9/27/19

Friday.

Leaving Honolulu 😢

Me. Packed last night. Krystal, Kasey, Randy and Liz…..today at 9:10am still packing 😂. Leaving at 10am.

I squeezed my stuff in my suitcase and carry-on but there is no way I will be able to do it for the flight home. My bag weighed 39 lbs. The limit is 50 lbs. so I was good there but nothing else is going to fit.

Landed after a twenty minute flight. They served us free juice lol. Found the baggage claim area. It’s a super small airport. Made it to the car rental place. I got a two door Jeep Wrangler. Manual key, locks and windows lol. Barbaric 😂 and it’s white. Like all the other rentals. How will I find it in the parking lot? I took a picture of the license plate lol. The temperature reads in Celsius. It says 32 degrees. Isn’t that 100 degrees Fahrenheit? I don’t know. Its super hot and humid. It kind of reminds me of Rio.

Kauai Shores Hotel.

Booked through Costco Travel. Hotel and rental car included. I upgraded my room to overlook the pool so after the resort fee and the upgrade it was an additional $300. That’s still not bad. My room is average. I’m not staying at a four star hotel lol. Two queen beds, air conditioning, fridge, coffee maker, nice TV and balcony. There are free bicycle rentals and yoga on the beach.

Looked at Maps. Safeway is right down the road. Decided to get some food for breakfast and lunches. Omg. It was bumper to bumper all the way there. It’s not at all like Honolulu. These are rural roads I am driving on. Like highway 99. And it’s 330 in the afternoon.

I got a bunch of healthy stuff. Yogurt, bananas, hard boiled eggs, meat and cheese, water and granola.

And so it begins. Fox party of one at the Lava Lava Beach Club restaurant. Strange looks. Really? You want to sit at a table by yourself and not at the the bar? She seated me all the way at the end of the building. Lol. Well at least I am facing out so I can practice people watching.

I’m starving. I want a cheeseburger. I know. I could get one of those at home lol. I’m just not very adventurous when it comes to food. I don’t want to order something and then hate it after the first bite. The restaurant is right on the beach. Maybe fifty feet to the water. Toes in the sand and live music. Very relaxing.

9/26/19

Thursday.

Last day in paradise…well for some of us.

It’s not raining so we decided to go back to the North Shore and jump off a big rock.

We stopped at Banzai Bowls for an acia bowl. It was my first and delicious!

Waimea Bay Beach Park. We got to use the boogie board. The waves were crashing hard and the surf would suck you back out. All of my pockets in my shorts and swimsuit were full of sand lol.

I climbed up the big rock with Randy. We got to the top of the rock and he jumped off. I went down to the lower jump spot but I couldn’t make myself do it.

My only fear lol. Heights with nothing to hold onto. I was proud of myself for climbing up there and standing on the edge. Really I’m surprised I didn’t fall off.

Rolled around in the surf. I could stay there all day but Liz was getting fried lol and I think rain was on its way.

Stopped at Ted’s Bakery. I wasn’t really that hungry so I didn’t get anything. Plus I wanted to not eat gluten that early in the day. The kids got pie.

It started to downpour and along with that came lightning and thunder😳and the roads flooded immediately.

We went back to the house for showers. Seriously I don’t know if I will ever get all the sand out of my hair.

Kasey, Liz and I went to a seafood buffet at 100 Sails Restaurant. It was good. Kasey ate Sashimi, raw fish! Krystal, Randy and Camden went to Dave and Busters to eat and then we met them in the arcade. Kasey, Liz and I walked back to meet them. 1.25 miles after dinner. Burned off all that we ate lol. Well maybe. I ate a lot of crab😁

This was a compromise for Camden. We didn’t have enough time to get back north for a character dinner. He was fine with gaming. Yes! He is my grandson😁😂❤️

9/25/19

Started off the day with a hike. Pu’u Pia trail. 2.5 miles it took about an hour 37 minutes round trip. It had just rained so the trail was muddy and a little slippery. I did a bit of sliding around but I didn’t fall down. The trail was like walking through a tunnel of trees and bushes with vines hanging down. The tree roots were exposed, making an staircase like path.

Camden took a ride up and back.

We made it to the top and the view was spectacular. Canopies of trees in the valley and all over the hillside.

On a side note. The bugs here love me. I got bit four more times even with bug spray. Although it is deet free…hmm maybe I should get something stronger.

Randy, Kasey, Liz and I decided to go to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Camden took a nap. We went on the tour of the USS Arizona Memorial first. First you watched a film that explained why the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and what happened after that. It was amazing to see the actual film coverage from 1941. I have to admit I learned something today.

Even after 78 years, fuel is still leaking from the wreckage. One to nine quarts per day seep out and contaminate the water in Pearl Harbor.

We decided to go on a tour of the Battleship USS Missouri. We only had 30 minutes until it closed so we basically ran end to end and up three stories and back. I got lost and had to backtrack but I made it back off the ship.

