Hammock in Paradise » Hikes and Walks

Bites and Sights on Oahu

Lisa Overman - Hammock in Paradise — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:28:05 +0000

Oahu is one of my favorite islands simply because I know it well. Living on the island gives you an insider’s perspective and allows you to find little spots and special views that as a visitor you might overlook, when you are pressed for time or have only a few days.

Oahu Sights

Photo Credit Craighton Miller

Punch Bowl

Punch Bowl is a wonderful place to visit to honor our veterans. The view from Punch Bowl is simply beautiful. You are on a volcanic crater overlooking the city of Honolulu and the island. If you are lucky enough to visit on a holiday such as Veteran’s Day or Memorial Day make a point to visit, but come early. There are terrific ceremonies, fly over’s, musical presentations and a deep feeling of honoring those who’ve served and those who’ve given their lives in service. I was fortunate to visit during one of the above ceremonies and I treasure my memories of that visit to Punch Bowl National Cemetery.

When preparing for your visit, please note that Punch Bowl National Cemetery is open from 8 am to 5 pm Sept 30th thru March 1 and 8am to 6:30 pm March 2 thru Sept 29. Driving directions can be found on the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific Veterans Affairs website.

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Diamond Head

This Hawaii State Park remains another treasured memory of my time on Oahu. Diamond Head State Park is a moderate hike with many switch backs and many steep steps. There is a little portion of the hike that goes through a small tunnel so a flash light is helpful. Wear walking shoes and bring water and sunscreen. The official website states that you should give yourself 1 1/2 to 2 hours for the hike. Consider bring binoculars, especially in the winter as Whales migrate to Hawaii during the winter and there is a possibility of seeing them from the summit of the crater.

Visitors to Diamond Head can enter the park from 6am to 6pm, but the last entry to the trail up the crater is at 4:30 pm. Within the park you will find restrooms, vendors and sometimes food trucks. If you want packable snacks for your hike I suggest bringing them along. Entrance into the park is $5 per car. Pedestrians enter for $1.

Oahu Bites

Photo Credit: Jefferyw Flickr

Liliha Bakery
One of my favorite discoveries on Oahu was Liliha Bakery. They make, hands down the best cream puffs (called coco puffs). In fact, they are so popular that they sell between 4,800 and 7,200 EVERY DAY! It’s an insane number of cream puffs, but they are fantastic. When I was a teacher on Oahu our staff often ordered desserts from Liliha Bakery. They are located at 515 Kuakini St. In addition to desserts and pastries they also have a diner. The hours are from 6am Tuesdays, 24 hours a day through 8 pm on Sunday. Liliha is closed all day on Mondays.

Ono Hawaiian Foods
This little gem is an island tradition. Ono Hawaiian Foods is located at 726 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu. A friend recommended this restaurant to me 15 years ago, long before I lived there. Ono Hawaiian Foods is still going strong today and continues to be a local favorite. This is where you will find Hawaiian dishes such as Kalua Pig and Haupia, which is a coconut based pudding dessert. They only accept CASH and offer street (metered) parking.

Oahu offers many island delights, these are a few of mine. Stop back again to discover more about the islands.

Farm Stays Offer a Slice of Country Life and Serenity

Lisa Overman - Hammock in Paradise — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:35:05 +0000

I recently visited my first Farm Stay. A Farm Stay is for those wanting to escape city life and get up close and personal with country living and life on a farm. It’s a great get away for couples, singles and girl friends wanting to scrapbook or just get away from every day life. Farm Stays are found throughout the country and are listed on FarmStayUS. There are dairy farms to coffee farms, to miniature horse and cotton farms. You can experience tropical farm stays on the Hawaiian Islands as well as farm stays in the heartland of the Midwest.

My Farm Stay took me to Indiana, where I visited Mirror Lake Farm a 150 acre farm with dairy cows, and crops. The farm sits on beautiful land, surrounded by the Amish countryside. When you visit you’ll see Amish families in their horse and buggies driving by the property. Kathy and Jed Fought own Mirror Lake Farm located on a small lake outside Rome City and Topeka, Indiana. Here you’ll experience farm life. Guests can watch and participate in the daily milking of the farms 85 cows or take a combine ride through the fields or a gator ride through the 25 acres of trails that have been created by Kathy and Jed. There’s also the option of taking a canoe or kayak out on the river that runs through their property or out on the lake in front of the cabin. All of these activities are included in the cost of your stay and allow you to really get a sense of country living. Hunting and fishing can be added for an additional fee.

