Kokee State Park

Beautiful scenery and cool fresh air...this is the place to go to when you miss Canada. Pack a picnic lunch, grab a walking stick and set off into the wild blue yonder. But keep an eye out for japanese tree frogs hiding under the brush, gecko, beautiful birds and the odd, very unfriendly wild pig...but probably more like a boar, I think. They have long sharp tusks growing out of their mouths so it's good to stay away from these guys. They're not so nice to put it gently.

Anyways, the view is spectacular as we are hiking along the canyon ridges to discover rarer views of the Waimea Canyon, also known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific". Old dried out waterfalls and mountains goats skipping along the cliffs without a care in the world. On one precarious ledge of a cliff, I scooted down (actually I lost my footing and slid...calling out to my fellow hikers to tell Pastor Ed and the kids "I love you". "And when you find my lifeless, limp body, {seeing as i have no dental records here yet}, you'll identify me by the birthmark on my right wrist. Take me to Wilcox Memorial and I'm Type B Pos.") and spotted the mountain goats. Thank goodness we met no angry pigs that day! The rock formation is also fabulous as you'll note from the photo above. Lava rock cooling in the fresh water spring. Cool!!

My two little troopers did very well although Ben, initially excited about offroading in the back of a truck, had serious second thoughts when discovered there was hiking involved. Push came to shove, and although he wasn't happy, he did it! and now has another experience to file away in his computer memory. My biggest trooper was noticeably absent, recovering from hand surgery at the Taba residence watching U of H football in the sacred den.

Oh, but don't panic...not to worry. The hand surgery was from an existing problem Ed had on the palm of his right hand. A massive lump had been growing beneath the skin, slowly drawing in his fingers and distorting his hand. The doctor took one look at it and said, "I can fix that! How's Thursday?" Gotta love our HMSA plan and the American Healthcare system!