(This is the final picture from my Hawaii trip in October of 2007. To start at the beginning of the trip, click here and follow the links at the top right of each page.)

A lone fisherman at Puako Beach on Thursday, Oct. 4.

Mauna Kea beach on Thursday, Oct. 4.

The Mauna Kea Golf Course on Thursday, Oct. 4. There isn’t much green on the course, but you have a great view of the ocean.

An old Hawaiian hut at Lapakahi State Historical Park on Thursday, Oct. 4.

At long last, breakfast at Hawaiian Style Cafe on Thursday, Oct. 4.

Rainbow Falls on Wednesday, Oct. 3. Of the four waterfalls we visited, this one was the best.

A distant view of Pe’epe’e Falls on Wednesday, Oct. 3.

A view of Waiale Falls on Wednesday, Oct. 3.

The featured attaction at the Hilo zoo, a white Bengal tiger named Nemaste’, on Wednesday, Oct 3. The zoo will celebrate Nemaste’s ninth birthday on Saturday, Oct. 6.

Two of the many birds at the Hilo Zoo on Wednesday, Oct. 3.

Sunset at Hilton Waikoloa Village on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

The dolphin pool at Hilton Waikoloa Village on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

One of the boats at Hilton Waikoloa Village on Tuesday, Oct. 2. The property is so large that boats and a tram are used to transport guests across the property.

The beach at Hilton Waikoloa Village on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

One of the pools at Hilton Waikoloa Village on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

Kakahi Kai State Park on Tuesday, Oct. 2. Beaches like this are a dime a dozen on the big island of Hawaii.

The magnificently-colored water of Kekaha Kai State Park on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

The nearly-empty beach at Kekaha Kai State Park on Tuesday, Oct. 2. The drive to the beach is excruciating, but well worth the trouble.

The sandy beach and palm trees of Kekaha Kai State Park on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

A view from inside the tidal pool at Wawalioli Beach Park on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

The beach and tidal pool at Wawalioli Beach Park on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

The beach at Koloko-Honokohau National Historic Park on Tuesday, Oct. 2. There were no bare bodies here as suggested by the guidebooks, only bare stretches of beach with few people.

The beach at Old Kona Airport State Park on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

Hula dancers at the Royal Kona Resort luau on Monday, Oct. 1.

The opening dance of the Royal Kona Resort luau on Monday, Oct. 1.

The ceremonial lighting of the torches to begin the Royal Kona Resort luau on Monday, Oct. 1.

Ceremony to unearth the cooked pig at the Royal Kona Resort luau on Monday, Oct. 1

Pahoehoe Beach Park on Monday, Oct. 1.

A crowded White Sands Beach Park on Monday, Oct. 1.

The lava rocks of White Sands Beach Park on Monday, Oct. 1.

Kahaluu Beach Park on Monday, Oct. 1. It doesn’t look like much from this picture, but this is a very popular beach for snorkelers.

While the area is pretty, Umauma Falls won’t be confused with Niagara Falls anytime soon.

Looking down from Hawaii Belt Road to Laupahoehoe Point Park on Sunday, Sept. 30. A tsunami destroyed much of this picturesque area in 1946.

The blue waters of Laupahoehoe Point Park on Sunday, Sept. 30.

A shot of Waipio Valley Lookout on Sunday, Sept. 30. The beach below is accessible for those with four-wheel drive vehicles. If you click on the picture to enlarge it and look closely, you can see some people on the beach.

The underwhelming beach area at Mahukona Beach Park on Saturday, Sept. 29. This was actually better than the beach at nearby Kapaa Park, which was deserted and featured a building that was condemned with warnings not to drink the water.

A view of of Keauhou Bay from the public beach at the Sheraton in Kona on Saturday, Sept. 29.

An empty coffee bean drying surface on Saturday, Sept. 29. Like the retractable roof on a baseball stadium, in the event of rain, workers can quickly cover the coffee beans using a roof on wheels.

A truck full of coffee plant pulp on Saturday, Sept. 29. To the front left of the truck, hundreds of pounds of coffee beans are being dried.

Rows of coffee plants at Greenwell Farms on Saturday, Sept. 29. Notice the narrow rows between the plants; the introduction of All Terrain Vehicle (ATVs) means that a couple hundred more plants per acre can now be produced as opposed to when trucks where used by workers in the harvesting of the coffee plant.

Saturday started with a tour of Greenwall Farms, a famous Kona coffee grower in nearby Kealakekua. I’m not a coffee drinker, but nonetheless, the tour of the farm was an interesting experience. It started with a coffee tasting session of about seven types. I tried the Medium Roast, which I later found out has more caffeine than two shots of espresso. It tasted to me like, well, coffee. Other interesting tidbits I picked up during the tour: Starbucks buys coffee from Greenwell Farms and uses a blend of 90% Kona, 10% Starbucks; Greenwell Farms uses a process to remove acidity from the coffee, something that most others do not; Kona coffee gets its taste, which so many people love, from the volcanic ash in the soil.

After the tour, we had intended to head South, but massive road construction changed those plans. Instead, we headed back to Kona and stopped at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue for a late lunch. Good choice. While considered fast food, this place was nothing short of spectacular. I ordered the Hawaiian BBQ mix, which featured beef, chicken and short ribs. The meat is marinated in a bunch of Hawaiian spices, grilled and then served plate lunch style. The two sides were rice and a macaroni salad that was the best I’ve ever tasted.

Stuffed, we headed the same direction as the day before, up the interior road toward Waimea. Then from Waimea we went Northwest toward the coast where we some some unspectacular beach parks. Naturally, by the time we got close to the exotic beach spots, it was dark so we headed back to Kona. Those will have to wait until later in the week when we are staying on the Kohala Coast, featuring mega-resorts and picturesque beaches.

For dinner, we walked into downtown Kona and ate at the Thai Rin Restaurant. After a long day of driving, I was ready for a beer — a Big Wave to be exact. Unfortunately, despite the dinner rush being over, the service was horrible and it took 15 minutes to get our drinks. I wasn’t expecting much better from the food. But I was wrong. Beef in oyster sauce is probably my favorite dish Thai (or Chinese) dish. This place made it perfectly. After talking it over, I decided the reason I liked it so much was that other than the great taste, they had mushrooms, celery and carrots, in addition to the standard onions and green peppers. Those are the vegetables I like the most in Thai (or Chinese) food, and they had included all of them. Which brought me to another thought. Why do the Thai and Chinese places decide which vegetables go in which dishes? Why can’t the customer decide? After all, when you order a pizza, you don’t let the chef pick the toppings, do you?

Beach sunset at Canoe House restaurant in Mauni Lani resort on Friday, Sept. 28.

Huge windmills near Upolu Airport on Friday, Sept. 28.

Surfers at Keokea Beach Park on Friday, Sept. 28.

The Pololu Valley on Friday, Sept. 28.

Picturesque view from Pololu Valley Lookout on Friday, Sept. 28.

Aerial view of downtown Honolulu on Thursday, Sept. 27.