the lake with all the tourists. Since then it has rained almost every day! We've had a few strong thunderstorms with heavy lightning, strong thunder, and lots of hail.
EARLY MORNING HAIL STORM. IT LOOKED LIKE SNOW COVERING EVERYTHING.
Last weekend was rainy and cold (and snowy at times). We decided to go through our storage closets and organize all our camping stuff which had gotten a little chaotic. Kinda boring but it needed to be done and at least we didn't waste a beautiful day doing it.
This weekend, Saturday was rainy/stormy so Mike had the genius idea to go to Reno for Chic-Fil-A breakfast which was totally worth the drive! We walked around a few shops in Reno then did some grocery shopping on the way home. Again... boring... but necessary.
Sunday was our first sunny day in a while so we loaded up the paddleboards and headed to Fallen Leaf Lake.
WHERE THE CREEK RUNS INTO THE LAKE
MIKE PADDLING TOWARD A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE WATER FALL.
SUCH A PEACEFUL MORNING.
After a quick stop at Glen Alpine falls, we headed home for lunch and to take the doggy to the beach for some exercise.
Life can feel like a roller coaster ride. Sometimes, even though you are trying so hard to see nothing but the positives in your life, stress can overwhelm us. I had a really good week at work... yet I still had a moment of feeling completely overwhelmed.
It was one of those moments when you're like, "Let's just sell everything we own, buy a travel trailer, and travel the country." Please tell me I'm not the only person who has these moments.
Luckily, my husband is very grounded, level-headed, and supportive. He didn't immediately shoot down my crazy idea but he was very reasonable and realistic and well, long story short, we've decided to call that plan B. Plan A is staying right where we are and enjoying the time we have here until we know it's our time to go elsewhere.
Here's what happened after that little meltdown (which he lovingly calls "episodes"):
It cleared my mind. It was kind of like I was seeing this place for the first time all over again... with all it's beauty. The second half of the work week I found myself wanting to stop and take pictures of beautiful things... things that I normally drive by every day and don't look twice at.
ON MY DRIVE INTO WORK ONE MORNING
This weekend, we contemplated going camping somewhere south of here but decided against it because a) Saturday was going to be very cloudy and b) we were dog sitting for our neighbors and didn't want to take their dog so far from home.
Instead, we went paddleboarding Saturday morning on a glassy Lake Tahoe and pretty much had the lake to ourselves. We opted for a paddle on the south west shore which is a little farther from home but we don't paddle here a lot which makes it exciting. We followed the shoreline to look at the beautiful million dollar homes and the flowing creek that feeds the lake. There were all kinds of birds (ducks, geese, osprey). It was cloudy, but warm.
BEAUTIFUL BALDWIN BEACH ALL TO OURSELVES
ONLY ONE BOAT ON THE LAKE
We were paddling along, just enjoying the beautiful morning and before we knew it, we were paddling into Emerald Bay!
Neither of us brought our phones so we have no pictures of the bay but we WILL go back soon!
We've done this paddle several times in the past; you can see those posts here and here.
We paddled around the island in the bay and stopped at the beach for a bit to stretch. We paddled up the creek where a RAGING water fall feeds the bay (no, we couldn't get anywhere near the waterfall on our boards). And then we headed back out, against a slight breeze in the bay which added a little cardio to the morning.
IT. WAS. BEAUTIFUL.
It is ALWAYS beautiful.
It was exactly what I needed.
After our longer than anticipated paddle, we grabbed lunch at Subway before heading to the beach with the dogs.
REY AND ZEPHYR
ZEPHYR AT HIS HAPPIEST
(EXCEPT FOR PLAYING IN SNOW)
Once the dogs were thoroughly exhausted we took them home and decided to go mountain biking.
We rode the Stinger trail which is near our house. I'd never ridden it before (even though we've done a lot in 5 years of living here, there's still a lot we haven't done).
VIEW FROM THE STINGER TRAIL.
THE GROUP OF GUYS I RODE WITH ON NATIONAL WOMEN'S
MOUNTAIN BIKING DAY.
I AM POINTING AT THE MOUTH OF EMERALD BAY... WHERE WE
PADDLED EARLIER THAT MORNING!
ZOOMED IN PHOTO...
YOU CAN SEE THE MOUTH OF THE BAY.
THE LITTLE WHITE DOT TO THE LEFT OF THE
BAY ENTRANCE IS EAGLE FALLS (WHICH WAS
RAGING DUE TO SNOW MELT).
We celebrated the end of an awesome day with a soak in the hot tub, a yummy steak dinner, and a beautiful sunset:
BEAUTIFUL END TO A BEAUTIFUL DAY.
