Hawai`i 3

Monday Oct 12 - Day 1

   Hawai`i 3, the triquel [the Urban dictionary defines a triquel as a 2^nd sequel]. It was another birthday gift to Sandy. And a gift to Barbara in anticipation of her getting her Master's Degree from Texas Tech in Museum Sciences later this year. To cover all the highlights of our last two trips, Sandy planned three Islands so Barbara could see almost everything. I did not take the pictures (well, a few), Barbara took her digital camera and was the photographer, and thus provided her perspective on the trip. I was the driver, chief cook and bottle washer (literally).

   Steven was asked to stay in our Plano house for 2 weeks to care for Snickers, who at 15 y.o. was deemed too old to spend this time in a kennel or Petsmart. She did well, got her meds, walks and apparently Steven left her in a sweater the whole time so she wouldn't be cold and shiver (he kept the house temperature low). Steven drove us to DFW (well I drove and he drove the car back), and we got a direct flight from Dallas to Honolulu, Oahu (8 hrs).

   Sandy and I were familiar with everything, so while she got the luggage, I went to Avis for the rental car. I told her I remembered where the Hyatt Regency Waikiki hotel was and just drove east on H1 (same traffic crunch if not worse than last time) and onto Ala Moana blvd. But got lost. No problem, we brought our GPS (Garmin). But it couldn't get a signal from the satellite. Looking at actual maps we got us there. Then I drove the car up the tight spiral self-parking garage across the street from the hotel.

   As a returning customer, they upgraded us to the Regency Club, which gives us a free continental breakfast on the 39^th floor Regency Club, and free drinks and snacks and dessert there at night. Plus they gave us a third bed for Barbara so we slept great. We already had two coupons per morning for their fabulous all you can eat buffet breakfast (4 days), so Barbara and I went to the buffet one morning, and we pooled the other 6 tickets so all three went 2 mornings. The other times we went to the Regency Club for breakfast - which has lox and bagels and fruits and cereals and more than enough to eat. The evening snacks pretty much covered us for dinner. And the view was excellent. Hyatt Regency Hotel views.
We went to bed after that.

Tuesday Oct 13 - Day 2

   Serious sight seeing was to start after a wonderful buffet breakfast for Barbara and me. Sandy didn't suffer either at the Regency Club. We went to Diamond Head State Monument where Barbara and I made the full hike up the extinct volcano, and Sandy waited for us about 2/3^rd up. We learned our lesson from last time and did not bring a flash light (but did bring bottled water). Diamond Head.

   After returning to our rental car (no flat tire like last time) we drove east along scenic Hwy 72, past Hanauma Bay (which was closed today) and up the east shoreline on Hwy 83 and over to the North Shore. Shoreline sites on Hwy 72. Always with flip flops and bathing suits, the girls took a walk into Shark's Cove. We also stopped at Turtle Beach/Laniakea Beach to see the many sea turtles in the surf but you can't see them in this picture.

   With very limited choices of roads, we turned south on Hwy 99 and stopped at the Dole Plantation. We got lunch, ate pineapple ice cream, and bought gifts. No train ride, just walked about the area around the visitor center, fish pond, and plantings of a huge variety of pineapples. Dole. Then continued along interstate H1 and back to the hotel. Food at the Regency Club, and walked along Waikiki beach, window shopping the high end stores and watching the tourists (mostly Japanese).

Wednesday Oct 14 - Day 3

   Pearl Harbor. Always best first thing in the morning, and although Sandy and Ric had been there before, construction lent a vail of confusion. The USS Arizona Memorial’s Museum & Visitor Center, run by the National Park Service started a $58 million renovation in late 2008 and is expected to finish Dec 2010 with six acres of additional land, and doubling of the exhibit area (with climate controlled space for precious displays). Barbara walked their museum area, and we saw the film, took the boat to the USS Arizona, and got some souvenirs. World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument.

   Following our same itinerary, we then headed over to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, walked the entire circumference, bought gifts and T-shirts, and of course, shave ice. Actually, the first place we came to was "shaved" ice and Sandy and Barbara had to have it immediately. Later on we came across several "shave" ice. The difference is that shaved ice [what mainlanders call snow cones] is crushed/chopped/ground, and the flavored syrup quickly falls to the bottom of the cup. Shave ice is a block of ice which is spun around while a razor-sharp blade shaves the ice creating a soft snow-like texture which absorbs the flavors from the syrup. This is the gourmet version of a snow cone. This home video (someone else, not Barbara) shows a close up of the shaving machine in action, but otherwise not a representative demo of what happens in Hawaii (they don't slap a funnel on top of it and call it "dairy queen"). Stop this video after 30 seconds and then look at this youtube video which shows how real Hawaiian shave ice is made and enjoyed. This other youtube video is another very typical hole in the wall which makes really good shave ice.

