Foodland

Staying out at Haena I am within a few miles of the end of the road on the north shore and a few miles beyond the last town of any size, Hanalei, so I have stocked up on provisions and plan to eat my own food for a while. Grocery prices on the island are notoriously high -- what alternative do people have to whatever the supermarket prices may be? As of recently, Foodland has started a "frequent shopper" loyalty program (Maikai Savings!) -- anyway you look at it, if you don't become a "member" you are over-paying; for my phone number, they gave me over 30% off -- or should I say for not giving my phone number they charged an extra 30%?

I think the tab will be instructive to show the cost of living here, and my frugal provisions, 22 items:

$ 5.94 pineapple
$24.99 Koloa Dark Rum (a splurge, made on Kauai)
$ 6.09 coconut syrup (for baking)
$13.16 (4) Anahola granola bars (for snacks hiking)
$ 4.29 tortilla yellow corn chips (cheapest choice)
$ 1.89 Noh coconut milk powder (for baking)
$ 4.79 (18) eggs (mainland, extra large)
$ 3.39 frozen pineapple juice concentrate (for baking)
$ 2.59 frozen orange-passion fruit concentrate (for drinks)
$ 2.59 frozen orange-mango fruit concentrate (for baking)
$ 3.19 Mexican tomato salsa (canned)
$ 2.39 Tapatio hot sauce
$ 3.42 (1 lb.) mango
$ 4.80 (1/2 lb.) local sun-dried tomatoes
$ 4.89 (quart) yogurt
$ 1.69 (1 lb.) carrots
$ 3.99 (1 lb.) butter
$ 1.99 (1 lb.) fettuccine pasta
$ 2.49 (1 pint) sour cream
$ 4.11 tax
------
$102.68 total

We'll see how long I survive on this and a fair amount of groceries I have already. I do think I will go into town Friday for live music in any case.

Earlier on the way here I picked up some excellent Java Kai 100% Kona coffee ($29.99 for 1 lb.) I've had it before, it's totally worth it. Also some sesame-ahi poke and lomi-lomi salmon at the Pono Market in Kapaa bringing the total to just under $150.




Public Service Announcement: avoid 10% Kona coffee -- by law 10% is the minimum amount to put the designation "Kona" on the label, so you know it's just for the name and therefore the cheapest beans available actually grown in the Kona region of the Big Island. Much of this is mercifully "flavored coffee" which at least is being honest that it isn't about the taste of Kona coffee, just the name.

Mineo

Today I heard that Uncle Mineo passed away; he had been sick and in and out of the hospital from September when I was in Japan and saw him last. In fact he wasn't an uncle but my wife's cousin, she always called him Older Brother Mineo. Mineo had a tough childhood and quite an adventurous past I hear, but the Mineo that I have known some twenty years was the kindest most modest and gentle fellow.

Mineo ran an udon shop for years located way off the main road it's a miracle he got any customers at all tucked in an obscure corner nobody would ever find except if they were lost or happened to live in that particular part of Kiryu. Your typical udon shop, it had a big open cement floor kitchen in back with an area with just a few tables and chairs, and zashiki seating on tatami, two tables of four if I recall correctly. Since he only got a few local regulars at the shop he would also drive his truck around and sell boiled noodles by the bag (500 grams each?) in the nearby neighborhood -- you add your own trimmings and sauce. 500 yen bought you a generous portion of firm, delicious, hand-cut noodles.

A few years ago I asked Mineo to teach me how he made udon and he was more than happy to. Of course he makes it look so easy but it isn't easy at all. I had his recipe for udon broth written down at home in original form, huge proportions that makes several liters of the concentrate that you dilute and use.

The noodles themselves are just flour (udon-ko is very finely ground and I expect high protein white flour) with salt and enough water to knead. You mix it, knead it, let it sit for hours, knead some more, sit, knead and roll out and cut. Most of the kneading is done with bare feet: put the dough in a plastic bag and stand on it left-right-left-right back and forth for awhile. even well kneaded, it's rolled flat with a long wooden dowel about an inch thick on a floured wooden surface. The technique rolls up the flattened dough around the dowel and then by rolling stretching the dough to the desired thickness. Finally you pile up the sheet of dough folding it back and forth and back and forth and then cut it evenly into noodles.

Mineo showed me a few batches and also how he boils the noodles in big vats of hot water in the shop, but I never attempted to follow his method. He has so much experience that he makes it look easy yet of course it isn't easy at all.

