Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 11.

by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction

Through this blog, I was able to let my summer vacation linger well into autumn. Thanks for indulging me in my travel log. (Travel blog? Tlog?…who knows?) In any event, I thought it would be fun to share the secret photos I took of my family during the layover in Phoenix between our red-eye from Maui to the mainland and our final leg from Phoenix to D.C. Aren’t they cute?

Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 10.

by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction

Hana, Maui was a tough act to follow. I could have spent the entire vacation there. Our final stop: the Westin on the West Coast of Maui seemed almost like being back in the hustle and bustle of the real world – well, it was busy, tough to find a chair by the pool or a spot to sit on the crowded beach (should be my worst problem..). The big draw for many folks was the open air shopping mall with everything from a Croc store to frozen yogurt shop.  I’m not a huge shopper, so I could take or leave that part.

However, the kids loved the cool water slides at the pool.  The snorkeling from the beachfront was spectacular. By now, Thing 2 had memorized the fish-watching cards we picked up on the Big Island. He kept tapping me to point at a fish and to signal me to surface. “Mom, did you see that unicorn fish!” or “that’s the humuhumunukunukuapuaa.” (He explained that some call it the Reef Triggerfish, but the card listed the Hawaiian name for it and he loved saying it!)

unicorn fish

Reef Trigger Fish aka humuhumunukunukuapuaa

Just as we started our trip with a luau, we finished up by celebrating at another! This time, we got seats right up front and even got to participate in the show! The show included the most amazing fire dancers.  My still photos ruin the illusion of the spinning flaming batons by freezing them in time. Take my word for it. They were awesome! After the show, Thing 1 asked if he could try to blow the conch shell. The M.C. let him! His trumpet (and shofar) blowing skills paid off. He might have a future as a luau king!

Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 9

by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction

On our first morning at the Hotel Hana. Hubby and I woke up early and walked to the rocky seaside right from our cabin—each view as spectacular as the last. I took a yoga class overlooking the surf and then headed to breakfast with the family. We played golf on the adorable Par 3 course together. I actually bogied two holes! We had the infiniti pool all to ourselves. Thing 2 and I took a horseback ride along the rocky coast and when our guide brought us to the edge of a ranch owned by Oprah Winfrey, Thing 2 and I looked at each other and said, “What up, Oprah!?”

This hotel might be the most beautiful spot I’ve ever been to!

Whatup Oprah!?

Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 8.

by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction

I’m not sure I did the Road to Hana justice with my brief description, so I thought I’d try my hand at posting video on the blog. (My last attempt was not so great.) But here goes. Leave a comment to let me know whether you could view the video this time. Enjoy the ride!

Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 7.

by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction

We shifted course after realizing most of Hilo closes on Sundays and instead of driving Northern rout as originally planned, we repeated to the Sourthern route back to Kona.

We stopped for breakfast at the Coffee Shack, walked arund Kona, and bought Aloha shirts for the boys and a new dress for me. We arrived at the Airport, checked our bags, explored the gift shop, where Spencer bought a snow globe.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 at the Coffee Shack

A short flight to Maui and we lucked out as while Phil went to rent the car, I took the kids to get the luggage (we had to check our bags on this little commuter flight ).

We started our drive toward the Road to Hana at about 2:40 p.m. Before we reached the scenic route, we stopped to watch a huge group of Windsurfers in the bay. The colorful sails looked like butterflies flitting around in the waves below.

The Road to Hana was unlike any other drive I’ve ever taken. Along the way, we made stops to hike to Twin Falls and swim beneath the 20 foot falls. We stopped at an overlook to see a beautiful town in a valley below. The boys got smoothies at the roadside stand while I sipped fresh coconut water fight from the coconut!

Twin Falls

Sipping from a coconut

We tried to follow the guide map and tour book but at mile marker #7 we expected to pull over to see a view of a bamboo forest. We were bamboozled because it didn’t appear until much later – spectacular though, with Bamboo leaves seeming to carpet the hillside, growing parallel to the ground, perpendicular to the hillside. The winding road with tropical forest and waterfalls on one side and cliffs and ocean views on the other, varying road width with many one lane bridges make the drive a challenge. Poor Thing 1 had to close his eyes and rest due to carsickness so he missed some of the spectacular sites.

When we pulled up outside the Hana hotel, we were greeted with beautiful nut leis. We made the quick change into our new clothes from Kona, and headed to dinner.

