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Tuesday, March 20, 2007 Right now (9:30 pm) we are in the Pacific Beach Hotel on Waikiki Beach, right across the street from the beach. We left the coach this morning about 6:45, with some fairly heavy traffic for the first 5 to 7 miles, then it was moving really good to downtown, and on to the airport. After parking, we were able to check our bags and get boarding passes right outside with no waiting. Hawaiian Air really had it together getting folks checked through. After hanging around outside for a while, then upstairs to go through security, which turned out to be quite quick and easy. No problems. We had about an hour and a half wait before boarding, and the airline was running a few minutes late for some reason. It turned out we were only about 15 minutes late leaving. The flight was 5 hrs and 15 minutes. Neither of us managed to do much sleeping, because a couple behind us had a little girl that liked to shriek about every 5 minutes. We arrived in Honolulu right on schedule, and found ourselves having to walk about a mile to get to baggage claim. This has to be the worst organized airport I have ever seen. Not that I have seen that many. Then, even after the time it took to walk, the baggage was still another hour getting out to the passengers. While waiting for baggage, we checked in with the car rental place, got our car assignment, and after we finally got baggage, caught the shuttle and got the car. We have a Chrysler Sebring convertible, nice car, but lots of dingy's everywhere. And, it had not been properly cleaned, with trash in the glove box, dirty windows, wheels, and mirrows. We made it to the hotel, with no problem, had a really nice room, with 'partial' ocean view. We thought we would have in-room internet connection, but was not to be. So that means publishing this report will be intermittent since we will have to go to the business center and pay 20 cents a minute. After getting settled in and grabbing a salad in their outdoor cafe, we drove toward Diamond Head and Diamond Head Beach, where there were quite a few surfers.
Then we went back to the hotel, parked the car, and walked down the main street where the hotels are located. Lots of expensive shops, and at the International Market, lot of local (?) arts and crafts. We had dinner at the Seafood Village, an underground restaurant at the Hyatt. Very good food, and excellent service, with a fairly reasonable price, considering everything. Wednesday, March 21, 2007 We used our 'free breakfast' coupons in one of the restaurants here in the hotel this morning, a buffet that was really excellent. The service, as we have found everywhere, was very prompt and very friendly. It seems all the Hawaiian descent people are very friendly. We headed up the West Coast of Hawaii, a coastal road hugging the coast all the way to the end of the road. This entire area, after the end of the freeway seemed to be a very poor and depressed area. There were several towns along the way, some businesses, but a lot of run down homes. Although the beaches were very nice, the area between the road and the beach was very dirty, and in almost every accessible place, there was a tent city. It seemed none of the cities, or any authorities, do anything about the homeless tent cities. After returning back to the south, we then took another highway to the north, past Scoffield Barracks, one of the target of the Japanese attack. There is also another Air Force Base adjacent to this base. These two bases are about 25 miles or so almost directly north of Pearl Harbor, right on the route of the attack on Pearl Harbor. From there we continued on north toward the North Shore, stopping off
at the Dole Plantation Visitor Center.
After visiting the Dole Plantation, we headed on to North Shore, visiting the little historic town Haleiwa, with lots of folks wandering around. The biggest line was at a little store, waiting to buy a snow cone. LOL After coming back to the hotel, we freshened up a bit, and headed north along the Diamond Head road in search of an interesting place for dinner. We found a place in north Honolulu called BluWater Grill, located in a shopping center, but also on a little bay. We had a great table, with a great view, and again the food and service was excellent. After dinner and back at the hotel, we walked along the main street for a while, then back to the hotel in order to get this posted. Earlier, I found a hot spot for an internet connection to post yesterday's journal. Will try again with this one tomorrow. I will try to add some pictures before I post tomorrow, but not sure how much I can do with limited battery power. Thursday, March 22, 2007 The first thing on the agenda for Thursday was to visit the Arizona Memorial. This battleship was sunk in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This National Park is a two-part memorial, the first part being the visitor's center, the next being the structure built directly over the ship. This site is one of the most visited in Honolulu, with over 900,000 visitors per year. As you enter the visitor's center, you are given a ticket for your assigned tour. We were early enough in line to get on Tour 2. The park and Navy personnel are extremely efficient in moving more that 200 folks at a time through the process. First you are ushered into a theatre, where a park service employee gives a brief talk about the event. He also reminded us that this is a somber place and that proper respect should be shown for the several hundred sailors still entombed in the Arizona. We were then shown a 20 minute or so movie about all the events leading up to the day, as well as lots of footage of the attack and aftermath. When the movie ended we exited to a boat dock where a launch was waiting to take us to the memorial. The boat was crewed by US Navy personnel. As we unloaded onto the dock and entered the memorial, the previous group was all lined up to take the boat back. Our first impression was how absolutely quiet both groups were. Over 400 people in this relatively small structure, and no one spoke much above a whisper, even the kids.
