Another clue!

Okay, so I left you hanging last week, wondering if I made it to the orchid place...and the answer is yes! Bubby and I headed out there, following the clue we found on top of Makapu'u. To refresh your memory, it said:

You've come so far
now look around
leave the old you
back on the ground.

Back to the main road
then right you go,
all the way to Waimanalo.

There's a big crooked tree
then a tiny sign
at the orchid place
is what you must find.

So we headed down Kamehameha Highway (dare you to say that 5x's fast) and then hung a right onto Kalanianole Highway. I promise to say both of these, error free, when we visit! :) Anyways, okay our first sign we were getting close was a crooked tree:

From Makapuu 2

don't worry, I didn't take these while driving :) I pulled over. Then a tiny sign (it looks bigger in the picture ;)

From Makapuu 2

So I turned into this driveway, and met the cutest little man you ever did see ~ he doesn't speak English very well, but he was very relieved to see me! He kept saying, you're Jenny? I cannot believe it, your sister was here two month ago! He told me that he thought it was weird because he couldn't figure out why she left him a piece of paper in a plastic bag for someone to come later named Jenny. I tried my best to explain to him what Tori was up to and then I think, I think he got it :) As you can imagine, I was dying inside with laughter. He took good care of my note all these many weeks, he had it saved inside his "office." (really a box inside a greenhouse ;) So, here's the best part ~ Tori already had paid him for me to pick out...drumroll please...my very own orchid! He helped Bubby and I pick out one of the very best and most beautiful ones. I was so surprised and excited, what a reward! :) Thank you sissy!

Once back into the safety of my own truck, with my new orchid perched next to me in the passenger's seat, I read the next clue. You will never believe it. *Sigh.* Guess where I've gotta go next? Read on...

Like the orchid buds
side by side,
it's hard for others to see
what's on your inside.

So get your orchid,
tend it with care
just like yourself
this is my dare.

Then back to the lighthouse
from which you came
another trip up
but it's not the same.

Read the plaque for the soldiers
towards the left a rock alone.
In a crack by 3 more rocks,
you'll find what sends you on.

Back up the mountain!?!?! Are you kidding me?! Another sigh. Only Tori would be that cruel. Haha, just kidding :) Apparantly the mountain and I are going to be great friends. Actually, I was kindof excited because I know the trail now and I thought, huh it'll surely be easier the second time. And it was. A little.

I headed up there again with Bubby on Sunday (Bryan was sleeping after a night shift so it was perfect timing to get out of the room). Ahhh, I sighed as I looked up into the top of the sky. Here we go again! :) But I hope you can tell the sense of accomplishment I'm getting from this ~ this is now the fourth clue I'm after! Oh, and I made sure Tori by her phone on standby, just in case I had a hard time finding the 3 rocks again :) So here's a picture of Noah at the bottom, eating his traditional mountainside snack...

From Makapuu 2

Camera, check. Drinks, check. Spongebob Cheeseits, check. We're good to go!

Here's a shot about halfway up (yup, I'm still out of breath halfway up and have to stop and rest) of the lighthouse that sits on the coastline. It's beautiful...

From Makapuu 2

Also, this is a great lookout point for whales this time of year...

From Makapuu 2

So 43 minutes later (as opposed to the 60 minutes it took me last time) we made it again! Yahoo! Can you tell it's realllly windy?

From Makapuu 2

Okay, so after a quick look around at the beautiful scenery, we got down to business. I was on the hunt for another clue. So I found the plaque for the soldiers...

From Makapuu 2

...and then I had to call Tori. Because there were rocks everywhere, and I couldn't find anything :( Keep looking, she insisted. It's right on the edge. WHAT?! Yep, right on the edge of the CLIFF. That's right folks, I said cliff. Now I have a mild fear of heights, no big deal but I'm a mommy now and I was terrified of the cliff. Gulp. No worries, Bubby was never anywhere near the edge I promise! But what would happen to him if I slipped?! Oh the thoughts that were in my head...but I came this far, I wasn't about to go back down emptyhanded because of some silly 100+ foot drop. My mama raised me better than that! :) Anyways, here's a few shots of the cliff, just so you know I'm not exaggerating...

From Makapuu 2

see that rock in the lower left hand corner? It was wedged in there, and the only reason I saw it was that the wind was blowing on the very edge of my double bagged clue. Whew, that's all I have to say about that. Here's another shot of the swirling waters below...

From Makapuu 2

laugh if you want (I've been laughing at myself all week), but you walk out there and tell me you wouldn't be scared...

From Makapuu 2

I was too rattled to remember to get a shot of myself holding that precious clue. :( But I did remember to take pics of the first set of 3 rocks she hid my clue under the last time I climbed up here:

From Makapuu 2

inside those three rocks:

From Makapuu 2

So, you probably want to know what my clue says, after I risked life and limb to get it! :) Here goes:

Up the second time
now don't hate me
after all it's true,
repetition is the key.

Walk a mile, then two
three three and then four.
Til you carve yourself,
and you start wanting more.

It's all to get ready
for Koko Crater Peak
to the left of the top step
by 3 rocks is what you seek.

So here's the scoop ~ I have to work out one month on Tori's plan of walking, then she thinks I'll be ready for Koko Crater. Apparently it's not for the faint of heart, or those out of shape :) I am still amazed that she took the time and loves me enough to have done this for me. I've seen parts of Hawaii I probably wouldn't have, if not for her sending me on this race :) And I'm also shocked that the wind and rain hasn't blown these clues away. My little sis, she knows how to hide a clue! :) So that's the scoop on my Amazing Hawaiian adventure! Stay tuned for updates on my month long training for the infamous crater...xo