O’Hana trail is very close to me, but it’s not necessarily a noteworthy hike. It’s meant to be a mountain biking trail and we definitely encountered 8-10 mountain bikers on our journey. The whole loop was 6.5 miles and I have the blisters to show it! It was also 855ft elevation, not nothing! Nicely spread out over the entire journey. There was one ok view and it felt like walking through a jungle for most of it.
Simply put, this trail mostly just “does the job”. I think in any other situation this trail would be great, but it kinda gets trounced by the more spectacular hikes. However, the pluses are proximity, low mud, and length without being super tough elevation. Good to go and bang out if you just need a low stress hike for fresh air. Between this and biking the day before, I am wiped!
**No Sarah’s were harmed in the taking of this photograph**
Kualoa Ranch is a 4,000 acre ranch about 40 minutes up the coast from where I live. You’re probably already familiar with the scenery as it is where Jurassic Park, Lost, Pearl Harbor, Jumanji, and Finding ‘Ohana among others were filmed. Jess had family visiting and they wanted to take this tour and she asked if I wanted to come so I joined!
We took a two hour ATV tour and got to see all parts of the ranch.
We started by passing around the mountains where there was a WWII bunker built into the mountain… seven stories high!
We then ventured into the valley where the Jurassic park scene with all the dinosaurs roaming was “filmed”. Simply beautiful.
Honestly, besides the couple really pretty landscape pictures and fun movie scenes, I thought the tour was just OK. First, we’re not sure if it’s because of the lack of rain or…? But the roads were SO dusty. We were COVERED by the time we returned, and so was all my stuff. This picture doesn’t do it justice, but you get the idea.
You can see it on our faces!
Next, we didn’t really get a lot of “tour” from our tour guide… he mostly just lead the pack. We heard a couple stories of Hawaiian tales and barely anything more than “this was the scene where…” and there are plaques with the same information. Here are a couple more “scenes”.
We made our way around the other side and saw the views from that angle and a few more scenes.
Jess did great driving.
There are all sorts of tours here and maybe I’ll go back if an opportunity arises. But I’d like to have a more informational tour and WAY less dust. Normally shaka power poses are reserved for the top of a hike, but Jess feels that we survived the dust so we earned it.
Every year the Dolphin Scholarship Foundation holds an auction at some of the bases to raise funds. It has been on hold because, well, you know. So this was my first time going to one! The theme was “Rig for streaming, binge binge binge” and the commands pick a TV theme and dress accordingly. We picked Great British Baking show, what I binged when I was down for the count with COVID.
There was a silent auction and a live one. I didn’t end up getting the thing I really wanted, a tour of a local chocolate farm and some chocolate, but I did get some candles. My friend Katie, pictured above, wanted them but she was working and it was starting to get pricey. Since I wasn’t winning the chocolate, I thought why not, and bid on it thinking I’d be out bid and worst case more would be donated. Well, I won! And gave Katie the candles she wanted. I kept a couple good smelling sprays. They are made by a veteran and smell really good, you can find them here.
It was a good turn out and they just stopped requiring masks on base… that’s going to take some getting used to.
The dessert table is essentially a “bake sale” and they asked for contributions. So I baked these monster Levain-Bakery copy cat recipe cookies. I didn’t eat one, but I did take one home with me and THEN ate it, haha. They are so good, and the recipe is done by my favorite baker Bravetart.
It was nice to see other sub wives and I certainly wish Brian had been there. All in all glad I went to support a good cause. Of course, Tiger King made an appearance.
Biking was hard for me pre-covid, so thinking about going for a ride with my lung issues was completely off the table for a long time. My friend Jess has been itching to get out on the bike and it’s pushed me to get my act together. So I finally got the courage to get the bike ready to go for a ride. With Brian and my friend Pat’s help, they filled the tires and lubed the chains and I was off. I decided to start with the 2.5 mile loop in my neighborhood complete with a bike lane. After doing that twice, I was getting bored and mustered the courage to leave Lanikai. I had scoped out the bike lanes through Kailua and set out to get to the first one! It didn’t take much road sharing before I was there. It was a great cruise through the middle of town, but what I mean by middle is it’s geographically middle however it’s residential, not a crazy busy business section. It was lovely! Then that meets up with a really pretty also residential road. I didn’t like that section as much, it was shorter and there was a long light. Lastly, I wanted to prove to myself I could bike to Jess’, so I did that, (mostly no bike lanes) and explored one more road with bike lanes.
