Big Sky Country

Last summer I was fortunate enough to travel with my family to the stunning Big Island of Hawaii where I discovered that it's not nearly as humid there as I had feared and that the black sand beaches of Waimea are amazing. And yes, they really are black. The photo over to the right was taken near one of the numerous (to say the least) trails you could hike in the valley. I think they were trying to warn us that the trek could be tricky. I loved the steep hike down and the beautiful waterfall fed river that met the North Shore. And the wonderful thing about it is that the beach was EMPTY...in June! You could spend hours there in solitude listening to the majestic waves one after the other. Water temperature about 74, air temperature about 76. Ahhhhh, just awesome. If you are lucky enough to find your way to the Big Island it's an easy drive to Waimea from just about any point on the island. The small town of Waimea is on the north end of the island just 45 minutes from coastal Kona. It is a scenic village at an elevation of 2600 feet above sea level, which allows the town to stay cool. When I visited in June it was 64 degrees as we rolled in to town; very refreshing. Oh and an added bonus to the hiking were all the fresh mangos just laying all over the place on the trails.

Don't go to the Big Island and not spend a day or two at Waimea.

Happy Trails!