ALASKA BLOG #2
19 June 2009
Hi Everyone,
Our Alaskan adventure is coming to an end after today’s “at sea” run from Ketchikan to Vancouver, BC. It’s nice the way they planned this trip with a day with nothing much to do and weather that denies even the hardiest any thoughts about sun bathing. At breakfast this morning, all the talk was about spending the day packing in readiness for tomorrow’s debarkation. Considering that packing at the end of a cruise isn’t much more than stuffing dirty stuff back into the luggage you brought, we can’t understand what all the fuss is about.
Doing “back to back” cruises provides a unique opportunity to 1) not get carried away about seeing everything the first time and 2) choose to see what you missed when you return. The first couple of days on the return trip was in glacier country where we found that once you’ve seen a glacier and enjoyed the moment you’ve pretty much done it all. Don’t jump to any conclusions about our not enjoying the second viewing. Glaciers are still one of the fascinating things in God’s creation that will amaze us each time we return. We did learn a little more about the glaciers we saw on our second visit. For instance; the glaciers in College Fjord where named by a group of explorers for their respective alma maters. When they had more glaciers than school names, they used the names of their wives’ schools. You better believe that that thoughtful action was worth its weight in brownie points when they got home.
The weather on our first visit featured sunshine and clear skies while our second time around was cloudy and rainy; more like normal for the area.
Our arrival at Skagway was accompanied by a little rain, a brilliant rainbow in the north and the Norwegian Sun moored close by. We saw it as an omen that the 7th month anniversary of our wedding on board the Norwegian Sun should begin so beautifully.
Our return to Skagway gave us a chance to clean up on the freebies. The local merchants, mostly jewelry stores, offer free incentives to cruise ship passengers to visit their stores. We decided it would be fun to see how many of the free items we could manage. It was a bit of a challenge but we collected every free item that was available. We are now the proud possessors of gold chains galore, choo-choo whistles, silver (?) bracelet charms of all sorts and a variety of gem stone pendants. In the process we also found some things that will become gifts in the future. All of this before we took the White Pass & Yukon Territory train to the top of the pass. The track was built in 1896 to help take would be millionaires to the Yukon gold fields. The train was a great investment for a group of Englishmen who have reaped its benefits over and over again through the years. Today the several trains on the line take thousands of passengers up and back to see where those crazy miners hauled there gear on foot before the advent of the train. Stories abound in Skagway of the Chilcoot Trail and the hardships suffered by the soon to be miners on their way to the gold fields. On foot, the miners climbed the steep pass in weather as cold as 40 degrees below freezing with loads so great that they could do well to stay on the trail two hours a day.
In Juneau we took the tram ride to the top of Mount Roberts which towers over the city. The view from the top gave us a marvelous view of the city and the five cruise ships that were visiting for the day. A great film on the role the Klingot Indians played in early Alaska was available at the summit along with the usual Souvenir store. A family of musician/singers entertained with what we called Blue-Grass music. Whatever its origin, we enjoyed watching and listening. A great attraction at the summit was a caged bald eagle. A ranger type man explained that the eagle had been injured beyond repair so it was allowed to be caged. We didn’t realize how big bald eagles can be until we saw this proud lady on display a few feet away. After our tram ride we made one more visit to the Red Dog Saloon for lunch and atmosphere from another era. The sawdust covered floor and the old time piano player/singer made us want to stay much longer but our boat was scheduled for an early departure.
Our return to Ketchikan was almost the adventure high mark of our cruise except it didn’t happen. Sea plan rides are a popular attraction for passengers from cruise ships and we headed for one of the vendors who could arrange something for us. We didn’t want the two hour extra special trip, that seemed to be the standard for the day, but rather a one hour spin that would allow us to experience taking off and landing on the water. The ever so friendly man we talked to agreed to our wishes but added that he needed to find two more passengers for the flight. We left our cell phone number and spent the next couple of hours exploring downtown Ketchikan. The time allowed us to tour the famous “Dolly House” on Creek Street; one of a row of former brothels. Dolly we learned came by ship from San Francisco in 1915 and immediately bought what became “Dolly House” for six hundred dollars. She managed to pay off her motgage in six months with the business she attracted. Dolly, known as Big Dolly because of her 5’11” 250 pound stature, managed her business until 1952. She lived in the house until 1972 when she moved to a retirement home to live out her years. She died at age 89, a rather wealthy lady for her time.
