Today Tom and I decided that we were up to a rather aggressive hike in an area known as Pu’u Wa’awa’a, or known by the locals as the Jello Mold. Anyway, the trail wanders through a ranch

(note the wildlife – or not so wild – we encountered)

and ascends 2000 feet to the top of a volcanic cone mountain with breathtaking views from the top.  It took us two hours to climb to the top – a pretty hard 3 ½ miles.

Once we reached the top we were starved and the lunch we packed was consumed while sitting on logs and overlooking the valley – very peaceful with the only sounds were birds singing in the background.

After about an hour of recuperating from the hike up, we started on the trip back down which is a lot faster without the frequent breaks to slow the panting and the pounding heart rate, but is a lot harder on the joints. The trip back only took 1.25 hours but we were realllly ready to rest again by the end. The sights on the way and back were not too exciting, but the views from the top were beautiful! Best of all we could say we accomplished a 7mile mountain hike.  Not bad for old people.

From Pu’u Wa’awa’a we drove to the small town of Hawi at the northern most tip of the island. It was there that while in search of a place called Tropical Dreams and what the guidebook describes as “the best ice cream on the island” that we discovered that Tom had forgotten his wallet and that I didn’t bring mine – very heavy sigh.

And so we headed back toward home. On the way we swung by a couple of beaches to check out the snorkeling possibilities. We saw some lovely areas and good possibilities. The last place we stopped was a tiny beach with what looked like a boat ramp. Looks can be very deceiving and the “boat ramp” that Tom started to drive down a few feet ended up being soft sand. Long story short, our car was soon buried in sand to the frame with no way to get ourselves out and we had no credit card to pay for a tow – panic!!!!. Luckily we had the rental contract in the car and called the rental company. They arranged for a tow truck to come but said that it would take about an hour and a half. The problem there was that the car was near the water and the tide was coming in.  We watched anxiously as it crept closer and closer to the car.

As we nervously watched, word got out in the neighborhood that some stupid tourists had gotten stuck in the sand and they all came to check it out. We repeatedly responded to the questions, “Stuck in the sand?”, “Called a tow truck?” and “Have AAA?” while we waited.  One lovely couple and their friend – Sue, Rob, and Joan – stopped by and commiserated for a bit and then left. They returned about 15 minutes later with beer which we gladly accepted. While sipping beer, and chatting they pointed out the sea turtle that was bobbing about near-by and the whales that were spouting in the distance –  very cool.  As we drank, watched and chatted, and the ocean lapped at our tires.

The tow truck finally arrived. Within 15 minutes he had us out, his form signed and was gone. We bid farewell to our new found friends and headed home. The tow charge was added to our car rental bill and was only $49. We decided that it wasn’t a lot of money to pay for another adventure, whale and turtle watching, and beer. So we called it money well spent and headed home exhausted and happy.