Day 2 - Kalapana Lava Fields!

This hike was the experience of a lifetime. It was exciting and challenging and awe-inspiring and maybe a little terrifying too. We went with Kalapana Cultural Tours, and they were fantastic. Here's our guide, Koa, leading us through the lava fields.


The lava fields stretched on as far as the eye could see - it was like being in one of those post-apocalyptic movies - and I was amazed that he could guide us when, to me, everything looked the same. It was also amazing to me that life was still able to spring up in these types of conditions, like this ʻōhiʻa lehua tree.


Here's a picture of the hardened lava up close.


And here's another just to show how different the lava can be.


This was no easy hike. As our guide said, "If the lava looks like it's going to crack, it will crack." The unevenness of the terrain meant you had to be very careful about where you put your feet. And the lava is SHARP. I sat down for a minute, and when I got up there were half a dozen small holes in my yoga pants. Just from sitting! An older couple in our group slipped and got some pretty bad scrapes (we're talking a lot of blood here), but they got bandaged up and kept on trekking.

You had to think about every single footstep you took, so it was both mentally and physically exhausting, but Zack and I had fun with it. Whenever he stepped on lava that cracked or moved or otherwise made him lose his footing, he would say, "J..." and I would nudge him and say, "Babe, Jehovah starts with an 'I'". Since we both love Indiana Jones and we are both huge dorks, we thought this was hilarious.

If you have no idea what I am talking about (i.e., are cooler than us), here's a clip from the movie.


Challenging hiking aside, we finally reached the place where the active lava flows into the ocean (and as you approach it, the air gets hotter and hotter - it's kind of scary). Here are a few pictures as the sun sets.





Next we hiked up to where the surface flows are visible. Mind you, this part of the hike and the ENTIRE hike back are in pitch black darkness. With small flashlights. Over those same treacherous lava fields.

But it's totally worth it if you get to see this.


One of the guys on our hike had a walking stick that he had been using the whole way, and when we got to the surface flows, he pulled out this crazy metal cage attachment thingy and proceeded to roast hot dogs over the lava. It was awesome. So, if you end up doing the lava hike at Kalapana, I have two words for you. Bring. Marshmallows.

Day 2, Lava Tree Park and Ahalanui Park

Today we went to the Lava Tree Park near Pahoa. In case you're wondering, a lava tree happens when lava sweeps through an area and makes molds of the tree trunks. Here's what they look like.


These lava trees are scattered throughout the park. Also scattered throughout the park are signs like this one.


And in case you are like, ‘wtf is an earth crack?’, here you go.


They’re actually kind of scary, and we did not veer off the path. I think my favorite thing about the park was how a lot of the vegetation didn’t even seem real. It seemed more like something out of a movie.

Jurassic Park, for instance.


Or Resident Evil (why, hello there, creepy man-eating shrub).


Here's one of Zack doing his best Sampson impression.


And here's one of the spring fed pool we went to afterwards. Ahalanui is volcanically heated and has little fish swimming in it. It was the perfect way to recharge before our evening hike through lava fields (see next post).

Day 2 - Snorkeling at Kapoho Tidepools

Another delicious breakfast at our B&B. This time there were coconut-macadamia nut scones to go with our fruit and smoothies. I finally got a picture of the fruit! Isn’t it pretty?


I had never had lychee until now and I love it! We got to try a ton of other fruits, including kumquats (did you know you eat skin even though it is orange-rind-esque?!), poha berry, and that crazy looking sour cherry thing you see in the picture (I forget the name of that one). Also, Lisa Matragrano is totally right about the papaya here. So much better than the stuff from South America (it's sweeter, lighter, and more buttery all at the same time), and now I’m ruined for life!

Oh, and another couple at the B&B had the cutest 6-month-old and now we’re both missing Ansley something fierce.

After breakfast, we ventured down to Pahoa for the Kapoho Tidepools which was hands down the best snorkeling experience of my life. Here's a shot of the tidepools - there are dozens, maybe even hundreds, of little pools rimmed by lava rock right next to the ocean.

The water is unbelievably clear and calm. Check it out. Zack took this picture from OUTSIDE the water. Crazy, right? Look at that beautiful coral.


The fish were so friendly. This little guy was fascinated with Zack's feet.


This next picture isn't the best, but I'm trying to give you an idea of what it's like snorkeling in one of those little tidepools. The coral surrounds you almost like a cathedral or something. I totally felt like the little mermaid...and I may have been humming songs from that movie for the rest of the day :)


Here are a bunch of the other pictures I took, just because they're pretty.








And here's one Zack took of me snorkeling. This is the least embarrassing one. Whenever I give the underwater camera to Zack, it inevitably comes back with 50 pictures of my boobs.

Day 1, Part II

I'm finally getting to catch up! The rest of the day was crazy busy. We went to Pe'epe'e Falls and Boiling Pots to finish off our waterfall tour. There's an overlook where you can take pictures, but if you crawl between the rails on one side there's a steep path you can half hike, half climb down to get to the Boiling Pots (so, of course, I made Zack do this - he was very brave and there was only a little swearing involved).

Here's a picture of the Boiling Pots that you can only get by climbing down the cliff.


And here's one of the falls.


We were hoping to be able to hop our way out there from rock to rock, but the water levels were high so we'd have had to swim it. I thought about it. I did. But we decided against it, and I'm really glad because our friend informed us at dinner that there is a critter that lurks in the water that crawls up your, erm, yeah.

Speaking of that dinner, we had the most delicious dinner cooked by our friend Eric (the sashimi appetizer alone, omg), and it was so great getting to hang out with him again!

