I certainly slept better last night, thank goodness. And you know that leftover pizza I mentioned yesterday? That was for breakfast….and lunch…along with some of Janee’s birthday cake…
Early in the day we visited Mountain Thunder coffee plantation, only about 15-20min away, but much higher in elevation (I think 3200′). It’s pretty neat, you gain just a little elevation (at least by my standards coming from hilly Flagstaff) and there’s suddenly no more visible lava rock and A LOT more foliage. It’s like the rainforest. We got a tour and were educated on the harvesting, sorting, and roasting process. There were free samples too!
After lunch, we wanted to see what a black sand beach was like, so we went to Kahalu’u Beach, just four or five miles south on Ali’i Drive. It wasn’t a very big beach, but it had some good snorkeling and we saw at least four sea turtles.
We had supplies left over, so Janee made Hawaiian haystacks for dinner again (let me know if I should post the recipe – it’s delicious!) and then we met my parents at Huggo’s On The Rocks. It’s a really awesome spot – the seating is under huge umbrellas in the sand right next to the ocean. The frequently have live entertainment, and there were a lot of hula dancers on this night.
View from our backyard in the morning
As soon as you gain some elevation, it’s like you’re in the jungle. This is on the way to Mountain Thunder coffee plantation
Chickens at Mountain Thunder coffee plantation
The bean sorter
Roasting beans
Black sand beach right on Ali’i Drive
The triathlete’s tramp stamp
Sunset from Kona Mansions, where my parents stayed
