Coco took pictures of Jim taking pictures of trees.
On the way in, we passed a rotting boar carcass and a couple of overturned, abandoned vehicles.
We passed the take-off point but eventually figured out where we were supposed to start hiking - at a gate in an area plastered with "PRIVATE PROPERTY - NO TRESPASSING" signs. Tiny started her sandwich while we got ready to defy the law.
We took turns posing in front of the gate. There were seriously about 100 of those red-and-white "NO TRESPASSING" signs on the gate and on the trees in the first little section of the walk. We'd read on a blog that described the hike to ignore those; the land belongs to Bishop Estates, they make money taking tours out there, and there's no way to get a permit.
I was afraid of wild boars, but we did not encounter any. Man, it's hard being afraid of so many things.
The road forked twice, and we didn't know which way to go. At one point, Coco voted one way, and Jim voted the other. I abstained. We decided to stay to the left and go Jim's way, and we were very pleased when we ended up at the waterfall we sought.
How great is Tiny's smile?
We had a quick food break and were getting ready to head out from that spot when an ATV tour group showed up. One of the guides came down with a few bags and asked if we were about ready to leave. We said, "Yeah, we're heading out now." He was super nice and chatted with us as we got packed up. He said they bring groups in to that waterfall three times a day; another outfit takes people on horseback to the lower falls. He said a tourist from a really cold place swam that morning, but he only gets in during the summer because it is cold.
As we got to the top of the short trail that leads to that waterfall, we heard the other tour guide telling the group that in the olden days, if you were trespassing there, you wouldn't just be fined; you'd be executed. She was apparently not a big fan of us, and that was uncomfortable for me. I was very glad that 1) our timing worked out so we were leaving when they arrived and 2) the nice man-guide was the one who came down to clear us out instead of the scary lady-guide.
We walked down to the other waterfall, which was free of tour groups at the time.
Wrensicle posed.
Attempts at a family (minus Ever) photo were made, rather unsuccessfully.
Jim felt pressured (mostly by himself) to swim. He hesitated.
Then he waded in to the right and walked around the side of the pool, staying out of the water as much as possible. I photocized Coco.
She photocized me photocizing Jim.
The pic he needed to show he made it:
This girl is too cute.
As soon as we left that lower waterfall, Wrensday said she needed to go to the bathroom. She's still not really used to going outside, and she couldn't get it done. We put a pull-up on her in case she couldn't wait until we got home. The whole process was a two-man job.
I carried her on my back on the way out. She gave me sweet hugs.
Tiny, meanwhile, rode with Jim and didn't look so happy about it.
We let Tiny and Wrenny walk at the very end. We should have let them out earlier but didn't realize we were so close to the gate.
That evening there was some baby-bonding time.
We'd passed around an illness, and Antone had gotten it. That night, Coco was up with him every hour all night. Thinking we must be awake because of the noise, she came into Jim and my room about 6:00 A.M., exhausted and emotional, and said she couldn't get him to stop crying. He eventually did quiet down, but it was ultimately determined that an ER trip was in order. Jim said it was probably just a regular virus that didn't require treatment, but if Antone were his kid, he would probably take him in to make sure it wasn't the flu. So off Coco and I went with the sick babe. He was very well behaved at the hospital, despite all the waiting.
They had us stay there until they got the flu results back. The results were negative, so that was good. Just a regular, nasty virus that had to run its course (and ended up plaguing us all for weeks and weeks).
Later that day, Pod and we Kringels went down to Mauna Lani. (Thank you, Barlockers!) That's Jim's favorite beach. He loves snorkeling there. Mamo, Coco, and Antone stayed home, and Coco and Antone tried to get some sleep.
My twins in their twin suits:
Tiny wanted to catch some rays but just couldn't get comfortable.
Jim and Pod took Ever out snorkeling. Wrenzy worked on her sultry pose while we watched for eels.
Then the littles ran off.
Tiny took a dip and tried to drink all the ocean water.
Ever practiced her surf stance.
We didn't have a ton of time because Jim really wanted to get lunch at the Queen's Shops (Mamo had recommended a Thai place with a yummy chicken salad), and we had to get back to return a vehicle we had borrowed from Mamo and Pod's friends in Waiki'i. We had a nice little visit at their ranch in Waiki'i in the late afternoon. That place is lovely. The girls got to throw out some feed to the chickens, see some sheep, and pet some horses.
