Gretch Runs

Hi everyone!  I'm excited to share my final post on my trip to the Big Island, which included one of the top experiences of my life.  When Dan and I were trying to decide what island to visit, we knew that we had to go to the Big Island while the volcano was erupting.  Not only was this a once in a lifetime thing to see, but the economy was also really hurting due to visitors cancelling their trips (even though the volcano only affected a very  small part of a BIG island..as the name suggests!). We decided to splurge and take a helicopter ride in order to really see and experience the powerful volcano.  I also saw recommendations to go on a boat tour, where you can get really close to where the lava enters the ocean, but I also wanted to see other areas of the island (especially waterfalls)!  So, we purchased the Big Island Spectacular through Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. Before the tour started, we made our way to breakfast near the heliport (...

Good morning everyone!  I'm back today to share part three of my Big Island recap.  This was definitely a busy day- starting out with a race and ending on top of a mountain.  This was also our final full day on the island, before heading over to Oahu.  Read on for what we did and where we ate! Kona Quarter Marathon One of my 30x30 goals is to complete a race on each birthday (starting at 25).  I turned 28 while we were in Hawaii, so I knew I had to find a race!  Luckily, there was one nearby, in the resort area of Waikoloa Village.  I ran in the quarter marathon, but there was also a full, half, and 5k.  With so many races going on at once (and different start times) I was really impressed with how organized everything was, and we started right on time! The race itself was ok- we ran a loop around the resorts and then had an out-and-back on the highway.  The weather was beautiful, sunny, and hot, so my goal for the race was...

It's time for day two of my Big Island adventure!  This day, we ventured up north for a day full of hiking and some beaches thrown in.  We got to see some of the most famous and beautiful Hawaiian sights.  Like the other days we were on the island, the weather cooperated and we got to do so much! Here's a look at how we spent the day: Puako Petroglyph Archaeological District Dan and I started our second day on the Big Island by traveling up to the resort area of the island in Waikoloa to pick up my race packet (coming to my next post!).  I heard about a short hike that we could go on, where we see one of the largest collections of petroglyphs (rock drawings, or in this case lava flow drawings). The walk was short and easy, and it was fascinating to see all of the petroglyphs that were still in impeccable condition, despite being hundreds of years old. Holoholokai Beach Park After we finished up the walk, we stumbled upon the most beaut...

Hi everyone!  This post is a long time coming, and one that I've been really excited to write!  Back in December, I took my first trip to Hawaii and had the most amazing trip ever.  When Dan had to go back for work again in June, I jumped at the chance to join him again.  This time, we decided to stop at the Big Island first for a little vacation, then head to Oahu for his work. When we were planning, we picked a different area to explore each day.  While the island is, like the name suggests, BIG- I decided to focus on different cardinal directions and tackle a new one every day.  While I don't make itineraries for travel, I did have a few items booked (a few of which got changed around which you'll see in a later post) and that helped us decide what to do each day.  Besides that, we played everything by ear and just did what sounded fun! Today I'll be talking about what we did on our first full day in Hawaii, where we traveled down south to ...