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Saturday – October 8th. Continental Airline flight # 340 Depart Austin 7:10 am and arrive at 8:07 am at Houston Intercontinental on a 737-800. Continental Airline flight # 1 Depart Houston Intercontinental at 9:35 am and arrive at 12:45 pm in Honolulu on a 767-400. On this flight we were in Business First and had warm nuts, chilled lobster, salad, Pork Chop (Mark), Grilled Shrimp (Lyndon), Ice Cream Sundaes and a hot fresh baked cookies. Continental's Business First service was the best! Hawaiian Airline flight # 152 Depart Honolulu at 1:45 pm and arrive in Kahului, Maui at 2:22 pm. Our luggage didn’t make it on our original flight from Oahu to Maui, but only had a 30 minute delay as it came in on the next flight. Mark picked up rental car while Lyndon was waiting for the luggage. Our friends Paul and Phillip flew in on a direct American Airlines flight from DFW and arrived only about 20 minutes after we did. We drove to Kaanapali Beach and checked into Whaler Condo # 1002 around 5:15 pm. It was a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom corner unit in the North Tower with great views of the whole beach, the Island of Lanai and the Island of Molokai. We unpacked, freshened up, then drove to Lahaina and ate at our favorite Thai Restaurant there called Thai Chef in the Lahaina Shopping Center. We walked around Lahaina some, bought groceries at Safeway and crashed into bed around 9:30 am. Sunday – October 9th. Got up at 4:00 am and we were out the door at 4:30 am. Ate breakfast at McDonald’s in Pukalani where they sell breakfast items that you don’t get in a mainland McDonald’s such as Portuguese Sausage, Rice and Spam. We drove up to Haleakala through Eucalyptus forests to the Pu’u Ula’ula overlook at an elevation of 10,023 feet. It was chilly up there (guessing in the 40’s F). We saw quite a few Silverswords (some even blooming) while we were up there. Drove down to Makawao (a paniolo or cowboy town in upcountry Maui) stopped at a ‘grocery’ store for drinks, snacks and a bathroom break. Drove down to the coastline and caught up with the “Road to Hana”. Stopped at Ke-anae Peninsula and watched the waves crash over the rocks (always a great picture spot). While there we visited the “Ihiihi o lehowa o na Kaua” Church. We continued on to Hana and ate lunch at Tutu’s (try the coconut ice cream). We drove past Hana and turn off the road at the Sugar Mill ruins to the Palapala Hoomau Chruch in Kipahula and Charles Lindbergh’s grave. We walked up to the cliffs and were treated to a very beautiful and peaceful view of the Pacific Ocean and view of the Big Island in the distance. We bought tangerines and a plumeria lei from a Hawaiian women selling various items at the church. Drove back to 'Ohia Gulch (Seven Pools) and walked down to the pools. We did a hike up to Waimoku Falls – 4 miles up and back and an elevation gain of 800 feet.. The hike goes through bamboo forests, pastureland, guava trees and crosses two bridges. Makahiku Falls plunges 185 feet and Waimoku Falls is set in a 400 foot rock wall amphitheatere. We took 2:33 total time. 1:23 up, 10 minutes there and 1 hour back down. We drove back to the condo in Kaanapali and arrived back after dark. Very long day. We ate dinner at Fish & Game Brewing Company & Rotisserie in the Kahana Gateway Center around 9 pm. They make their own beer, which was good, but dinner was pretty messed up and the service was very poor this time around. Monday – October 10th. Took the Trilogy VI 54’ sloop rigged catamaran from Lahaina, Maui to the island of Lana’i. We left the condo at 6:00 am and arrived at the parking lot at 6:15 am. We had breakfast on the boat, cinnamon rolls, fruit, juice and coffee. Went to Hulopo'e Beach, Lana'i. Lyndon enjoyed his blanket on the beach in the sun, while Mark, Paul, and Phillip took the Manele Kai, a 32' RAIV high speed jet drive Zodiac boat around the cliffs and shoreline. After the Zodiac boat tour, Mark snorkeled while Paul and Phillip sat on the beach comfortably in the shade. For lunch we had BBQ lunch at Hale O Manele Pavilion overlooking Manele