Why do I love Hawai'i...?

Well, we've been home for a month now, so I should probably quit dragging my feet. We spent the last two weeks of August in Hawaii with Nicole's parents, and I'm finally posting my account of our trip.

Let me begin by saying that even though I'm a desert boy through and through, I love Hawaii. The first time I went 3 years ago I was completely spellbound, and I couldn't even completely or coherently say why. Nicole laughed at me because I would just stand there and watch the ocean come rolling in. After 3 years and another trip, I think I've figured it out. I'll start by describing the area I come from for those of you (most if not all) who haven't been there. Orderville, Utah is in a valley in between Cedar Mountain in southern Utah and the Arizona Strip. Despite being in a valley, it sits at around 6500 feet above sea level. It was the perfect place for someone like me to grow up. An hour in one direction I would be at close to 11,000 feet, and surrounded by thick forest and volcanic peaks. An hour in another direction and I would be in the middle of Zion National Park with its white and red sandstone mountains. The same distance in yet another direction would put me in the middle of the desert, with scruffy sage-brush, junipers and cactus. Despite the fact that most of Utah has been mostly "civilized" many of these places (with the exception of Zion) are quite untamed, and when I would spend time there it would be a rare occasion to see another person unless you were fairly close to the roads.

All of this leads me to Hawaii, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Hawaii is the most geographically isolated population center on the planet, with more than 2,000 miles of ocean
surrounding it in all directions. Standing on the beach looking out at the ocean, you can be relatively certain that there is not another human being between you and the farthest point on the horizon that you can see. As untamed as my favorite places in the desert and mountains around my home are, the ocean is even more so. The wave splashing your feet may have traveled from the other side of the world, and seen sights that no person ever has. It also happens that Maui, where we spent our first week, has a "desert side" with volcanic rock formations and wide flat spaces that look like they could have been picked up out of southern Utah and dropped there, just so I could feel at home when I visit. Kauai's Waimea Canyon looks like any number of places around Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks would look if they got a few hundred more inches of rain per year. Despite the green, the red volcanic rock and dirt makes me feel like I could be in my old stomping grounds, with my old brown truck, my rifle, and our old dog Kane.

All of this still doesn't completely explain why I love Hawaii so much, and why I feel so at home and content there, but it's a start. So here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip. Those of you who know me well will know why each is included, and those of you who don't can feel free to guess.