Mineo was always happy to drop off some noodles for dinner when my mother-in-law ordered some. And almost every day while he was healthy he dropped by an had tea and spent time mostly just listening to her talk because he knew she needed company and that somebody should be looking in on her. He hardly ever said anything about himself, preferring to sit and have tea and just listen to others who always had plenty to say.

I hope Mineo has found peace and tonight I am thinking of all that he gave so unselfishly.

Hale Ikena Nui

This morning I am in Kalaheo at Hale Ikena Nui sitting in the large room looking south over the Pacific. I had a gap in my bookings of one night and the owner Patti was kind to let me stay just one night on short notice before I drive around to the north side of the island this afternoon to Haena. Minutes ago a small front moved through bringing wind-driven rain but already the sun is out and the deck is drying quickly.

Patti gracefully and generously shares her beautiful home in a completely relaxed and comfortable manner. I'm in the guest room which is a large bedroom with king size bed, plenty of room including walk-in closet, a huge wall of books, and a private bathroom with shower tub. Everything is clean and in good repair, well stocked. With full access to the large room and full kitchen it's a terrific deal well under $100 (with tax). Her library of books is terrific: plenty of up-to-date local guide and history books with a great number of cookbooks and plenty of general fiction and reading thrown in as well.

For breakfast Patti prepared cut papaya with blueberries and lime, Anahola granola, English muffins, watermelon, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and still more fruit if I wanted it. She gave me some Hawaiian avocados from her garden to take.

Highly recommended: book well ahead (she's booked up most of the rest of my time on the island but I may visit again schedule permitting.

Kauai Hiking

Powerline
Trail

Kauai is hiking at its best for me: great exercise and a great experience with just a little adventure always in the mix. I've been taking it easy, not overdoing it given the luxury of plenty of time. Up at Koke'e I was right there at the trailhead of so many great hikes it was easy to do three days in a row and it felt like I could have hiked day after day.

10	Nualolo-Awaawa'puhi 11/27
8	Kilohana Vista 11/30
8	Powerline Trail 12/2
6	Halemanu Loop 12/7
8	Nualolo-Awaawa'puhi 12/8
10	Ditch Trail 12/9
50	miles total

Water: For a day hike 3 liters is just right: I always come back with a liter to spare so far, but haven't done an absolute scorcher yet. Water sterilization pills are my ultimate backup. And most of the other "essentials": first aid kit, bug repellent, rain gear, trail snacks.

Foot wear: When relatively dry I hike in the Five Fingers; if it might be muddy, then the Chacos; if really muddy (no need, yet), then the Chacos with Seal Skinz waterproof socks.

Getting to the trail head: "4WD" signs are on a number of roads that lead to trail heads, and this can designate anything from a smooth but unpaved road to a bumpy nightmare. Trying to go gentle on my rental I haven't deployed 4WD mode, yet, and have been walking the off-road access to trailheads.

Koke'e Sky

Disclaimer:
Not an actual shot from that night,
this is a recent full mood:
I was unable to shoot anything decent that night.

First night at Koke'e was spectacularly clear and the stars were out in numbers. The Milky Way was clearly visible and the entire sky was like a dome of stars. Virtually zero light pollution out here in the middle of the ocean and over 3000 feet altitude, with a clear sky conditions are ideal.

I think it was the first time that I saw satellites moving quickly across the star field. One shooting star, at least, as well. At least one jet judging from the speed and that the light intensity varied, as expected as the angle to the head lights changes. One object I didn't know what it was: moving slowly but noticeably though not as distant as a satellite it flashed on and off. Perhaps it was due to the flashing, as the mind's eye tries to imagine the object still moving in its path while dark, but it seemed to be moving in a wiggly path, not a straight line. The Pacific Missile Range Facility is out here so it's conceivable it was something military.

It was a wonderful night for star gazing and I hope to have many more here.

Koke'e Cabin

Stayed the last four nights up at the cabins at Koke'e, the state park up above Waimea Canyon. I believe the polite term would be rustic: luxury accommodations compared to camping out, but very basic no-frills and frankly not exactly clean even by cheap hotel standards. Compared to a tent on the ground, you have real floors and walls, a full kitchen, hot water, shower, toilet, and a wood-burning stove. Sheets and towels come in a big plastic bag, self-service. To complete the picture it must be said the cabins are old and it shows, minimally repaired, mattresses and blankets showing their age, all with a distinct smell of mildew. By the third day you get used to it.

Now the good part: it's absolutely quiet, few guests, and you are in the middle of miles and miles of natural forest. No TV in the rooms! If this were developed as a resort with swimming pool, full restaurants and bars, the works, it would absolutely ruin it. Things are much the way they were when this is built and I think that's best.

