Sunday Morning

It's been a fun two days, driving around and seeing this corner of Hawaii. We are in the northern corner of the island where it is a mix of humid rainy climate on the east side of the point and dryer and sunnier just a bit west. We drove to a few of the local attractions on Friday and saw the old king's temple from two hundred years ago and several beaches and parks. We got groceries at Waimea , then we walked through the town of Hawi and had ice cream.
Saturday we hiked at Pololu' Valley and saw some incredible shoreline and cliffs. Later we spent the afternoon at Hapuna beach which is rated as one of the best beaches in the country. The huge parking lot was packed but plenty of room on the beach to spread out.

We took a walk around the small airport just west of town. About two and a half miles and we were in cattle country on one side and along the rocky coast on the other.

This is the coast on the north side of the airport.

A saffron finch. They look like small canaries.

Visitor information at the site of King Kamehameha's temple built in 1791

Lower and upper remains of the temple. All of the rocks were moved to the site by hand and laid in place with no mortar. It took a thousand men a year to build the temple. It is still used by native Hawaiians for religious ceremonies.

Hawi, Hawaii, the closest village to our first cottage.

We saw this gecko in the window of a restaurant while reading the menu. Quite a colorful little guy!

A look down the coast at the top of the Pololu' Valley hike. It was a long way down the mountain to get to the shore.

An amazing coastline here.

Selfie at the shore of Pololu' Valley. It was a long hike down the mountain to get here, but the views were worth it.

Same place.

Pololu' Valley

Another shore picture from Keokea Beach Park

We sat for a while and pretty soon all the crabs came out and were jumping from rock to rock on the coast. There are six of them in this picture!

Travel Day

We had a long day of travel yesterday waking at 4:30 a.m. and catching our shuttle to the airport at 5:30. We flew to Honolulu in just over six hours and then on to the big Island on a much shorter flight. 
We did some grocery shopping after picking up our rental car and were surprised to see the prices. It was a high end grocery, but prices were about double what we are used to spending.
We drove on to the village of Hawi (pronounced He vi), about half an hour west, and soon had to pull off the road to put the top up on our convertible. The wind was howling and it was starting to sprinkle. We did this just in time, and soon were driving in the rain. Up ahead we saw the most incredible rainbow over the mountains!
We soon found our cottage and the owner came out to greet us and show us around. It's quite cozy and comfortable and we are looking forward to four nights here before moving on to Hilo.

Havi cottage, home for four days.

It's a jungle out there! They even have banana trees, but the fruit is still quite green.

Cozy with everything we need.

Today we start exploring!!

Camping in Hampton Inn, Phoenix Sky Harbor Air Port

We spent a night at Picacho Peak State Park between Tuscon and Phoenix along I-10. Nice campground, but too close to the freeway. A mile across desert does little to dampen the noise of cars, semi trucks, trains and helicopters that are so prevalent in this area. Things quieted down for the night, but the trains still ran and things picked up again first thing in the morning!
Yesterday afternoon we took a hike toward the peak, but only went the first two and a half miles and had to turn around to get back before daylight faded. We did catch an awesome sunset.
This morning we packed for our Hawaii adventure and drove to Casa Grande to drop off the camper at Copper Mountain Storage. That done we proceeded to Phoenix and catch our plane out at 7:30 am tomorrow. Will keep everyone posted once we get to the big island. Aloha!!

Camp at Picacho Peak S.P.  Yes that's the peak behind the truck. It looks waayyyyy bigger in real life!

Fish hook barrel cactus.

Saguaro cactus forest.

Hiking at the peak.

Be one with the cactus. They look like people standing in the desert.

All these silly poses!

Rows of mountains in the background.

A woodpecker on the cactus.

Desert sunset.

Encore! 

Off to Hawaii we go!!!

Kayaking and Hiking. Tommorow we move.

We've been relaxing and enjoying the sunshine and warmth here at Patagonia. Settling into a winter vacation sort of mode.
Tomorrow we are moving to the Casa Grande area closer to Phoenix and will be looking for a place to store the camper in preparation for our trip to Hawaii.
Today we are going on a birding hike this morning and later to Sierra Vista to have the truck's oil changed and to do some laundry.

Hiking among the cactus in the desert. Cholla and prickly pears.

A view of Patagonia Lake

A flock of cow birds (or water buffalo).