Flower petals were available for those that wished to toss a token into the water, and as I observed several folks doing so, it was obvious that this was a very personnel experience. Perhaps they lost a loved one or ancestor some 66 years ago.
One end of the structure is devoted to a wall engraved with the names of those lost, with the center section a viewing area of the ship visible below us.
After leaving the park, we headed east and north to that part of the island. Highway H2, a part of the US Interstate System, took us up a canyon, the most direct route to the eastern shore, the Windward side. After only a few miles we were totally out of Honolulu, and with no ingress or egress until reaching the eastern side of the mountain. The freeway actually seemed to be almost entirely a bridge above the canyon floor. We passed through a huge tunnel. We then headed up the windward shore to the North Shore, famous for its excellent surfing waves. There were numerous small towns and many beach parks along the shore. We stopped at several parks and a couple of businesses that cater to tourist. Once on the northern shore we found a couple of places where a few surfers were trying their skill, although the waves were not the huge waves the area is known for, like the Bonsai Pipeline. While stopped in one of the beach parks Donna got to talking to a lady that told a few minutes before we arrived, there were several whales passing by. On the way back along the eastern shore we stopped at the Polynesian Culture Center to get information and possibly return tomorrow. Back to the hotel at Waikiki we went to a famous Cheeseburger in Paradise, developed by two ladies from the mainland in 1987, now with location on several islands, as well as Key West, Florida. We had a couple of great cheeseburgers, and then walked the street for a couple of hours. Coming Soon: For More Photos - USS Arizona Memorial For More Photos - North Shore Ohua Friday, March 23, 2007 Today we took a trip to the Polynesia Cultural Center, back on the Eastern shore. We actually took a different highway (the Likelike Highway), which was also a direct route, again up a canyon and through a tunnel. The exhibits don't actually open until 12, but the shops and ticket office open at 11. After a few stops along the way, we arrived a little after 11. We were met at the entrance by one of their hosts, who helped us decide the best package for visiting the center. The center is a part of Brigham Young University - Hawaii, a university devoted to studies of the South Pacific cultures. Students from more that 60 countries attend the university. Apparently many of the performers at the Center are students at the university. Adjacent to the University is the Hawaiian Temple of the Church of Latter Day Saints, the first temple built outside the United States, It was dedicated in 1919 to serve members from throughout the Pacific. Seven 'villages' await the visitor with demonstrations of cultural life in Somoa, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, Hawaii, and Tonga. Each village had various 'shows' about life, as lived, in those areas.
One of the first things was to watch the roasted pig being removed from the Imu. An Imu is the fire pit with rocks on which the pig is roasted. It is then covered with palm leaves and burlap while it cooks in the rocks and coals. We had the best view of the stage entertainment, although the process of going to the buffet dinner on either end of the building started with the table on the outside and worked toward the middle. We were the last table to go to the buffet, just as the entertainers took a break. By the time we got back to the table, started our meal, the entertainment was back. Now a little about the menu. Besides the roast pork (Kalua Pua's - Imu Pig), they also offered Teriyaki Chicken, Island Fish, Poke (marinated fish), Lomilomi Salmon, and Pipi Kaula (a seasoned beef), and Poi. There was also a vast assortment of fruits, salads, desserts, and beverages (non-alcoholic). After the Luau, there was a great show of dancing and singing in their 3,000 seat outdoor theater. By the time it started, it was dark, no flash photography was allowed, and none of my pictures were publishable. We did, I think, get some pretty good video.
