Posted September 12, 200618 yr This summer I went on a big family vacation (big.........as in distance traveled and number of family members :-D). We went to Hawaii from June 27 through July 6 (which coincidently is the off-season for tourism). Anyway, my great-uncle and his partner own a condominium on the Big Island and in celebration of his 60th birthday he invited his family and friends to paradise! Each seperate family within our big family had their own condo for the week. Part 1 includes photos from the Big Island, officially known as Hawaii (where the state gets its name from). We spent most of our vacation on this island, particularly in the Kailua Kona area (the west side of the island). Part 2 will include photos from our day trip to Oahu, the island with Honolulu and Pearl Harbor. Enjoy :-D -- ---------------------- View out of the airplane of Mount Saint Helens or Mount Rainier or Mount Olympus (?not sure?) near Seattle. ----- Our condominium complex These little guys were everywhere (like ants)! And my cousins kept calling them "Geico's" ----- Random ----- The white sand beach ----- Area where Captain Cook (first white settler on Hawaii) landed ----- Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Park (cultural festival) ----- Black sand beach (Mr. Turtle sunning himself) ----- Volcanoes National Park Mauna Loa (world's most massive mountain) Lava Tube (like a cave) ----- In the cloud forest ----- In the village (of Kailua Kona). Traffic is terrible, and this is a "rural" area. With only a few main through roads, gridlock is very common. Summer residence of the Ali'i First church on Hawaii ------ Sunset on the Big Island ----- Part 2 (Honolulu and Pearl Harbor) to come sometime this week!
September 12, 200618 yr Nice shots! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
September 12, 200618 yr Awesome! The great variety of landscapes on the Big Island makes it one of the coolest places to me. It was always my family's favorite island when we lived in Hawaii for a couple years.
September 12, 200618 yr After 4 islands, the Big Island is my fav. I love captain Cook, I hope you went snorkeling there, it is amazing. I also was interested to see that turtle on volcano beach, I have the exact same picture, must be a hot spot. I hope you brought back a lot of coffee, that is my only regret from last time and not a mistake to be made again when I go in Jan.
September 12, 200618 yr Hawaii always takes me aback because I feel as if I'm looking at another country, but it's still the USA. I'll definately have to check it out eventually... looks nice from the photos you showed us!
September 12, 200618 yr View out of the airplane of Mount Saint Helens or Mount Rainier or Mount Olympus (?not sure?) near Seattle. Btw, it's Mt. Rainer. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
September 12, 200618 yr Excellent photos of places not usually seen in run-of-the-mill tourist pictures. The cloud forest photos are gorgeous!
September 13, 200618 yr Thank you all :-) I hope you brought back a lot of coffee, that is my only regret from last time and not a mistake to be made again when I go in Jan. I didn't bring back too much coffee unfortunately (Kona coffee is to die for, by the way........it leaves no after-taste!) although I did bring back a good amount of green tea bags...........good stuff! Hawaii always takes me aback because I feel as if I'm looking at another country, but it's still the USA. I thought about that almost every day of the trip! Seriously (kinda embarrassing) it brought tears to my eyes sometimes. It is definitely a different world but is 100% American! Speaking of which, it's kind of funny looking up the mountainside and seeing a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Costco, and Macy's at the top :lol: But nonetheless, Hawaii is as American as apple pie and as Hawaiian as a macadamia nut LOL Btw, it's Mt. Rainer. Thank you! That was bothering me :-) The cloud forest photos are gorgeous! The cloud forest was probably my most favorite thing we toured on the Big Island. I took dozens of pics of just foliage! :-D PS..........O'ahu, Honolulu, Pearl Harbor will be posted Friday (when I don't have to worry about Calc and Physics homework)!
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