No jumping off rocks! That heron up there doesn't seem to read very well!

Patagonia

We've been enjoying the balmy weather here for the past two days. This park has a nice lake and trails for hiking and bird watching. This is quite a destination  for birders since quite a few species come through here migrating north and south. They get tropical birds from Central America and waterfowl from the northern states and Canada.
We finally got the kayaks off of the truck and into the water. We paddled around half of the lake exploring the shoreline and all of the hidden coves and creek mouths. Luckily the rattlesnakes are in hibernation now and we don't have to worry about them.
We also took a drive into Patagonia village to walk around and see the gift shops and cafes. Also the hummingbird house where the public is welcome to come sit and enjoy the hummingbirds coming to the feeders that are hung throughout the yard.  We had cinnamon rolls and coffee before heading back to camp for the afternoon. The park is fully reserved for MLK weekend and we are starting to see young families with kids coming in to camp.
Temperatures now are in the seventies during the day and it cools to the thirties at night, although I see last night stayed around fifty.

Patagonia Lake Stae Park has lots to see and do.

The bird feeding station overlooking the lake.

The pyrrhuloxia or desert cardinal 

A cool duck , the northern shoveler. (Sounds like me before we left Wheeler Rd!)

What else? A cow bird!

Mosaic in town.

We saw several hummers, but the sign said they are scarce right now cause it's winter. I guess they are not snow birds like us.

Patagonia's version of Arts Tavern

Another day at the office. It beats shoveling snow!

Rustic campsites are available across the lake.

Herons along the lakeshore.

Another fine day comes to a close.

Movin' on

Tuesday was our last full day at Poncho Villa State Park and we wanted to see more of the "local" attractions in this area. We saw signs on the freeway coming in, and on the map, for City of Rocks State Park and Silver City to the north. I checked the distance to the park and it was about 80 miles. Silver Springs was a little beyond that. Distances in the western desert are very deceiving since the mountains you see on the horizons can be anywhere between fifteen and fifty miles away. So on we went.
After driving for an hour and a half we made it to City of Rocks S.P. This is the site of an ancient volcano that erupted 1000 times larger than Mt St Helens. The area is strewn with the weathered relics of that  eruption and some of the rock formations were truly awesome. Another thing the area is known for is being a dark sky area for viewing the night sky. We toured the campground and visitor's center, watched a filmstrip and hiked amongst the rocks. Later we drove to the top of a lookout and had our lunch.
From here we drove the next thirty miles north to Silver City. We were looking for an old mining town, but what we were seeing was a lot of modern development and urban sprawl. We stopped at the local Walmart to get a couple of things we needed at camp and asked about the old historical downtown area. The nice lady at the register told me that it was a bit further up the highway to the north. As we left Walmart I noticed a sign that said "Historical downtown area" with a sign pointing straight ahead! We found a parking area and walked main street to do some window shopping and get some exercise. Neat old town and lots of interesting antique shops, taverns and cafes.
As we were driving back to camp I realized this trip was no small ride, and we both decided that 220 miles was a bit much just to see the "local" attractions.
On Wednesday morning we watched the weather and they were threatening a strong storm with rain and high winds, possible dust storm and cold temperatures. We could see ominous clouds to the west and the winds were picking up. We decided to wait and see if it would be feasible to make our move to Patagonia Lake in Arizona. Soon the wind was howling and the rain started. It rained and blew for about two hours and then the sun  started peaking and the winds died down some. We decided to pack a lunch, pack up camp and make our move.
The ride was kind of windy and we drove through a couple of rain showers on the way, but the rain kept the dust from blowing. By four fifteen we were at Patagonia Lake State Park. They are promising temperatures in the seventies here for several days, so we are hoping to get the kayaks off of the roof!

Some pictures....

Nice camping around the rock formations.

Here is one of the rustic campsites near the rocks. Modern electric hook-up sites were in a separate area closer to the visitors center.

We walked through the rock piles. This looked like a great place for the old west outlaws to hide out!

Here was one guy hiding out in the rocks.

Catch me if you can.

Onward..

Downtown Silver city.

An end to an interesting Tuesday. (Storms on the western sky)

Rocks along I-10 in Arizona on Wednesday's drive.

More of 'em.

Mountains near Kartchner's Caverns, Benson, Arizona.