   After driving back towards Honolulu we headed to the area where Bishop's Museum was and found a Chinese restaurant in a strip mall for lunch. The Bishop Museum is a 4-star attraction and Barbara was very pleased with it. We went to the Jhamandas Watumull Planetarium and walked most of the exhibits: the three floors of Hawaiian Hall; the two floors of Polynesian Hall; the Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Ka-hili Room; the Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center. And of course, the gift shop. Bishop Museum.

   After the museum, Barbara went across the street from the parking lot to capture what someone thought was the halloween spirit. Then back to the hotel, snacks and a walk about of the King's Village Shopping Ctr behind us.

Thursday Oct 15 - Day 4

   Our morning saw me driving east on Pali Highway, Route 61 and to the top of Konahuani mountain (3100 ft), and stopping at the Pali Outlook overlooking the cliffs of the Koolau Mountain Range, one of the best views on O`ahu. In the early 1800’s there were only two ways to travel from Honolulu to the windward side of O`ahu. You could take a canoe or hike over the steep cliffs of the Koolau mountains via the pali trail that cut through Nuuanu Pali. The pali trail was the most direct route, but it was very dangerous because it was steep and very slippery. On a placard at the Nuuanu Pali Lookout, there’s an interesting quote from 1831 from a visitor, Reverend Reuben Tinker, who tried traversing this rugged trail:

The pass was almost too fearful to be enjoyed. I suffered from apprehension lest I should fall from the rocky steep. I took off my shoes and by setting my feet in the crevices of the rock, I worked myself along, assisted by a native, who saw nothing to wonder at but my awkwardness and fear on passing this grand highway.

   Barbara took great shots, but when I resized them to 800x600 to fit the screen and reduce the file size, they were grainy. So I made some 1000x750, and even then they didn't do justice to the full 2-3MB files which were 3264x2448 (way too big for the web browser). I made two, one with Ric and one with Barbara at 1600x1200 which finally looked very good, but you'll need to move the scroll bars around to see it all unless you have a really big monitor. Also the last one is big. Nuuanu Pali Lookout.

   To read about the history and present day Kailua by an "insider", click on Kailua: the other side by Don Chapman a well known writer for the 3 Dot Column in the Morning Honolulu Advertiser and freelance writer of articles and books.

   Once over at the other side of the Island (city of Kaneohe) I drove around Kailua Bay and we got out to stroll at Kailua Beach. Quite beautiful, and some professional photographers were shooting a Japanese couple (models) in a white elaborate wedding gown and tux on the beach. This isn't exactly them but close enough Asian couple on beach. It also proved (again) to be a good spot to watch wind surfers and kayaking. Click through about 4 slides at this site.

   We came back to Honolulu via H3 which also is a fantastic road and tunnel through the mountains. Shopping at their biggest mall - Ala Moana Center first required lunch, and we picked the Zippy's by Sears. Their slogan "When people think of Hawaii and food, Zippy's Restaurants comes to mind [since 1966]." We had to decide from standard chicken, Pupu and Sushi Platters, or dozens of items Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Korean, Portuguese and American. Barbara almost got the Loco Moco, but chose Chicken Katsu and was pleased. Ric got chicken tenders, macaroni salad, mashed potatoes, and Sandy shared off them both.

   It was a big 4 level mall, anchored by Nordstrom, Sears, Macy's, Neiman Marcus. But the funnest department store was Shirokiya. Just as Honolulu seems almost like Tokyo (to folks like Sandy and Ric who haven't been to Tokyo, the merchandise, dry goods, supermarket and prepared cooked foods also seemed like Japan (and almost exclusively Asian customers). Wikipedia says "Shirokiya was one of Japan's oldest companies, as well as the largest retailer during the early 20th century. In the 1950s, it was purchased by another Japanese corporation and began an expansion overseas, primarily in Hawaii. However, in 2001, the company was largely dissolved. Today, the only remnant of the original company is the Shirokiya department store in Honolulu, a division of Shirokiya Holdings, LLC, a United States-based corporation.

   Back to the hotel and Sandy had to buy an inflatable plastic raft from the ABC Store in the hotel (there are a thousand of them in Hawaii) for $3, and for another 65¢ they inflated it. We dragged it around all of Hawaii (uninflated after this one beach visit) and took it home to Dallas. We walked across the street and set up shop on Waikiki Beach.

   Barbara and I shot over to King's Village Shopping Center directly behind the hotel to catch the 6pm changing of the King's Guard. The King’s Guard wears uniforms that are replicas of those worn by the Hawaiian Royal Palace Guard for King Kalakaua in 1875. They perform a rifle drill exhibition after retiring the Hawaiian flag. The state flag is interesting as it looks like a cross between the US and Britain's flag. In 1816, Kamehameha the Great commissioned the Hawaiian Flag. The eight alternating white, red and blue stripes represent the eight major islands (Hawai`i, O`ahu, Kaua`i, Kaho`olawe, La-na`i, Maui, Moloka`i and Ni`ihau). The British Union Jack represents Hawaii's historical relationship with Great Britain as its protectorate. It also represents a stylized puela (a five-sided ancient symbol of authority with crossed spears and symbolic islands) which is the symbol of the Hawaiian ali'i [royalty]. King's Guard.