Hawaii Trip! Day 1

Zack and I woke up at 5 am this morning because to us it felt like 11:00. I kind of love that about Hawaii because it means you get an early start to all your adventures. We had our first full day in Hilo today (we got in yesterday and immediately crashed), and we spent most of it chasing waterfalls (why, yes, I did grow up in the 90's).

We spent a couple hours getting lost, but we finally managed to see a waterfall before getting back to the Old Hawaiian B&B for breakfast. Side note: I will post a picture of the breakfast tomorrow because om nom nom, the breakfasts here are amazing. They always feature fresh fruit like lychee and banana that grows right in the back yard.



After breakfast, we drove to Akaka Falls which is in a park north of Hilo with a ~1-mile loop hike (super easy, paved walking path the whole way) through a ton of beautiful foliage.

Yellow bamboo


Plants that look alive


Tic-tac-toe boards carved into a giant stump


And I just liked this one because there was one orange leaf in a sea of green ones


The 422-ft Akaka Falls


Zack in front of the falls




Next up was Rainbow Falls, which was really close to our B&B and also really easy to get to. You park your car and it is literally right there. All you have to do is get past The Guardian.


He looks a little rough. I think he's been hitting the 'nip.

A couple photos of Rainbow Falls (Kamehameha is believed to have buried his father in the cave behind the falls).



Right beside the falls is a short hike to some Banyan trees. Here's Zack posing at the beginning of the hike.


Signs like this always make me feel reassured.


I'm not sure if it was one Banyan tree or many trees because they were all connected like this.


Here's a photo of me inside one of the trees.


Does this make anyone else think of neurons?



After that we were pretty hungry so we grabbed some lunch. Side Note: Lisa Matragrano is my hero for suggesting the lau lau at Kuhio Grille. It's pulled pork and beef cooked in layers of taro leaves, and it was a little piece of heaven. It reminded me a lot of the Sundays when my mom would slow cook roast beef and serve it with collard or turnip greens, except that the taro has more of a milder, buttery flavor.

More later! Gotta get going!

Cover Reveal for Jennifer Walkup's SECOND VERSE - with Epic Giveaway Contest!

Check out the cover for Jennifer Walkup's Second Verse and click below to enter the Epic Cover Reveal Contest over at Me, My Shelf and I - she's giving away signed ARCs, signed bookmarks and an Amazon gift card!



Bad things come in threes. In Shady Springs, that includes murder.

Murder Now

Lange Crawford’s move to Shady Springs, Pennsylvania, lands her a group of awesome friends, a major crush on songwriter Vaughn, and life in a haunted, 200-year-old farmhouse. It also brings The Hunt: an infamous murder mystery festival where students solve a fake, gruesome murder scheme during the week of Halloween. Well, supposedly fake.

Murder Then

Weeks before The Hunt, Lange and her friends hold a séance in the farmhouse’s eerie barn. When a voice rushes through, whispering haunting words that only she and Vaughn can hear, Lange realizes it's begging for help. The mysterious voice leads Lange and Vaughn to uncover letters and photos left behind by a murdered girl, Ginny, and they become obsessed with her story and the horrifying threats that led to her murder.

Murder Yet to Come

But someone doesn’t like their snooping, and Lange and Vaughn begin receiving the same threats that Ginny once did. The mysterious words from the barn become crucial to figuring out Ginny's past and their own, and how closely the two are connected. They must work fast to uncover the truth or risk finding out if history really does repeat itself.



Gah! Isn't the cover gorgeous?! I love the silhouette and how the S in second is a treble clef! And that blurb! Let's just say I'll be counting down the days until this one gets released :)

CLICK HERE FOR CONTEST, GOOD LUCK!

JULES, THE BOUNTY HUNTER - Happy Book Birthday Giveaway!!!

Hey y'all!

I couldn't be more excited about this e-book giveaway! I beta read Jules back in the day, and I love love LOVE this book!

Check out the cover:

Isn't it pretty? I love the smirk on her face (if you've read the book, it is so Jules!), and the fact that she is in a debutante gown and holding a gigantic gun :)

And here's the blurb:

High-speed car chases, hiding out in overgrown bushes, nabbing the bad guy—all in a days work for Julianne aka Jules St. James. Sure growing up with a bounty hunter for a father was a little unorthodox, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, how many sixteen-year-old girls can take a man down with her bare hands, fire an assault rifle, or become a chameleon by using fake identities to nab bail jumpers? On her father’s Texas ranch, she’s just one of the guys with her older, twin brothers, Remington and Colt.

So when Jules’s father insists she spend the summer with her absentee mother—a former Savannah debutant and current member of high society, she is more than a little pissed off. Jules has had little use for her mother since she blew out of town six years ago to trade garden parties and black tie affairs for being a bounty hunter’s wife. A summer in Savannah with Mommie Dearest means having refinement and culture shoved down her throat while styling the latest haute couture fashion.

But Jules’s father has another reason behind sending her to Savannah. The society family of Emmett Marshall, a white-collar bail jumper resides there. The mission is for Jules to get close to Marshall’s teenage son, Jackson, thus trying to unravel any clues about his father’s whereabouts. Locating Marshall could mean a hefty payoff —enough for Jules’s freshman year of college.

Since she's better at taking down a guy than hooking up with one, Jules feels like she's in over her head. Enter Wyatt Deluca. Working for Jules’s bounty hunting cousin, Wyatt's suave services are enlisted to help her reel Jackson in. The tattooed, motorcycle riding bad boy is a 180 from sweet, cultured Jackson, but the more that Jules hangs around with Wyatt, the more confused she is about her true feelings and her ability to do her job.



Southern belles, intrigue, and a sassy teenage bounty hunter? Yes, please! Make sure to enter before December 29th because you're definitely going to want to curl up with this one* over the holidays.

*best enjoyed with a tall glass of sweet tea

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