Bay cooked and served by the crew of the catamaran. On the trip back, we met some nice guys - Jack (originally from Costa Rica) and Mex (originally from Mexico) who both now reside in Los Angeles. Mark enjoyed flapping in the breeze on the catamaran tarp. Lyndon was there with him in the beginning, but sea sickness took over and he went to the back of the boat for most of the return trip. We arrived back in Lahaina around 3:30 pm. We took a brief nap, showered and met Jack and Mex at Kobe Japanese Steak House. After walking around Lahaina for about an hour after dinner, it was back to the condo! Tuesday – October 11th. Up early again, 5:55 am. Mark and Lyndon set off for a drive aound the north side of Maui and had the intent to do hike the Waihe’e Ridge (which we did not end up doing due to likely rain).. Paul and Phillip decided to stay around the Kaanapali Beach area. We left at 6:20 am to eat breakfast at the Gazebo at the Napili Shores hotel, but it wasn’t open for the day yet (we arrived around 6:40 am). We ended up eating breakfast at the Honolua General Store that is next to the Ritz Carlton. We left the General Store at 7:06 am after having our fill of eggs, pancakes, bacon and rice. We stopped at the Ohai Trail Overlook where Mark took a picture of Kahakuloa Head in the distance to the east. We drove through old Kahakuloa village where because it was still so early everything was closed. We missed out on some good shave ice and banana bread. At 8:20 am we passed the turn off for the Waihe’e Ridge trail and decided to blow off the hike. We ate some shave ice (Blue Hawaiian) in Wailuku and had a very nice conversation with a lady who appeared to be the owner. She said she was 75% Hawaiian and was very friendly. We were back at the Whaler Condo by 9:50 am!. Lyndon washed clothes while Mark worked on getting an internet connection. Later, Lyndon lounged by the pool while Mark, Paul and Phillip went next door to Hula’s for lunch. After lunch we all hung around the condo and walked up and down the beach. We then all got cleaned up for our entertainment for the night, the Old Lahaina Luau where we sat traditional style and met a nice couple from Raleigh, NC (Jessica and Kip). After the luau, Mark and I went to Whaler’s Village and Paul and Phillip stayed in the condo. Wednesday – October 12th. Paul and Phillip took an early morning helicopter ride on Blue Hawaiian. Mark and Lyndon got up around 7:15 am and Mark cooked bacon and eggs and we ate breakfast on the lanai and watched several rainbows form on and off. We checked e-mail, surfed the net and reserved some beach cabanas for the day. When Paul & Phillip returned we bought lunch items – fish for Lyndon and Mark from a fish market and steaks for Paul and Phillip from the grocery store. Mark and Paul grilled using the Whaler outdoor grills and we had lunch in the condo. We had also bought some side items to go with lunch. Spent the afternoon at the cabanas and Mark did some snorkeling also at Black Rock. Mark saw a total of 5 big sea turtles up close! After cleaning up we went to the Buddha in Lahaina at the Lahaina Jodo Mission. The statue of the Amida Buddha is the largest of its kind outside Japan. It was cast in Kyoto, Japan during 1967-1968. It is made of copper and bronze, stands 12 feet high and weights approximately three and one-half tons. We then visited the 505 Front Street Shopping Center and then walked down Front Street to Cheeseburger in Paradise for dinner. After dinner we did a bit of window shopping in Lahaina, on Front Street, and returned to the condo. Thursday – October 13th. Up at 6:00 am drove to the airport in Kahului and flew to Honolulu. We dropped off our luggage at the Resort Quest Waikiki Beach Tower where we got a double upgrade. We took a driving tour while we were waiting for our room to be ready for check in. We drove to China Town where we ate Vietnamese food, went to Punchbowl and drove Tantalus Drive. When we got back to the hotel it was ready for check in. We originally would have had the 14th floor, but we got a room on the 33rd floor – Room # 3303. Unfortunately there was a leak near the