For More Photos - Polynesian Culture Center
Saturday, March 24, 2007 Today we decided to hang around Waikiki, walk the streets, and check a few downtown sights. We started off just walking down the main drag, browsing a few shops, and generally just people watching and checking everything out.
We also visited the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, the Pink Lady.
Around 1 or so, we stopped off at The Cheesecake Factory. This place has been where we have seen so many people gathered up outside every night since we have been here. There were few people waiting, so we decided to go in, and check out the cheesecake. We had no idea they were also a complete restaurant, and the place was really huge, featuring a 10 or 12 page menu. They were open despite construction going on their building above and to one side. We decided to share an appetizer and then get cheesecake, which was so large we even shared that. (Jack & Lou: We're learning!).
Later we again just wandered the streets, had a pizza at a little '50s style diner, and then watched a guy do a fantastic painting using spray paint and a few kitchen utensils. He taught himself at the age of 17, back in 1991, and currently has a gallery in the retail area where he performs his sidewalk show. We didn't have the camera so no pictures, but pictures would not do justice anyway. The final rendition was absolutely amazing, but the real surprise was how he achieved and revealed the final rendition. And his performance was all in time to various recorded music, setting the mood for the final painting. For More Pictures - Waikiki
Sunday, March 25, 2007 Our first area to visit this morning was Chinatown, a 15 block area near the business district where the Chinese markets are located. Probably better described as Southeast Asia district. Vendors selling all sorts of wares, particularly fruits, vegetables, fish, foul, and meat of all sorts, both recognizable and un-recognizable. While walking the streets, we noticed 6 policemen hard at work,
writing jay-walking ticket.
We then decided to drive east along more of the south shore, by Diamond Head, and on up the part of the east shore that we have not yet visited. This turned out to be some of the best and most dramatic scenery we have encountered so far. First we drove up the side of Diamond Head, a volcano crater. The road took us up the side of the volcano, then through a tunnel to actually enter the crater itself. The crater is 2/3 of a mile across and 761 feet deep. There is no visitor center in the crater, just a parking area for hikers to park while they walk the trail to the summit. On further up the highway we stopped at several
viewpoints.
We passed by the Koko Crater, but the only access is for hikers (which we ain't). As we crossed the mountain, and headed up the lower eastern shore there were some spectacular views from various observation points. We returned to Waikiki via the Pali highway, the third highway that parallels both the H3 highway and the Likelike highway, which I have mentioned before. By the way, we learned that Likelike is pronounced 'licky-licky'. After a nap, which was the first nap for either Donna or I since we left home, we set out looking for a place to have dinner. Went to the California Pizza Company, no pizza tonight, just appetizer and salad. For More Pictures - South Coast Monday, March 26, 2007 What a lazy day! Well, maybe not exactly lazy, just laid back. We were later than normal getting up and going to breakfast. We had no real plans for the day, just wandering around looking at people, places, and things. After the 'free' breakfast buffet at the hotel, Donna went to the hotel laundry while I worked on updating things on the computer. We spent a couple of hours just wandering around the streets and shops. Donna bought a couple of dresses for herself and a couple of shirts for me. About 1:30 we decided to have lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, intending to have a light lunch item, then split a cheesecake. Unfortunately, the 'light' lunch was huge portions, and we just couldn't handle any cheesecake. After our 'light' lunch, Donna decided to go get a pedicure. I decided to hang out around the beach, strictly observing, then went to the room and read some more on a book I started a few day ago. After Donna got back, we started organizing and semi-packing for our trip to Maui Tuesday. Later we went down to the beach to watch the torch lighting ceremony, at the stage area. The entire beach side of the main street has a pair of gas torches located about every 30 yards or so. Just prior to