Friday Oct 16 - Day 5

   Breakfast, a long walk along Waikiki Beach, then to the Honolulu International Airport. Here's where the fun started. Sandy booked us on Mokulele airlines because: (1) they use the main terminal and last time we went on go! airlines which used the really lousy commuter terminal which was far away from the main terminal, no shops, food or entertainment (2) go! airline pilot fell asleep and over shot one of the Hawaiian islands (3) Mokulele was rated high on customer service. Tuesday Oct 13, 2009 Mokulele Airlines announced they were bankrupt and would be bought by go! Airlines. The Hawaiian papers said Mokulele would still operate out of the main terminal. So Sandy didn't think we'd have a problem, but the papers got that wrong. Starting on Wednesday 10/14/09, travelers had to check in at a single go!/Mokulele check-in counter in the commuter terminal. The computer systems were incompatible, and all check in and boarding was done manually. Lines went on for hours. We were changed from a 1pm flight on Mokulele to a 3:30 flight on go! That flight (as all of them were) was delayed and boarding started at 4pm.

   While we sat around, I found a trash can lei which I gave to Barbara (i.e. some one didn't want it but left it on the top of a trash can so anyone else could claim it). We kept it refrigerated and it made it through the entire trip.

   So back to the flight, when it boarded you walk out of the terminal to the tarmacadam (usually abbreviated as tarmac) and to the plane. We were at the the front of the line, but after Sandy and Barbara were already through they told me I wasn't confirmed and called the girls back off the runway. They boarded the whole flight and we were left in the terminal. Much confusion later they figured they had boarded people who were in fact scheduled for a later flight and could take two of us. Barbara and Ric went and were as far as the ladder to the plane when the stewardess said the plane was full, no enter. The terminal attendant argued and pulled two people off the plane, then pulled two more out of their seats, had Sandy and one other person put in a golf cart and raced over the tarmac to get in these seats. We finally flew to Kauai.

   I went for the Avis rental car while Sandy and Barbara went for our luggage. Oh yeah, when we checked our luggage in at Honolulu we were told that the "carry on" bags which fit the overhead racks on American Airlines coming in from the mainland were too big for these 50 seaters planes and it would be $10 each (so $30 total for the one check in and the two "carry on"). Now on the other end, two of our most important pieces and another persons bags were missing. We went to our hotel (7 miles/20 mins) and when the next plane arrived we called, the luggage was there, and we drove back to the airport to personally retrieve them. Later then we planned, we got an excellent Italian dinner at Kauai Pasta 4-939 Kuhio Hwy # B, Kapaa, which was very close to our condo Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort. Most of our day was spent traveling from Oahu to Kauai (120 miles apart).

Saturday Oct 17 - Day 6

   Life at the condo is different. No lush buffet breakfasts. We shopped at the supermarket across the street and Ric made French toast or eggs, juice, coffee or milk, sliced pineapple, for everyone most mornings. Sandy got another upgrade, with our rooms (two bedrooms, kitchen, dining/living room, washer/dryer, lanai (outdoor porch) facing the ocean. Very comfortable.

   We also packed lunches and drinks for the day, sometimes even ate dinner in. Retracing last trip, we drove down Hwy 56 and went west on Rte 580 to Opecka'a Falls. On the other side of the highway from the falls lookout was Wailua River lookout.

   You must have noted already that Barbara took a lot of pictures (over 500). Down Hwy 56 some more and west on Rte 580 to Wailua Falls. This began her love affair, with roosters.

   Now a long drive along Hwy 50 to the other end of the island where Ric took Rte 550 (Waimea Canyon Dr) up to Waimea Canyon. We had taken Rte 552 (Kokee Rd) up last time, and this route took us past some really interesting red dirt gullies and hills which we explored.

   Up, up, up thousands of feet in elevation and we get to Waimea Canyon Lookout. Markedly less crowds than last time (depressed economy, no tour buses, no lines at the bathrooms). However, the view was just as good. Waimea Canyon. We continued up to Koke`e State Park. We picnicked at the museum site where chickens and roosters are waiting to join you, and Barbara bought her stuffed souvenir. She spent time going through the Koke`e Museum and then we continued the drive to the very top, Pu`u o Kila Lookout. From there Barbara and Ric headed out on the Pihea Trail, a 3.8 three hr walk (if you are an excellent hiker). We thought we could get to the next lookout point (a mile away) but it was too wet and muddy to finish, so maybe 0.75 miles round trip and still took 90 mins. Nevertheless, great views, good hike through the rain forest of the Alakai Wilderness (which becomes a swamp, and overlooking the Kalalau Valley to the ocean.