intake for the air-conditioning and the carpet in that area was a bit damp. We decided to walk over to Queen’s Surf Beach where we ate a sno-cone that was advertised as shave ice. Mark was very disappointed! We walked to the International Market Place. It was still there even though we heard it was going to be torn down. When we got back to the hotel they had a blower on the carpet and it was much better. We got settled in and went to Hula’s for a drink and then went to Gordon Biersch for dinner in the Aloha Market Center. Friday – October 14th Up at 6:45 am. Mark, Phillip and Mark had McDonalds at the condo for breakfast. Lyndon had fruit. Left at 8:30 am for trip around the southeastern part of Oahu. We went to Hanauma bay (lookout only), Halona Blowhole (tide was out, so not much to see), and Waimanalo Beach where we spent about 30 minutes. We stopped at Keneke’s Plate Lunch & BBQ in Waimanalo for shave ice. Mark was now very happy! Left there around 10:30 am. Drove to the Pali Pass where we hiked down part of the Old Pali Road. After our hike drove back to Honolulu and we went to Sam Choy’s forLunch. Drove around the Iolani Palace and State Capital. Stopped by CompUsa to pick up a camera accessory for Paul & Phillip and then went back to the hotel. Mark and I went to Queen’s Surf beach to relax a little and Paul and Phillip stayed in the room. We went to eat dinner at Keoni’s by Keo and sat outside. The Thai food there is always very good. Went to the internet café at the hostel and printed out our boarding passes. Paul and Phillip decided to go back to the room instead of going with us for drinks at Hula’s. Mark and I got back to the room after 10 pm. Saturday – October 15th Got up and washed clothes, looked at a room at the Park Shore Hotel to see if we would like to stay there on our return trip. We packed early because we got an earlier flight out to Kauai at 11 am. Paul and Phillip dropped us off at the airport. They would later turn the rental car back in before their today’s flight back to Dallas. After arriving in Lihue, Kauai we at a deli shop in the mall there just because it was convenient and we were a bit hungry. When we got to the Kiahuna Plantation around 1pm, our room was not ready yet (room # 43, upstairs in building # 8). Drove around and made phone calls. Mark changed Lyndon’s cell phone plan for a ‘flat’ roaming monthly charge since our cell phone would only roam in the Poipu area. We finally got checked in around 3pm, unpacked and headed to the lawn and beach. We read books at the beach for 30-45 minutes and decided to drive the 25 minutes to Waimea and eat dinner at the Waimea Brewing Company, the “Worlds Westernmost Brewpub”. The beers are made there and are pretty decent. Sunday – October 16th Got up and walked to the two miles to “Spouting Horn” and back. We decided, spur of the moment, to go to the beach on the northwest side of the island. We stopped to pick up lunch (burgers) at Barefoot Burgers in Waimea and took them to Polihale beach. Mark played in the surf and occasionally was sucked out further than comfort allowed. I had to get after him 3 times until he finally got the message. We spent a couple of hours there. On the way back we ate shave ice at JoJo’s in Waimea where we had our best shave ice in the islands. Mark was extremely happy! We bumped into Kip and Jessica, our dinner companions that we met at the luau back in Maui on Oct 11th. Went back to the lawn at the Kiahuna Plantation to read and relax for about an hour. Later we walked to the open air mall across the street. Did some light shopping and then ate dinner at Pizzetta in Koloa. We had Rooster Brew (Keoki Brewing Company) and Pizza. Went shopping at the Big Save and made it back to the condo at 8pm. Watched a little TV, wound down and went to bed around 9:30. Monday – October 17th Ate breakfast at Tropical Burgers in Poipu (pricy). Lyndon had banana mac nut pancakes and a papaya boat. Mark had eggs & bacon and pancakes also. Drove up east and north shore, pass Hanalei to Ke’e beach. Hiked 2 miles each way on the Kalalau trail (4 miles total) to Hanakapi’ai beach. Total hike time was 