The lodge has a restaurant open for breakfast and lunch (9 to 3) with a small shop. The hours are inconvenient for hiking - breakfast at 9 makes a late start, and getting back before (last order) 2:30 makes for a short day. Presumably the staff makes the trek up here daily from two (about 30 minutes one way) bringing supplies so it's understandable the hours are limited. Staff is friendly, service is a little slow; the food is home cooked but nothing special, service is on paper plates with plastic utensils, quite adequate for such a remote location. Here you could do meals in the cabin kitchen or walk to the restaurant and have it all done for you.

If you plan to stay here, a few tips:

• bring soap and shampoo (not provided, very expensive at the gift shop)
• dress warmly (it can get very chilly over night)
• plan meals (restaurant hours are limited and the menu is limited, too)
• bring a reading light if you can (the interior lighting is minimal)

Come here to disconnect and get away, and as long as you compare it to camping out then it's pure luxury. By the way up here there is no cell reception, no internet access (just a pay phone up by the lodge). Wouldn't have it any other way.

Nualolo to Awaawa'puhi Hike

This hike was so great the first time, I hiked it again and it was even better. Thinking I will do this one regularly to make it my own, see it in different conditions, as each time will be familiar yet different I'm sure.

One new aspect this time was that I set a time to be out at the trail head: a local friend offered to pick me up at the other end of the trail (almost two miles up the road from the start) and save me the walk back. Leaving at 11am I said I would be there at 5pm; while it wasn't essential I be there exactly on time, I was determined to be on time, and realized I had never hiked with a specific return time before (just vaguely always made sure I was back before dark). This turned out to be a good challenge.

Update: unfortunately, the connecting cliff trail is now closed indefinitely.

Heading out late morning it was sunny and dry, perfect for the descent from the Nualolo trail head which is fairly steep in places and the clay can be slippery. Uphill the first 1/4 mile, from there it's  steadily down hill through forest, with occasional meadows and clearings, leading out to the ridge on the west side of the Nualolo valley. Today I decided to shoot "interesting" sights, rather than beautiful, and the trail was full of things that caught my attention. I stopped and shot quite frequently as I moved down the trail.

Continuing out past the cliff trail junction leading across the back of the valley, I went directly to the Lolo Vista overlooking the valley with views up and down the coastline in both directions. Spent perhaps half an hour out there, mostly shooting pictures, and realized that I'd used up over half the planned time and I was about one third of the way. I could skip taking the Awaawa'puhi out to the lookout to save over a mile, but still I had over five miles with a lot of climbing to go.

Moving quickly and shooting a lot less frequently, returning back up the ridge to the cliff trail, I headed across. The exposed washed-out section (less than 1/4 mile) is near the Nualolo side so I encountered that quickly and crossed it uneventfully. The rest of the trail winds in and out of the valleys through forest and an area of tall grasses. In a couple of spots the trail is tricky to discern.

At last I crossed connecting with the Awaawa'puhi trail (a parallel of the Nualolo that I had descended) at 3:30pm giving me 90 minutes to go 2.75 miles back up nearly 2000 feet. I didn't think I could make 5pm but measured myself on the first quarter mile to see what pace I actually could sustain. Pushing myself to keep moving at a good pace without overdoing it, to my surprise, I set a pace that would get me back on time but with very little margin. The trail is marked every quarter mile with the distance from the trailhead so it was easy to pace myself: if I covered each quarter mile in 8 minutes I could make 5pm.  An 8 minute pace is about right (just under 2MPH) and I can sustain that pace, often with a minute to spare. When I did get ahead of schedule I rewarded myself with picture taking and water. At 4:56pm I reach the trailhead right on schedule. Perfect.

Blog Silence

The next few days I will be staying up at Koke'e, the mountain top above Waimea Canyon.
Most likely there will be no internet connect, probably no cell service either. Look for continued blog action by Tuesday.

Koke'e is the top of the west end of the island. Accessed from the west near the end of the highway on this side of the island it includes a number of very distinct geographic areas.

• Southern: the upper reaches of the Waimea Canyon including vistas looking down the canyon out to sea.
• Western: trails and ridges extending down with views down over the Na Pali coastline, but no access to the sea.
• Northern: overlooks Kalalau and other Na Pali coastal valleys.
• Eastern: trails into the Alakai swamp region.
• Central: a lodge restaurant, museum, cabins, and campsites around a beautiful central meadow.

Being the westernmost part of the westernmost island of the westernmost state there are several military/research outpost with radar and antenna and who-knows-what scattered in here as well.