..

Dinner at Kona Brewing Company.

9/24/19

Manoa Chocolate Factory tasting. My favorite was the breakfast bar. Dark chocolate with little crunchy bits of cacao nibs and shells in them. A lot like chewing on roasted coffee beans. I also liked the brewing chocolate. A mild flavor of cacao brewed like coffee. Delicious.

Walked around Kailua. Very cute little town. Guess what!?! We found Salvation Army and Goodwill lol so shopped a bit but also told ourselves we have to be able to it it into our suitcases on the way home lol.

Went down to Kailua Beach Park. The water was beautiful and warm. No waves to catch but floated around and laid out in the sun. Camden could have stayed in the water the whole time . I think he takes after me 🙂

Had some fun with Mr. Uncooperative 😂 Say cheese Camden!

9/23/19

We did it! Krystal, Kasey, Liz and I conquered Koko Head Crater and made it to the top😁. Camden and Randy stayed at the house and watched some shows.

It’s about 3/4 of a mile one way, 1308 ft in elevation and 1048 railroad tie steps to the top. During World War II there were bunkers at the top of the mountain so they built a railway to transport things up there.

The lower quarter of the hike wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t until we got to the part where the railroad ties went over a bridge did it get challenging. you had to step on the ties only or fall through about ten feet. I just kept my eyes on the wood lol. That was only around 50 feet of the hike and then it went back to normal.

I have to say, i did not trip one time. Probably because we were going so slow. You couldn’t just step, left foot right foot onto each tie, they were too far apart. It took about 55 minutes for us to reach the top. I was sweating buckets. Good thing I brought water. We heard that a lot of people get stranded up at the top and have to be airlifted out. That translates to free helicopter ride lol.

The trip down went a little bit faster. I took the detour around the train bridge section, I don’t think I would have made it across without falling through. Krystal beat us to the top and the bottom. All in all it took us an hour and 45 minutes to complete it. I want to do it again and see if I can beat my time.

We went downtown for some shopping and then went to Dave and Buster’s for dinner. My favorite of all times.

times.

Camden got his first grape drink with worms and I think he liked it lol.

I got 4th high score on the worlds largest Pac-Man game!

Camden got some cool prizes.

9/22/19

Green World Coffee Farms. Surprise! Coffee tasting. Camden found some cute baby chicks❤️

Then on to the Dole Plantation. We took the train ride tour of the Plantation. I got bit by some bugs🙄so I put my fashion bracelet on lol.

My hula boy.

There were some trees that looked like they should be in Oregon.

Kasey was obsessing on Giovanni s Shrimp Truck so we stopped for lunch. The line was so long so I went to Zane’s Shrimp Truck where there was no line. I know, it had the potential of being bad but I chanced it and won😁 plus I didn’t have to peel my shrimp lol. It was delicious.

Headed for the North Shore and Laniakea Turtle Beach. Saw a bunch of turtles rolling in the surf and one on the beach.

Went to the Bonzai Pipeline and watched some surfers on the big waves.

Finished off the day with Leonard’s Bakery and malasados. Lots of gluten but totally worth it😁

9/21/19

I woke up at 3:30am which was 6:30am in my head. Went back to sleep until 6:30/9:30 until I heard a tiny knock on my door. Camden checking to see if I was awake lol.

Headed for the KCC Farmer’s Market.

It was a zoo there and yes I got lost lol.

Found my jello coffee😁 delicious!

Decided to go to downtown Waikiki. Parked by Ilikai Marina and walked around. Did some shopping. Shocker lol. I think Kasey went into every Starbucks that we came across 😂

Camden found some swimsuit bottoms in his size😂

We found some local Oregon products.

And then Krystal and I got some shave ice. Mine had mochi and some little jelly balls that popped in your mouth. Camden loved them lol. Me, not so much. They kind of reminded me of fish bait.

We went for a swim at Duke Paoa Kahanamoku lagoon. They drain the water and refill it every night. The water is actually colder than the ocean water.

Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe and then stopped at Bubbies ice cream for mochi😁

We did a lot of walking today. Total of 21781 steps which translates into nine miles! I got a blister and had to buy socks to make it the rest of the day.

9/20/19

Up at 4:45am. So early. The shuttle takes off for the airport at 5:55am. One last trip to the truck. Ugh. Kind of creepy in the dark. Dropped off my hotel travel bag and left the car key too. I just need to remember the code…… I put it in my phone lol. Jumped on the shuttle and it only took about five minutes to get there. Dropped off my bag. Incidentally, I get one checked bag for every singular reservation made. That translates into, Kasey and Liz have to pay to check a bag because I booked our flight together…so ridiculous. I came up with TSA pre-check so I didn’t have to take off my shoes or stand in a long line. I did, however, have to have my hands swabbed with some unknown chemical. It was a random alert that came up. Both my bags went through with no problems. We made it to the gate with about 30 minutes to spare before boarding time.

