Volcano National Park

Hi again

Hello everyone,

Last time we posted for real we were about to embark on a long weekend vacation from our longer Hawaiian experience. First off, it took over an hour to get the rental truck. I wasn't sure if my credit card had insurance built in to cover rentals, so I called the company to find out. I spoke to someone who said that I was covered for rental cars. What about rental trucks, I asked. Yes, I was covered for those too. Great! So I signed the papers and we headed out. After a mile or so my mother called to say that she had talked to the same credit card company and they told her trucks were NOT covered. So, we had to go back to the place and buy insurance, an extra $39 a day. Thanks a lot, credit card company.

Anyway, we drove back to Honoka'a to get our bags from the tea garden. We didn't arrive until about 4, and then it took us a while to get our things together. We dragged our feet a little, having tea with the Inos, packing up slowly. After just 3 months living there it had come to feel like home, so it was hard to leave. Finally we got back on the road, trying to make it to Volcano National Park to camp there for the night. We didn't get there until 11pm or so. The gates to the park are always open but they don't bother to staff the place after dark, so we drove right in and stopped at the empty visitors' center to look for camping spots. There were notices up that much of the park was closed to traffic due to high levels of sulfur dioxide, and we didn't want to drive around late at night looking for a campsite that might be closed, so we left the park and camped in a stand of tall eucalyptus and koa trees a few miles down the road.

In the morning we went back to the park, this time paying $10 to get in. I'm glad we had a car to see the park; it stretches over many miles, with old lava flows and lava tunnels spaced out at random intervals. We'll post pictures of the park soon. After a morning of playing on old pahoehoe (the wavy rock created by cooling lava flows) we made the long drive around the south of the island to Captain Cook.

Captain Cook is possibly the nicest place on the island. It's got almost everything Hawaii has to offer in a small area, great vistas, tropical forest, crystal blue waters (Sus said it was like kayaking in Listerine). The town is set on the steep sides of Kealakekua Bay, and the bed and breakfast we stayed at had an amazing view of the bay from 1500 feet up. The place we stayed would make movie stars jealous. It was a beautiful house owned by Kurt and Kana Weigel and their 4-year-old daughter Jenna, whose hospitality was really wonderful. We had a giant bed and bathroom to ourselves, and access to a kayak and other fun stuff. Kurt grows his own coffee and fruit and nuts on his property, so we had the freshest of breakfasts each morning! Talk about keeping food miles down, we were dealing in food inches. It's funny that we are used to being on Hawaii by now, so our vacation wasn't seeing the sights but having a bed and flushing toilet!

We reluctantly left Sunday morning to start our new adventure on our new farm, and in the process I threw my back out, but that's another story. We'll post again soon with pictures and a description of the beautiful jungle farm we live on now.

Hi

Hi everyone, sorry to keep you in suspense wondering how our new farm is and how great our weekend getaway was, but you'll have to wait a little longer. It's harder for us to get to a computer here. Just got to the library but they close in one minute. We're doing great and we'll talk to you soon.

On the road

Hello again friends.

This morning we left Mauna Kea Tea Garden, marking the halfway point of our 6-month trip. Our first three months flew by, but we learned and experienced so many new things in that time. Our destination is Josanna's Garden, a 6-acre fruit farm in Kapoho, just southeast of Hilo. If you imagine the Big Island like a clock, Honoka'a is at 1 o'clock and Kapoho is at 3:30. We will be leaving the cool mountain air for a mix of salty breezes from the sea and caustic vog (volcano fog) from inland. Still, the air here is as clean as anyplace on earth.

We are now in Hilo, about to go embark on a long weekend of sightseeing. We are going now to get our rental car, a pickup truck that was the last rental in town. See, when Sus and I planned our long weekend we figured it would be no trouble to rent from one of the 5 or 6 agencies located in Hilo. Unbeknownst to us, this weekend is the Merrie Monarch Festival, the largest hula dance festival in the world. When we called around two weeks ago every place was sold out except for this one truck. Of course they jacked up the price because of the demand for cars, but I think it will be worth it. We'll be heading back to the farm to pick up our tent and bags, then exploring vocano national park and sleeping there tonight. After that we're off to a relaxing two nights at a bed and breakfast in Captain Cook on the leeward side of the island and then settling in at our new farm Sunday. Hopefully everything goes to plan, although most adventures don't.

Talk to you all soon!

Mauna Kea Tea Cookbook

Hi everybody,

In honor of our last few days at the tea garden Susannah and I will be cooking a delicious meal for our hosts at the farmhouse tomorrow night. We are usually limited to two outdoor propane burners when we cook... no electricity, no oven. Despite lacking what many modern cooks may consider essential technology, we have managed to compile a cabin cookbook to leave at the farm for future interns who may feel gastronomically uninspired. I'm going to give you a sneak peak of tomorrow night's menu.

SPICED CARROTS

Cut 3 large carrots into matchsticks (julienned)

Saute in olive oil 5 minutes

Add 1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbs fresh lemon juice

Saute 2 more minutes, stirring constantly

Add 1 tbs rice or white vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sesame seeds (or mint leaves, or whatever)

Saute 5 more minutes, serve hot


EGGPLANT CURRY

Heat olive oil in a large pot

Add 1 tbs fennel seed
1 tbs fenugreek
2 tbs curry paste or powder
1 diced onion

Cook 5 minutes

Add 4 small eggplant, quartered
3 tbs coconut oil

Cook 5 more minutes

Add 4 small tomatoes, quartered
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp hot pepper flakes

Cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally

Turn off heat and stir in 1 handful chopped basil

Serve over rice


PINEAPPLE LASSI

Mix equal parts plain yogurt and pineapple

Add 2 tbs sugar and 1 tsp cumin or cardamom for each cup yogurt


As you can see, this meal has a strong Indian influence. Try these recipes yourself and let me know what you think!

Some more pictures from Hawaii

I have really grown to love the winding mountain road on which we live. Here's just one reason why.


A virtual sea of ginger plants. In our area this ginger grows wherever it can, which is everywhere, including rock faces. It holds so much water and energy in the stalks that even if it's chopped in a lawnmower into tiny fibers, each fiber will grow a new plant. If only it were tasty! Unfortunately it's not the delicious kind we eat normally, but tastes like what it is, a root covered in dirt.


This is the vista from what our guidebook calls "the most beautiful road in the world", route 250 outside of Waimea. I admit it's a great road, but it's all a matter of perspective. It features about 15 miles of well-groomed cow pasture with white fences and expansive views of the northwest coast and central mountains. I'm partial to overgrown jungle roads myself. Forgive me for thinking Susannah and I are the most scenic part of this picture.


The gorgeous view of Pololu Valley on the northern tip of the island, near Hawi. We didn't hike down into the valley but apparently there's a beached whale there that's become quite the tourist attraction. The Big Island is a hiker's paradise: it has tall rocky mountains and wide lush valleys and everything in between.


I named this guy Eddie Lizard (or if it's a gal, Lizzie).


Sheep hate garlic! Fortunately, so do the worms that live in their stomachs. Here the sheep we call "big mama" takes her medicine.


Today the winds on the farm reached 70+ MPH and knocked over our shower. The damage was minor, and we plumbed it right up.