   After Ric and Barbara returned from the hike (Sandy just sat on a bench and read), everyone got back in the car and started the very long drive back down the mountain. Shortly after passing the Museum we got behind a pick up truck. We had seen plenty of fowl, and the museum showed what other things were hunted in the park (goats, deer, wild pig). Remember, these next shots were taken by Barbara in a moving car. Check out the dogs below the frame holding up the boar.

   Heading back east we had to swing by my favorite coffee place Kauai Coffee Company. Last time I really liked their Blue Mountain and Red Catuai and resolved to buy some this visit. This is the only coffee I can drink without milk (just sugar and coffee). I tasted all their fresh coffees out for visitors, but no Red Catuai. I was told they don't make it any more, but mix the red and blue catuai for some estate brand. I didn't like the blue catuai, and didn't like the mix, so that was off the list [surprisingly 5 weeks later at home 11/23/09 while working on this travelogue I went to their website and found I could order Red Catuai by mail ["Back by popular demand... A mild to medium bodied coffee, touched by a smooth, sweet finish with a hint of cardamom"]. Nevertheless, they had the Blue Mountain, and I also got an expensive Mundo Novo Peaberry. Peaberry is a type of coffee bean. Normally the fruit of the coffee plant develops as two halves of a bean within a single cherry, but in 5% only one of the two seeds gets fertilized so there is nothing to flatten it. This oval (or pea-shaped) bean is known as Peaberry, and is smaller in size and twice as robust in flavor. Barbara and Ric took the tour. I also bought something to drink my coffee in, declined the Hula Girl mug, and went with the iconic black as I'd be drinking my coffee black.

   For dinner we drove into the city of Lihue (where the airport is) and went into a very off the beat place called Lihue Barbecue Inn, 2982 Kress St (off Rice St). We were early so no crowd yet and had a good Chinese dinner. Back at the condo I gave Sandy some really yummy, chocolately sweet brownies I had bought at the supermarket earlier to celebrate her BIRTHDAY. She loved them, and it was no coincidence we were on her favorite island in Hawaii on her birthday. Afterwards we shopped at the Coconut Market Place and would return many times. It is THE major shopping in Kapa'a and I talked about it on an earlier travelogue, put a link on the web to it at: www.coconutmarketplace.com But that link was dead today (11/23/09).

Sunday Oct 18 - Day 7

   Today we went north on Hwy 56, and in the early morning mist got to Kilauea Lighthouse. Next we went to Anini Beach (Sandy says it was nice). I'm not sure, but since these are the next pictures Barbara took, maybe this is Anini Beach. After a quick pass by Princeville we stopped at Hanalei Lookout. The valley below is a mile wide and six miles long. Most of the taro grown in Hawaii is grown there. We'll look at some more shots of it later. But first on to Hanalei shopping. We parked in the Ching Young Village Shopping Center in front of the Big Save supermarket and opened our picnic lunch. Then walked around. We went across the street to the Hanalei Center which is a hazard of historical buildings (including the Old Hanalei School) that have been refurbished and turned into boutiques and restaurants. This includes BUBBA BURGERS, smells great, and Shave Ice Paradise where of course Sandy and Barbara got shave ice and sat at the picnic table to eat. They also spent considerable time shopping for clothes at the Old Hanalei School and Tropical Tantrum (but came up empty).

   Many movies have been made in Hawaii, but one of the tops is the 1957 film South Pacific. Lumaha'i Beach is where Mitzi Gaynor (who recently returned to Kauai) "washed that man right out of her hair." Tunnels Beach is supposed to be great for snorkeling, but we couldn't even park near it last time as they have room for a dozen cars and people get there early. I parked on the side of the highway and let Sandy and Barbara walk down the road and look it over. I guess it looked like a typical Hawaii beach. We did find parking at Haena Beach Park and Sandy and Barbara checked out the dry and wet caves.

   Ke'e Beach is the end of the line, any further and you need to walk or boat. The Na Pali Coast continues and is spectacular, especially by helicopter. Clever photography turned the Makana mountain peak into the mystical island of Bali Hai in the movie South Pacific. The bathroom facilities had finally been built since our last visit, and people were swimming and snorkeling. The trees are very interesting at Ke'e Beach. FOLLOW the instructions at the top of the pictures for best viewing :-)

   Well when you're at the end of the road, and there is only one road, you must back track. We had transversed a very windy road with one lane bridges on the way from Hanalei Lookout to the valley below. On our return, I went over the Hanalei Bridge and turned down a work road where we set up shop (so to speak) and Barbara and I got out to closely inspect the taro fields and surrounding plants and wild life. Hanalei Valley.

   All the way back on Hwy 56 to Kapaa and a swing into Kauai Products Fair where we got Barbara the bird shell windchime chandelier thingy last time. Their website has a movie where you can see many of the vendors. There was also a new "exhibit" of a coconut man surfing. We went back to the condo and Sandy and Ric sat on lounge chairs on the beach for an hour, then everyone ate dinner in our room.