dark two runners, one with a conch horn and the other with a torch, ceremoniously run down the street, occasionally announcing the event with the horn, and lighting the torches as they go. After the lighting ceremony we hung around the beach area, walked around some more just people watching. Then back to the room, to finish packing what we could, with final packing to be done in the morning. I stayed up pretty late and finished my book. No early departure tomorrow, since our flight is not until 1:45. A Few Observations re: Waikiki and Oahu : Taxi's: Taxi's are mostly Lincoln Town Cars. Limo's: Most are Lincoln, but a lot of Hummer Limo's Most Visible Business: ABC Store - this variety store is in every block of the main drag and in some cases there are two in one block. Most Heard Word/Phrase: Aloha - Hello as well as Goodbye; Mahalo - Thank You.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007 We didn't get up too early today. In fact, those of you back in Tornado Alley in East Texas were probably already gone to lunch, when we got up. Back to the breakfast buffet again, our last. We then walked across the street to watch the surfers and sunners start gathering. We had a lot of thing to do before leaving, such as check out, fill the rent car, fight the traffic to the airport, find the rental return, take a shuttle to terminal, check the bags, get boarding passes, and go through security. We wanted to make sure we had plenty time, so we left the room about 9:45, thinking it could take as much as a couple of hours to accomplish the foregoing. It actually turned out we had boarding passes by 10:15, and they put us on an earlier flight, leaving in an hour. All we had left to do was clear security and find the gate. The flight left on time, arrived on Maui in Kuhului about 30 minutes later, and getting baggage went very smoothly. Quickly caught the shuttle to the rent car check out, and got in a 30 minute long line. It took a while to get a car, even with about 6 of the Dollar Car agents working hard. We got maps and directions to our hotel Kihei, got checked in, then went to do a little exploring. We grabbed a sandwich at the Shaka Pizza place. Then since we were about 20 miles from the end of the road to the south of us, we headed that direction. As the main road played out, we were on a very narrow, curvy trail, in a rather sparsely populated area with quite a few very expensive homes and a few 'red-neck' places. For about the last 3 miles the road went through a lava flow area from the last eruption, in 1790, of a nearly extinct volcano. I didn't take my camera, so may have to go back for some pictures. On the way back, we stopped at a little view point, and spotted some whales, but didn't have the binoculars. Back to the room, Donna went to the store for a few items and I worked on the computer. We then headed into the main business district along the beaches, found a parking place, and looked for more whales. Donna spotted a bunch more immediately, and watched them for a while. A little more exploring, then back to the room. Several options of things to do tomorrow, but we haven't decided yet. Wednesday, March 28, 2007 We were up pretty early this morning working on emails. We generally have a real weak signal in the room, but managed to get all emails handled. We didn't have time to go to the office to publish the journal, but will try to do that in the morning. We spent the morning traveling up the west coast, checking for whale sighting, and finding several. The first nice little town was Lahaina, a historic little town with lots of fishing and whale watching expeditions offer. We walked a ways on the main street, lots of galleries, shops, and interesting places. From there on up the west coast, the area became real high dollar resorts, homes, and golf courses. Names like Marriot, Hilton and Ritz Carlton. After the resort area, we continued along the north shore headed back to the east, and Kahului, the main city on the north end of the island, and the city we flew into yesterday. This was some of the most rugged country we have seen, yet. High cliffs, with the two lane road hanging off the side a lot of time. But some beautiful vistas at various overlooks. The last 20 miles was extremely hazardous, one-lane road with only wide spots occasionally to allow a car going the opposite direction to pass. This 20 miles took about an hour and one-half. Didn't take many pictures of this area, since we were watching the road and any oncoming traffic. We came back to the hotel, spent an hour or so with hotel personnel trying to improve the wireless