I way underestimated my courage and didn’t put any sun tan lotion on my back thinking I wouldn’t be out long. Thankfully I wasn’t a complete lobster, but I was dangerously close to tomato. I am so glad I went out! I can see how this might get boring, but there is a little loop further out I’d like to try. It’s a great way to get my heart rate up that’s not running (my foot has been bothering me).
The friends we made while picking up trash on Lanikai introduced us to this lady who was recycling bale straps from pallets. She makes them into truly beautiful designs; you can check them out here. There was an online class being held by this group our friend is apart of, the Hawaii Stitchery and Fiber Arts Guild. Now I’m apart of this guild, something I didn’t think was on my bucket list… but they are a great group of ladies who meet to learn new stitching projects! Last month was cross stitch of all things and I started a monstera design (still to be finished).
For these baskets, we started small with a little 7×7 ish weave. It was so challenging! Specifically the beginning part. I have three more trash bags of these in my spare bedroom that I have to figure out how to use. I’m thinking an under bed basket… but unsure. Stay tuned! Turning trash into treasure!
Time for the monthly KOSC hike! This time I had two people attending and Brian came as well. We started around 3pm and had a really pleasant hike. This one had it all… we saw a ton of Humpback whales, a Hawaiian Monk Seal, Hawaiian Albatross (Mōlī), huge wave swells (15+ ft), two sea arches, blow holes, restrooms, parking, and we timed it perfectly for sunset! It’s the sister hike to Ka’ena from the north side; both end at Ka’ena point but follow different sides of the coast. Very similar feeling to hiking the New England coast.
Can you spot the seal?
There was one very slightly sketchy part, but that’s it. It was straightforward, easy to navigate and walk. It is not shaded at all, but honestly if you go prepared (water, sun shirts, sun screen, sunglasses, hat) it’s not bad at all. It’s not like sweltering… it’s really hard to explain. You’ll have to come see for yourself!
You can still see rail ties from the train tracks that existed for the Ka’ena point train until a tsunami took them out.
It was great to get out and get some fresh air and experience nature in Hawaii. I had been sick with a head cold and stomach issues last week, so I had been a couch potato for a while. Brian really enjoyed seeing this trail, he really loved it actually.
This is one of those things you just go to experience once… well, for me at least. Essentially the tradition started at the Moana Surfrider hotel to drink tea and escape the sun in mid afternoons. So now you can reserve a spot at a table to eat finger sandwiches, drink tea (or cocktails), and enjoy time with friends. I thought the experience was good to do once, but “not my cup of tea”. We were there from 1pm-4pm and the food was just meh, especially for the price ($80 including one cocktail). I drank a little bit of tea, but I’m not a huge fan. Lots of sweets. Again, glad I did it, but probably won’t go again… there are plenty things I’d rather do/spend that money on. I was glad to have carpooled with someone from the group who I got to know better. We also stopped and shopped quickly after and I was reminded why I think Waikiki is so crazy… it’s so busy! I got another sun shirt this time with manta rays on it… I was excited about that because I didn’t buy any souvenirs from our manta ray scuba at big island.
I came down with a small cold so I’ve had low energy the last few days. I wanted to get this post in, but might update it later. Jess and I actually did this hike Sunday last week. It was very green sands beach esque. It’s a long hike along the coast with the final destination being a “park” and a bird sanctuary. There were roads for off-roading vehicles. (just like green sands)
We saw a lot of wildlife… birds, whales, and a Hawaiian seal. Can you spot the seal?
A lot of reviews for this hike complain of “much of the same the whole way”, the whole way being three miles out and back. But how can you complain when the landscape is like this?