Several hours after our first contact regarding a plane ride, we were called and told to come immediately because our ride would be leaving momentarily for the “seaport”. We rushed to the ticket office only to be told that the flight we wanted wasn’t available but one that cost $135 more per person was awaiting our arrival. We decided that we didn’t appreciate the “bait and switch” game so we declined. The next time we are able to ride in a float plane we’ll try again.
We’ve enjoyed traveling with our good friends Paul and Marty Zarcone. Paul and Bill had fun playing bridge together several times and all but one night we enjoyed having dinner together. Good friends add richness to life and we have had our lives enriched by our two week cruise together.
Now, on to the challenge of getting everything we brought along back in the bags………….and oh yes, the other stuff we had to collect along the way.
Love, hugs and kisses to all
Dottie and Bill, Mom and Dad, Gram and Grandpa Bill
Friday, June 19, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
ALASKA JUNE 2009
ALASKA BLOG #1
12 June 2009
College Fjord, Alaska.
Hello to all from on board the Diamond Princess sailing the Gulf of Alaska,
Thanks to an early delivery by Andrea and Dorri, we arrived at the San Francisco Airport bright and early with plenty of time for a bite of breakfast before our 7:30 am flight to Vancouver and our embarkation on the Diamond Princess. We arrived earlier than the ship had announced we could go aboard but luckily they took us aboard. We decided later that we were probably in the first dozen passengers to board. Considering that there are more than three thousand passengers on this tour, we felt very lucky.
Our early arrival allowed us plenty of time for naps, to recover from our 3:00 am wake-up call, and unpacking before the planned activities of the afternoon and evening began. The Zarcone’s arrived shortly after we did and we enjoyed dinner the first evening with them.
Our second day on board was “at sea” as we traveled the passage between Vancouver Island and British Columbia on our way to our first stop on Monday at Ketchikan, Alaska. Ketchikan likes to call its self “Alaska’s First City” because it is the first port where ships can stop when they enter Alaska from the south. Ketchikan is located on an island and began as an Indian fishing camp. In the early 1900’s, when gold was Alaska’s claim to fame, fishing and timber industries were established in Ketchikan and have developed with the state. The growth of these industries have helped this Inside Passage town become Alaska’s fourth largest city.
We opted for a local bus tour that took us around parts of the island in a twenty passenger bus driven by a 31 year resident lady who began by offering her two teen age kids for sale. Her introduction to Ketchikan informed us that those who love mold and moss growing on everything they own ought to consider moving to Ketchikan. She was quick to note that the local paper’s listing of rentals currently included a two bedroom house without running water, inside toilet or electricity for $1700 a month. Her humor and knowledge of everything Ketchikan made our two and half hour tour go by very quickly. Our tour took us, over a couple of miles of dirt rode, to a little waterfall that led to the Tlingit Indian name for the island, which translates as “eagle with spread-out wings”. The little waterfall would be called a “riffle” in Yosemite but since it was the only one of its kind on the island every tour bus stopped to see it. We stopped at a little inlet where dozens of bald eagles were seen fishing a stream that carried little salmon from a nearby hatchery to the sea. It seemed to us that someone ought to be scaring the eagles away to allow more of the little salmon to reach salt water but our guide told us that the “ecosystem” demands we feed the eagles so there you are.
Our next stop took us to the famous display of totem poles booked as the world’s largest display of totems. We dutifully took pictures of the totems as were told the story of some of the more prominent poles. Since Abraham Lincoln was President when Alaska was purchased from the Russians, a pole depicted Lincoln on top of a pole that had a shield and American flag at the bottom. Lincoln looked like Lincoln except that his legs were those of a man four feet tall. We were told that the carver only had a picture of a bust of Lincoln so that was the way he was carved except that the carver knew he must have legs and added some. Another pole depicted Seward, the author of the “folly” that told the story of his having received gifts from three local tribes without returning the courtesy. Seward will forever sit atop his totem pole with red ears depicting a stingy person.
Our trip through downtown Ketchikan took us by “Dolly’s House” which heads a procession of restored houses on Creek Street, the former red light district of town. Dolly’s House was open for “viewing” but not for business. We decided against a visit because of the block long line of cruise passengers from Kansas waiting to see what sinning is all about.