3:00. (1:30 going, 15 minutes at the beach there and 1:15 hike back). On the way back to Poipu, we stopped at the Kilauea lighthouse and the post office in Anahola to pick up a priority mail envelope to mail a birthday gift back home. Got shave ice with ice cream at an interesting ice cream shop (Beezers) in Kapa’a. After arriving back at Kiahuna we went to the lawn for about 30 minutes to read and relax. Showered and wint to Pizzetta again. Had spinach artichoke dip, salads and beer. We sat at the bar and chatted with the bartender who was originally from California and Nevada. Went back to the condo for a good nights sleep and were in bed by 10. Tuesday – October 18th Mark walked to Spouting Horn and back after making a breakfast consisting of bacon, eggs and bagels. We decided to stay an extra day on Kauai so I firmed up reserving a room at the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach hotel in Oahu for the last leg of our trip. Hurricane Wilma formed in the NW Carribean and by late evening was a Cat 5 with 175 mph winds. Mark cooked out burgers for lunch. Got good beach time in. Mark got a shave ice on the road that goes to Spouting Horn. This made Mark happy. Lyndon bought 2 shark tooth necklaces from a vendor at Spouting Horn. Back to ‘the lawn’ to read and relax. Showered and ate at a Thai food restaurant (Pattaya Asian Café) in Poipu shopping center and had a dinner for two. Went to Lappert’s for ice cream (Mark discovered coconut-pineapple ice cream!) and window shopped in Koloa for a bit. We went back to the condo around 9:30 and were in bed around 10 or so. Wednesday – October 19th Ate breakfast on Lanai consisting of toast, bagels & cheese and juices. Took a nice walk to Spouting Horn and back. Then went to the National Tropical Botanical Gardens and toured the following areas: “Spice of Life”, “A Walk Among the Natives” and “Canoe Plants of Ancient Polynesia. These were all at the McBryde garden self guided tour. We got back to the condo around 4 and we got a little beach time in. Later we drove back to Waimea and ate dinner at Waimea Brewing Company and saw some Germans there struggling to order some drinks. We left the brewpub around 9 and stopped at a grocery store in Wannapepe for some chocolates and a few provisions. We got home around 9:45 and went to bed shortly after. Thursday – October 20th We made breakfast – bacon, eggs and toast and ate on the lanai. Around 9 or so we drove to Waimea Canyon and stopped at several lookout points in the park. Drove to Kalalau lookout after stopping at the KoKe’e museum where we bought some good hiking maps. The road past the Kalalau lookout was closed. There were lots of chickens around at some of the lookouts. Drover down Makaha Ridge Road as far was we could go (it dead ended at a military base). Ate shave ice at JoJo’s and had the Halo Halo Special. We recommend it highly and with ice cream. Very very yummy. We got back around 2pm or so and went to beach. Mark snorkeled for about an hour and brought me some 'treasures' he found, including a $20 bill he found on the ocean floor! Around 4 we washed clothes. Lyndon went to ‘the lawn’ and Mark took a nap. Later we both watched sunset at the beach and were mesmerized by it. We ate dinner at Pizzetta and went to Lappert’s for ice cream. Friday – October 21st Rained overnight off and on. We stayed in Condo until time to go to the airport around 10am. After arriving in Honolulu we ate a not so good lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf. What possessed us we'll never know. We checked into the Waikiki Beach Hotel (room # 521) and our room was 1 floor above the pool. Ironic but on another trip in 2002 we stayed in this hotel when it just opened and we stayed in the exact same room on the same floor! They had live music outside by the pool during the evening hours until around midnight. After checking in went to Queen’s Surf Beach. We had registered to run the "Race for the Cure" so we went to pick up the race packet at the Aloha Marketplace. Later we ate dinner at Brew Moon. We really liked the food, beer, atmosphere and bartender staff there a lot. They