Feeding one of the Mirror Lake Farm baby calves.

On my visit the property was serene and beautiful. From the guest cabin visitors have a full lake view as well as view of one pasture. It’s truly relaxing and gorgeous. Kathy is welcoming and down to earth. When I arrived she welcomed me with a warm Chai tea latte freshly topped with whipped cream and cinnamon. Kathy’s home is a historic 1830 Greek revival that they have lovingly restored and made welcoming for visitor breakfasts and group activities such as scrap booking or genealogy events.

Mirror Lake Farm Stay

Mirror Lake Cabin Living Room

Mirror Lake Cabin Bedroom

The guest cabin sleeps seven and comes complete with a fireplace, an antique claw foot tub and a small cooking area where guests can use a microwave, coffee pot and toaster oven. The cabin living room has a lake view and two sleeper sofas for additional guests. The bedroom offers a large double bed as well as a single twin. Outside visitors can build a fire in the fire pit or cook on the provided grill. If guests want to unwind in the evening after a day of exploring they have access to the farms hot tub located in the main house.

There were many welcoming and sweet touches throughout the property and house. On Kathy’s table are gratitude stones which have the words Thankful, Grateful and Blessings. She uses these stones at Thanksgiving so that family and friends alike may share memories of gratitude and thanks. Her living room has become a gift shop showcasing primitive crafts, which are items such as old windows which have been repurposed to be beautiful home accessories. She makes handmade Christmas light sets as well as an assortment of other handmade treasures.
Each November a group of twelve crafter families hold a crafting fair at the farm. Two of the crafters do wood working and the others do an assortment of Victorian crafts, primitive crafts and quilting. At Christmas Mirror Lake Farm participates in a Christmas Walk. This is an event in which visitors can enjoy five different farm stay/B&B’s in the area. They are welcomed with holiday snacks and drinks and can enjoy both old fashioned Country Christmas as well as Victorian Christmas as they tour the five participating Bed and Breakfasts for a single fee.
Within a short driving distance of the farm are two small towns with Amish restaurants and country cooking as well as an old time soda fountain with real vanilla cokes. Visitors can experience Amish auctions throughout the year in this area. A little further away is the town of Shipshewana which has a world class flea market, an enormouns Amish community and many country craft and gift shops as well as Amish carriage rides.

Mirror Lake Farm offers the following;
Guest Cabin sleeping 7
Primitive Cabin sleeping 4
Weekend Scrapbooking Packages
Weekend Genealogy Packages
Fishing and Hunting for a fee
Pets are welcome

A view of the primitive cabin

The Primitive Cabin
This cabin is in the woods and has an out house and a campfire for cooking. Pots, pans and cook ware essentials are provided as well as wood, a lantern and a propane heater. Bedding should be brought with you. The primitive cabin is not rented during hunting (gun season).
The primitive camp offers the option of a group stays, 12 total. The cabin sleeps four and the remaining guests may tent camp.

A Farm Stay vacation is a delightful way to get away from it all and rediscover the joys of nature, sunsets on the lake and country living.

Mirror Lake Farm
11463 N 150 W
Rome City, Indiana 46784
260-854-4675

Photo of the Day: Cades Cove

Lisa Overman - Hammock in Paradise — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:46:41 +0000

Cades Cove Photo Credits: Lisa Overman

Cades Cove is a delightful day trip from Gatlinburg, Tenn. To reach Cades Cove you drive into the Smoky Mountain National Park. From the start you are surrounded by nature and beauty. Cades Cove is a historical area with cabins, churches and a mill that are restored from the 1800’s. Cades Cove is a driving tour of historical cabins which allows visitors to stop at each historic site for a walk, view and photos of the area. While we were there we saw bears on three occassions from our jeep. At one location a baby bear cub was eating at the edge of the road and a ranger was directing traffic around it. The bear cub was just feet from our window which was an unexpected treat adding to the pleasure of Cades Cove. For more amazing photo of the day shots, visit http://www.DeliciousBaby.com