Holoholo

"Hen'elele ka moe na ke kanaka 
(a dream is a bearer of messages to man.)"

Hawaiian Proverb

"Holoholo" is the Hawaiian word for traveling for fun without a set destination, leisurely gallivanting, taking in life's pleasures, joy riding and having a good time."

For thousands of miles we watched those wiggling hips of our beloved dashboard Hula Girl, who we fondly named Nainoa, which means navigator. She was gifted to us by Imke's "bruddah and sistah-in-law", Eric and Brenda who live in her beloved Hawaii. That "shak'n it" view brought us so much joy...for the more those little hips wiggled, the more adventures were being had. And Nainoa was such a perfect traveler...no fixed plans and no intent on arriving at any particular spot. We shared many of those awesome waypoints with our readers and now we want to share a sampling of those asphalt and gravel patches that Nainoa autographed during our many travels.

Driving through Red Rock Canyon, CA on our 
way to La Grande, OR to pick up the Fox. 

This stretch of road always makes us smile, 
for just a few more miles further on 
we join Hwy. 395...one of our most favorite corridors!

Our first foray into a Forest Service Campground... 

Williamson Creek Campground. 

This awesome campground got us hooked on the USFS.

Driving from Hood River up to 8-mile Campground. The sites at this small USFS campground are mostly suited for tents, but we went for it..in search of the place among the trees and along a stream where Imkelina could have her 8:05 am "the Bell has Rung" refirement Bloody Mary. 

Driving through Portland...one of our favorite cities although for us, 
that's an oxymoron, 'cause the word favorite 
would most often be followed by something other than "city." 
We saw a few bumper stickers along the way that said:

"Keep Portland Weird" and that says it all!

A "shunpiking" country road... 

you get to see lots of these "narrow bridge" signs and you just hope
a speeding, logging truck is not coming the other way!

Driving down from Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park.  
We had a fun hike in in the swirling clouds with Dick and Melinda 
and were lucky to see a rare, endemic yellow-bellied Marmot.

Crossing the Columbia river from Washington to Oregon on 
what turned out to be the busiest weekend on the Long Beach Peninsula... 
"hot rods lined up to the end of the world" 
bumper to bumper for hours as we crossed the bridge!

Love the Oregon coast...Imkelina and Sydney can leave their
footprints sketched on these sandy beaches for miles and miles! 
And they do.

And then there are the endless seas of trees...that is heaven!
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, CA en route to another 
USFS campground along the Smith River.

Local girl being hugged by the trees in Redwood National Park.

Traveling down the 101 Hwy after a stint of curbdocking at 
Imkelina's mom and dad's place 
in the Alexander Valley wine country...btw a 5-Star park.

Our Thanksgiving celebration was spent boondocked at 
Rockhouse Canyon Road in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park. 

Entering the Mecca Hills Wilderness on our way to Joshua Tree National Park.

Driving through a forest of Joshua Trees in Joshua Tree National Park.

It is on the bumpy, dirt roads that Naninoa dances her best hula.

Hwy. 46, for so many year's Imkelina's daily commute, 

is now the route that takes us off on new adventures 

and also welcomes us back to our Central Coast Hidey Hole.

Our adventures are not just about the beautiful places and the stunning views...but also about the individuals we meet and connect with....our fellow explorers, our tribe members. Our "neighborhood" is expanding. Being out on the road leads to serendipitous encounters, spontaneous gatherings and quite often, long-lasting and enriched friendships. But ultimately, through our travels we become more connected to the reality that everyone is a traveler...on a journey of living life to the fullest, every minute and every day on this beautiful blue dot speeding through the universe. Gotta make it count!!

Live, Love, Aloha
Hau'oli Makahiki Hou and Hele On!