Weekly Photo Challenge: Serenity, Or: A Pacific Morning

This week’s challenge calls for serenity, and it reminded me of a shot I took during a morning walk at the Kona Coast Resort in Hawaii.

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Roasting In The Sun

Kona Coffee, anyone?

Weekly Photo Challenge: New, Or: Coffee Bean Bags

This week’s challenge calls for something new, and fresh coffee beans came to mind. This is what happens after the beans have been picked; they’re put in sacks and hauled over to the processing machinery. Those are the small sacks, too; some of the sacks at Greenwell Farms were as tall as I was!

Weekly Photo Challenge: New, Or: Raw Kona Coffee Beans

This week’s challenge calls for something new, and there’s nothing quite like raw coffee beans. You ever wonder where some of your Starbucks and Peet’s Coffee come from? Greenwell Farms on the Big Island has you covered. And I can attest, the island’s fresh brews are way better than anything you can find in the mainland. I normally abstain from coffee, but their Autumn Harvest was ridiculously good!

Royal Kona Luau Fire Dance

Because nothing says the holidays like…a Hawaiian luau with a fire dancer? I took this at the Royal Kona Resort a few weeks back. Happy New Year, folks.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Warmth, Or: Sunset In Kona, Hawaii

This week’s challenge calls for something warm (definitely needed here right now!), and I immediately thought of this awesome sunset I saw during the Royal Kona Luau on the Big Island.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Twinkle, Or: Kona Sunset Splash

This week’s photo challenge calls for something twinkly, and the sunset I saw at the Royal Kona Luau instantly came to mind. I’ve got quite a few photos of this particular evening – you’ll see soon enough – but this one caught a wave at just the right moment.

Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii

Located on the Kona coast of the Big Island, Kealakekua Bay is one of the most historically significant areas on the entire island. There’s a monument to Captain Cook (a white obelisk seen in the far distance on the right), marking the spot where he died in 1779. Amazing how some people manage to leave things behind, even centuries later.The place is also great for snorkeling and kayaking, though it’s peaceful enough for a brief hike and a quiet place to eat lunch. Regardless, it’s a place that every traveler should visit.

900 Miles: A Week On Hawaii’s Big Island

Hey, folks. I’m baaaaack.

*Crickets chirping*

…Ahem. If you recall, I recently left for a week-long trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. As with all of my travels, I focused on exploration and seeing new things. This was my first time on the Big Island, so there was a lot of ground to cover. And while I’m going cover it all via writing and photography (with a new DSLR!) soon, I thought I’d outline my epic adventure using a list format from this week’s writing challenge. To give you an idea of the scale and length of the journey (totaling nearly 900 miles, to the amazement/horror of the rental car people) here’s a map of the Big Island:

Here’s a list in chronological order of where I went. See if you can chart my routes:

Friday, 11/28/2014:

• Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. (The location of my hotel and the starting and end points of all my daily trips until the last day).

Saturday, 11/29/2014:

• Hilo Farmer’s Market
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
• Steaming Bluff
• Kilauea
• Jaggar Museum & Overlook/ USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
• Thurston Lava Tube
• Chain Of Craters Road
• Devastation Trail

Sunday, 11/30/2014

• La’aloa Bay
• Kahalu’u Beach Park
• Ali’i Drive

Monday, 12/01/2014

• Kawaihae Harbor
• Hawi
• Pololu Valley & Awini Trail
• Kohala Highlands
• Waipio Valley
• Honokohau Harbor

Tuesday, 12/02/2014

• Greenwell Farms
• Kealakekua Bay
• Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Park
• St. Benedict’s Painted Church
• Royal Kona Luau

Wednesday, 12/03/2014

• Botanical World Adventures Rainforest Trail
• Umauma River
• Akaka Falls State Park
• Hilo Farmer’s Market
• Hilo Airport Commuter Terminal
• Lava Tree State Park
• Pahoa
• Rainbow Falls

Thursday, 12/04/2014

• Honaunau Bay
• Paleaku Gardens Peace Sanctuary
• Ho’okena Beach Park

Friday, 12/05/2014

• Kahalu’u Beach Park
• Kona International Airport

Beaches, harbors, volcanos, lava tubes, rainforests, towns, nature trails, waterfalls, gardens, farms, tide pools…I may have overdone it. Then again, I’m already compiling a list of all things I’ll do the next time I go!