Hawaii Cruise–Part 3

Our third island stop was Oahu. We arrived on Friday, Jan. 27th, just two days before the Pro Bowl. There were tons of people everywhere, and the traffic was terrible.

We rented a car with pick-up at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. The hotel was hosting some Pro Bowl events. We stood in line for 1/2 hour at the Hertz kiosk to get our car. For a number of reasons, this was not a good experience with Hertz.

When we were here in 1987, the Hilton was one tower. It has grown into a huge complex with five towers and more being built. Waikiki was a tourist trap back then, but it’s much worse now. You can’t even see the ocean anymore unless you’re staying at one of the hotels. This area was by far my least favorite stop on the trip.

We finally were able to get out of the traffic jams and headed to Pearl Harbor. We had all been there before, but wanted to get our National Park Passports stamped. This is another area that has grown tremendously. There are now several ships you can tour. In order to get out to the USS Arizona Memorial, you better be there when the ticket windows open or forget it. We couldn’t even see the movie because you needed tickets which were already given out until late in the afternoon. We looked around a little, got our books stamped and moved on.

Our plan was to stay away from the touristy area and drive around the north side of the island. We had heard this was the time of the year the surf competitions were going on, and that the surf on that side of the island was amazing. So, we spent most of the day in the car driving around the entire island. We found the beach known as the Bonzai Pipeline. There was a surf competition beginning within the next few days.

There were quite a few surfers in the water. We were told the surf was actually not big enough and that’s why they weren’t competing yet. It looked pretty big to me. I wouldn’t want to be out there.

As we continued around the island, we saw some amazing scenery. There have been quite a few movies and TV shows filmed among the mountains here. One of the most memorable is Jurassic Park. We saw some breathtaking scenery that looked just like the movie. It was difficult to get good pictures because the sun was right over the mountains, but trust me when I tell you it was amazing.

We also stopped at the Dole Plantation.

There was a little train ride you could go on that took you around the plantation. We saw lots of different types of plants including pineapple fields. It takes around 15 months for a pineapple to grow. All of the planting and harvesting is done by hand. As labor intensive as it is to grow them, I’m surprised they’re not more expensive.

Here’s a banana tree.

Sugar cane

and breadfruit

The next day our stop was Kona, on the opposite side from Hilo on the Big Island. Once again I was up on deck to look for whales. This time there were several humpback whales off the coast. We actually saw them breach out of the water three times, but I didn’t get any pictures of that. Here’s one of them waving his flipper at us. It was an amazing site.

We had purchased an excursion through the ship for Kona. Kevin and I and Joan and Al went on the Zodiac snorkeling trip. I think it was one of the most fun things we did. I don’t have any pictures because I didn’t want to risk getting my camera wet. The Zodiac boats are the same types of rubber rafts you see the Navy Seal teams use in the movies. There were 16 of us on the boat. Our captain took us out into the ocean and we saw a huge Manta Ray, a school of Spinner Dolphins and some Bottlenose Dolphins. One of them jumped out of the water just like Flipper. We were very close to all of them.

Then we headed to a Marine Preserve area for snorkeling. This was only my second time snorkeling, and I enjoyed it much more than the first time. I saw all kinds of beautiful colorful fish and incredible coral.

On the way back, the captain showed us some sea caves and lava tubes. It was about a 3-1/2 hour trip, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

After the trip, we stopped at the Kona Brewery and sampled some of their beers. We walked around and did a little shopping. Kona was the only port where the city was within walking distance of the pier. Most of the ports were in industrial areas and there wasn’t anywhere you could walk to from the ship. I think Kona was my favorite stop.

Back on the ship, we were treated to a breathtaking sunset.

Our last island stop was Kauai. We had again rented a mini-van through Hertz. The rental process on this island was very smooth.

We drove about an hour to the Kalalau Lookout where we were actually above the clouds.

Then we headed to Waimea Canyon, known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. More breathtaking views.

There were some goats up there, too cute!

We stopped at the Kauai Coffee Plantation. I didn’t really know how coffee is grown. They grow it on these trellises and have a huge machine that fits over the tops of the plants and “tickles” the ripe coffee beans off the plants with fiberglass fingers. Very interesting.

Here are the beans.

Our last stop was Wailua Falls which were seen on the old TV show, Fantasy Island. We were lucky enough to see a double rainbow created by the falls. This may be the most beautiful waterfall I have ever seen.

Kauai was the shortest stop on the trip, so we weren’t able to see more of the island. I had read that it is called The Garden Island because of all the lush vegetation. We didn’t get to see that part of the island. One of the peaks of this island has the greatest annual rainfall amount in the world with over 460 inches per year.

There were so many beautiful flowers on all of the islands. I put together a collage of a few of them.

