March 14 - Kona in the Morning

Breakfast on the beach... Well, across the street from the beach... Well, it was just rocks, not a beach. But the blue waves crashed rather nicely. The overcast was burning off quickly. We got up at 5 in the morning. One hour extra sleep. We'd get on Hawaiian Time eventually.

Sunlight hit the crashing waves. White and blue. Lots of joggers before it got too hot out. It was too hot out.

We walked the length of Kailua-Kona and back. At the north end of town, Ahu‘ena Heiau, King Kamehameha’s royal retreat. Grass and palm trees. A stage for performances.

Not much is historical at Ahu‘ena Heiau now, except the kapu temple on a rock platform in the water.

We played in the sheltered beach between the temple and pier. It's a larger beach than the one on the other side of the pier which is used for the Ironman, but this one’s used for kayaks and paddleboards, not swimming.

We walked across the street into the King Kamehameha Hotel. Air conditioning is nice and needed, even at 9 a.m.

Later that morning, we drove south to Captain Cook on the slow highway. Feeling hungry already, we got good barbecue at a roadside place called Big Jake’s. Pulled pork and brisket and baby-back ribs. Only a few ribs did we box up for later. I liked the sauce.

Chickens pecked in the bushes behind the restaurant. A motorcycle roared past at twice the speed limit. I chased a gecko across a trellis and along the gutter till it hid from view.