Big Island!

 Big Island is amazing! Vickie called me one day and said she was signing up for a race on the big island and wanted me to join. Um YES! The race was going to take place at midnight and it was going to be down Mauna Kea at midnight under the full moon! Gavin and I trained as much as we could for it because it was going to be a 15-mile race. I think 15 miles is the perfect distance for a race. We went over a few days early so we could sightsee before our legs were sore from the race. Courtney Gavin and May's cousin flew out from California and we had Nikita tag along. It was once again Gavin and the girls! We flew into the Hilo side and got started right away seeing waterfalls. I mean come on look at this place? It's beautiful! Technically you aren't allowed to swim in these waterfalls but in Hawaii, nothing is really illegal right? 

We did tons of driving on this trip. We rented way too small of a car so all of us were squished into a tiny car we named Susan. With six adults in the car, we were riding low and slow at times. One afternoon we walked through some really fun Lava tunnels and went thrift shopping. We each picked an outfit out for someone and then had a fashion show at the park. It was honestly hilarious. Vickie was modeling a sweet Pizza Hut hat and side bag. Mya had Nicholas cage pants, I had overalls, and Nikita had a snake around her waist. We were laughing for hours. We even wore our clothes to Denny's one night just for fun. We got some strange looks. 

We went to South Point to see the Lava rocks it was death out there. I could see the heat waves above the dark rocks. I can't believe people live out there. We also went to South Point to jump off the terrifying cliff into the ocean. I absolutely hate cliff jumping and I was freaking out up top. I wasn't sure if I was even going to do it. The reason I hate cliff jumping is because it's painful every time I hit the water. I am freaking out so bad I am not thinking about how to place my body. I knew though that if I didn't do it I would regret it for the rest of my life. So I did it and it was scary and I am never doing it again. Everyone else went off like 4 times while I stood at the top. The fun part about the jump was getting out of the water I had to climb a rope ladder to get up. 

We paid to walk around Rainbow Falls one afternoon and it was so disappointing. Not worth the money at all. There are far better waterfalls for free to enjoy on the big island. We enjoyed lunch in Hilo along with a park where we climbed coconut trees. Courtney is a photographer and she captured probably my favorite photo of Gavin and I. We are both climbing a coconut tree looking at each other. I actually love all the photos Courtney took of us. She is so so talented. We also stopped at the Kona temple! 

The night of the race we carb-loaded before getting a few hours of sleep. Since the race started at midnight we were pretty much going to be up all night. We thought it was going to be cold because, on top of Mauna Kea, it snows sometimes. I bought all these layers so that I wouldn't freeze. Turns out I was melting during the race. I think about 30 people ran the race which is not that many. There was one super fast guy in front of me and other than that I didn't pass anyone. Gavin ran with me down the mountain. We were going so fast because of how steep it was. We chatted and watched the sky. Everyone was required to have their own headlamp and reflector vest. It was a beautiful night. Mya and Nikita occasionally passed us with water from the car. They were a great support. When our watches hit the 15-mile mark were were starting to feel totally burned out. We didn't actually know where the finish line was. At the start, they just said you can't miss it. It's a straight shot all the way there. Soon were hitting 16 miles, then 17. At that point, our legs were destroyed from all the downhill. We were crawling to the finish which was a total of 18 miles. I got 2nd place overall 1st for females and Gavin got 3rd overall and 2nd for men. We were awarded with a big wine bottle.. un thanks. We cheered on Vickie and then headed back to our camping spot. By the time we got home at 5am. Our legs were so sore. Gavin and I had our sleeping bag and our toenails couldn't handle it. We couldn't even move.  

The next day we were so sore. We didn't want to lay in bed all day so ee drove up to Mauna Kea. When we got out of the car to walk around the visitors center our lefts were like a board. They were not moving properly. Vickie, Gavin, and I were crawling. I think Gavin laid down and started rolling. We could not believe how sore we were. We ended the night with the most amazing waterfall adventure of my life. Someone told us about Narnia a place with tons of waterfalls. We somehow managed to wobble there where we swam in some of the most beautiful pools of water. This was one of the most magical places ever. I couldn't believe how big the falls were and the swimming pool at the bottom. This is a place I definitely want to come back to. Courtney took so many photos of us she is so incredible. I would love to put the whole album in there but that would be a lot of photos. Here are some of my favorites!