First, Andrea, Katelynn, and I flew to the Big Island. That covered the first two planes because mid-air during our first flight the plane had to turn around and land back in Honolulu (something to do with the landing gears- as the steward said, "nothing to worry about, we just have to fix it in Honolulu because that's where the materials are"). Oh what fun that was for Katelynn (not). We had to wait a couple hours before they got a different plane ready for us, but we finally made it. Later that day, Steve flew off to California to present a paper at a conference.
Highlights from the Big Island icluded Rainbow Falls, Mauna Kea (the volcano) both during the day and during the night, hiking to see petroglyphs, seeing old lava flows, and the steam from lava flowing into the ocean. We drove crater road, stopping at the Thurston lava tube and other sites along the way. We drove to the black sand beach, where Katelynn tried to eat the little black rocks. One morning we went to the farme's market for some shopping and some spam musubi and other yummy snacks. We hiked Akaka Falls along with millions of little inchworms, a few of which hitchiked on our clothes and even decided to join us for the car ride to the aiport (yuck!). We stopped at the Mauna Loa macademia nut farm and enjoyed free samples while Katelynn enjoyed chasing the birds on the grass. (Mostly she was just glad to finally be out of the car for a while). Right before going to the airport, we found a beautiful Japanese Garden and Park, called Liliokalani Gardens, where we walked around and enjoyed the last few hours of our time on the island. 
It was quite the adventure with finding places (we got lost a couple of times), trying to get Katelynn to nap, (it seemed she would fall asleep in the car right as we reached our destination, so we would keep driving for a while, or just take turns seeing the sights), and keeping Katelynn happy on the long car rides, (new toys, snacks, someone sitting by her, music, and signing time and baby einstien definitely helped us!). Not to mention helping Katelynn sleep in a different place and being on a somewhat crazy schedule. I ended up having her fall asleep in my bed and then moving her to the crib. Despite the change in her routine, she was quite the trooper and we enjoyed her smiles, laughs, and excitement at seeing any birdie or other animal.
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| Akaka Falls |
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| Black Sand Beach |
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| Black Sand Beach |
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| Hiking to Akaka Falls |
Saving one of the best things for last, we stayed a cute little hotel, the Dolphin Bay Resort. It was run by friendly locals who loved seeing little Katelynn. Fresh bananas and papayas were available 24/7 right outside our door. Fresh banana bread was delivered every morning, and hot chocolate was available for those who don't drink coffee (so thoughtful!) There was a mini kitchen in our room and it was clean with fresh flowers in vases when we arrived. They had a walking path through their property where we could see the bananas and flowers growing. There was beautiful stone stairs and big vines and leaves. At night it was filled with I'iwi birds whose chirping sounded magical and lullaby-like as we fell asleep. It was an enjoyable place to stay. 
We flew home on my birthday, and Steve flew back from California the next day. And that was only the first week. :)