I was thoroughly entertained by Jess’ company, the wildlife, tide pools, etc. It was definitely very hot and dry, so wearing a sun guard shirt, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, and bringing tons of water was the right call. It was still very enjoyable despite being in the sun. We weren’t uncomfortable, but you can tell the sun was strong. It’s kinda hard to explain.
When you get to the point, there’s a sandy “park” where all the birds are and you can see down the west side of the island. This part of the ocean is where we took our whale watching tour, so maybe these mountains look familiar? As I mentioned, we did see some whale tails with the binoculars! Parts of the ocean cliffs reminded Jess and I of the East Coast.
It was really enjoyable because there wasn’t anything too tricky. We timed it so we’d get back around sunset. Unfortunately I’m bad at geography and didn’t really realize we wouldn’t see the sunset, but here’s what we did see
After, we went to Hale’iwa Joe’s, a highly recommended restaurant on the North Shore. We found out why! The service was excellent and the food we had was delicious. 10/10 recommend. Although, I do understand having just hiked 6 miles may play a role in the taste… we were lucky and able to sit right away outside at a table for two. Not sure if it was our timing or luck! But we were happy.
If you recall, I had attempted this hike once before. It was after a heavy rain and with three kids and their mom, we did not make it all the way before sunset. It has been abnormally dry here, so the path that was once a slip and slide is a mere crackly/dry hard path and it went much better.
It took us all of 35 minutes to get to the top.
Looking toward Kailua
Looking out toward MCBH
Looking North toward China man’s hat. Really loved this trail when it was dry!! It was medium difficulty but rewarding, I could go pretty fast without slipping. Rewarded with great views. It was covered so it wasn’t super hot. Definitely got bit by a couple mosquitos, but then I put on bug spray. It wasn’t crowded at the top and we saw only one couple on their way down. We saw a bunch on their way up when we were going down, maybe after work warriors.
Brian and I decided to take an easy beach day on Sunday, so I messaged Pat and Jeanie to see if they were around to hang out (I like to be social and Brian will just fall asleep on me). They were, so we set up camp with them and Pat took us out sailing. Compared to when Jess and I went, the seas were a bit rougher because there was higher winds. This should mean faster travel… except… ended up hitting reef quite a bit because we were heavier and the tide was low. We tacked a bunch of times trying to get out there.
We also brought along Kike, a neurosurgeon. He was playing backseat driver quite a bit which made for an entertaining ride. Regardless we made it to the Mokes! And made our way back to Queen’s baths. We borrowed water booties for our feet to get back there and it was definitely rough walking. Highly recommend stiffer soles, but we made it work. Brian’s essentially fell completely apart by the end.
This following picture is the only picture I have of us from being actually at the Queen’s baths…
Because the wave swells were so high they knocked us from the littler bath into the big bath (you can see a better picture of what I’m talking about with Jess and I actually in the baths in my other post. The smaller bath is to the right in the picture of me and Jess in the bigger one) . The waves came right over the rock wall and hit us really hard! I knocked into the rock wall behind me after the first and then got out because I wasn’t going to tempt fate twice. Well, Brian and Pat stayed in for a second wave and they both got pushed back into the big pool. Brian lost his glasses temporarily, thankfully Kike dove and found them… and Brian is pretty banged up on his legs and one shoulder (pictured). I have some road rash on the back of my leg.
Anyway, lesson learned that you’re only one bad decision away from being one of those “stupid tourists” and that you can’t mess with mother nature! I’d like to go back, ideally, when things are calmer and sit and enjoy the spot for a bit… interestingly, after those two huge waves we didn’t see many big ones while we were looking for the glasses. I wasn’t interested in finding out if it was a “one off”.
Our adventure wasn’t over yet. We walked around the other side down a short path just to check it out.
Nothing too exciting. We decide it’s time to head back to shore. Before we do, Pat’s firefighter instinct decides to pick up two girls (no older than 13 yo) who decided to swim out to the mokes and looked like there was no way they were getting back. They were sprawled out on the beach. The whole way home, they talked about how strong of swimmers they are… Brian and I talked about how even at our fittest we wouldn’t attempt that swim. Anyway, here are the four adults on our way back (the two girls are in front)
We had quite the adventure, more than we bargained for, but that’s life sometimes.