We had so much fun Saturday, we decided to repeat it all on Sunday.
We started out at Baldwin beach again but this time we paddled up Taylor Creek.
FOLLOWING MIKE TOWARD THE CREEK
MIKE ENTERING THE MOUTH OF TAYLOR CREEK. WITH MT. TALLAC IN THE BACKGROUND.
LOTS OF LITTLE CHANNELS TO EXPLORE.
WATER FLOWING ALL AROUND US. THIS IS A LITTLE WATER FALL IN A FIELD OF CAT TAILS.
Since we were already on the west side of town, we did some mountain biking on Corral trail (a little trail system that is very popular and very fun).
No pictures or videos here. Sorry.
We stopped for lunch (burrito/tacos) to celebrate a belated cinco de Mayo.
Quick stop at home to swap the mountain bikes out for puppy dogs and then we went BACK to the beach to get some exercise for the pups.
It was super windy and chilly though, so we didn't stay long and I only took one video...
... it's a kite surfer who loses his board doing a big jump. He was fine. He got his board back.
It was a wonderful, busy, action-packed weekend.
We feel very fortunate to be living this life.
We have lots of reminders of how short this life can be.
And we are doing everything we can to enjoy where we are right now.
We started Day 5 by feeding the chickens on the farm, including a bunch of sweet little baby chicks.
SO MANY BABY CHICKS!
PRETTY ROOSTER AND ONE OF THE COFFEE DRYING SHACKS
We opted for a relaxing beach day at Pam and Michael's recommended spot: Beach 69
(real name: Waialea, but called beach 69 because the entrance used to be located at telephone pole #69).
Whatever. Regardless of what you call it, it definitely did NOT disappoint.
I THINK I CAN DO SOME RELAXING HERE.
LOTS OF ROPE SWINGS!
AND THE BEACH IS LINED WITH TREES THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY PERFECT FOR HAMMOCKS!
STORM CLOUDS ROLLED IN DURING THE AFTERNOON... BUT THEY STAYED JUST TO OUR SOUTH. WE NEVER FELT A RAINDROP.
We made a quick stop by Mahai'ula Bay on the way home where a baby monk seal currently resides.
He wouldn't come out of the water for a good picture, so here are some short clips of him playing around.
And here is his big ol' momma (I think it's his mom... not totally sure actually).
On day 6 we decided to venture down to Kealakekua Bay. We hiked down from the road on our last vacation here but the hike out was BRUTAL (only because the sun was beating on us and it was so incredibly hot).
We opted to kayak over to the Captain Cook monument (where all the good snorkeling is) and skip the hike this year. The hike probably wouldn't have been so bad this time since it was cloudy/overcast but, why risk it?
You can rent a double kayak for $60 and paddle across the bay which really doesn't take much time at all. The only disadvantage is that when you get to the snorkel spot, you have to pull the kayak around with you because you aren't allowed to land there. Mike offered to pull the kayak while we swam and said it really wasn't too bad (there is a rope attached for pulling purposes).
KEALAKEKUA BAY. YOU CAN FAINTLY SEE THE WHITE STATUE ACROSS THE BAY - THAT IS THE CAPTAIN COOK MONUMENT - IT IS ABOUT ONE MILE ACROSS THE BAY.
Every time I read/research this bay, the one thing that always comes up is the likelihood that you will see spinner dolphins in the bay. Apparently, they reside in the bay. We didn't notice any last time we were there but they were EVERYWHERE this time.
SORRY FOR THE POOR QUALITY, BUT THIS IS A STILL SHOT TAKEN FROM ONE OF OUR GO PRO VIDEOS OF THE DOLPHINS. THEY WERE JUMPING OUT OF THE WATER, SPINNING AROUND, AND AT ONE POINT THEY SWAM UP SUPER CLOSE TO US!
This is my favorite spot to snorkel on the island for sure. The water is clear. There are RIDICULOUS amounts of fish. And even on an overcast day, we had great visibility.
I love having pictures from all our adventures but sometimes, I take so many pictures that I feel like I saw the whole vacation through a camera lens. And for what purpose? Half of the time the pictures turn out grainy or out of focus anyway (because I'm a point and shoot type of person)... and pictures never accurately portray how beautiful a place is.
One of my personal goals has been to put the camera down and take in the moment... and I did just that in Kealakekua bay.
When the dolphins swam up close to us, I actually put the camera down. Although that meant I didn't get THE BEST POSSIBLE picture of them, it meant that I got to take in every second of that awesomeness without worrying/fumbling with a camera.
And in the end, I have no regrets about that.
That is a moment I won't soon forget and I don't need a picture to remind me.
