Cool Rocks

We really enjoyed checking out the geology of the Big Island.  Here are some pics of some cool rocks we came across.

Solidifed surface of the lava lake along the Kilauea Iki Trail

Holei Sea Arch at the end of the Chain of Craters Road

Cool rainbow rock seen hiking at the end of the Chain of Craters Road

Lava flow over the Chain of Craters Road

Lava along the Chain of Craters Road

Pu”u Loa Petroglyth

Fissure rocks along Mauna Ulu trail

Sulfur Banks (Ha‘akulamanu) rock

More Sulfur Banks rocks

College Crowd

In April I got together with my college roommates, Colleen and Lauren in Houston.  Here we are with William, Lee, and Colin enjoying some TexMex.

Fajitas and other goodness at El Tiempo

The following week  I was in Seattle for work and so was a college friend, Tom.  We rounded up a Seattle contingent of college friends for some northwest cuisine at Palace Kitchen.

Palace Kitchen

Courtesy of my Dad

 

Manong Gavin and Manong Connor welcoming Cici to the house. T-shirt design by Gavin. Connor taking picture of floor to commemorate the occasion.

Hawai’i Highlights

We had a great 10 days on the Big Island.  Highlights included:

• A tour with Hawaii Forest and Trail to watch sunset 15 feet shy of the top of Mauna Kea.  After the sunset we had a great star gazing lesson.
• Scuba diving in Garden Eel Cove and a night dive with eels, squids, and a giant manta ray with Kona Honu Divers.
• Kayaking with spinner dolphins
• A ranger lead tour of a lava tube that only 12 people a week get to enter.
• Watching lava glow at the Halema’uma’u crater and at the viewing area 1/2 a mile from the lava entering the ocean.
• Snorkeling in several locations including with a sea turtle
• Hiking throughout the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (spotting some nenes, the Hawai’i state bird), to the Green Sand Beach, and in the Waipio Valley (but fortunately someone offered us a ride up the 25% grade road)

Unfortunately we had two lowlights:

• Forgetting our camera was in my pocket while we were crossing a river
• Having our lava boat tour canceled because lava stopped flowing through the lava tubes.

  

  Waipio Valley

  

  Nenes in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

  

  Green Sand Beach

  
  

  

  Kilauea Iki, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

  

  Ranger in lava tube

  

  Lava glow while entering the ocean

  
  

  

  Lava stalactites in the lava tube

  
  

On The Top of the World

Sunset at Mauna Kea (13,780 feet). Subaru and Keck Observatories (L-R)

Flat Stanley

Damon and Flat Stanley at Solitude

Flat Stanley skiing at Alta

Flat Stanley enjoying the sunny weather.

Our last visitor of the ski season was Flat Stanley who came to visit us from Chiang Mai, Thailand.  Flat Stanley, for those who don’t know, is a character in a children’s book who is flattened by a bulletin board.  He discovers that  there are some benefits to being flat- sliding under doors… and being sent via mail.  Damon’s cousin’s son, Htoo Eh, mailed us Flat Stanley, I made him a hat and scarf, Damon made him skis and gloves and we took him up to Solitude and Alta before we mailed him back to Thailand.

New Clogs

I finally finished Gavin and Connor’s new clogs. Photos of the boys in the sweaters I made them for Christmas courtesy of my dad.

Hugs

Hooray!

Alta

The last several weeks we’ve received some spring storms which brought us good snow through the end of March and early April.  Our last visitors of the ski season were our friends Squirt (who was in town for a wedding) and Christina.  Unfortunately Squirt and I forgot our cameras the day we went up to Solitude, but here are photos of Alta the day we went up with Christina.

Chris getting ready to head down the hill

At the top of Supreme chair

From the top of Supreme chair

View from top of Supreme Bowl looking at East Castle

East Castle

Devil’s Castle

From top of Collins chair looking at Devil’s Castle

Mt. Baldy with Ballroom below

View from top of Collins chair

View from top of Collins chair

View from top of Collins chair

Devil’s Castle

Devil’s Castle

For Sale

My parents’ house

103-102

We’ve gone to see a few Utah Jazz NBA games this season (opening night and Boston Celtics). Tonight we saw the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Utah Jazz 103-102 from the 16th row. Really fun game.

Kevin Ollie with the ball