Monday Oct 19 - Day 8

   Today was the day to spend all day (9am-3pm) at Lydgate Park. First we got two sets of gear from our old friend Snorkel Bob. We spent the day laying on the beach, hiking through the ruins of Hauola (City of Refuge), walking through Lydgate's children's park. Built by 7,000 Volunteers in 1994, Kamalani Playground has a volcano slide and lots of art work. Mosaics of ocean themed ceramics made by Kauai's children are complemented by Hawaiian wood carvings. Behind the playground is a Japanese garden area and a labyrinth. Kamalani Kai Bridge & Decks designed by kids, was built Oct 3^rd - Nov 4^th, 2001 by thousands of people. The bridge lands on a tree studded sand dune on the beach, with observation decks and small pavilions on the sand dunes. Barbara and Ric climbed over and through the Kamalani Kai Bridge.

   So know lets get to the snorkeling. Ric did some, Sandy did some. Barbara was reluctant, just laying on the beach under our tree, then got into it big time, went out twice and so long she sunburned on neck, back of legs. Barbara putting on her gear.

   Back to our room. Great view of the pool and Pacific ocean from our lanai. We spent the night at what is billed as the best luau on this island, Smith Family Garden Luau. We got in electric trams to view the extensive gardens (see our pictures) and then walked them ourselves. Since dinner was "cattle call", Sandy tried to get us seats that would be called early in the dinner, but was outfoxed. Barbara and Ric watched the Imu Ceremony where they unearthed the cooked pig while Sandy guarded our seats. I downed a lot of mai tai's and swear they had almost no alcohol in them. The meal was buffet style and typical foods (see their website). Finally we moved to their open-air, torch-lit Pele Amphitheater for the show with performances from Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Philippines, New Zealand, China and Japan. Barbara's pictures are blurry from distance, darkness and moving dancers. LUAU.

Tuesday Oct 20 - Day 9

   The day's event started strangely. We drove into Lihue to see the Kaua'i Museum since museums were on the agenda for Barbara. Let me start with the good news: the gift shop was average. OK, now after we parked in the Lihue Shopping Center (which is the site for the Kauai County administrative offices), all three of us went to enter the Museum which had just opened and was empty (and would stay that way). This is a very old building, un-airconditioned and the windows and doors were actually open, allowing artifacts to deteriorate (bad). The woman said no one could go into the gift shop (which we could see from the door) unless they paid admission ($10). Additionally, the woman also insisted on confiscating our purses, camera AND cell phones. We weren't going to surrender them to her (no other museum had asked for these items) so Barbara and Ric gave them to Sandy since she had no interest in going in. Sandy then went to walk about the area. Contacting Sandy when we were done was going to be interesting.

   The Kaua'i Museum describes itself as the cultural sanctuary for the art and artifacts of Native Hawaiians and today’s artists. Barbara and I walked the 1^st building and were unimpressed with the artifacts, and certainly the condition. A walkway got you outside and back inside an adjacent building which WAS airconditioned and had two videos (saw one) and better exhibits, a few actually interesting. We spent over an hour.

   Since Barbara wasn't allowed her camera, we have no inside pictures, therefore I downloaded this file from the Museum's website. It is an Adobe PDF. There are 22 pages, and you can move through the pictures and text either by clicking the mouse (you'll see a down arrow inside a hand) or use the keyboard and press 'page down'. As usual, close this tab when finished. Kaua'i Museum

   So we finished and I looked out the museum windows and didn't see Sandy. I told Barbara to wait and I would reconnoiter. I walked in ever larger circles and tried to think like Sandy, so I went into the Kauai County offices (thinking she'd be interested in administrative stuff. I was right and she had been through, but I actually caught her leaving their bathroom :-)   So as to be complete, I'll point the reader to the Kaua'i Museum website.

   It was a short drive through town to Nawiliwili Harbor where the luxury cruise ships dock. None where there. Business peaked in 2007. The number of sailings in Hawaii dropped to 141 from 252 in 2008 after NCL pulled two of its home-ported ships from the islands in reaction to widening losses from the surge in foreign-flagged competition. This year the number fell to 108, when Hawaii's foreign-flagged vessels were threatened by a proposed rule change that would have required them to stop at least 48 hours in a foreign port before proceeding to Hawaii. Gov. Linda Lingle campaigned against the rule change, and it was ultimately defeated -- however, not in time for foreign-flagged vessels to put Hawaii on their 2009 schedules. [source (9/1/2009): http://www.allbusiness.com/travel-hospitality-tourism/destinations/12807840-1.html]

   Luckily, ancient tourist sites like the 1000 y.o. Menehune Fishpond haven't disappeared (although we had no competition for parking at the overlook, in fact we were alone, quite different from our 2007 trip). Then across Hwy 50, through Rte 520 and the eucalyptus Tree Tunnel, and finally to Spouting Horn and a stroll under the tent of the many vendors (actually one or two booths were empty).

