I’ve been offline for a bit because I’ve been concentrating on getting Hiking for the Couch Potato out to the world!  If you take a look at http://hiking.forthecouchpotato.com, then come back for details, I’ll explain what image number 3 at the top of my new blog is about.

Okay, so  - did you go look at the other web site?

If you did, then let me share with you that the image is from Hawaii, Wailoa River State Park, a park on the Big Island.  This is a gorgeous place to meander that provides many vantage points for photography. A local park, there is no admission fee.  You can climb down to be near the water or see the falls from higher up.

It’s peaceful and we had almost no one else to bother us, unlike many more known sites in Hawaii, where everyone seems to be jockeying for a place to take photos.

Our plans were to spend a quiet day exploring the undeveloped and breathtaking Koke’e State Park and Waimea Canyon. The drive provided scenery that made you want to get out of your car (we rented one) to see it.

 
Eventually, we settled in at the Koke’e Lodge to grab some lunch. The menu had an eclectic mix of items including soups, chili, sandwiches, salads and, of course for Hawaii, coconut pie.

http://www.kokeelodgekauai.com/

What we hadn’t counted on was the entertainment. At that time, we didn’t know that chickens had been supposedly swept away in a major storm and were scattered everywhere in Kauai. They bred – a lot.

Outside of the open door where we were eating, several of the roosters began to fight over one of the chickens. It was quite a spirited fight with a rousing chorus of squawks. I don’t remember who won, but it was unexpected.

Fighting rooster

Next stop waterfalls and…

After lunch we followed a leisurely drive down the mountain, stopping regularly at pull-outs and larger stops to see the cliffs and waterfalls. The proliferation of waterfalls and the many curves had us paying attention.

Waterfall in Waimea Canyon

When we stopped at a larger parking area, we spent some time in photographing the cliffs and enjoying the deep green growth juxtaposed against the reddish earth.
Finally ready to call it an afternoon and head back to our cottage in Old Koloa Town to plan dinner, we did not expect what came next…

 
An advancing phalanx of chickens, roosters and chicks came swarming toward us, relentlessly following us as we headed to our car. They weren’t to be deterred with a “shoo” or two.

 
We hurried our pace. They kept coming. Just as I reached the car, jumped in and closed the door, they reached the door, too. I was breathless from running at the end of our retreat. I think I know how the people felt in Jurassic Park when the dinosaurs were after them. They didn’t want to quit.

 
When we started the car, they took off, but they were persistent fowl. I had felt a moment of utter panic. If I had carried something to feed them, perhaps they could have been pacified and would have left us alone. We didn’t have any food with us.

The scenery was great, but the fowls were foul. I think they are conditioned to be fed by tourists, but we weren’t fulfilling their expectations. I was surprised at the sheer number.

Ever had an army of chickens come after you?

The prevalence of SPAM® occurs especially at “plate restaurants,” the fast food meccas of Hawaii. We tried a plate restaurant for lunch one day. You walk up to the counter, see a menu or overhead listing, place your order and get handed a plate. The plate is usually filled with two large servings of rice, macaroni salad, and SPAM® or another main course.

 
I can say it was certainly filling, but the rice and macaroni – carbs!! – didn’t do wonders for my waistline. After eating the lunch, I still cannot understand the fascination with SPAM®. Surrounded by water with seafood everywhere, I would think people would love seafood.  Novelty, I guess!

Here’s a recipe that offers a quasi-sushi-like (but no vinegar-based sauce) dish called “Musubi.” It seems involved, but it really isn’t hard. Most of the time involves cooking the rice and prepping the sauce.

Hawaiian SPAM® Musubi Recipe

3 cups uncooked short- or medium-grain rice?
4 cups water?5 sheets of sushi nori (seaweed in big squares)?
1 (12-ounce) can SPAM® luncheon meat?
1/4 cup soy sauce?
1/4 cup sugar?
1/4 cup rice wine (mirin)?
Water

Directions:

Wash rice, stirring with your hand, until water runs clear. Place rice in a saucepan with water; soak 30 minutes. Drain rice in colander and transfer to a heavy pot or rice cooker; add 4 cups water. If you don’t have a rice cooker, place rice and water into a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and leave pan, covered, for 15 additional minutes.

