The beautiful thing about Hawaii is there is so much to see and do. There is a lot of variety on this island. One day you hike up to a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the jungle and the next you are on the sea shore looking at spectacular waves crashing on the cliff sides.

Lanai Lookout on a calm day

What I love about Lanai Lookout is the incredible cliffs and how the rocks have been formed by the water.

Incredible cliffs formed and shaped by the ocean

Rugged landscape

Husband pretending to catch a land wave

Koko Head

On the other side of Lanai Lookout lies Koko Head which looks like a dormant volcano. You can see the ridges in the mountain created by lava and imagine it flowing into the ocean.

Extra cheesiness

Lanai Lookout can be a romantic and fun place to take your date. My husband and I loved exploring the cool looking cliffs and just watching the powerful ocean below. Unfortunately these pictures do not in any way show how amazing the ocean and waves can look when the surf is big.

Look at those clouds

Apparently you can see humpback whales and on clear days the islands of Lanai, Molokai, and Maui from here.
The rocks can be wet and slippery so do exercise caution when walking near the edge of the cliffs. Sometimes the waves can be really big and at those times you will not want to be on the edge of the cliff unless you plan on being sucked into the ocean.

Great place to take photos

On the way to Lanai Lookout are some other cool places to visit such as the Halona Blowhole. This is a hole in the rock that shoots out a high stream of water when a wave comes in. It's quite fun to see.  Down the road is Hanama Bay which is a fun beach and has great snorkeling.

Adventure time!

One of my favorite things to do is hike and explore cool, new, places. The first time I went to the "Mokes" was with my childhood girlfriend. 

View from the kayak

We borrowed a kayak from a friend and set off on our adventure. I had never been in a kayak before so it took me awhile to get used to rowing in sync or just rowing in general. Luckily, my friend is a pro and had made the trip many times before. She probably did most of the rowing for me.   

Exploring

I was very excited to finally reach the island. I felt like I was a child again and at any moment we would stumble upon lost pirate treasure or some other marvelous thing.

Perfect place for a photo

I forgot to mention that my husband paddled to the island on his surfboard as the kayak only fit two. I can't remember if it took 45 minutes to get to the island or 1 1/2 hours. Anyway, it was a long way and I'm sure his arms were dying by the end of it.

Why hello!

 Yep, there were lots of fun things to look at and see. I can't wait to come back with my son and go exploring.

Deep in discussions

Such a magical place it looks like a movie set

This is where we went swimming. This picture was taken when the tide was going out. When the tide comes in the water covers all the land and you have to clutch on the rocks on the mountain side to avoid getting taken out to sea. Well, at least on very big days. Luckily when we went to the island the surf wasn't that big. If the surf is big it can be pretty dangerous and I wouldn't recommend coming here.

So pretty!

Crashing Waves

An example of what I was talking about earlier. Water and waves rushing up and covering the rocks. Luckily the wave behind me is a smallish one.

Surveying the island

Where we jumped

At the back of the island is a fun spot where you can jump or dive into the water. You just have to wait for the tide to come in so that it's deep enough. After I jumped in (the first time) my girlfriend told me that the area around the "Mokes" is a tiger shark breeding ground so if you are scared of sharks you may want to stay on land. Had I known this crucial information before jumping in I probably wouldn't have done it but I'm glad I did because it was so fun. 

Hanging from the edge of the cliff

Lulumahu Falls is a beautiful and family friendly hike. My family has done it several times and still find it very enjoyable. You will want to wear mosquito repellent and wear shoes. This is not a slipper hike.

Little ninja creeping into the forest

You start out walking through a bamboo forest. It can be a bit muddy and I've slid a few times in the mud so be careful.

Leaving the bamboo forest

Boys doing yoga

Running through the grass and yellow daisies

Cousins aka best friends

Hubby and I

Well beaten trail

Natural jungle gym

Peacefully contemplating nature or just posing for a picture?

Waterfall at the end of the trail

Another posed photo

Panoramic views

Boys have fun climbing the huge boulders

So, I was looking at some old photos of my son when he was young and came across these of beautiful Flagstaff. We used to go to this place called Snowbowl in the winter for sledding and snowboarding but one summer we decided to lose the heat and go exploring.

Snowbowl in the summer

Ash trees

I think these are Ash trees although I'm not positive. Ash trees are very pretty especially in the fall when their leaves are yellow and orange.  Ash trees have beautiful white bark.

My son is impressed with how tall the trees have grown.

They smell amazing. If you like the smell of Christmas trees you will love the smell of a pine forest. One of my favorite experiences is walking through the forest and you can hear a small creek trickling to the side. I used to love gathering pine cones and firewood as a child. 

Sitting in the tall grass

Another thing I miss is hearing the wind blow through the grass. I miss hearing the coyotes in the distance and I miss the silence. 

One very large tree

Do you see the ski lift?

Pillbox hike

This is my first blog post ever so I feel it is fitting to start out with a big Aloha! Now that we've got that out of the way let's enjoy looking at some of these beautiful Hawaiian mountains.

Enjoying the view from the Ho`omaluhia Botanical Gardens

Taking in the beautiful views

This place is just so lush and green.

Having lived in the desert for so many years I feel I have a deep appreciation for trees. People that have lived in the tropics all their lives tend to take trees for granted. 

This park is pretty pedestrian friendly as there are speed bumps every 12 feet

Little monkey having so much fun.

The Ho`omaluhia Botanical Gardens is a fun place to take kids. There are many different varieties of trees and plants that come from all over the world. There is a large beautiful lake and lots of ducks and fish that kids can feed.