   Then along the southern tip of the island for hopping the Maha'ulepa Beaches. As last time (see the pattern) we parked and found the very same picnic bench to spread out and eat our lunch on Poipu Beach Park. We wended our way by memory to Shipwreck Beach since there are no signs and it abuts the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort (meaning they don't want riffraff about since you can easily walk onto the Hyatt's beach - which we did). Barbara wasn't feeling well, so Sandy and I walked about the Hyatt. We came back, she was feeling better, so all three of us went back and walked the Hyatt again. The grounds, pool and lobby, with macaws and dogs (3 schnauzer sculptures) are really fabulous. For dinner we ate at Brick Oven Pizza, very expensive, average taste.

   Coconut Market Place (again) for Shave Ice (largest we've seen and cheapest as well), and shirt for Barbara. Back at the condo we saw a small crowd at our beach and discovered the usual ropes and volunteer watcher guarding a monk seal. The Kaua`i Monk Seal Watch Program consists of very dedicated volunteers. They get to the site ASAP, set the ropes and educate the tourists and natives, and even return next day to collect poop samples.

Wednesday Oct 21 - Day 10

   Another inter-island travel day, and we were prepared (we hoped), since lost luggage wouldn't be a 20 minute drive, but it's 3-4 hrs from the Kona airport to where we were staying in Volcano. We packed as much as we could into bags which we could actually "carry on", and checked our three bags (for another $30). Things went smoother and when I returned with the rental car (still Avis but much nicer than the one in Kauai), Sandy and Barbara had all our luggage. Driving the southern island on Hwy 11 included a visit to Punalu'u Black Sand Beach. We were rewarded as last time by finding sea turtle.

   By the time we reached the town of Volcano it was getting late (past due our ETA for checking in), and misty (it's a rain forest). As we pulled into the driveway of The Volcano Teapot Cottage the owner and wife met us. We talked and smoozed. Sandy had also gotten an upgrade here as well. The policy was no children, and they had a 2^nd bedroom which was not used except for being decorated in the extreme. Since Sandy was a repeat customer, they let us bring Barbara (not exactly a 'child' but still a 3^rd person who would use the guest bedroom). Doubt this was just an accommodation because of the recession as their bookings remained solidly filled. There were treats for Halloween all over. Candy, music boxes, decorations, as well as the usual teapot theme. These first pictures are gray because of the weather. Later ones will show better. Choices for dinner were quite limited, although one or two new places seemed to have appeared (but this just makes the choice go up from 3 to 5). We ate at the Lava Rock Cafe (our favorite from last visit). It's right next to another store, a tiny grocery, and parking is terrible as there's about a dozen spots. Back to the cottage, and as expected, Barbara just gushed delight over it.

Thursday Oct 22 - Day 11

   With only really 2 days on the Big Island, this was going to be spent almost entirely at the National park (8am-3:30pm). Something is always happening (geologically), and this time half of their circle drive (Crater Rim Dr) was closed because of venting volcanic gas. This means sulfuric acid was in the air - hazardous to breath, to skin, to cars, and just about anything except volcanic rock. After we left it destroyed a road. Here's the outgassing we saw coming from Halema`uma`u Crater as seen from the Jaggar Museum, which was as far as anyone was allowed to drive along Crater Rim Drive going 3 miles west from the visitor center. Here's a great site which chronicles with pictures, movies and text, the eruptions at Halema`uma`u crater starting back from June 2009 to present.

   Museums. Barbara enjoyed the Jaggar. Then we backtracked the Rim drive, left Sandy at the visitor center, and Barbara and Ric went to the Kilaueki Iki Overlook and spent 2.5 hrs on the 4 mile trail. We start at the rim, go through jungle and come down to the crater floor. To orient you, Kilauea Caldera is a HUGE volcanic depression, and with in this are several craters, including Keanakake'i crater, Kilauea Iki crater and Halema`uma`u crater. The numbered markers you'll see in some pictures are associated with a booklet which describes the surrounding area. There are also cairns (rock piles) which help identify the trail (they aren't numbered - they're made from almost indestructible materials plentiful are here - volcanic rocks). The slideshow contains 3 dozen pictures of our hike, including a couple of fiddleheads.

   Fiddlehead ferns refers to the unfurled fronds of a young fern. The fiddlehead, or circinate vernation, unrolls as the fern emerges from the ground with new growth. The fiddlehead resembles the curled ornamentation (called a scroll) on the end of a stringed instrument, such as a fiddle. I'm not an expert, I think the ones we saw were Cibotium sp., although possibly Sadleria cyatheoides or Osmunda japonica [related to the Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum)]. For a reasonably informative website on fiddleheads.