Our next stop at Juneau gave us an opportunity to do a walking tour of town that took us to the top of a hill where a Russian Orthodox Church was erected in 1894. The church was built in Russia and shipped to the new Russian settlement by a czar who wanted to be sure that his subjects in the new world would behave. Our trip up the mountain was made possible by the fortification provided by the “Red Dog Saloon” in downtown where sawdust on the floor, a ricky-tick piano and walls covered with artifacts of the past made the crowd feel as though they were experiencing the real Alaska. We sampled the local Alaskan beer and left believing we now knew what Juneau must have been like a century ago.
We chuckled on our walking tour as we were passed by a garbage truck with its company motto displayed in large print; “Your satisfaction absolutely guaranteed or double your garbage back”.
Skagway’s history is the Alaska we all knew from our childhood studies. Today’s Skagway has less than a thousand inhabitants that live off the sales to tens of thousands of cruise passengers that stop by during the summer months. In its hey day, Skagway was home to more than twenty thousand who supplied the needs of the thousands of gold rushers that used Skagway as a jumping off point to the gold fields of the Yukon and Klondike. Today the streets offer boardwalk sidewalks and dozens of stores to buy diamonds and such that cruise passengers must like to buy in large quantities. We were amused at the number of shops that proudly announced to US cruise passengers that there would be “no duty” on jewelry purchased. We supposed that most folks aren’t really aware that Alaska is a part of the United States. Our walking tour notes included a call at a grocery store to buy some nibbles to quiet the growls inbetween meals. After asking directions from locals, we found the town’s one super market on a side street a couple of blocks away from the tourist traffic. We found our peanuts and such and prices that seemed to be about double Pleasanton prices for food. We came away thinking that Skagway would be a money making spot for a Grocery Outlet franchise.
Skagway presented dozens of opportunities to buy all kinds of clothing with Alaska boldly displayed, marvelous hats that let the world know where you have traveled, shot glasses and such for collectors and a local curiosity called a “bird fart” that seemed to sell like hotcakes. Upon returning to the ship, we found that many of our fellow passengers felt the stop in Skagway was a huge success because they were now the owner of a contraption known as a “bird fart”. The idea was more than a little offensive to us but now we know we must look into possible ownership on our return next week.
The next two days were glacier days. We spent the best part of Thursday in Glacier Bay following a serpentine of cruise ships that crawled along at reduced speed as we enjoyed the beauty of God’s unusual creations. Three rangers from the Glacier Bay National Park accompanied us and provided a running commentary all day about the sights we were enjoying. John Muir made his first trip through the bay in the late 1790’s and wrote about the marvels of the glaciers. Others followed to measure, study and name each of the ice flows. Some of the glaciers we were told are more than twenty miles and have their beginnings on the slopes of mountain peaks as high as 15,000 feet.
Friday was spent touring College Fjord where the glaciers seemed a little bit less spectacular but none the less beautiful in their icy way. Each of the glaciers in the fjord carried the names of eastern colleges. Yale, Harvard, and a series of formerly women only schools were represented. We didn’t hear an explanation for the naming of glaciers after girls’ schools but maybe the reference was made because girls who attend schools without boys are known to be cool, or cold, or whatever.
We haven’t found the time or the inclination to don our swim wear and sun ourselves by the pool to date. We’ve noted with a giggle that the usual pool side booths that typically offer beach towels to sun bathers are in the business of passing out brightly colored plaid wool blankets to deck chair enthusiasts. On the other hand, we’ve had some sunshine on most days which in itself is a rarity to be cherished in this part of the world.
We love you all.
Dottie and Bill, Gram and Grampa Bill, Mom and Dad
12 June 2009
College Fjord, Alaska.
Hello to all from on board the Diamond Princess sailing the Gulf of Alaska,
Thanks to an early delivery by Andrea and Dorri, we arrived at the San Francisco Airport bright and early with plenty of time for a bite of breakfast before our 7:30 am flight to Vancouver and our embarkation on the Diamond Princess. We arrived earlier than the ship had announced we could go aboard but luckily they took us aboard. We decided later that we were probably in the first dozen passengers to board. Considering that there are more than three thousand passengers on this tour, we felt very lucky.
Our early arrival allowed us plenty of time for naps, to recover from our 3:00 am wake-up call, and unpacking before the planned activities of the afternoon and evening began. The Zarcone’s arrived shortly after we did and we enjoyed dinner the first evening with them.
Our second day on board was “at sea” as we traveled the passage between Vancouver Island and British Columbia on our way to our first stop on Monday at Ketchikan, Alaska. Ketchikan likes to call its self “Alaska’s First City” because it is the first port where ships can stop when they enter Alaska from the south. Ketchikan is located on an island and began as an Indian fishing camp. In the early 1900’s, when gold was Alaska’s claim to fame, fishing and timber industries were established in Ketchikan and have developed with the state. The growth of these industries have helped this Inside Passage town become Alaska’s fourth largest city.
