I love waterfalls!

Hi All,

We did the 10th Street hike also known as Palolo Valley hike once again. This makes it 3 times for me and Matt's 2nd time. Every time I've done this hike, it has been different. This time, the rains had been pouring down cool clean water into the bog at the top of the hike.

There was plenty of water as it continued to rain for the first hour of the hike. The initial rain was commonly known as "Hawaiian Sunshine" ... a fine mist that makes great rainbows. After another 20 minutes of hiking in this soft rain, the downpour came and we got soaked.

It looked like a little stream at this point. The hike before this had us up to our waists in this little stream.

Above, Matt crouches by the stream. Below, I'm getting splashed by the 1st of many waterfalls.


Below, I begin the ascent up the side of the mountain to the next waterfall.


This was the first of many cascading waterfalls.


Matt at another waterfall!


Below, I prepare for the next climb up the side of the flowing water over slippery rocks. We were careful, honest!


Working my way up the cascade.

Below, Matt is knee deep in the cascade hanging on some rope. Climbing with rope makes Matt happy!

Purple flowers bloomed at the edges of the cascades. (below)



On our way up!

We REALLY enjoyed this hike.


Getting closer to the top!


Below, Matt is making his way along one of the many waterfalls.

On the way up, we posed in front of waterfalls.

On the way down we got IN them!
We were in need of some cooling off, we no longer cared if we got wet. We no longer cared if our feet were wet. We marched through streams and then I lost it and got under this waterfall. I'm screaming at Matt to hurry up and take the picture! It was cold and cool if you know what I mean!

It didn't take much convincing to get Matt under the waterfall!

I think the video clip below best describes this hike and the fabulous waterfalls and cascades we went through ... and we used ROPES!

So, this was about 5 days ago and I'm still sore. It was not an overly long hike but there were hidden holes on the side of the mountain. Ironically, climbing the waterfalls and cascades was not a problem. Slippery rocks? No problem. However, on our way down we were tired and did some falling on the "easy part." The problem with the easy part is the sliding down among all the bushes. Matt missed a step and I thought he was going to disappear into the bushes as I slid down about 4 feet. Thankfully, he grabbed a nearby log (quick thinking and reaction!) and pulled himself up the mud and the bushes to the trail.

There are moments that I want to last forever but I know they can't because if I didn't have the downs, I wouldn't know what the ups were or how great they can be.

Merry Christmas!

A Quiet Evening At Home

We are a silly bunch! Somebody thought we should play a game, but what game should we play?

Monopoly it is! Somebody was quick with the board and before I could resist, the money was dealt!

I thought the banker cheated but then it was hard to tell. Suddenly the guy with the Patriots shirt was winning by landing in Free Parking more than one ought to.

Sometimes the math got difficult and the gods were consulted. Sometimes we laughed and tears filled our eyes.

The properties were no longer equally distributed. The guy in the Patriots shirt was winning easily. Will we be glad when he is gone? I know that we won't but should we play Monopoly again, we'll watch him more carefully.

"I'm not sayin', but I'm just sayin' y'know?" said one player as they exited the game.

The Smith Family Commeth!

The Cleary Family had the great pleasure of the Smith Family coming and joining us for a day. On Sunday, Kyle raced the Honolulu Marathon and the word is that he finished 37th! That's pretty amazing to me!

I took Monday off and picked them up at their hotel on Waikiki. Of course, that wasn't without adventure. First, I had forgotten to tell Tucker to take the RX8. So, I'm driving through our local mall trying to find the Ford Escape so that I can switch cars. After 20 minutes of hunting, I finally found it. I pulled it out of the stall and to the great disappointment of a drive waiting for that spot, I pulled the RX8 in! He drove on calmly enough.

We drove through the hilly area around Diamond Head and then onto H1. We made our way to East Oahu and took a picture at Maunalua Bay.

We had some great fun at Spitting Cave. There were some crazy snorkelers there and we wondered how they would climb the cliffs after they finished snorkeling.

Tyler used his new camera to capture shots of the waves crashing on the rocks.

We wound our way along the road and took a quick trip through a LAVA TUBE down to the ocean. The sound of the surf echoing on the sides of the cliffs told us we were in a special place.

A quick trip to Blow Hole which wasn't blowing gave us a good shot of Sandys Beach. The boys got an eyeful at Sandys as we drove through ... I don't have a picture of that ... I was driving ... really, I was!

Makapuu Lighthouse held its usual beauty as we climbed around on the rocks. Unfortunately, as we wound our way toward Kailua, the weather also turned grey making pictures difficult. We had a quick bite to eat at a Philly Cheese steak place but I don't think I'll eat there again.