Plus, you can google some pretty awesome spinner dolphin pictures. Just sayin'.
Ok, back to the good stuff.
After our awesome day of snorkeling, Pam and Michael suggested we take in a sunset at Pine Trees. We did this on our last trip and it was beautiful but we opted for a different viewing spot this time.
This beach is awesome.
You just drive your car right up to the beach... literally on a sandy path.
THIS SPOT SHOULD DO JUST FINE.
SIPPIN' BEVERAGES AND EATIN' SNACKS... WAITIN' ON THAT SUN TO GO DOWN.
IT WAS BEAUTIFUL AT THIS POINT...
... BUT IT'S ABOUT TO GET SO MUCH BETTER!
THE SKY WAS AMAZING!
YOU CAN SEE THE ISLAND OF MAUI ON THE HORIZON (TO THE RIGHT OF US... WAY IN THE DISTANCE).
I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER ENDING TO AN AWESOME DAY!
Day 7... our last FULL day on the island.
We had a leisurely morning around the house before taking our little rental car back and relying on our amazing chauffeurs again.
We made a quick stop to see some beautiful rainbow Eucalyptus trees just down the street from Pam and Michael's house:
... and then before you know it, we found ourselves in hammocks again!
THIS NEVER GETS OLD
PAM SNAPPED THIS PICTURE OF SOME HOUSES AT BEACH 69 THAT I WOULD LOVE TO OWN ONE DAY. THEY ARE OCEANFRONT.
IT'S GOOD TO HAVE GOALS, RIGHT?
From Beach 69, we headed south to Kikaua Beach. This is a fancy gated community but all beaches are technically open to the public. It is a beautiful bay with LOTS of turtles. And I mean LOTS of turtles.
Unfortunately, it is also home to at least one (maybe more?), tiger shark.
Tiger sharks are pretty scary.
Ok, they are REALLY scary.
There was an attack here (literally in this bay) just a couple of weeks ago where a 12 foot tiger shark knocked a guy off his paddleboard and attacked him... taking part of his leg and arm in the battle. The guy survived but yeah... I'm good on the beach, thanks.
STANDING ON KIKAUA GRASSY AREA, LOOKING OVER AT KUKI'O BEACH.
BABY SEA TURTLE!!! OH. MY. GOSH.
THERE WERE ACTUALLY SEVERAL OF THESE SMALL SEA TURTLES ALONG THE BEACH.
THEY AREN'T REALLY BABIES... BUT THEY WERE SMALL.
DON'T WORRY... I WARNED EACH ONE OF THEM TO LOOK OUT FOR THE TIGER SHARK (WHICH EATS EVERYTHING, INCLUDING TURTLES).
WE'VE ALREADY STARTED A LIST FOR OUR NEXT VISIT AND IT INCLUDES PADDLING AN OUTRIGGER CANOE.
PHOTO CREDIT: PAM MADDEN
MY PANO ATTEMPT WASN'T NEARLY AS GOOD. THIS IS KIKAUA BEACH.
Being that this was our last night in town, we took our gracious hosts out to dinner at the Royal Kona Inn where we got to witness another beautiful sunset while enjoying good food and reminiscing on an amazing week.
THE VIEW OF KONA FROM OUR TABLE.
THE MOST AMAZING HOSTS!
SUNSET DURING DINNER
I HAD TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE MAI TAI!
The next morning we were able to spend a little over an hour at the beach before showering and heading to the airport. It was probably the sunniest day of the entire week, which I'm pretty sure was Hawaii's way of saying: "Don't go home. Just stay here."
RELAXING ON MANINI'OWALI BEACH (BETTER KNOWN AS BUTT BEACH BECAUSE THERE ARE 2 SMALL HILLS AT THE ENTRANCE THAT LOOK LIKE... WELL... A BUTT!)
After quick showers, we made a quick stop for lunch before heading to the airport.
I always hate leaving a vacation.
It definitely helps to have a sweet puppy waiting for you at home though. I couldn't wait to get back to see him. He was with our amazing neighbors while we were gone. They took such great care of him, I was worried he wouldn't want to come back home! They even sent us some of the sweetest pictures of his happy little self. He loved his week long sleepover with his good friend, Rey.
HE HAD A BEACH DAY TOO!
BEST FRIENDS.
THEY GOT FRESH SNOW WHILE WE WERE GONE.
GLAD I MISSED IT. I'M OVER IT.
We are abundantly blessed. Far above anything we deserve.
One more HUGE thank you to Pam and Michael for hosting us, and to Chelsea and Mason for watching our pup.
That's it for now.
Stay tuned for what will hopefully be an adventurous spring and summer!
