Big Island Recap Day 5

On Tuesday we went to Waimea, which is Hawaiian cowboy country. We visited Parker Ranch, and took a tour on a horse-drawn wagon. It ended up being a private tour since we were the only tourists.





Raising cattle is Parker Ranch's primary business, so I was disappointed that we did not see one cow or cowboy on the tour! The climate change was notable as soon as we left the parking lot--the wind really kicked up.

The immediate scenery was not too much to look at, but it is surrounded by green hills.


This was the main attraction/destination of our tour. Hmm...


Some cute farmhouses we passed along the way:


Here's a random sign that was posted inside the wagon:


Another funny sign:


We ate lunch at the famed Merriman's.

Many of the ingredients they use are local and tasted very fresh. It was also quite reasonably priced at lunch. I would say it is a must try if you visit Waimea.

Afterward we briefly walked the grounds of Mauna Kea beach. The hotel is closed due to renovations (there was damage from the recent earthquake). On the plane we sat next to a woman who tried several times to go there, only to be turned away because the parking lot was full. I guess we got lucky.

For dinner we went to the Marriott Waikoloa's Hawaii Calls restaurant. The highlight for me was dessert (which came with our early bird special): D and I shared a piece of chocolate cake and guava chiffon cake. We were told by our hostess that our waiter's name was Derek, but when he came by, D thought his name tag said "Tai Chi". We left that one alone.

Since there wasn't too much to say in this post, here are a few random shots:

Here was our rental car for the week, a Chevy Uplander, aka "The Limmobile". It had an amazing amount of room in between the middle two seats. D said the steering was "loose". Good thing we didn't have any incidents.


This was the condo where we stayed (bottom level). I think k was beginning to think it was our new house!


The nice kitchen. Very convenient for eating breakfast.