connection, with little success. We did manage to get some more email handled. Then about 4pm we left to make a trip to the top of the crater of the volcano Haleakala, meaning 'the house of the sun'. This is not an extinct volcano, but a dormant one, at least dormant since 1790. We wanted to watch the sunset, from the 10,023 foot summit. The sunset, actually turned out to be setting below the clouds. Although the sky was clear at the summit, the clouds below prevent viewing the sun as it set below the horizon. While the temperature at sea level was about 85 today, at the top it was 52 with about 30 mph winds, meaning the wind chill was probably in low 40's or high 30's. The 30 miles drive to the top and back was a very good two-lane road, although it was steep and very curvy, with lots of switchbacks. Not much view because of the clouds, but still a very interesting trip. Thursday, March 29, 2007 Happy Birthday, Shelley We had an appointment this morning for a presentation for a time share vacation ownership. Now for years we have passed up many opportunities to hear a presentation. For some reason, yesterday, we accepted an invitation. The company has developed 7 condo's in Maui, and doing their first in Las Vegas. It was interesting and intriguing, but not our lifestyle. And, surprisingly, they were very low pressure. And, we got two great ticket for a show "ulalena" and two ticket for whale watching, all for about 60% of normal price. After the presentation we went to a diner for breakfast. I had Eggs Benedict ($7.95) and Donna had a short stack ($3.95), the most reasonable meals we have had so far, and the service was excellent. Then back to the room to take care of some emails and publish what I had ready. We then took a drive up a valley to the Iao Valley State Park and heritage area with garden honoring the various nationalities that immigrated to Hawaii. We then drove back up the coast toward Lahaina, searching off the shoreline for whales in the spots where we spotted them on Wednesday. We parked in Lahaina, and walked the streets for a while, before going to the show, ulalena. Ulalena is a highly recommended production portraying the spirit, myth, and culture of Hawaii in music, story, and dance in an amazing show. Then back to the room, write this story, and re-charge our batteries, both us and the cameras.
Friday, March 30, 2007 We had not made any real plans for today, except for the whale watching trip at 4:30. So we got a rather late start (for us), and headed into the largest city, Kahuliu. We drove down to the harbor to get a look at the cruise ship that was in dock, the Pride of Aloha, on it's week long tour of 4 islands.
On further down the road, we came upon the same lava field that we had seen on Tuesday, from the last eruption in 1790. Only difference was this area was about 2000 feet higher in elevation than what we saw at sea level on Tuesday. Driving back into Kuhuliu, we saw another botanical garden, but decided not to take the tour. We then drove on over to Maalaea to check in for the whale watching trip. The retail price of the ticket was $79, but with the Time Share Presentation we had taken the other day, our tickets were $10 each. We knew the boat was a catamaran with limited seats out front and in the open, so we made sure we were as near the front of what turned out to be a long line. We were able to get two of the best 10 or 12 seats out of about 60 or 80 folks.
The picture above was shot just as one of the whales broke the water and was landing sideways, not a complete breech, but a playful roll. I did not get a picture, but on the horizon about 4 miles a way, I saw a whale 'breech' and completely come out of the water. Sure wish I had been close enough for a picture of that. For More Pictures - Kula Botanical Gardens For More Pictures - Whale Watching
Saturday, March 31, 2007 Happy Birthday, Mac Eleven hours of sheer terror!! The Road to Hana. Okay, so it wasn't THAT bad, but it was 'exciting', let's say. We left early for a long drive down the eastern coast with the little hamlet of Hana as our destination, By early, I mean we were driving out of McDonald's at 6:30. Actually, although Hana is a nice little place, with a few interesting sights, the real reason to go to Hana is driving the Hana highway, the last 30 miles is narrow, twisting, and some one-lane. Over 600 curves and over 50 one-lane bridges, according to some sources. It is actually about 50 miles to Hana, but the first 20 are on a normal highway.
After seeing the first warning sign of the narrow road, it
immediately started living up to its reputation.
