Occasionally Adventurous: Day Eleven - Kailua-Kona, Big Island

We awoke again today to clouds and dampness. The weather forecast called for a chance of rain. We had just headed out on foot to check out the small stone church near us when it started to rain. We walked the grounds and took a few pictures, then ducked into the parking garage of our building, only slightly damp.

Walking off the agenda, we collected rain gear and drove south toward Captain Cook. Road work presented detours, and we ended up driving north on Highway 11 to Mamalahoa Road, which climbs up Mauna Kea a ways and goes north through several small towns. We had thought we'd stop at some of the galleries in Holualoa, but nothing really grabbed our attention. We spent a delightful half hour at the tasting room of Ueshima Coffee Company. We could look down across coffee fields to the ocean. Both of the employees we spoke with were delightful. We got an education on coffee production from one. The other had been in the peace corps in Japan, starting in Sensei. We spent several minutes talking with him.

We headed into Kailua-Kona for lunch. We parked at the north end of town and walked down a hill to the main street, Ali'i Drive. The rain was steadily increasing, and we ducked into the Kona Inn Restaurant. We sat outdoors, under a tarp angled to channel rain to the edge. Fortunately we were in the second row of tables. By the time we were finished eating people were moving closer to the real roof to stay dry. The tarp was letting in a mist of rain. Outside, pouring rain turned into a thunderstorm, complete with lightning. We were amazed to see fishing charters heading out into the storm.

By the time we finally left the restaurant, there was a lake in the middle of the little shopping area outside. We ducked into the only shop with a door that would allow us to stay dry, and browsed for awhile. The rain showed no sign of stopping, and finally Pat just went to get the car. He walked through a river - there were actually waves in the massive puddles, which sometimes reached the top of the tires of our Ford Explorer. Both of us had soaked shoes and socks. Pat was soaked to the skin, and I was pretty wet.

We came straight back to our condo (a ten minute drive), put on dry clothes, and settled on the lanai to watch the surfing show, which continued without regard to thunder and even lightening. The lanai was completely dry, allowing us to relax with mai tais. Rainfall varied from light to torrential for most of the afternoon. Unfortunately, the forecast is the same for the next several days. Next Wednesday is supposed to be a little better. We leave the Big Island on Thursday. Tomorrow we're going to the beach, even if it's raining!

We did go out to dinner. By seven the rain had stopped, and the rivers had receded. We ate at Jackie Rey's Ohana Grill. The food was really good, and so was the server. The kitchen, however, messed up both of our orders. It turned out fine in the end. And their mai tais were excellent! Don't get the wrong idea. Our limit is two drinks a day!