 
Cut nori in half widthwise. Place cut nori in a resealable plastic bag to keep from exposing the nori to air (exposing the nori to air will make it tough and hard to eat).
Cut Spam® into 8 rectangular slices approximately 1/4-inch thick. In a large ungreased frying pan over medium heat (Spam® has plenty of grease to keep it from sticking), fry slices until brown and slightly crispy. remove from heat, drain on paper towels, and set aside.

 
In a small saucepan over high heat, add soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine; bring just to a boil, then remove from heat. Add fried SPAM® slices to soy sauce mixture, turning them to coat with the sauce; let SPAM® slices sit in marinade until ready to use.

 
In a small bowl, add some water to use as a sealer for the ends of the nori wrapper; set aside.

 
Using a SPAM® Musubi press, place a piece of nori on a plate. Position press on top of the nori so the length of the press is in the middle of the nori (widthwise). The press and the width of the nori should fit exactly the length of a slice of SPAM®. (Note: If you don’t have a musubi maker, you can use the empty SPAM® can by opening both sides, creating a musubi mold.)

 
Spread approximately 1/4 cup cooked rice across the bottom of the musubi maker, on top of the nori; press rice down with flat part of the press to compact the rice until it is 1/4-inch thick (add more rice if necessary).

Place a slice of SPAM® on top of the rice (it should cover most of the length of the musubi maker). Cover with an additional 1/4 cup cooked rice; press until 1/4-inch thick. remove the musubi from the press by pushing the whole stack down (with the flat part of the press) while lifting off the press.

Fold one end of nori over the musubi and press lightly onto the rice. Wet the remaining end slightly with water, then wrap over musubi and other piece of nori; press down on the other end. cut log into 4 pieces.

Repeat with the other 7 SPAM® slices, making sure to rinse off musubi maker after each use to prevent if from getting too sticky.
Do not refrigerate musubi, as they will get dry and rubbery.
Makes 32 musubi.

Recipe courtesy of: http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Spam.htm

Note:  Mention of SPAM® was not paid for or solicited by the makers of SPAM® or their parent company, Hormel.

Elvis filmed here - Coco Palms Hotel

And, a boat tour showing us the breathtaking cliffs of the Napali Coast, which is the only way to see the coast, since there are no roads leading to the Napali Coast. We spent several days in Kaua’i and wished we could have stayed longer.

Napali Coast

Staying in a rental

Since we wanted to avoid the pricey hotels, we found a small cottage to rent for three days in Old Town Koloa, near the southern coast. It was nestled in a tropical “bower” and accessed by a tiny road that passed a neighbor’s goats.   The cottage had one bedroom, a kitchen/ living room area, a porch overlooking the terraced yard and a washer and dryer underneath the house. (The house was perched on “stilts” and was entered from above.)   The humidity and no air conditioning were a slight problem for us, as we’re used to the dry climate of Arizona, but the nights were comfortable with cross breezes.

Wake up call

We didn’t need to worry about getting up early enough. In Kaua’i, there are many roosters who announce the dawn. Purportedly, a major storm several years ago disrupted the hen and rooster coops and blew them all over the island. Every morning, the roosters herald the dawn with a hearty ”Cockadoodle doo!!”   Don’t expect to sleep late if you’re not used to the roosters crowing!