   Got Sandy and had picnic lunch at the Visitor center. I had a styrofoam container with a rice dish left over from last night's dinner. Sandy was making fun of me taking it, until she saw dozens of asian tourist all around us eating some prepared oriental lunch in styrofoam boxes issued by their tour bus. Then all three of us drove around the Rim drive to Thurston Lava Tube.

   Crater Rim Drive was open as far as Chain of Craters road. Among the stops down the 19-mile descent to the ocean, Barbara and I hiked the 1.5 mile (round trip) to the Pu`u Loa Petroglyphs (the tour book said 15-20 mins, not likely, it was a hard hike over rough pahoehoe lava). We both wore walking shoes, stepped carefully, took water, sunscreen and hats. I hadn't done this last time, consider it a museum outdoors. The official NPS website. Here are Barbara's pictures, the views to the sea and crater rim were inspiring, but the trail was pure cold lava.

   Technical Note

I've done 2 1/2 islands and finally figured out the problem with my images, and will need to re-do the entire travelogue ;(
In the beginning, my travelogues were only text, and I needed ASCII art for any illustrations. Then I added photos. These were taken with film cameras and then I had to personally scan them (at 300 dpi) to create digital versions for the web. I used 300 dpi since higher resolution makes for larger files, and most computer monitors (CRT or flat) don't see much difference beyond 300. Later, big box film developers would both give you prints and a CD with the film already scanned. These seemed adequate and I never actually paid attention to their resolution. Pulling up some old files, I see Walgreen used 200 dpi, Target (which I used almost exclusively) used a Noritsu S2 film scanner, Digital Lab System software, 256 dpi. [Amazing what information is embedded in the files, EXIF shows up under the Image Information tab in Paint Shop Pro 9].

So now I'm working with a new computer running VISTA Ultimate which won't run my old Paint Shop Pro 6, so I moved up to PSP9 which disappointingly has a learning curve. I also had to buy a new scanner (also steep learning curve, and to integrate drivers with image editing software like PSP9). Then there is my new huge monitor, a ViewSonic VX2235WM ClearMotiv 5MS 1680x1050 22" TFT Active Matrix LCD Display, which importantly has a different aspect ratio from my previous bulky CRT (this makes images look different). I was griping about how grainy the pictures were that Barbara took with her $200 Canon Powershot A720 IS. This is a great 'point and shoot' camera with 6x optical zoom and Image Stabilizer System which I got her for her trip to Greece. The EXIF reveals it takes pictures at 180 dpi. Well no wonder they're grainy when you reduce the JPEG from it's original 3264 x 2448 pixels to 800 x 600. I've been playing with cropping, contrast and sharpening to handle this limitation, but couldn't figure out how to simultaneously reduce the size AND increase the dpi (until today). The trick (at least with PSP9) is to first set PRINT SIZE resolution to 300 pixels/inch, then re-set PIXEL DIMENSIONS width=800 height=600 PIXELS, make sure you set Resample using Smart Size (uncheck Maintain original print size).

On going back and comparing 450 pictures, some are not substantially improved with 300 dpi after I had previously worked them over. Others were blurred to start with since the autofocus on the A720 can get confused as to what the person considers the focal plane.

   After the petrogylphs we continued down to the end of Chain of Craters road and stood at ocean's end to see the Arch and shoreline. Sitting on the ledge, watching the blue ocean crash white waves 50 feet up the several hundred foot shear black lava cliffs was one of my "WOW" moments.

   After the park we had to take Barbara to see Akatsuka Orchid Gardens which was just down the road from Volcano (on the way to Hilo). We weren't going to buy any plants (can't get them out, need to ship), but their displays are absolutely fantastic. However, I bought Sandy two refrigerator magnets: green sea turtle and red anthurium. Their website didn't have these specific magnets, so just substitute red anthurium for these cattleya orchids. Sandy had never had Thai and was hesitant (alright, scared) but our dining choices were limited. We went to the only Thai restaurant in Volcano (you could drive 30 miles to Hilo, or 100 miles to Kona), which was called Thai Thai Restaurant. No wait, no MSG, very good portions and food. Sandy was very pleased. Barbara and I did well, also. Back at the cottage the weather had improved and so Barbara took lots of pictures inside and out of the Volcano Teapot. She also found a DVD of South Pacific and we all watched it.

Friday Oct 23 - Day 12 Last Day

   We woke up to a chilly morning and I turned on the gas fireplace. We also got a call from the owner asking if we felt the earthquake. I think we slept through it, but it was nice to know we had one (again) on our trip as it was becoming a tradition. It registered a magnitude 4.8 Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 11:13:50 PM out in the ocean near the newest volcano, Loihi, 28 miles SE (142°) from Pahala, HI according to the U.S. Geological Survey website on recent quakes. Apparently after awhile (weeks?) you get an Oops! - File Not Found: It is possible the event has been deleted or superseded by a new location with a different ID. when you click on the URL http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/hv00035675.php#details There was also another mag 1.9, Friday, October 23, 2009 at 09:37:30 AM at epicenter ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII 17 miles W (279°) from Volcano, HI.

