Maunawili Falls

This past Sunday, we met up with some friends early to do our second (their first) Hawaii hike. Our first hike was Waimea Falls last Labor Day, which is a paved road and a pretty easy hike. This time, we wanted to jump in and see some of what makes Hawaii's rainforest so beautiful, so we set of for Likeke Falls.

Upon arriving at the trailhead, we noticed a lot of traffic in the parking lot. I had read that the lot where you park is used for church parking on Sundays, and sure enough everyone was arriving for service just as we were arriving to hike. We considered parking in a far corner and hoped we would go unnoticed, but there were people patrolling in golf carts, asking hikers to not park in the lot. So we quickly Googled another hike, and nearby was a 3-mile hike called Maunawili Falls. People wrote that the hike was muddy, but we were game for a little adventure. We applied our sunscreen (of course), bug spray, and set out.

Trailhead

Most of Hawaii's waterfalls have the Leptospirosis warning and it's a "swim-at-your-own-risk" sort of thing. We didn't plan on swimming, just seeing nature's beauty. At first the trail was easy- some mud, some roots, a few downed limbs we had to duck under. Nothing we couldn't handle. But soon (and unfortunately, too late into our trek) we realized that the mud and exposed roots were only getting worse. It was about this time that Evie decided she did NOT like being in the hiking pack and started fussing.

When we weren't looking down to avoid falling face-first into mud, we saw some neat things like the tree above. There were lots of mangoes and bamboo, and fortunately not much wildlife. Many people had their dogs on the trail but we noticed only one other couple who was babywearing. After at least an hour of walking, we came to a hilltop that had a great view of Kailua and the Pacific. We stopped for some water and family pics.

It was SO HOT at the top of the mountain, and it became obvious that our decision to hike close to noon was a bad one. Evie was happy when the pack was on the ground, but once Jay put it back on her fussing began. Our friend's daughter was having a great time, even sleeping at one point! We plowed on and soon began a descent toward the falls. After a second stream crossing we arrived at our destination. People were cliff diving, some from as high as 30-feet! We enjoyed resting for a few minutes, getting some water and snacks. It was pretty crowded and difficult to find a shaded spot for the girls. We were all dreading the return trip, so we decided not to linger.

Well, by this time Evie had had enough. She wailed pretty much the entire way up and then back down the mountain. Going back was much faster since we were more familiar with the trail and were dying to get out of there. We stopped a few times for water because we were all so hot, and poor Jay had a throbbing headache from Evie's screaming. When we found the trailhead, I don't know who was happier- the parents for having survived or the girls for being able to get out and walk. We got back to the car, cleaned up as best we could, and headed into Kailua for some brunch.

View from our car

We ate at a cute diner called Moke's Bread and Breakfast. They didn't have booze but they did allow BYOB and told us of a store a few blocks down that sold wine and champagne. We decided we had worked off so many calories on our crazy hike that we should treat ourselves to some mimosas. I had POG for the first time- pineapple (or passion fruit, I forget), orange, and guava juice. It was delicious with the Prosecco we picked up! I also had lilikoi sauce on my pancakes- passion fruit sauce, which looks creamy but is actually very light and delicious.

All in all, it was a lousy, muddy situation that we made the best of and now have a fun tale to tell. Everything I've read says Maunawili Falls is considered a moderate to hard trail, so hiking can only get better from here. Right?

Summer vacation in Maryland

Once again, we're back! We returned last week from six wonderful weeks in MD. We had a lot of fun seeing family and friends, and just relaxing at Grandma's house.

The classic baby drinking from a hose in diaper shot

We spent lots of time in the pool and in the big backyard running around. As you can see, Evie discovered the hose and all the fun you can have with it. Ever since then, it's almost impossible to go a day without some sort of water activity in the backyard!

We went to the Catoctin Zoo with Grandma and fed deer. Grandma was brave and fed goats and llamas, but those things were aggressive so Evie and I hung back. Evie took her first tractor (aka lawn mower) ride with Grandma and loved it. We often went to Nanny and Pappy's house for dinner, where Evie was able to play with her Aunt Lauri and cousin Landon. We discovered she loves basketball!

Jay was able to join us July 4th weekend, and Evie went to the Battlefield for her first concert and fireworks. We were a little apprehensive that she would get antsy or cry during the show, but she did very well and even sat quietly watching the fireworks. I also got to use my Tula for the first time and made it up the big hill on Starke Road with Evie strapped to my back- talk about a workout! And since it was a fun night, Evie was allowed to have treats. She tried her first Twizzlers and Oreos- many, many Oreos.

Later the next week, we went to Dutch Wonderland with Nanny, Pappy, and a couple of Evie's cousins. She had a great time and was exhausted by the time we left! She had her first carousel ride, which went well until daddy tried to take some video. I took her on the hot air balloon ride because she insisted, but when the ride started and we started spinning, I'm not sure which one of us wanted off more! We ended the day with some fun time at the splash park. Dutch Wonderland is a really cute theme park for smaller children and I definitely recommend it for kids three and older.

We ended our trip home with crabs and pool time with family. Evie wasn't too thrilled with crab but she loved Aunt Becky's strawberry pie. We left MD very early on a Monday morning and were back in Hawaii by 2pm HST that same day- talk about exhausting! By the time we got our luggage, found the car, and drove through rush hour traffic, it was dinner time. We ate and soon after everyone was in bed. Doing that trip in one day felt like insanity, but it helped us adjust to the time change much easier.

Now that we're back and settling in, Jay and I want to really spruce up our back yard and start a garden. Jay spent last weekend building a raised garden bed while I am trying to NOT kill my hearty basil plant and a new, beautiful Hibiscus flower. So far, so good. We put organic soil in, which smells awful (sorry, neighbors!). We just received seeds from the Seed Savers Exchange, which has many organic seeds to choose from and all seeds are certified non-GMO. Today, we planted purple bell peppers, yellow heirloom tomatoes, and eggplant (had to throw some yellow in- couldn't have all of that purple growing during football season!). So now we wait and see what grows! I've been known to have the touch-of-death when it comes to plants, so wish me luck. I'm trying really hard!

My Hibiscus

Lots of basil!

Finished garden

On a side note, we've been in Hawaii a year and in this house exactly one year today. It's crazy how time flies! It's not always easy to be here and I miss the Easy Coast like crazy, but I want to make the most of our time here because when else am I going to have the opportunity to see and explore Hawaii without spending lots of money to get here? So stay tuned, some fun things are coming...