We had a great long weekend while we were in Hawaii last month. Saturday we went back to the
Tropical Farms for some more macadamia nuts. Then it was on to
Kualoa Ranch...
Kualoa Ranch is a place rich with Hawaiian history. Les and I took the Jungle Expedition. Our guide, Joe, was very knowledgeable as we bumped our way through the beautiful ranch.
Ancient Hawaiians considered Kualoa one of the most sacred places on the island of Oʻahu. It was the residence of kings, a place of refuge and sanctuary – a
puʻuhonua – and a training ground for royalty who were instructed at Kualoa in the arts of war, history and social traditions.
In 1850, King Kamehameha III sold approximately 622 acres
of land in Kualoa to Dr. Gerritt P. Judd. Dr. Judd had previously been a
missionary doctor who arrived in Hawaiʻi in 1828 and who served as
personal advisor to King Kamehameha III.
The ranch is now approximately 4,000 acres and is still owned by the descendants of Dr. Judd. It is a working cattle ranch and we saw a few of those cattle on our way back.
Saturday evening we watched the sunset from the Ala Wai Boat Harbor. I never get tired of seeing the day end over the ocean.
We were up super early on Sunday so Les could participate in the Dick Evans Memorial Road Race. This is a 112 mile cycling race - race, not ride. There is a big difference! At century rides there are multiple stops, usually including a lunch break. Not this time! At one point, Les said he didn't stop pedaling for 70 miles. He said it was the hardest single day of riding he's ever done.
The race is in memory of Dick Evans, a cyclist who was killed while riding. Les said they started with a moment of silence and he prayed for safety during that time. I was doing the same many times through out the day. This route is also the original route from the first Ironman competition and that's why the cycling portion is 112 miles.
After dropping Les off, I headed to the North Shore. I volunteered to work at Feed Zone #2 in Kahuku. I've never done anything like this before, but it was so much fun! Every volunteer was either a cyclist who decided not to race or related to someone who was racing.
Our job was to hand out water bottles when the racers came through. They would NOT be stopping. They might slow down a little, but it was our job to get fresh water in their hands. They were to toss their empty bottles just before getting to the feed zone.
We got word that there was a two man breakaway coming soon. That breakaway got caught and before we knew it about 20-30 racers we headed towards us. I was near the end of the line handing out bottles with Heed in them. All the racers wanted Heed and it was a little scary handing them out and hoping we didn't drop one or cause someone to crash!
Les had a great time until about the last 20 miles when he experienced severe leg cramps. He finished in 6 hours, 12 minutes and 31 seconds (18 mph.) The winner finished in 5:02:08 - over 22 mph! I had a lot of fun hanging out in the feed zone, I managed not to drop a single bottle or cause any crashes, and was able to meet Les at the finish line. I didn't get a single action shot - we were too busy when the action was happening!
After a much needed nap, it was time for Fifth Sunday Celebration at
New Life Pentecostal Church. This is always a fun time of food and fellowship, followed by a service. I was obviously very hungry and the food was so ONO!
For the first time, we didn't go back into the sanctuary for service. We stayed on the lanai. It was a pleasant evening and the Spirit of God was felt. Pastor Mac had five of the young men each give a five minute sermon. He told them to decide on one scripture passage to preach from so the thoughts would be cohesive. For some of them this was their first time! They all did an excellent job. It was wonderful seeing our NLP Ohana. There's a bit of a baby boom going on, five of the ladies are expecting! Church growth!
Monday we had plans to go to the North Shore, but first decided to hike the Makapu'u Point Lighthouse Trail. The lighthouse was built in 1909. The trail was steep and warm, but the views were worth it.
We didn't know anything about the locks, but evidently this is something that's done quite often in Europe. They are called "love locks" and symbolize a couple's undying love for each other.
We stopped in Waimanalo for lunch. We opted for
Keneke's. We were
pleasantly surprised by the artwork on the walls. You can read the
history
here. This first picture was just the beginning, but I love the quote "What Single Event Had the Power to Split Time?"
There use to be Christian tracts on the tables that were often thrown away or blown away by the wind, now the walls are covered with verses!
Even the cups have verses.
Our plans for the North Shore just didn't work out. Everyone else on Oahu was either there or headed that way and traffic was horrible! We ended our visit at one of our favorite Hawaiian restaurants -
Duke's, then it was time to pack.
It's been nonstop since we got home and I'll try to blog about that in the next day or two...
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