We opted for a local bus tour that took us around parts of the island in a twenty passenger bus driven by a 31 year resident lady who began by offering her two teen age kids for sale. Her introduction to Ketchikan informed us that those who love mold and moss growing on everything they own ought to consider moving to Ketchikan. She was quick to note that the local paper’s listing of rentals currently included a two bedroom house without running water, inside toilet or electricity for $1700 a month. Her humor and knowledge of everything Ketchikan made our two and half hour tour go by very quickly. Our tour took us, over a couple of miles of dirt rode, to a little waterfall that led to the Tlingit Indian name for the island, which translates as “eagle with spread-out wings”. The little waterfall would be called a “riffle” in Yosemite but since it was the only one of its kind on the island every tour bus stopped to see it. We stopped at a little inlet where dozens of bald eagles were seen fishing a stream that carried little salmon from a nearby hatchery to the sea. It seemed to us that someone ought to be scaring the eagles away to allow more of the little salmon to reach salt water but our guide told us that the “ecosystem” demands we feed the eagles so there you are.
Our next stop took us to the famous display of totem poles booked as the world’s largest display of totems. We dutifully took pictures of the totems as were told the story of some of the more prominent poles. Since Abraham Lincoln was President when Alaska was purchased from the Russians, a pole depicted Lincoln on top of a pole that had a shield and American flag at the bottom. Lincoln looked like Lincoln except that his legs were those of a man four feet tall. We were told that the carver only had a picture of a bust of Lincoln so that was the way he was carved except that the carver knew he must have legs and added some. Another pole depicted Seward, the author of the “folly” that told the story of his having received gifts from three local tribes without returning the courtesy. Seward will forever sit atop his totem pole with red ears depicting a stingy person.
Our trip through downtown Ketchikan took us by “Dolly’s House” which heads a procession of restored houses on Creek Street, the former red light district of town. Dolly’s House was open for “viewing” but not for business. We decided against a visit because of the block long line of cruise passengers from Kansas waiting to see what sinning is all about.
Our next stop at Juneau gave us an opportunity to do a walking tour of town that took us to the top of a hill where a Russian Orthodox Church was erected in 1894. The church was built in Russia and shipped to the new Russian settlement by a czar who wanted to be sure that his subjects in the new world would behave. Our trip up the mountain was made possible by the fortification provided by the “Red Dog Saloon” in downtown where sawdust on the floor, a ricky-tick piano and walls covered with artifacts of the past made the crowd feel as though they were experiencing the real Alaska. We sampled the local Alaskan beer and left believing we now knew what Juneau must have been like a century ago.
We chuckled on our walking tour as we were passed by a garbage truck with its company motto displayed in large print; “Your satisfaction absolutely guaranteed or double your garbage back”.
Skagway’s history is the Alaska we all knew from our childhood studies. Today’s Skagway has less than a thousand inhabitants that live off the sales to tens of thousands of cruise passengers that stop by during the summer months. In its hey day, Skagway was home to more than twenty thousand who supplied the needs of the thousands of gold rushers that used Skagway as a jumping off point to the gold fields of the Yukon and Klondike. Today the streets offer boardwalk sidewalks and dozens of stores to buy diamonds and such that cruise passengers must like to buy in large quantities. We were amused at the number of shops that proudly announced to US cruise passengers that there would be “no duty” on jewelry purchased. We supposed that most folks aren’t really aware that Alaska is a part of the United States. Our walking tour notes included a call at a grocery store to buy some nibbles to quiet the growls inbetween meals. After asking directions from locals, we found the town’s one super market on a side street a couple of blocks away from the tourist traffic. We found our peanuts and such and prices that seemed to be about double Pleasanton prices for food. We came away thinking that Skagway would be a money making spot for a Grocery Outlet franchise.
Skagway presented dozens of opportunities to buy all kinds of clothing with Alaska boldly displayed, marvelous hats that let the world know where you have traveled, shot glasses and such for collectors and a local curiosity called a “bird fart” that seemed to sell like hotcakes. Upon returning to the ship, we found that many of our fellow passengers felt the stop in Skagway was a huge success because they were now the owner of a contraption known as a “bird fart”. The idea was more than a little offensive to us but now we know we must look into possible ownership on our return next week.