The meal was spectacular: seared tuna with tempura crust, a sald with ferns—so cool. I had Cloudy Bay Savignon Blanc with dinner and Tiramisu for dessert (yum!) While the food was 5-star, the highlight of the meal was the entertainment. A local group of Hula dancers of all ages—adults, teens, and keiki accompanied by a local couple singing native folk songs. The dancers were family: great grandmothers with each generation down to great grandchildren. The whole experience was so moving. I loved witnessing the traditions being passed on in this way.

While we sat in the beautiful room, eating, drinking, and watching the dancers, Hubby said, “I think I’m in heaven.”

I joked. “Maybe we took a wrong turn on the Road to Hana?”

A long and perfect day in paradise…

Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 6.

by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction

We spent one full day exploring the Volcano. We started with a guided hike into the caldera. We investigated lava trees, Pele’s tears, cracks. We observed how the fast moving lava hardened in jagged rocks. Slow flow was all smooth and swirly.

We toured various scenic overlooks within the park, Sea Arch, Thurston Lave Tube. We wanted to see the Petroglyphs, but when we got in the car to drive from the Sea Arch to the Petroglyphs, the car wouldn’t start. Eek! We were 17 miles from the visitor’s center in the park. We finally got it started and decided to skip the petroglyphs and drive back to the house for a rest before our big plan for the night.

We took a break for a couple of hours, and headed out to a pizza place we read about in the tour book. But it was closed, so we found a little sandwich shop and ate there instead. It was a nice surprise. The sandwiches were all on homemade bread. I had an ono fish sandwich. The others sate pastrami, roast beef, and turkey. We filled our bellies and then drove the 1 ½ route down route 130 to view the lava flowing into the ocean. An entire neighborhood devastated by the lava flow. We drove to the road closing and walked the rest of the way to the county officials.

We could see flare-up red glowing ground in the distance and where the lava splashed into the ocean, it splashes up into the air in red glowing spray. It was so far way I couldn’t photograph it with the camera we have. However, I’ll never forget the amazing sight of new land being formed.

After witnessing the volatile birth of an island, we headed back to Rooster cottage so we could get an early start driving back to Kona to catch our flight to Maui.

Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 5.

by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction

We had so much fun snorkeling in the lagoon on Day 2, we decided to hang around the hotel and spend another day snorkeling with the turtles. We also encountered a school of mullets. They are so cool to watch. They actually jumped out of the water like flying fish.

The next day, we left Kona and drove the southern route to Volcano Village, stopping at Keleakaua Bay to watch kayakers paddle across to snorkel. We continued on and took a walking tour at the Place of Refuge and then snorkeled next door. The reef and rocks were amazing! I picked up a fish-watching card and book. We stopped at varius scenic spots, including black sand beach, before arriving at our house in Volcano village.

Place of Refuge

Black Sand Beach

We ate at Thai Thai Restaurant – Delicious! Summer rolls, papaya salad and spicy eggplant with chicken. After dinner we stopped at the Volcaon National Park and headed to the crater viewing from Jagger Museum. The crater glowed red – sooo cool!

My camera doesn't do this justice...

The lovely house we rented was Rooster cottage. I highly recommend it!

Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 3.

by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction

Big Island – Kona

We landed in Kona in time to get to our hotel for dinner at the Marriott with our friends who are spending the last few days of their vacation at the same place we spent our first few days.  We checked out the hotel pool, walked on the beach at the hotel. It’s very rocky. I do not advise walking in bare feet or flip flops. Those swim shoes were a great idea! I saw a puffer fish on the beach. My kids were fascinated with the white corral graffiti on the black lava rock.

We spent our first full day on the Big Island of Hawaii Snorkeling in the lagoon at the Hilton. This activity brought huge surprises! It’s not a stocked lagoon, but fed by the ocean – built as a huge inlet from the open sea. Sea turtles galore! We tested out the bike-boat (not sure what it’s really called, but it’s a raft with a bicycle-driven paddle boat.

With me, if you didn’t already know, it’s all about the food. The hotel had a great breakfast buffet complete with miso soup bar, omelet station, fresh tropical fruit, pancakes and waffles with lilikoi syrup (and maple syrup). For dinner we attended a luau with our friends with hula dancers, fire dancers, and more. For the second family bucket trip list in a row, Hubby dropped the camera during the Luau! Can you believe the fancy lens he bought broke? He was beside himself. Luckily, the oldest son in our friends’ family is an avid photographer/film maker. He happened to have an extra lens with him that would fit our camera. Saved!