So, we left the Hawaiian Islands and spent five days at sea. On the fifth day, we stopped in Ensenada, Mexico for the evening. There is a law that requires the ship to stop in a foreign port before returning to the US, so that’s why we stopped in Mexico for five hours.

We got off the ship and took a shuttle the two miles to Ensenada. We were in search of a good margarita. There were tour guides at the bus stop to help tourists navigate their way through the town safely. Tony, one of the guides, showed us a bar where he said they had the best margaritas. It was owned by a friend of his. I had a mango margarita for $3. It was huge, but I don’t think there was much tequila in it as I barely felt a thing.

We walked along the main street for a few blocks and saw all the typical tourist stuff. I did buy some vanilla for my mom. We talked to Tony, the tour guide, for a while. He was raised in the US by Mexican immigrant parents, but returned to Mexico with his family several years ago.

He claims the biggest problem in Mexico is not drugs, but illegal smuggling of people. He claims they get between $10,000 and $20,000 per person. He liked the idea of the border wall. He also told us that the children selling gum are rented out by their parents to a boss. The boss brings them to town and has them pester tourists selling gum. What a shame.

Well, that’s the end of my Hawaii posts. We’ve spent the last few days catching up on things here at home. We’ve been hiking in the desert for an hour each day, and we did play Bean Bag Baseball today at the park. We’ll probably join in on some of the other activities they have here before we leave.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Hawaii Cruise–Part 2

Our first island stop was at Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. My main goal for this stop was to see Volcanoes National Park. The six of us had prearranged a rental mini-van for this stop through Hertz. The shuttle was at the pier when we got off the ship and the entire rental process was very smooth and quick.

Kevin did the driving. We had our GPS with us, and it worked great. We made our way to the Visitor Center and watched the movie which was very interesting.

Next, we drove along Crater Rim Drive to the viewing area of the main crater called Kilauea Caldera. About half of the loop road was closed due to a recent fissure opening up in the volcano which is emitting dangerous levels of sulphur dioxide. As you can see, there is a lot of gas coming out of the crater.

Our next stop was at the Steam Vents Overlook. It’s amazing to me that all of this steam is coming up out of cracks and holes in the mountain, and we were able to walk right through the area without breaking through. You could literally put your hand right up next to a vent and feel how hot the steam was. It was a very surreal experience.

We hiked on a short trail to see the Sulphur Banks. This area reminded me of some areas of Yellowstone National Park.

 

Our final stop in the park was the Thurston Lava Tube. A lava tube is formed when the outer layer of the lava hardens and forms a crust as lava is still flowing through inside. Once the lava inside drains, a tube is created. This particular tube is big enough to drive a bus through!

I was somewhat disappointed that you couldn’t actually see any lava in the park. According to some people I talked to, the lava is still flowing on the other side of the island. The only way to see it is by air or sea. Apparently, some cruise ships sail by at night so passengers can see the glowing lava. Our ship did not do this.

Our next stop was at Akaka Falls State Park. We hiked a short loop trail where we saw a small waterfall and then Akaka Falls. What a gorgeous site with lots of lush vegetation all along the trail.

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we toured the island of Maui. I got up early to see if I could spot any whales as we came into port. No luck, but I did witness a beautiful sunrise. As you can see, the picture looks a bit hazy. That’s due to VOG (volcanic fog). The gases from the volcano on the big island is currently causing VOG on all of the other islands. Our tour guide told us that it can be quite a problem for people with respiratory issues.

We had booked an excursion for Maui through Roberts Hawaii Tours touring the Road to Hana. The cost was $35 per person less than through the ship’s excursions and was basically the same tour. The nice thing about Roberts is they work with the ship’s itineraries. You tell them the ship you’ll be sailing on, and they guarantee they will have you back on time. We were a little delayed getting off the ship, but they were right there waiting for us. I would highly recommend them.

When Kevin and I were on Maui in 1987, we had a rental car and drove the Hana Road ourselves. This time I wanted Kevin to be able to enjoy the scenery and we wanted to get the narration from a tour driver. Our tour was over 8 hours long, and our driver gave us interesting narration the entire time. The road has 617 turns and 45 bridges with amazing scenery at every turn.

 

These trees are called Rainbow Eucalyptus and the trunks are naturally multi-colored. So cool!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were some beautiful beaches along the road with black lava rocks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, this beach with black sand and some sea caves to explore.

We stopped for a short time at the Kipahulu area of Haleakala National Park. When we were on Maui in 1987, Haleakala National Park included only the summit of the extinct volcano on the island. Since then it has been expanded to include these waterfalls along the ocean. They were formally called The Seven Sacred Pools. Unfortunately, we didn’t stop long enough to walk to the falls. The majority of the people on the bus were more interested in stopping at a wine tasting spot later in the tour, so we only stayed about 15 minutes. I’m often amazed at what people are thinking. There are wine tasting places all over the country, but this is probably the only time they’ll be at this spot.