have excellent food and beer. Lyndon had chicken curry and Mark had Jambalaya. Drove back to the hotel and went to Hula’s for a drink. Walked around Waikiki for a bit and called it a night. Saturday – October 22nd Today was a very rainy day all over Oahu, not a hard rain, just a light rain. We had the “Breakfast on the Beach” at the hotel. We made an attempt to go to Queen’s Surf Beach but the rain chased us away. Looked at the art in the park but most of it was covered due to the rain. Walked around Waikiki anyway. Ate lunch at the International Marketplace (had fried flounder). Walked around Waikiki some more. Got ice cream at “Cold Stone” which was a mistake since it's a chain store in anywhere USA. Both of our ice cream in chocolate wafers totaled $15!!!. We had to go to back to the Aloha Marketplace to switch out Lyndon’s Race T-Shirt because he got the wrong size T-Shirt. We bumped into Kip and Jessica again! 3 Islands and 3 chance encounters! They were also going to run in the race. We had 2 fire alarms at the hotel and had to leave the room briefly. Went shopping around 1:30 pm outside of Waikiki. Visited 2 Crazy Shirt outlet stores (Ward Center and Waikele), went to CompUsa to buy Mark a better wireless internet adapter, Hilo Hatties and then back to the hotel. For dinner we treated ourselves to the seafood buffet at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel which was scrumptious. Back to the hotel around 9pm. Live music playing outside the room but we dozed off fairly quickly. Sunday – October 23rd Race for the Cure. Lyndon was chip timed and Mark wasn’t. Lyndon’s time was 31:11 and Mark’s time was 37:20. It was raining right before the race. Lyndon went down before Mark and got soaking wet. We saw Kip and Jessica again! Walked around Waikiki after showering, but not much was open yet. Went to Queen’s Surf Beach. Weather still mostly cloudy. Went to Sandy Beach – huge waves. Mark forgot his earplugs so he didn’t get in the water but wanted to. That was a good thing because the waves were too large and too dangerous. Drove to Waimanalo to look for ear plugs. Didn’t find any, but did stop for shave ice at Keneke's on the way back in. Came back to the hotel to get ready to go to Brew Moon for dinner and drinks, but before that stopped by Hula’s to buy a T-Shirt. We especially loved the Raspberry Wheat Beer at Brew Moon. Mark had a seafood pasta dish for dinner and Lyndon had “Tony’s Thai BBQ Chicken”. Back to the hotel at 9pm. Monday – October 24th Lyndon got up at 6am and walked to Queen’s Surf Beach and last minute shopping at the ABC store. Had the “Breakfast on the Beach”. The front desk gave us a 1pm late checkout. Mark checked with them again and got us a 3pm checkout for a $75 fee (when we did check out at 2:50 pm, the front desk said that they wouldn’t charge us this fee). Went to Queen’s Surf beach for about 1 hour. Mark rented a Boogie Board and fins and we went to Sandy Beach. Mark swam and boogie boarded but gave up quickly since he was getting beat up pretty bad. Went to Makapuu beach where the waves were not quite as rough as Sandy Beach. Started raining. Went to shave ice place in Waimanalo (Keneke's) and I had a mini plate lunch (Mahi Mahi) and Mark had a 2 meat plate lunch. Mark had a Rainbow shave with ice cream. We got back to the hotel around 2pm. Quickly packed and check out at 2:50 pm. It took us about 1 hour 10 minutes to get gas, drive to the rental car place, turn in the car and get on the shuttle to the airport and arrive at the gate (we already had our boarding passes printed). We took off around 7:05 pm about 35 minutes late, but did arrive in Houston on time. Below are our scheduled flights back to the mainland: Continental Airline flight # 1841 Depart Houston Intercontinental at 7:55 am and arrive at 18:50 am in Austin on a 737-800. The sequence of our seating assignments on Continental over and back was: After a long trip home we took a 25 minute taxi ride back to the house. We spent about 45 minutes doing things that couldn't be put off and then crawled into bed for a real nap.
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