November 4: The Final Snorkels

On our last fall day of vacation we made a point to hit two snorkeling spots.  One was “Two Steps,” officially named Honolua Bay.  We had been t here the other day and successfully managed the entrance and exit to the water via the two lava stone steps, and loved what we saw underwater and wanted to go back.  This time I had my camera ready and took a few shots.  This one shows the lava that makes up the shoreline.  There is no sand at this site which is one reason why the water is so clear. 

This photo shows how one sits down on the lava and gets ready to enter. 

And here are the yellow tang that like to hang around that entrance.  You can see how clear the water is. 

When we left Two Steps we drove about 45 minutes south, stopping along the way at The Coffee Shack for breakfast. It is one of the many coffee places along the Kona coast, which is, after all, where Kona  coffee is grown.  As we drove the scenery became more and more rural and was quite interesting and pretty.

Our second snorkeling spot was the Ho’okena Beach Park, which is the site of the longest lasting canoe fishing village. Nowdays it is managed by the Friends of Ho’okena Beach, a local group that has made this beach into one of the most chill places on the island.  They oversee the camping sites, the concessions, and the bathhouse in a casual but effective way.  We were surprised, for instance, to find that the outdoor showers had hot water.  We were told that the Friends had run a very long pipe down the access road to the beach, all the way from a spring at the top of the road and that the warmth of the sun on the pipe is what heated the water. 

The beach was a bit choppy the day we went, but we did snorkel and had a fun, though admittedly, a shorter time than usual, bobbing around in the ocean currents. 

Here is the road out with the metal pipe running next to it.  Quite a project!

In the afternoon Lotus and I went into Kailua-Kona to see some art in a hotel there and also to do a little shopping in Quilt Passion, the local quilt shop.  We had been there a couple of days before and I had succumbed to a couple of the store's Hawaiian-related patterns and fabrics. But a few were still calling to me.  One was  the "exclusive" fabrics the store had worked with a designer to make to create this lovely lap quilt.  I think it will be simple and soothing project to work on over the winter and should remind me of our wonderful time here.