 

Here’s part of the falls from the bus window. On our trip in 1987, the road ended at these falls. Since that time, it has been opened up to all traffic. Parts of it were unpaved, and it was quite bumpy at times. I’m amazed these mini-buses make this trip every day.

 

 

 

 

The other side of the island is very different. From lush tropical rain forest we emerged into dry ranch lands. This is the Maui Canyon. It’s hard to believe this is the same island.

Back on the ship we watched a beautiful sunset as we sailed out of the port. Do you see the outrigger canoe in the harbor (click on picture to enlarge)? Our guide told us that many people enjoy these canoes for exercise. There are clubs that compete throughout all of the Hawaiian Islands.

My next post will cover Oahu, Kauai and Kona.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Hawaii Cruise–Part 1

Today I’ll tell you a little about the actual cruise. I’ll do two more posts this week about the islands we visited.

We were on a fifteen day Hawaiian cruise that started and ended in San Diego. We spent a total of nine days at sea. We sailed on the Carnival Spirit with 2,200 passengers and over 900 crew members. We had a very good time, but there were some things we didn’t like so much.

Prior to this trip, the ship was in dry dock for two weeks of refurbishing. Apparently, there were some issues getting everything loaded for the trip, and we ended up sailing at 11:00 p.m. from San Diego, six hours after the scheduled departure time. We were supposed to be able to board the ship at noon, but ended up waiting on the pier for two hours before we could board. This was the start of a number of delays. It seemed as though many events were not very well organized. It felt as though the staff were often running things by the seat of their pants. The captain was able to make up the time so that we arrived at Hilo on time.

This was the fourth cruise we’ve been on, two with Royal Caribbean and two with Carnival. The other trips were from four to seven days. I think that was part of why we didn’t enjoy it as much. Nine days at sea is a lot of time to fill, and it just didn’t seem as organized as other trips we’ve been on. One of the areas I felt was lacking, was the quality of the entertainment. Most of it was mediocre at best.

Another disappointment that had nothing to do with Carnival was the weather. While in Hawaii, it was near 80 degrees and sunny each day. However, almost all days at sea were cool and overcast. It was windy and cool on deck so lots of people were jammed into the covered pool area. We used the hot tub once and never swam in the pool.

Overall, we did have a good time. We participated in bean bag toss, bean bag bocce, golf chipping, mini-golf (the ship has a nine hole mini-golf course), and some trivia events. Kevin won one of the bean bag toss competitions, and our team won a bean bag bocce event. So, each couple has a ship on a stick trophy.

 

 

Of course, there was an abundance of food. I enjoyed most all of it. Mainly, I chose the seafood entrees and was never disappointed. My only complaint about the food is that the steaks were not very good. From prime rib to fillet, the meat was tough and almost always overcooked. Kevin and I stopped ordering steak after a couple of disappointments. I have a feeling this may have something to do with the Steakhouse they have on board. For an additional $30 per person, you can eat there. I bet their meats are a better cut. We didn’t feel it necessary to pay extra for a meal when there was a ton of food available all over the ship. After fifteen days of all that eating, I actually was beginning to feel sick. Even if you try not to overdo, it’s almost impossible. I gained four pounds and Kevin gained eight. We’re planning on eating salads for a week and doing lots of walking.

Those of you who have been on a cruise know that the stewards leave towel animals on your bed each night. Here’s a sample of the ones we found. The service we received from our cabin steward and the wait staff was very good.

There were two formal nights where people got dressed up for dinner. The rest of the nights were cruise casual. Of course, there were constant opportunities to have your picture taken by a photographer. We did have some taken the first formal night. I ended up buying this one.

 

As I had mentioned before we left, we cruised with two other couples that we’ve been friends with for over fifteen years. Kevin and I are celebrating our 35th anniversary this year, Joan and Al are celebrating their 40th and Wanda and Dick are celebrating their 45th. What a great way for all of us to commemorate these special milestones.

 

Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about our stops at Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii and Maui. One of the main reasons we chose this cruise was the great price of $1,000 per person. Another reason was that we’ve been to Hawaii twice before, but never got to the Big Island. I really wanted to see Volcano National Park, and we were able to do that.

I would, however, not recommend a cruise for a first visit to Hawaii. By spending one day at each stop, you just don’t have enough time to experience the beauty and culture of the islands. One of the best parts of visiting Hawaii is taking time to enjoy the beach, relaxing and absorbing the “hang loose” culture of the Hawaiian people.

Today was spent unpacking and doing six loads of laundry. Right now we’re watching the Super Bowl. It hasn’t been too exciting. Although I really don’t care who wins, I’m hoping the Giants lose because they beat the Packers.