To the Pali Highway we went as small drops splashed the windshield. At the Pali lookout, the weather held off. The grey clouds moved in and we decided it would be a good time to head to the house for a hike and dinner!

Matt, Kyle, Tyler, Bob and I hiked behind the house. I think Kyle was a bit tired from his marathon and Matt exhibited a slight slowdown from his hike up and down Koko earlier in the day. Even so, the 3 boys left Bob and I in the dust. I'm sure the boys thought they were kickin' the old guys' butts but there is a term ... wiley ... and in this case, it means that Bob and I held back and enjoyed each other's company for a while. Below is a picture of Kyle, Bob and Tyler at the top of the mountain behind our house. Behind them is Waimanalo.

Kathy, Krista, Tucker and Matt had set up a splendid meal. We had stuffed mushrooms and cheese tortellini pasta with either meatballs, marinara sauce, Alfredo sauce, or pesto sauce. The greatest item of the evening was the fantastic chocolate swirl cheesecake courtesy of Krista. It was fantastic.

Peace to all as we await the Christmas season!

Thanksgiving

Hello All,

It was a beautiful day in Hawaii Kai on Thanksgiving. The sun was shining and the winds were light and breezy. We invited our neighbor Kukui and he (a dog) brought his friend Cher. We had a lovely dinner.

I smoked a turkey on the grill and it came out excellent.

Mostly we just spent the day enjoying the weather and relaxing.

Love

John & Kathy

Boys in Kauai!

Hi all,

Matt, Tucker and I took a trip to Kauai last weekend. It was a blast ... a beautiful and fantastic time. We rented a condo and below is the view we got a few steps outside our condo!

On Friday, we went on a long hike. It was 2.2 miles from our parking spot to a secluded beach.

The hike was a lot of uphill climbing.
Then there was a dramatic down hill until we got to a stream that lead to the beach.

The trail was the only way in unless you had a boat. The waves were too rough for us to swim but we hung out at the beach for a while and enjoyed the roaring surf.

We continued heading up from the beach inland toward a large waterfall.

It was tough going at times. We got tired and gave up on staying dry and instead of attempting to hop from rock to rock, we just plowed through each stream crossing. Finally, after another 2+ miles, we turned a corner and there was about 400 feet of cascading waterfall.

It was stunning. The cool breeze whipped through the water brought droplets to our faces. We stood there in awe and just gazed up. Matt was the first one with his shirt off and ambled his way into the water. Tucker followed quickly. I stood there for a moment in disbelief.

At this point in time, a young man was coming out of the water.

"Cold, huh!" I said.

"Yeah, but not as cold as at home" he said.

"Where is that?" I asked.

"Massachusetts." he commented.

"Oh, I grew up there. Where abouts?"

"Western Mass now but I used to live south of Boston."

"No kidding. Me too." I looked toward Matt and Tucker as they were getting deep.

"You've probably never heard of the little town I was in," he said.

"Where is it near?" I asked.

"Milford."

"Bellingham, Franklin, Medway?" I asked.

He laughed, "Bellingham!"

Is that bizarre or what?
After kibitzing with Jeff Menardi, I got in the water with Matt and Tucker. It WAS cold! We told George Costanza jokes and swam under the waterfall. YES, UNDER THE WATERFALL.

Somehow, we were tired AND refreshed by the waterfall.

We made the climb back down reluctantly. None of us had ever done anything like that. During that hike, we realized that Tucker had wrecked his ankles. He let us know that he could not hike for at least a day.

Matt and I chose a hike that was 6 miles round trip and not as steep or up and down as the first day. We drove to Waimea Canyon which is also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. The car took us up to the top of the canyon (thankfully, we didn't hike it!) The view of this canyon is stunning.

The waterfall off to the side caught my eye but both Matt and I were too tired to hike another waterfall.

So, we drove on to another hike. This hike heads away from the canyon and toward the ocean. We really weren't sure what to expect. It was downhill most of the way and after 3 miles, I began to get concerned with the uphill hike when we returned!

We got to the end of the trail and it opened up to a sparkling vista at the edge of a narrow cliff. That's me down there ...

Here is a video clip of the mountains all around me from down on that point.

As I turned around, I could hear the sound of a baby crying. At least it sounded like a baby. Matt spotted it first. There were goats on the side of the cliffs! They are amazingly agile.

We headed back and were tired before we even started. The previous day had really sapped our energy level. We heard something in the woods and I stepped off the trail to investigate. Matt was soon beside me as we looked through the brush ... 4 wild pigs were rooting around. Actually, it was 4 adult pigs with at least 3 babies. As soon as they heard us, the pigs started running around. One of the babies ran right by us within about 5 feet. Those little guys are super-fast! I had the camera ready but frankly, it ended up being a black blur!

