March 18 - Pololu Valley

We drove to the northern end of the island, hung a right near Hawi, and stopped at Kapa‘au.

We visited the original King Kamehameha statue. It had a single lei, so there must not be a holiday nearby.

We moved on. Before we got to the end of the road at Pololu Valley, we turned off at Keokea Beach to use the restrooms.

It’s a rocky shore, but one young guy was body boarding. He would take short runs and then pull off quick before he hit the rocks.

An ambulance came down to the park, but the paramedics just leisurely watched the waves. I guess it was their break. Or were they waiting for the surfer to hurt himself?

We got back in the car and shortly we were at Pololu Valley Lookout. Views of the cliffs up the coast.

We hiked down into the valley on a steep, hot trail. The hike would probably be cooler in the afternoon, but... oh well.

At the bottom of the hill, the valley floor is a flat forest. Some campsites. Some “no trespassing” signs stopping anyone from walking upstream. We headed to the beach and sat, ate a snack.

A couple men were fishing to our left; I think they were the ones camping. To our right, a family with small kids. A quarter mile away, one surfer. Not many people on the large beach, but it was a Monday morning, after all.

Near the cliffs, the beach is composed of boulders. It quickly transitions to cobbles, where we were sitting. Near the mouth of the river, the beach quickly transitions to sand. Pololu Stream (as the USGS map calls it) flows underground through the beach, a berm of sand and rocks, to get to the ocean. There is no inter-tidal zone.

Eventually, we decided we’d had enough and thus tackled the hot climb back up the hill. Water and shade are good.

We returned to Kapa‘au at 11 a.m. Pizza time.

Sunday

I've taken almost two weeks straight of vacation from work now. For several days last week, it felt like Sunday. I'd been at home so long, I must be going to work the next day, right?

But now the day has finally come. Today is Sunday. I'm going to work tomorrow.

And it no longer feels like Sunday. . .

Monday

Are you sure it's Monday already?

It seems like we should get at least another day off, if not more.

It can't be Monday. Nope.

If Today Is Monday, Why Was Sunday So Long Ago?

Today feels like Monday, back to the old weekday routines. But yesterday certainly was not Sunday. No, Sunday was eons ago.

The past two days were definitely "other." Not workday, not weekend, not vacation. A whole other world, over in Spokane.

With that construction project almost completely wrapped up, not much was happening over there, so every time I stepped outside, I got distracted by the big blue sky, the warm sun, the crisp, fresh air, the silence. It was relaxing.

When I finally left that building yesterday (which I've been to and been working on for five years now, one project or another) and realized that I wouldn't be coming back, I started getting a little bit wistful. A bit melancholic. That place, even though I'd been there fewer than ten times, was familiar to me. And yesterday I had to say goodbye.

But all that still doesn't mean I want to go back anytime soon!

Happy Monday.

10:30

By the middle of the morning on a Monday, I am quite ready to leave work. I get a taste of freedom (the weekend) and three hours here is too much!

Happy Unhappiest Day!

Psychologists have discovered that today, the Monday closest to January 24, is the unhappiest day of the year. Reasons include "post-Christmas blues, the return to work after the holidays, mounting bills to pay for the parties, the challenge of keeping New Year's resolutions, the slender prospects of fun in the weeks ahead and chilly winter temperatures."

But don't worry. It's only five months till the happiest day of the year, June 23, which is a Friday, of course.