I took over 140 pictures on the entire trip, and will eventually get them posted here and to the PhotoSite. After reaching Hana, we decided to continue on down the coast to the southern tip, and visit the Halelake National Park. The park has two visitors centers, the one we were at today, and the one near the top of the crater, which was closed for the day when we went to the crater rim the other day.
This drive was very much like the road to Hana, some of it maybe a little worse. Surprisingly there were quite a few homes, some extremely nice, and a few ranches along this part of the drive. And, the best waterfall was located along this part of the drive.
We only spent 30 minutes or so at the Visitor's Center, then headed back to Hana, and then back 'home'. We spent a lot less time on stops and pictures on the way back, but we did stop at the same overlook where the surfers were. There were even more surfers there at that time. The CD guide that we had purchased and listened to on the way to Hana had mentioned that usually the surfers are there in the morning, then the waves die down, the wind comes up, and the wind-surfers show up. This was not the case when we stopped coming back, lots of surfer wave, and no wind-surfers. After resting up a bit, we went to the 'Bada Bing', a New Jersey style Italian restaurant. The food was really good, although the service did leave a lot to be desired. By the time we finished dinner, Donna was ready to crash. After all, she HAD done all the driving today. Before going to the room, we did stop at Sorento's, supposedly the best restaurant on Maui, to make reservations for Sunday night. We hope to get a good table, and be able to watch the sunset on Donna's $%$@ BIRTHDAY! For More Pictures - The Road to Hana
As is obvious, I am running way behind on pictures. Please check back. Sunday, April 1, 2007 Happy Birthday, Donna Today was a rather light day as far as activities go. We started the morning with breakfast at Philly's Diner around 11am. We were up earlier, just not out doing a lot. After breakfast, we decide to stay around Kihea, and visiting some of the shops around town. The tourist area of Kehea (Key-Hay) is about 5 miles long along the beach with hotels, condo, restaurant, and retail establishments located the entire length. There are a lot of little mini-malls, with kiosks selling all different kinds of local items, mostly jewelry and clothing. Donna found a few items to purchase as we visited a lot of shops. We went back to the room to rest and freshen up before our dinner reservations at 6 at Sorento's. We arrived right on time for our reservation, a easy walk down the hill from our room, since the restaurant is located on the same property as our motel. Since we had early reservations we were immediately seated at a great table on the patio. We wanted early reservations in order to watch the sunset from our table. Sunset would be about 6:45.
Immediately after being seated by the hostess, the Captain came to our table, introduced himself, welcomed us by name and informed us there would be four, yes four, of the staff taking care of us. As it turned out the four would include himself, Ji, the Head Waiter, Jack, and two assistant waiter, Aaron and another guy whose name escapes me. As you have probably guessed by now, this is a rather expensive place, with prices in the category that we have rarely partook over the years. But, after all it is Donna's birthday, and how many chances will we have to celebrate her birthday in an Island Paradise. In addition to salads, I ordered the filet mignon and Donna had the rack of lamb, one of her favorite dishes of all time. Not only was the presentation without equal, but the food was absolutely delicious, without question. My filet was perfectly cooked, extremely tender, and now rates as the BEST steak I have ever had, even better that the one at "Fig Wiggins" in Victoria, BC back a long time ago. The sunset turned out to be quite beautiful, with a few clouds reflecting the rays of the sun. And, if you know Donna and I, you know we always get acquainted with
wait staff whenever possible. As we talked with Jack, who we had
thought was probably Hawaiian, he learned we were from Texas, and told us
he was from Texas also.
