Never once to Hawaii, now twice in 2 years.  Sis’ celebrating her big 5-0 Birthday this week AND running a 50K all-UPHILL ultra-marathon in our 50^th state.

[Can’t believe you have a sister turning 50?  Just smile & say: Nope I can’t believe it either.  No need to share she’s my younger sister ❤]

Boarded a direct flight to Kona (United).  7 hour ride, 5 of it over the vast Pacific.  Kept my shade shut & movie-binged.  Caught up on the latest Planet of the Apes prequel – don’t be a hater.  NOW we know why Nova couldn’t speak in the Charlton Heston version.  LOL>

Open-air airport, no walls – just like Maui.  Rental car pickup.  B&B overnight in Kona.  Palm trees, flowers – and chickens, crazy amount of chickens free-ranging in Hawaii.  Tropical, temperate Hawaii.  Sis might be planning ALL future family getaways.

Woke super early (time difference).  Morning hill trek before Saturday’s 50K.  Road climbed high above Kona, beautiful view of the ocean.  Easy 2-mile run that got away from me.  Garmin read 5.12 [miles] when I returned for fresh fruit & papaya pancakes.  Paradise.

Late road start to Hilo for tomorrow’s 50K registration.  Sis beat me there (retrieving lost luggage) & managed bib pick-up.  Afternoon FREE, too early to check-in my bougie condo in Waikoloa – beach DAY.  Detoured north: Laupāhoehoe Point Beach Park.

80° & sunshine.  HUGE turquoise waves lashed the Park’s volcanic-rock shore.  Laid back in lush green grass & closed my eyes.  Ocean breeze, surrounded by Palms, secret quiet paradise.  Big Island drive home (digged on the Hawaiian names).

Laupāhoehoe ⇨ ʻŌʻōkala ⇨ Pa’Auilo ⇨ Honoka’a ⇨ Waimea ⇨ Waikoloa

Lunch in Waimea, dinner in Waikoloa, both with a pig theme.  500,000 wild hogs on the Big Island – I went with fish 🙂

Laupāhoehoe Point

Hawaii’s feral pigs have history in their genes

 

 

“It has always been believed that the pigs were likely brought by famed explorer James Cook when he discovered the islands around 1778,” says Anna Linderholm, assistant professor of anthropology at Texas A&M University.

 

“He almost certainly brought pigs, chickens, and other animals with him. But our findings show that the wild hogs there today were introduced much earlier than his arrival, by hundreds of years at least. They likely came from European or Asian descent.”

 

Texans love their cattle, and Hawaiians love their pigs. Millions of visitors to the islands have attended luaus where a roasted pig in the ground is considered a must-see event, and Hawaiian lore has it that pigs were associated with various Polynesian gods and they were treated with great reverence and respect.

 

“The ancestry of feral hogs in Hawaii today can be traced back to Polynesians, and their colorful island history and legends are embedded in the state’s culture and many traditions,” Linderholm says.