8 friends and members of the OHCRA canoe club took the "trip of a lifetime to Hawaii" in 2015. Laurie has a half-brother Greg, who lives on the big island of Hawaii and is married to Betsy, a native Hawaiian. Plans were hatched in 2014 with Greg and Betsy gracefully renting us their 6 bedroom rental home for the trip located at 68-1808 Uala Street, HI 96738. Airline tickets and car rentals were secured way ahead of time and soon it was time to leave one of the coldest winters Ohio has seen in many years.
Ted & Connie left the Cincinnati Airport and arrived at the Kona International Airport on 2-17-15. They met Greg and got the house opened then went to Costco for supplies, (food, drinks, etc.). Wil & Gloria left Delphos on 2-20-15 en-route to the Columbus Airport. On the way they picked up Tony & Alice and the 4 stayed in a hotel at the airport to get an early start in the morning. After dinner in Columbus, it was like Christmas Eve with the anticipation of the "trip of a lifetime" looming ahead. Saturday morning 2-21-15 the quad awoke to heavy snow. Getting the shuttle to the airport front doors was time consuming with all the other travelers trying to get there also. After passing the TSA check point it was off to the plane. The windshield and wings of the plane were snow covered and they kept waiting for someone to "scrape" the windows. After the plane was loaded at 7:20 am, it had to be deiced. The plane taxied then waited. There were other planes behind schedule so we waited and waited and waited so long that the plane had to be deiced a second time. When it finally lifted off we were 2.5 hours behind schedule.
Harold & Laurie flew out of the Cleveland Airport and were supposed to meet the 4 from Columbus in Phoenix. They made it and caught the flight to Kona, Hi, on time. Ted & Connie met them at Kona and the 4 partied in Hawaii.
The 4 of us from Columbus arrived 20 minutes after our connecting flight left. We were stuck in Phoenix from 3:30 pm until 1:00 pm the next day. US Airways wouldn't even buy us a hotel room or dinner. We were on our own. A hotel was secured then food was found. With time to kill, a light rail system took the 4 of us to downtown Phoenix. After walking around a while, a Hard Rock Cafe was spotted so drinks and pictures were had. We enjoyed beautifully warm 75 degree weather and later we sat around the hotel pool with drinks. The next morning, 2-22-15, it was back to the Phoenix airport for a ride to L. A. Yes, we had to fly to L.A. to connect to a flight from there to Kona. Lots of flights were canceled from Denver due to weather and we tried unsuccessfully to get on an earlier flight. We lost a lot of time standing in lines. The Oscars were on that evening and I kept asking other travelers if they were going to the Oscars. Some laughed others looked at me like I was nuts but it helped pass the time. After a 3.5 hour layover we were off, arriving in Kona at 9:30 pm on 2-22-15.
I left my camera on the plane and tried to go back and get it. I was quickly stopped and told I could not go get it. An employee did find it and give it back. Ted & Connie met us at the airport and drove us to the house but we could not see Hawaii or the ocean as it was dark. At the house a happy Harold and Laurie and host Greg, offered us drinks and lots of talk and partying was had. All 8 of us were on the Big Island of Hawaii!! Hawaii has 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness at this time of the year and man was it warm. Short pants and short sleeve shirts were worn the entire time we were on the islands.
Monday 2-23-15 everyone was up early. Of course with the 5 hour earlier time change, the 7:00 am time felt like 12 o'clock noon to us. The house is located in Waikoloa Village, on the western, north central part of the island. The rented minivan was loaded and the 8 of us were off sightseeing. We drove the Old Saddle Road east; across the middle of the island pass Mauna Kea (which means White Mountain), the mountain that held 14 telescopes. We arrived in Hilo, Hi and started playing tourist. On the way Wil & I found a geocache. In fact we found 7 total geocaches on 2 islands, driving the other folk's nuts.
The north - eastern part of the island is considered rain forest and lots of water falls are located there. We started with Rainbow Falls, the boiling pots and Akaka Falls. Then the beautiful Waipio Valley was gazed upon. On the way back across the island, we stopped at the Big Island BrewHaus, in the town of Waimea, for drinks and dinner. Good Island brewed beer and fish nuggets; in fact all the food was great. Everything on the island is expensive no matter what it is. Back at our home base it was drinks and poker until bedtime. Everyone is having a wonderful time.