My favorite commercial so far has been the VW one with the dog and the Vader kid from last year. There was a Doritos one with a baby and grandmother that was pretty funny, too.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

We’re Back

Just got back home, and everything is as we left it, yeah! We had a great time on our trip. I took lots of pictures. I’ll be writing some posts over the next few days to share some of our adventures with you.

Vacations are always fun, but it’s good to be home. Now time for the dieting to start :)

Bon Voyage

Today we drove from Tucson to San Diego. It was a nice day and took us about seven hours. We're spending the night at a Best Western overlooking the bay. The room for the night is $110 which includes leaving our truck parked in their covered parking lot for the duration of our trip. Parking alone at the pier would have been about $150 so this is a pretty good deal.

Tomorrow we board the ship which leaves at 5 pm. We'll be at sea for four days, spend one day each at Hilo, Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, and Kona. Then four days at sea coming back and one night in Mexico. We return on February 4th. I sure hope our ship's captain knows how to steer properly :)

So, I won't be posting any blogs until after the trip. Internet is available on the ship, but it's pretty expensive, and I plan to be busy relaxing and enjoying myself. I may have internet withdrawal, but I think I can handle it.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Tohono Chul Park

Yesterday we visited Tohono Chul Park. They advertise they are one of the world’s 10 great botanical gardens.

It was a beautiful park with many paths, but everything looked pretty much the same, namely lots of cactus. Of course, we are in the desert and cactus is what grows here. We haven’t visited that many botanical gardens, but I didn’t think it was so great as to be one of the top 10 in the entire world. Maybe if we visited in spring when the cactus are in bloom, it would have been much nicer.

There was a saguaro section at the garden with informational signs explaining how they grow. What an amazing plant. Their root system lies about 3 inches below the surface and stretch as far from the trunk as the plant is tall. These roots can soak up as much as 200 gallons of water in a single rainfall, enough to last the plant for a year.

The saguaro seed is the size of a pinhead. One cactus produces tens of thousands of seeds in a year, as many as 40 million in a lifetime. Out of those millions of seeds, only a few grow to adulthood. Many of the young plants grow under nurse trees to protect them from intense sun, cold and animals. Do you see the young saguaro under the nurse plant?

 

While the cause is not known, sometimes damage occurs to the top of a saguaro, causing a fanlike growth. This is thought to occur once in every 200,000 plants.

 

 

 

 

 

I thought this one had an interesting shape. It looks like an elephant’s trunk and tusks.

There were a number of metal sculptures scattered throughout the park. Supposedly, there are many wild javelina in the Tucson area. This may be the only one I see. I feel like I did last year when I was trying to find the elusive Big Horn Sheep.

 

We’ve seen these beautiful Azurite and Malachite rocks in several of the places we’ve visited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once again, the sunset was beautiful last night.

Our campground has entertainment two or three nights a week. Last night the group Mariachi de Atzlan performed. They’re a high school group that took 2nd place at the National competition last year. What a talented group of young people. They play and sing, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Titan Missile Museum

Yesterday we visited the Titan Missile Museum. In the early 1960s there were 54 Titan II missile silos built in Arkansas, Kansas and Arizona. The missiles were active for about 25 years. They protected our country during the Cold War years. In the mid 1980s President Reagan agreed to a treaty with the Russians and ordered the missiles disabled and the silos shut down.

All the silos were destroyed except this one in Tucson which was designated to become a museum. The missile in the silo does not have a warhead or fuel. The site doesn’t look like much from the outside.

Inside, the silo is 15 stories deep. There is a viewing platform at the top so visitors can see the missile inside.

Two of these huge engines were needed to send the missile to its target.

The warheads carried 9 megatons of explosives. That’s the equivalent of 9 million tons of TNT. To put that amount in perspective, you would need a train with boxcars full of TNT that reaches from Tucson to Lexington, Kentucky to equal the explosives in one warhead. A warhead would cause a 3 mile fireball upon impact. The black portion at the top carried the warhead. The rest of the missile was mainly to carry the fuel.

 

The United States built these missiles as a deterrent to the Soviet Union. Luckily, none of the missiles were ever launched. After the Titan II program was cancelled, the warheads were removed and the missiles were used to send satellites into orbit.

 

 

We were taken inside the silo to the Command Center. Our friend Joan was chosen to be the commander for the launch. Two people were required to turn keys that would initiate a launch. There were many safeguards in place to prevent any accidents or sabotage.

This museum was also in our coupon booklet so the cost for both of us was $9.50. It was a very interesting site to visit.

On the way home, we stopped at the Mission San Xavier del Bac. The mission is referred to as the White Dove of the Desert. It is still an active church and is located on the Tohono O’Odham Indian Reservation.

The mission was built by the Jesuits in 1692. It suffered damage from an earthquake and was rebuilt by the Franciscans in 1783.

The inside was quite ornate and beautiful.

We’ve seen plenty of missions, but each is a little different. I always find it amazing to look at buildings that have survived for hundreds of years.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!