Donna told him that she had gone to school in Livingston, and her parents had owned a feed store there. Although he was probably not born when Donna and her family moved from Livingston, Donna and I decided his father might have been acquainted with Donna's parents. After a couple hours of a really enjoyable dinner, we put the top down on the convertible and just cruised the 'main drag', acting like a couple of teenagers. LOL Monday, April 2nd, 2007 Well, today is our last full day in the Islands, so we decided to take a trip back to Lahania, with a little whale-searching on the way. We stopped at our favorite overlook, along with a lot of other folks. I visited with a lady named Jill, from the Whale Foundation in Maui. It seems the foundation has a representative at the overlook daily, to provide information and assist visitors to spot the whales. Unfortunately, the condition for spotting them was less than ideal, since the Trade Winds has returned, and there were a lot of whitecaps on the water. That made it very difficult to spot the 'blows' to locate the whales. We did spot a few, but they we very far out from the shore. In Lahania we walked along Front street, visiting the shops, and just enjoying the breeze and occasional shade. Lahania is a very small town, the historic part only about 6 blocks long. It is famous for its are galleries, which are everywhere. In fact, Lahania has more art galleries that any city in the WORLD!. We had lunch at Kimo's, again with a table right over the water on their outdoor patio, a very nice light lunch, with a great view of the harbor, watching a wind-surfer and a few boats coming and going. Later, back in Kihea, we went to Fred's Mexican Food restaurant, one the the most popular in Kihea. We had to wait bout 45 minutes for a table, but the food was excellent. Donna had a huge Burrito, but I had a great hamburger. We of course got acquainted with the waitress, a young lady named Sonja, from Russia. She went to college in Vermont, then moved to the islands. Back to the room to do some of the preliminary packing for our return trip to San Diego tomorrow. We didn't even take the camera with us today, so no pictures. Tuesday, April 3, 2007 Departure Day As they say, all good things must come to an end. And today is one of those days. Our flight is scheduled for 12:45 Hawaii Time (Standard Time, as Hawaii does not observe Daylight Savings Time). Since we did most of the packing last night, there was no real pressure in getting ready to leave the room this morning, but we were ready by 8:30 or so anyway. We put the top down and drove on in to Kahuliu, and did a little sightseeing there. Actually, not so much sightseeing and driving around trying to find a place to grab a bite of breakfast. Finally found a Denny's, had a good breakfast at fairly reasonable prices, thanks to some specials. The Denny's was only a couple of miles from the airport, so we went on to the airport to turn in the car. No more convertibles for us (I guess, but who knows). We had no problem turning in the car, caught the shuttle to the check-in desk, got our ticket at a self serve computer, including the baggage check authorization. As we handed the bag to the agent, and she started to tag them, she said: "Oops, you have to go through the Department of Agriculture Inspection. So, we returned to the front door, located the check-point and ran the bags that we would check through their scanner. Then, back to check the bags with no problem. Since it was still too early to go to the gate, we hung around outside just watching the people, traffic and other goings-on. By the time we decided to go to the gate, and thus through Security, the line at Security had gotten quite short. Five minutes and we were done. With our previous experience, we stream-lined our efforts by combining all pocket stuff in Donna's Belt Bag. Oops, Donna forgot to take her cell phone off her waistband, and set off the alarm. The worst part of Security, for me, is removing shoes, and walking in sock feet on hard concrete to find a place to put my shoes back on. The flight was scheduled for 5 hours flight time, leaving at 12:45, arriving at 8:45, losing 3 hours because of the time zones and the Daylight Savings vs Standard Time. Because of 125 mph tail wind most of the way, the flight only lasted 4 hrs and 19 minutes, arriving almost 45 minutes ahead of schedule. The baggage came quickly and since we were only about 300 yards from the truck, we walked to the truck, loaded the baggage and headed for the motorhome. By the time we got to Santee, we were pretty hungry, having only a sandwich on the plane since the Denny's this morning. So we went to IHOP, got some breakfast, went to the motorhome and pretty quickly crashed. Note - I am adding pictures to the Photo Album as time permits, please check back for active Photo Site links for each day. Click here for our Return to San Diego
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We
toured all the villages, and caught several of the 'shows', all of which
were fun and informative. About mid-afternoon we gathered with a few
thousand of our closet friends, to watch the 'Canoe Pageant". This
show was a presentation by each of the 'villages' of dance taking place on
a 'double canoe' with a platform joining the two canoes.