Tuesday 2-24-14 it was pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Cooking is a group effort as is cleaning up. Today was a beach day with everyone heading to the Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area. Hapuna Beach is one of the largest white sand beaches on Hawaii Island. We lay on the warm sand, swam in the salty waves and got sun and more sun. It's snowy and cold in Ohio but we are tourists in paradise. After beaching it, we drove to the town of Kona for supplies and food. I got to take everyone to the Kona Brewing Company. It was a fun time and the hot wings I ate, well they were really hot. Sweat was running off my head like a foot race. Back at camp, err house, we relaxed and enjoyed vacation.
Wednesday 2-25-14, Canoe club members from years ago, Jim and Barb Holbrook, who live in Virginia, were vacationing in Hawaii also. They met up with us and spent a couple days sharing vacation with us. We headed south of Kona to the Royal Grounds - City of Refuge in Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park. On the way, there is a lava tube. It is where lava flowed under the ground leaving a tube of rock. We walked through part of it and you can see where it is collapsing in areas. We had to cross the busy highway to get back to the van everyone was across except Wil and Gloria. While waiting for traffic to clear, a female Asian tourist stopped her car right in the middle of the road. A cement truck almost hit the ass end but swerved off the right side of the road forcing Wil and Gloria to move quickly back further off the road. It could have been a very nasty situation but that cement driver was good. The City of Refuge, as the story goes, is that if a man committed a crime and he could make it to the City of Refuge, the priest would forgive him and he was a free man. The old stone walls were neat to see. In fact, lava stone walls of different sizes were all over the island. Driving on down the coast we saw, from a distance, the Captain Cook Memorial. It was in that spot he was killed by the natives when they realized he was not a god. To reach it you must take a hike which we did not have time to do. We drove to the King Kona coffee and fruit farm and had great coffee and local ice cream. The chocolate macadamia nut was to die for. The shoreline off in the distance was so beautiful where it met the ocean. Heading back to Kona we had drinks while waiting for our Luau which was held at the Royal Kona Resort. Lava Legends & Legacies was presented by Tihati Productions and with wonderful food, island dancing and Mai Tai's it made for a great evening. Alice got her picture taken with 2 male dancers and I got 2 females around me. Whoo Hoo!
Thursday 2-26-15 Wil, Gloria, Jim, Barb, Alice and I drove the northwest shoreline. We stopped at different areas just to see the beaches and water. Spencer Beach Park was first, then Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historical Site and Lapakahi State Historical Park where we had beverages while watching the water. Mahukona Beach Park was next then into the village of historic Hawi. It's a quaint little local town with lots of history and the best voted restaurant on the island. The Bamboo Restaurant had great food and the best margarita I have ever had. The waitress said the secret was passion fruit. The next village was Kapaau. Here is the statute of King Kamehameha I.
Watching the coastline we saw whales. We stopped along the road and used binoculars to watch the whales jumping and all these other cars stopped, like sheep, and watched also. Further up the road was more rainforest in this section. Wil and I found more geocaches up this way and at the end of the road was the Pololu Valley. What a beautiful place to see. Harold, Laurie, Ted and Connie went to Kona shopping. Back at the house Harold and Laurie cooked chicken stew and rice. Another great day in Paradise.
Friday 2-27-15 the same folks from yesterday had scheduled a whale watching boat. Ted, Connie, Laurie and Greg went deep sea fishing but fish wasn't on the menu for them. The whale watching excursion was fun. We saw a female humpback with a baby and her male escort. They sure entertained us and with a microphone placed in the water, we could actually hear them talking. The blue waters of the Pacific Ocean are just mesmerizing and when I found that the excursion included drinks (which they didn't announce) Alice just had to have a Blue Hawaiian and I a Maui IPA. With the bright, hot, sun beating down on us and being in shorts with little wind, we were just lost in ecstasy. Off the boat, lunch was had at the Seafood Bar and Grill. Every meal is expensive as is everything else but it is fun to try different foods at different places. Back at the house we again relaxed, played games and socialized until sleep over took us.
