Hawaii 2014

Well, most of you know that this is Ken and my 50th wedding anniversary year (actual date is 7/4/64) and that we have been planning this trip to Hawaii for a couple of years. We plan to travel a lot this year and celebrate as much as we can.  I must have contacted at least 75 housing options through VRBO for housing on the beach on Hawaii. A lot of people would not talk to me about prices or reserving dates because it was more than one year out. Finally, I found this place.  If you want to see where we are for the month of February look at VRBO.com #140964 in Kona. This lady was willing, not only to negotiate on the price but to reserve it for us. She understood that there was no way we would be cancelling.  We had stayed in this complex before and knew what it was going to look like. On top of this condo we were able to rent a condo on Kauai for a week with a trade though our Thousand Trails camping membership.  This means that we were getting five weeks, on the beach, in Hawaii. YEAH ! We also wanted to use air miles for the trip and were hoping for first class both directions.  Getting the condo on Kauai took some doing, so not wanting to lose out on the air miles we made reservations from Portland to Kona and then home. We were able to get first class going but not coming home and had to book inter-island flights separately.

We flew out on January 25th after spending Friday night at the Ramada Inn near the airport in Portland.  THANKS so much to our son in law, Casey, for taking us to Portland so we didn't have to worry about traffic, etc early in the morning. First class was so great. We were met with mimosa's and a great breakfast. Then it was mai tai's. However, that was the end of the fun traveling. When we got to Kona, Ken collapsed on the lawn near the baggage check. He could not feel his legs and his hips were very painful. Sometimes we forget how much these guys do.  I had to get all our luggage and go get checked in for our flight to Honolulu and then Kauai and find someone to handle the wheelchair.  I tell you this was one loooooonnnnng day.  Go Airlines was the most wonderful business I have dealt with in a very long time. They had a wheelchair greeting us at each stop and another special one to get him up the ramps into the planes.

We loved that our building was named after Ken ! ! LOL

There was also a beautiful koi and lily pond.

Most of the next day, Sunday, was spent in Urgent Care and then the ER at Wilcox Hospital in Lihue. We have never had this kind of experience before. The doctor diagnosed him with pinched nerves, probably from sitting for five and a half hours on the plane with only one short stint standing up and stretching.  Now we know to do much more on our return trip home  The first week in Kauai was really different than we expected.  So happy that my brother Joe and his wonderful wife Celeste were spending that week with us. They had rented the car and it was terrific that they would be doing all the driving. Ken is having a very gradual recovery. We passed on the kayaking trip we had planned and after Joe and Celeste told us what it was really like, we were so happy we had not participated. Ken never would have made it, they barely did.  LOL  The kayaking part was about four times longer than they had told us it would be and two miles of it was against strong winds and the hiking part was over and about huge roots and in very wet clay.  Joe fell and really injured his already injured back so he has also had a very painful trip.  These men..... not sure what to do with them...  LOL.  

Did I tell you that there are almost as many chickens on the island as people??  Amazing banty's everywhere, including the beach. Fun having the roosters wake you up.

We visited the lighthouse that is the most northern point on the islands.  Beautiful spot and fun to watch a few whales.

We all participated in an eleven hour day bus tour.  It was really great.  It was to visit the Grand Canyon area of Kauai and the Fern Grotto, both sides of the island. The tour bus driver was a wealth of information and stopped a lot.  That really helped Ken and Joe deal better with the pain and they really didn't have to walk much.  Could really take care of themselves. 

These two pictures are at one edge of the Grand Canyon.  A beautiful rainbow appeared and was there for quite a while.  

 Going up to the top of the mountain was a long, windy road and covered in clouds. We couldn't see any of the canyon from that site.  

The Fern Grotto reminded us of Silver Falls State Park and especially the South Fall. 

Great picture of the photographer, Ken ! ! 

The boat trip up the Wilea River to the Fern Grotto was very nice.  There was singing and hula dancing all during the trip!!

Next, we are off to Kona, Hawaii.....  Hopefully the guys are gonna be so much better that they can hike ! ! ! 

Left Kauai on Saturday, February 1st.  Hop to Honolulu and then to Kona.  Stormy day but cuz we had a jet ride with Go Airlines we were just fine.  The people on Island Air prop planes, maybe not so lucky ! ! !