We continued on our way back up the trail ... it was painful. I had images of Tucker eating bon-bons while we struggled up the rooted trail.

We had a hearty evening meal and watched a movie. I think I fell asleep at 9pm. I was very tired.

We decided to have an easy day. We kind of drove around to some waterfalls and ended up at a beach. Note the rainbow at the bottom right.

We did not go swimming at this waterfall. It is said that Hawaiians used to leap off the top of this to prove their manhood. We declined. We were too tired!

At the beach, the waves were rough but we went in anyway. It was us and the surfers and that was pretty much all there was.

How rough was it? The picture below does not do it justice but notice that there is a wave behind the wave ...

As I sat on the beach, Tucker trotted up out of the water. He was holding his hand funny. He had been stung by a jelly fish! It left a mark all the way across his hand and around the other side.

It seemed like we were getting hurt every day. Matt's ankles were bothering him and a blister on my foot was just getting worse. So, we went out to dinner at a fine restaurant!

The next day, we took an easy walk. No one got hurt but we were STILL tired from that first hike. What wimps we were!

At the end of the day, we looked toward the amenities of the condo ... the pool beckoned. It was crisp, clear and free of Jelly fish!

At the end of the trip, I think we all reflected on how tough that first climb was and how it made the subsequent trips even tougher. Hopefully, none of us will forget the incredible views, hard hikes, cheezy-eggs, the tortellinis, onions, garlic, green peppers, and pesto, or the bow tie pasta!

We worked hard and we ate well but I'm still tired and it is a week later!

Peace!

John

10th Street Hike Re-visited

It is the rainy season here in Oahu. There are downpours at night and the days are alternating mists and a soft stream of water. When the sun comes out you feel like you are in a steam bath!

Tucker, Matt and I planned to hike the 5 or so waterfalls off 10th Street. Tucker and I had done it and I had also taken Krista and her friends up to the first waterfall. This is not a hike for the clumsy as the stream crossings tend to be slippery and sometimes steep. The path climbs alongside the steep wall of the mountain without much in the way of footing. Add rain to the mix and let's just say it can get exciting.

We picked yesterday (10/25), a Saturday to climb this adventurous trail. Tucker and I wanted to show Matt the many different waterfalls. On Friday it rained. It rained a lot. There's a gallon bucket outside our house and it was full. On Saturday morning it seemed to be clearing. Tucker and I looked at each other and thought the same thing ... the stream might be running a bit fast.

Below is us at the car getting ready.


We got to the site and started our hike. It misted slightly as we climbed down from the road to the ravine. The rocks and tree limbs were slippery. I saw the huge tree that Krista banged her head on as we climbed down.
The ferns and plants were in full growth making it hard to walk without getting soaked. The path was blurred by so much greenery. We did our best to make our way down to the stream.

It wasn't a stream anymore. It was a river ... a raging river ... a torrent of brown water that brought with it mud, muck and a number of sticks, branches and boughs. It was impossible to cross.

Go back? We all looked at each other. We decided to climb around and bush whack our way upstream to another part of the trail. It was tough going climbing around the trees, the rocks and yes ... a car ... or what was left of it!



We found a spot that was a little wider meaning that the water was spread out and maybe not rushing as fast. Below is a video clip (thank goodness for the waterproof camera) of Tucker making his way across the river. Look how deep it is! Matt and I stayed strategically down stream to catch him if he fell.

We crossed several times and each was a bit of an adventure. Back and forth we went getting soaked up to our hips at times. The trail then headed uphill and up we went. The path was narrow and slippery. On the left was the hill going up and on the right, the hill going down with only small bushes to stop you if you slipped. It was here that I took a tumble and my feet went out from under me. I slid down a few feet but thankfully the bushes were thick enough to stop my slide. Tucker grabbed my armpits and helped me up. My backside was muddy from my shoulders to the backs of my thighs.

We moved on and each of us took turns slipping and sliding ... and then it started raining some more.

I thought about the river. What if more rain came? What if we couldn't cross it on our way back? I mentioned it to the lads and we decided to press on to at least the first waterfall. After several twists and turns we heard what sounded like a jet engine on full power. It was amazing the difference in water flow from the last time I was there!

Here is a picture from last time:

I'm not sure the pictures do it justice but you can make out Matt on the lower left side of the picture below.

50 yards away, Tucker and I got misted by the falls.

To get the full effect watch and listen to the next video clip!

It began raining again ... not misting and I got worried about the level of the water. We hustled down the trail ... and yes, I fell again ... right on my backside but not to worry, the rain had me cleaned off in no time!

Getting down was easier than going up. We made our way back to the car fairly quickly compared to the tough time going up. Isn't always easier going down than going up?

Soaked to the bone, we dried off and changed shirts and headed home for some rest and relaxation back at the house.