Raw Beauty

We got a great view of the island as we were landing. Ummmm.... unbelievable? This terrain is like nothing I've ever seen. It's mountainous and lush and volcanic. It's got gorgeous beaches that back up to giant volcanic rocks. I lack the vocabulary to explain this place. I will have to resort to the thousand words that pictures provide.

Spencer is sick. She got sick on Wednesday. Her fever gets worse every afternoon. She's such a trooper. I think I would have thrown a tantrum or refused to go any farther at the airport. But she and her 101 fever are being amazing. I am praying that she gets better soon so she can enjoy the vacation.

Yesterday was comical. We head out of the airport and the highway that we need to take is blocked off. That was ok, because we knew that it would be because of the Ironman Triathlon. But I asked the policeman standing there if we could still take the 19, or did we need to take a different route. "Where ya goin?" "Hapuna Beach" "Ya that's fine, just stay in the middle."

So we're driving, slowly, up the highway with all the Ironman cyclists coming right at us. It was bizarre. We could have reached out and touched them. Or grabbed a gatorade. About 5 miles down the road we came to another intersection (this place is pretty barren). A police officer stopped me, my husband, and my 3 kids in our SUV and asked "Can I see your race course pass?" I thought he was kidding. Honestly. I laughed and asked him to repeat it. He did. But he didn't laugh. So I had to turn around and drive back alongside them all the way back to the

airport.

Our hotel is really pretty. Not just the buildings, but the beach and surrounding are stunning. My favorite part is the little swimming cove. It's set back a bit, so the waves don't just pummel the kids. The snorkeling is supposed to be phenomenal here. We'll have to rent some gear and try it out.