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Pololu Valley

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Pololu Valley Big Island of Hawaii

Although it has been months since our trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, I still have more photos to share. My goal has been to space out the posts so they don’t become overwhelming. Compared to the other Hawaiian islands, the Big Island is quite large (hence its name). In fact, if you combined Rhode Island and Delaware into one land mass, the Big Island would still be about 1,000 square miles bigger.

We stayed in Waikoloa Beach Resort on the west side of the island. If you drive an hour along the western coastal road up to the northern tip, the road dead ends at Pololu Valley. Although it’s a main highway, it’s also a residential street, and parking is limited, but the view from the lookout point is more than worth waiting for a spot. There are no large centers along the northern side of the island, but there are several small towns that are just darling. The nearby towns of Hawi and Kawaihae have great art galleries, ice cream and smoothie parlors, and coffee shops.

Pololu Valley Big Island of Hawaii

If you have your walking shoes or sandals, you can hike 20 minutes down to the black sand beach. The path was steep and a little muddy, but we took it slow and snapped lots of pictures along the way.

Pololu Valley Big Island of Hawaii

Pololu Valley is the first of seven valleys along the Big Island’s northern coast. The seventh is Waipi’o, which has a history even richer than its lush, green vegetation (photos of that one coming later). There is a long hiking trail that connects all seven valleys, but it is an overnight trail that is known for being treacherous.

Pololu Valley Big Island of Hawaii

The view along the shore is gorgeous, but the view behind the beach (towards the south) is even more breathtaking.

Pololu Valley Big Island of Hawaii…

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Exit Tactics

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Exit TacticsEach week, Mr. Handsome and I attend three Bible studies. One of the groups is made up of 15 young married couples, which has been a great opportunity for us to grow in our walk with God and in our marriage.

A couple weeks ago, the guys had planned to go camping in East Tennessee, while the girls had planned to go hiking in Chattanooga. The weather didn’t cooperate, so we canceled the trips and found an activity to do together in the Nashville area.

We ended up eating dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then spending a couple hours at Exit Tactics, an indoor activity center where we did archery tag, axe throwing, and bubble soccer (photos below). Have you ever participated in any of these activities?

I also posted a video to my Facebook page.

Exit Tactics
 Axe Throwing
archery tag
 Archery Tag
archery tag
bubble soccer
Bubble Soccer

Time with Family

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Earlier this month, my brother and his wife came to visit us in Nashville. (Remember the photos I posted of their Oregon Cost wedding last fall?)Neither of them had ever been here, so we had fun showing them the area. On the first night, we walked around downtown and treated ourselves to malts at Mike’s Ice Cream. My brother-in-law was able to get us access to one of the skyscrapers, so we gave them a birds-eye view of the city from a balcony.

My brother and his wife are more outdoorsy folks, as are we, so the rest of the weekend was spent hiking and exploring various state parks. Our first stop was Burgess Falls State Park in Sparta, Tennessee, which we visited a couple years ago. We hiked about half a mile and then came to this lookout point.

A short while later, we found the main waterfall. If you look closely, you’ll see a few people standing on the rocks at the base. It’s a long way down!

We were able to hike down a short trail to the top of the falls. (I almost passed out when Mr. Handsome approached the edge and got down on his belly to look over, but it made for a good photo-op.)

There were a number of other people there, all trying to figure out how the few individuals had made it down to the base. There are stairs, but they have been closed since the last time we were here, due to damage by extreme flooding. We never did figure it out…

Our last stop was Cummins Falls State Park in Cookeville, one of my favorite places in Middle Tennessee. We have visited several times since we moved to the area. (Remember my Waterfalls and Exterminators post from last summer?)

The first time we came, there were very few people at the falls, but word has gotten out, and now it’s always crowded. (It’s a very unique attraction, so I’m not surprised why it has become so popular.) The best way to describe it is a free, natural water park, and although the hike down to the falls is steep, folks of all ages make the trek because it’s such a neat place. Someday soon, I would love for Mr. Handsome to make a painting of the falls!

Fishing…Beginner’s Luck?

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This afternoon, my husband and I headed to a nearby state park for a hike and were thrilled to find a beautiful trail that meandered along the bank of a river.

About 15 minutes into our stroll, Mr. Handsome (a fishing enthusiast) spotted a fellow fisherman and struck up a conversation.

The man turned out to be quite friendly and talkative. He had a second pole and offered it to my husband. That was when I knew our hike was over. Thankfully, the view off the pier was so beautiful that I didn’t mind.

Mr. Handsome took a few dozen casts without any success and asked if I wanted to give it a try.

“Mark my words, I’m going to get a fish on my first cast,” I announced (not all that seriously). My husband chuckled. But lo and behold, less than a minute later, I was reeling in a medium-sized crappie. Mr. Handsome was impressed, although he joked that it was just beginner’s luck.

The sun was setting quickly, and by the time we made it back to our car, it was completely dark and about 45 degrees, but the delicious fried fish that we enjoyed for dinner was well worth it! (I know it’s not the healthiest thing in the world, but it’s what we were both craving.)