View from our condo

Our new home for the month is a terrific condo right on the beach.  Very comfortable and with plenty of whale watching right outside our windows.  Our first guests are not only my brother Joe and Celeste but our long time friends Dan & Sharon Jackson as well as a neighbor DeWilde and a friend of her's Judy whom we went to Mexico with 20 years ago. They left their husbands home and are enjoying a week of girl time!!  The first activity was Ken, Joe, Celeste and Dan taking a helicopter trip out of hilo.  Was called Fire and Falls. However, it was a pretty cloudy day over the mountains so not much of the falls was seen.  Ken was bummed as he had really planned to get some great shots.  The lava is flowing just a little these days so it is difficult to see.

The next thing that we all did was go to the SeaHorse Farm. Oh my, you will be so surprised when you go.  It was very interesting.  They now release some to a "secret" location in Kona.  Rebuilding the endangered fish.  

Another interesting thing is that we didn't see whales for a day during the rough seas and they were back today when the surf calmed down.  We went to Honounou Bay today as well as Place of Refuge.  Saw all kinds of fish and sea turtles.  Tomorrow is a Body Glove Snorkeling trip for the morning!!  YEAH ! ! !

OMG I need to catch up ! ! !

OMG, where did we leave off??  I think at Palm Desert.  We stayed there, a favorite Thousand Trails Park of ours, for two plus weeks.  The weather was perfect most of the time.  It was 70's to the high 80's.  Visited the Living Desert in Palm Springs for the first time. It is a very interesting place.  Was surprised at how large it is.  Was a fun day. 

We really just lazed around most of the time until the end when we ended up buying a 2007, 40 foot National Pacifica.  Oh my goodness, it is nicer than our house ! !  I guess it really is our second home as we were gone three months this trip and will be gone 6-8 months next time we go out.  Amazing but it does not have as much inside storage as our 5th wheel had. Now to get rid of stuff.   I am trying......  Got a couple boxes to take out when we get home!!

Took my brother Joe to the airport after his visit with our sister.  We just stayed the night in the Chico Airport Parking Lot.  

One of our last nights in Palm Desert!!  Beautiful and warm!

This trip was bittersweet as my sister was visiting family in Paradise CA when she had a medical emergency and was in CCU when we finally got to see her.  She had been in the hospital already for two weeks.  Today she is being ambulance transported to a Sacramento hospital for a coronary stent. Hopefully that will solve a majority of issues for her.  She, her husband and their three dogs are really looking forward to getting home to Carlsbad.  

We are in Redding at the Elks now and will leave here for home tomorrow.  It is raining here, welcome to the Northwest ! ! !  Gary was on the road trucking and it worked that he was able to stop and have breakfast with us this morning.  Was very nice to see him.  Will also be nice to be home for Thanksgiving with the kids and grandkids.  Can't believe that we have been gone for three months ! ! ! 

Catching up to Palm Desert

WOW, sure is nice to have phone, Words with Friends and our computers all working, all the time again.  We are back at one of our most favorite places, the Thousand Trails Palm Springs RV Park.  

We decided to go visit the area I went to high school in, Lakeside, CA. Boy, I am so grateful for all I have in my life now, what a change from childhood ! !   We also went up to the Barona Reservation, up past the high school.  My brother, Jeremy's, best friend was Stan Maxey who lived up on the poverty reservation.  WOW, what a change there too, Tons of money now that there is a very successful casino there.  Million dollar houses are even there! Stan's mother was chief of the tribe back in the day.  We found pictures of her and the fam in the casino, she was the chief for quite some time.  I was interested in finding out about Stan's family so we looked at all the pictures of tribal families in the casino and a housekeeper told us to check with an older employee to find out about anyone who lived there.  The first person we saw was a security guard who was new so told us to go over "to that desk and see if she can help you".  Turned out that the gal behind the desk was Stan's stepdaughter, he had raised her and she totally thought of him as her dad ! !  What a small world.  She was so happy to talk about him since it was close to the five year anniversary of his death. Jeremy had died a year ago so it was really a tribute to them both.. It was a great time talking about old times. 

While we were at Pio Pico in Jamul, CA our niece Becky and her husband Johnny hosted a wonderful taco dinner for the fam ! !   Look at all the cell phones out ! ! !  My oh my, how times have changed..

Love you Troy ! ! !

We got to see brother Joe the day after his surgery.  Doing good but very tired ! ! !  Was great to get to see him before we left San Diego County..  Love that guy ! ! !