Shopping and sightseeing in Old Koloa Town

We poked about in the row of shops in Old Koloa Town. Our favorite is a candle and soap shop, “Island Soap & Candle Works,” where there were many varieties of candles and soaps in numerous fragrances. We solved where to buy our gifts and souvenirs right there! (There are other locations and you can order online.)   http://kauaisoap.com/   The roads in the area wind about, with lush greenery at every turn. When driving, beware of curves because they come on you suddenly on the narrower roads. The grasses can be quite high so it can be hard to see, especially at night. Highway 50 is a fast road, but that doesn’t go right to the coast.   The whole idea is to kick back and relax, so do that and forget about the hectic traffic back home and rushing to get anywhere – except back to the airport for your flight home.

Poipu

We walked the beach area in Poipu and settled in at a restaurant where our wait staff was more educated than most of the diners. Our server had a Masters degree and found her restaurant job more lucrative than those in her field!   The open air dining had some beggars – birds – that wanted to share our seafood dinner. We shooed them away and enjoyed the views and the people watching.   More to come on our movie tour, Napali boat ride, and more on the glorious island of Kaua’i…

Years ago a friend was able to walk right up to the active, bubbling lava, but when we visited, that was a several mile walk.
Even if the lava is cooled in the area where you walk, the rock is black and, if you remember your elementary science, black attracts heat. The sunlight in Hawaii is powerful! It gets very hot!

Cliffs covered with lava

Although more prepared than most in hiking boots, carrying water, wearing hats and dressed for hiking, we couldn’t have had enough sun block for the trek. My husband got beet red!

End of the trail - but many go further

 
There were people who were far less prepared and who turned back much sooner than we did. I admit it – we never got all the way to where the volcano was active!
However, we got close enough to see it through the long-range viewfinder of my camera. And, we determined that we were not going to make it all the way and back before we ran out of water. It was late spring and, did I mention that it was very hot?

Road closed - by lava!

The juxtaposition of the lava frozen in time across a paved road was my favorite image of the trek. The whole experience was surreal. With the volcanoes still erupting, is it hard to equal as an adventure when it comes to nature.
I recommend going to the Park, but plan and prepare a lot better than we did! Lots of water, sun block, protective clothing and boots and STAMINA! Otherwise, see the visitors center and museum and drive to near where the active area begins, but don’t plan to hike.

 
Use this link to find out where the volcanoes are currently erupting – there are two volcanoes in the park!

www.nps.gov/havo/

 
That said, our stay at a picturesque B & B on the Big Island of Hawaii, led to some confusing reactions. We performed our customary gather and stow in our room and left for the day to enjoy the scenery and tourist attractions.Our B & B was in a rather remote location outside Hilo on the Big Island, so we did not plan to return until we had completed a chock full schedule.

 
Returning to our room that evening, all I wanted was to clean up, brush my teeth and go to bed. Reaching under the sink vanity for my cosmetics bag, I found …nothing! I looked everywhere in the room, including in the suitcase in the closet. Still nothing. The bag had disappeared!

 
Resignedly, I got my shoes on and headed downstairs to the entry to the owners’ apartment. I rang and rang and finally heard people stirring inside.

 
The owner came to his door, frankly startled that I was there.
“You’re still staying here?” he questioned.

 
“Yes, why would you think otherwise since we paid for three nights in advance?” said I.

 
“Well, you left your room empty and we thought maybe you had decided to leave.”
“No, we’re still here, but just got in late. Was that a problem?”

“No, not at all, but we really thought you had left.”

 
“Well, if you had checked the closet, our suitcase was still there.”
“Oh,” was his only reaction.

 
He disappeared into his house, leaving me standing at his door. When he returned, he had my toiletry bag with him.

Then he commented as he handed me the bag, “We’re not used to seeing rooms so neat. So when we cleaned the room, we saw the toiletries and figured you’d left them behind.”

I thanked him for safeguarding our possessions and left.

 
I also left wondering just why he thought we would leave after only one night when we had paid for three. Could it be the fact that the B & B’s Web site never mentioned that the owners had a cat that roamed about – and my husband is extremely allergic to cats?

 
Note: We stayed for the full three days and found that the B & B’s location was a gem. They had three waterfalls on their property!