Camden looks a little grumpy lol. He got up at 4 am and did not sleep on the way to Portland.

I am sitting in 11J extra comfort seating. Basically the first seat right after first class ends. Which by the way, first class is pretty lame. We are flying on a A321 neo, whatever that is. Not a very large plane so its nothing like when I rode to Hawaii in 2017. The only thing that separates the privileged from the commoners is a mesh curtain lol.

Krystal, Randy, Camden, Kasey and Liz are back in rows 43 and 44. Their preference. Not sure why.

Hawaiian Airlines is the only airline that serves a meal free of charge. Egg, cheese and mushroom sandwich, pineapple/coconut bar and a Honolulu cookie. Two of the three were full of gluten so I rolled up the egg and mushrooms, ate the bar and I will save the cookie for later when I am not stuck on an airplane full of people. I would rather not use the restroom…I may have to later but for now I’m okay.

okay.

I watched 3 episodes of the new 911 on the Hawaiian app and another 3 episodes of Suits on the Amazon video app.

They are sending around the department of agricultural form to declare any fruit, vegetable or animals I may have brought from Oregon which is required to be filled out and signed but they do not provide anything to write with lol.

Landed at noon and it’s around 82 degrees. It feels much hotter lol. Muggy. Got our awesome rental car. Dodge Minivan. We all fit but our luggage almost didn’t.

Stopped for lunch at Cheeseburger Waikiki. I either had the best cheeseburger ever or I was starving. Yes, it was full of gluten. I will pay later.

AHHH, finally three o’clock and we can check in. Got settled in and decided to go to Costco for supplies.

Camden kept asking, “when are we going to Hawaii?” Lol. We figured we better head for the beach. Went to Makapuu Beach.

Randy and Kasey and I jumped around in the surf until Krystal thought she saw a shark…..😳😂.

Camden loved the water but we had to keep a hold of him so he didn’t get swept out. The waves were crashing pretty hard. The sand was super coarse and sticky and as we were leaving Camden asked: where is my skin?” He was covered in sand.

Hawaii 2019

Krystal came up with the brilliant idea to surprise Kasey for graduation and take him and Liz to Hawaii when Kris and I go….but February 2020 is too far away lol so here we are!

I am also going to stop in Kauai for a week. By myself. To decompress lol.

9/19/19

As most of you know, I am somewhat of a freak when it comes to packing. For those of you that don’t, surprise and welcome to my crazy lol.

I think I started packing six months ago. Not formally into a suitcase but throwing random items into a basket as I came across them or thought of them. I also made a paper list. As the date grew nearer I moved to a suitcase and I started to obsess about carry-on only. Yes. This happens every time I travel lol. I have always been totally jealous of those people that glide down the runway, one tiny piece of rolling luggage in one hand and a small backpack over their shoulder. They don’t have to worry about lost or damaged luggage. Maybe they only have one pair of underwear in there, I don’t know. No matter what I did my stuff would just not fit. And by stuff I mean my food and electronics. All the important things lol. It wasn’t until I remembered I might need knife or two that I sadly ditched that idea. I am using a medium hard sided wheeled bag and carry-on duffle and a backpack. The suitcase is stark white so it will be easy to spot on the luggage return. I tried to keep it at a minimum of one weeks worth of clothing for the two week trip but it was hard. You wouldn’t think that summer clothes could take up that much space but they do. I am wearing my bulkiest pieces and I only brought two other pairs of shoes, all the heavy items and food are in the carry-on but it still feels like my suitcase weighs a ton. I am wondering about the return trip. I might have to wear all my dirty clothes home lol.

Staying at the Radisson PDX. That way I can leave the truck and take the shuttle to the airport and not worry about parking. I stopped at REI and Goodwill on the way up. Made the bad decision of driving to the hotel during rush hour🙄 and it took an hour to drive 23 miles but I made it. It’s the same hotel I stayed at when I went to Las Vegas. Parking was a little tricky. There were only two spots left and I drove the truck…..so I used my skills that Kris taught me and backed in. The spot was at the back side of the lot but in a corner so I only had to worry about hitting one car lol.

Checked in. They put me on the fourth floor which is the first class floor. You have to put your hotel key in the elevator to get to that floor. There is also a lounge you can hang out in with free happy hour. I am special 😁

After four trips to the truck (at the back of the parking lot) my workout is done😁 I packed/unpacked/repacked and tried to reduce the number of items in my checked bag. Ummm I got rid of four things lol. Oh well. I’m starving. Went downstairs to the restaurant for a late dinner. The first “fox party of one” of the trip. I got to pick my table so I chose a small one in the back facing out. People watching. I learned that from Kris too. Normally I am oblivious to everything around me but I am trying to be more observant all while trying not to make eye contact with the other singles eaters lol. Fish tacos. Yum!