Saturday 2-28-15 all of us including Greg drove around the bottom of the island and to Volcanoes National Park. But first we had to stop at Ka Lae (South Point) the southernmost point of the United States of America. To me that was the highlight of my vacation. Not many people can say they have stood on that spot and did the O-H-I-O hand signs. I kissed my beautiful wife and felt like I was on top of the world. Of course the strong wind that always blows there kept me grounded as I held my hat from blowing into the ocean. Greg took us to the property that his wife grew up on and the 1.3 acres has all kinds of fruit trees on it. Leaving there we went to the southernmost bakery in the US. What a trademarked theme the Punalu'u Bake Shop has. And it was very good!
Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park was our next stop. The black sand was rough on the feet but we got to see sea turtles sunning them selves on the beach. One even had a radio transmitter glued to its back. We saw some locals having a party in the shelter house. What a grand time they were having. Volcanoes National Park was next and seeing all the lava from different flows in the past made it look like another planet in the solar system. No red lava was present that we could see but the volcano was steaming. Wil almost cooked himself in a steam vent; I wonder if he would turn pink like a lobster? There is another lava tube in the area and we hiked through it without any cars trying to run us down.
Driving on up the southeast coast, we stopped in the town of Hilo for pizza and drinks at Cafe Pesto. Today was Harold's birthday and Laurie got the restaurant to sing and they even brought ice cream with a candle in it. We picked on Harold all day since he is now an old man of 67. It was dark when we finished and since Ted has done most of the driving on the trip, Wil took over for the 1.5 hour drive back to the house. It was a long day on the road and everyone was tired when we got back.
Sunday 3-1-15 - After the long day on Thursday everyone slept in. Of course 8:00am Hawaiian time feels like 1:00pm Ohio time. After breakfast Harold and I played cribbage and other folks played scrabble. It was a lazy day so we decided to go to the beach. Greg and Betsy came over and took us back to the Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area. Locals do not have to pay but tourists have to pay $5.00 per car. Since we had 2 vehicles we saved money. Greg brought 2 boogie boards and we tried to body surf on the waves. It was fun just relaxing, laughing and playing like fools in the water. It was very hot today for us but it is still winter to the locals. Everyone went out to dinner in the evening, our last night all together at Banjy's Paradise Bar & Grill. It has been so much fun having Greg and Betsy around and Greg has even cooked for us a lot. We could get spoiled being around here.
Monday 3-2-15 we cleaned house and got ready for change. We took Ted, Connie, Harold and Laurie to the airport as they were flying to Oahu and staying in a Windham Time Share. Ted and Connie are members and they booked the rooms we needed over there. After dropping them at the airport Wil, Gloria, Alice and I went on in to Kona to "souvenir shop." Kmart sure has cheaper gifts than the gift shops. We hit other shops down on "tourist row" including the most southern U.S. Harley-Davidson shop, then got a bite to eat at Humpy's Big Island Ale House with a great view of the ocean. We noticed a boat on the water that looked kind of funny. It soon disappeared but we didn't see it float away. There are glass bottom submarines around and we had to presume that we saw one. On the way back to the house we stopped at Queensgate strip mall, located at a resort, where we saw a local dance studio performing their Monday evening public show. They were better than the professional Luau dancers. Greg came over to the house in the evening and we talked and just enjoyed the last day we had on the island and in the house with the beautiful view.