   After our last breakfast at the cottage, and packing our luggage tight with all our gifts and souvenirs, we were prepared for a real jet (American Airlines). We headed off to a long road trip east to Hilo, north to Parker Ranch and then south to the Kona airport where we had a 9:30 pm flight. Sure, you'd be nuts not to stop at Mauna Loa a few miles before Hilo to see the plant and get some free samples of macadamians. They lost their own website after Hersey's chocolate bought them in 2004. However, as of the making of this travelogue they seem to have a very commercial (i.e. not all that interesting to you the reader) website. So as you have a back up, and one which shows the grounds and other interesting things, try this site.

   Through Hilo, on Banyan Drive and parked to walk around Lili`uokalani Park & Gardens which Sandy and I had not done last visit. It was very very nice. The 30 acre park grounds were donated by Queen Lili'uokalani to build an ornamental Japanese park to honor the many Japanese immigrants who came to the Big Island to work the Waiakea Sugar Plantation. The city of Hilo claims this Yedo-style park is the largest true ornamental Japanese park outside of Japan. I can't confirm this, but note that Yedo is another word for Tokyo; and Portland, OR is proclaimed to have one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan (which I can confirm as having been there).

   West of Hilo are several waterfalls which we briefly visited. There was not only no crowds of cars, teenagers or tourist, there was almost no one there, further signs of a crippled tourism industry, high unemployment and reduced real estate investment according to an article in November 2009 Hawaii Business magazine. Here are some shots of Rainbow Falls; Pe`epe`e Falls & Boiling Pots. Rainbow is a 80 foot tall waterfall which drops over an ancient cave that is said to be the home of Hina, the mother of the demigod Maui. In the early morning sun, rainbows are easily seen in the mist that rises as the water hits the pool below. A couple of miles upriver is a parking lot to view Pe`epe`e, which is a rough area of the river. Water falls over Pe`epe`e Falls and then enters an area of rapids known as Boiling Pots where the water rushes through old lava rocks and lava tubes and appears to bubble up or boil as it makes it way downstream.

   Back through Hilo and a short ride north on Hwy 19 to Hawai`i Tropical Botanical Garden where we picnicked at the entrance to the gardens and dowsed ourselves with bug spray. We spent a couple of hours and Barbara took a lot of pictures. At the base is Coconut Vista where we sat on a bench, cooling off after the humid jungle section above, where Onomea Stream enters the Pacific and ocean waves crash over lava outcrops. It was my other "WOW" moment of the trip. Later we climbed uphill on Cook Pine Trail, hugely tall trees, and a immense growth of Cat Whiskers where we saw the hummingbird moth. It looks like a Hummingbird (but there are no hummingbirds in Hawaii, this look alike moth is recent to the Islands). Since it was way too fast for Barbara to get a picture, see these two websites: Hummingbird moth feeding on maile pilau flowers; MACROGLOSSUM PYRRHOSTICTA Butler (Ian Kitching, Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, London,England, UK).

   After such a high point, we left the gardens and continued on the 4 mile scenic side road, only to find it was closed a quarter mile up from the gardens, so had to backtrack to Hwy 19. From there on to Laupahoehoe, a coastal town of 473 people, 400 feet above sea level and 2 sq miles in area. The drive down to the beach and Laupahoehoe Point Tsunami Memorial is very tortuous Hawaii State Info website It was very windy (its hallmark) so I stayed in the car while Barbara and Sandy looked over the Memorial, and took this shot off the beach.

   We had the whole day to kill, so I pulled off Hwy 19 into Tex's Drive Inn in Honokaa for malasadas and lunch.

   We got through Parker Ranch and switched to scenic Rte 190. The countryside changes so dramatically along this road, from bamboo forest to lava, desert, and mountain. Looking left to Mauna Loa, which means "Long Mountain" in Hawaiian, is 13,680 ft. above sea level, 60 miles long, 30 miles wide, it makes up half of the entire island. Looking right are lava fields all the way down to the Pacific ocean. We entered Kailua-Kona, drove around and found a free place to park downtown at Kona Farmers and Crafts Market. From there we walked across the street to Kona Inn Shopping Village. This is a block long boardwalk on the ocean side of Alii Drive and features over 50 specialty shops, restaurants, and services. The most interesting was Alley Geckos which had hands down the largest selection of Gecko theme gifts I have ever seen.

   Although we were planning dinner, shave ice popped up on the agenda as we walked past Scandinavian Shave Ice. Since we needed multiple meals for the long flight home (leaves at 9:30pm, arrives Los Angeles 5am, transfers to a flight to Dallas), we stopped at a Subway and took some foot longs to the airport. I gassed up the rental car twice to make sure the relatively long ride from Kona to the airport didn't make the tank look less than full (so as not to incur Avis' charges to top it off).

Epilogue