Tuesday morning we were up around 4:00am to get ready to fly to Oahu. I must have been getting used to Hawaiian time because I was tired or maybe it was trying to finish off all the alcohol we had left the night before. We dropped off the rental car and took off on Hawaiian airlines at 8:00 am heading for Honolulu. The 126 mile flight only took 35 minutes and as we flew in, Alice and I saw two military submarines off the coast. The 4 of us picked up a rental car and drove straight to Pearl Harbor. The other 4 folks met us there and all 8 of us toured Pearl Harbor. Being in the memorial is such a somber moment. I was surprised at the oil still floating to the surface after all these years. When finished at Pearl Harbor we took Connie's rental car back to the airport then checked into our room in downtown Honolulu. Harold and Laurie had to catch a shuttle to the airport at 5 since they were leaving a day earlier than Wil, Gloria, Alice and I. Ted and Connie were staying until Friday. Not wanting to waste time, we walked very briskly to Waikiki Beach where we found an outrigger canoe to rent. The OHCRA members wanted to paddle the waves in the outrigger and we did it. We got to ride 3 waves and lucky me being in the front, I got soaked. We saw the statue of Duke Kahanamoku, the Father of modern surfing" and an Olympic champion. Needing refreshments, we walked to the Shore Bird Restaurant and Bar for happy hour. $4.00 Mi Tia's and sandwiches on the beach was just heaven not to mention all those ladies in bikinis!!!
We headed back to the rooms as Dickie and Laurie just had to go home. After hugs and selfies they boarded the shuttle and were off. The 6 of us went to the Hard Rock Cafe. I need to get a pin at every Hard Rock I can find and now 2 more got marked off on this trip. We then just walked the streets and bar hopped for a while. Back at the time share Alice read while the rest of us went to the hot tub and I got in the pool. Swimming in fresh water sure is nicer than salt water.
Wednesday 3-4-15 and our last day in Hawaii. We drove around the southeast end of the island starting at Diamondhead Mountain. The old volcano crater was a military installation in the early 1900's and bunkers were built on the mountain. There is a 0.8 mile trail to the top with great views of the ocean and Honolulu. It was strenuous but very refreshing. Alice, Wil and I made it to the top. Ted, Connie and Gloria walked half way and met us on the way down. The weather was cloudy and cool but we all still had shorts and short sleeves on. Driving on around the island we saw a blow hole, a beautiful bay and beach, more mountains and ate at a local restaurant. They were on Hawaiian time as it took us an hour to get food. But it was good. One item we noticed was cops. Lots of unmarked and marked cop cars were on that side of the island. Because of the wind and deteriorating conditions we wondered if they were there to clear the beaches of people in case of an emergency.
Ted and Connie have friends that live on the side of a hill overlooking Honolulu. We drove up to Leroy and Tammy's house where you had a million dollar view (literally) of Diamondhead, Honolulu and the ocean. I could not live there with my fear of heights. I couldn't even get close to the edge of their patio. Later in evening they met us at the Moose-McGillycuddy's Restaurant for dinner.
The only real rain of the trip was in the evening while killing time waiting to go to the airport. It wasn't even enough to get rain coats out. At 9:00pm we said goodbye to Ted and Connie and headed to the Honolulu airport. After scanning our bags at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we got through security and waited for the plane. At midnight we went airborne for the 5-6 hour flight across the Pacific Ocean. At Phoenix we found the correct gate for the flight to Columbus then had to wait on the plane for 45 minutes. The runway was too crowded to leave on time. Of course, we were still flying US Airways!
We arrived in Columbus around 3:30 pm Thursday evening to 22 degree temperatures. The overnight low at our house was -6.9, so we didn't have to waste any time getting re-acclimated to Ohio weather. We had a wonderful vacation with wonderful friends and if we can figure a way of getting back to Hawaii without flying so long, we will go back soon.
NOTES:
Venus and Mars were visible in the western sky from our patio. Uranus was next to Mars but we could not see your anus.
From our patio we could see the ocean to the left, mountains to the right and Maui was visible in the distance from the middle.
There are 14 telescopes on mount Mauna Kea. We could see 3 of them driving by but we did not get a chance to go up and see them.
There are 11 climate zones on the big island. No heaters are installed in houses in Hawaii and very few air conditioners.
The big island is really laid back and relaxing. Honolulu is like being in New York City.
Ghost yawns - Someone said that when you yawn it's a ghost putting his pecker in your mouth. Everyone was trying to hide yawns after that.
Between my camera, Iphone and Alice's Iphone, we took 1701 pictures. 630 are posted.
Thank you Greg and Betsy for everything!! You are now family!!!!!!