The next two days were glacier days. We spent the best part of Thursday in Glacier Bay following a serpentine of cruise ships that crawled along at reduced speed as we enjoyed the beauty of God’s unusual creations. Three rangers from the Glacier Bay National Park accompanied us and provided a running commentary all day about the sights we were enjoying. John Muir made his first trip through the bay in the late 1790’s and wrote about the marvels of the glaciers. Others followed to measure, study and name each of the ice flows. Some of the glaciers we were told are more than twenty miles and have their beginnings on the slopes of mountain peaks as high as 15,000 feet.
Friday was spent touring College Fjord where the glaciers seemed a little bit less spectacular but none the less beautiful in their icy way. Each of the glaciers in the fjord carried the names of eastern colleges. Yale, Harvard, and a series of formerly women only schools were represented. We didn’t hear an explanation for the naming of glaciers after girls’ schools but maybe the reference was made because girls who attend schools without boys are known to be cool, or cold, or whatever.
We haven’t found the time or the inclination to don our swim wear and sun ourselves by the pool to date. We’ve noted with a giggle that the usual pool side booths that typically offer beach towels to sun bathers are in the business of passing out brightly colored plaid wool blankets to deck chair enthusiasts. On the other hand, we’ve had some sunshine on most days which in itself is a rarity to be cherished in this part of the world.
We love you all.
Dottie and Bill, Gram and Grampa Bill, Mom and Dad
Sunday, April 5, 2009
HAWAII SPRING 2009
4 April 2009
Our Hawaiian Adventure
Early in 2009, friends Marie Hoemoeller and Clay Haller suggested that it might be fun to travel to Maui, Hawaii with them where they have a time share condo. We didn’t have to think about it very long after Marie announced that as a retired United Airlines employee she could arrange low cost stand-by air fares for us. Marie also knew of a nice condo that she had used in the past that would probably be available.
We checked on the availability of the Condo a the Kahana Reef and when we found it available when we wanted to go we sent a deposit and started dreaming of blue skies, warm sunshine, sparkling seas and a chance to turn off the rest of the world for a week and lay back and enjoy..
On Friday March 27 we picked up Marie before sun-up and headed for the San Francisco Airport. Clay had business to attend to and followed us to Maui the next day. We unloaded our suitcases on the sidewalk where Marie was greeted by skycaps as one of their own. She then took our car to park for free in the employee parking lot as we made our way through the usual stuff you need to to do to get to your intended gate. Marie caught up with us and we checked in at the gate as “stand-bys” and waited for assurance that there would be space for us on the flight. We got word that we could board and then an announcement was made that the flight crew found the plane unsuitable and another plane would need to be brought to the gate. Our original flight was scheduled for 9:20 AM, our replacement flight 11:45 AM. We were airborne about two hours later than we had planned but our “stand-by” status was working.
An uneventful, but sleepfull for Bill, flight took us to Kahului Airport on Maui and we were soon in our rented car heading for our condo at Kahana Reef. The community of Kahana marks about a mile of beach frontage with Kaanapali on the South end and Napili on the North; all connected by Honoapiilani Road. While these exotic names are accepted for directions, the State of Maui and the U.S. Post Office consider these communities a part of the city of Lahaina which is about eight miles away.
Once settled in, we joined Marie at the Sands of Kahana, her time share, where we enjoyed $3.00 “happy hour” Mai Tais before a light dinner of fish and chips. The long day we had spent getting to Maui easily convinced us that an early bedtime was in order and we all crashed. Marie spent the evening with us in our condo because her time share wasn’t to be ready until the following day.
On Saturday, we all drove back to the Kahului Airport, about 33 miles, and picked up Clay. On our return from Kahului we stopped for an early dinner at Buzz’s Wharf, a well known eatery at Ma’alaea Harbor abut half way between Kahului and Lahaina. We decided that the reputation of Buzz’s Wharf had been well earned as we enjoyed some delightful seafood.
Sunday found us on the road for the day with our first stop at a beautiful small Catholic Church on the crest of a hill overlooking the little town of Pukalani. After service, we continued on along a winding Hwy 37 in search of the little town of Ulupalakua and the Tedeschi Winery. The winery is a part of one of Hawaii’s old estates that has remained very much as it was in the 19th Century when a sea captain purchased a tract of land covering 6,500 acres. The land has had six owners over the years and each owner has tried to improve the quality of the ranch and its profits. A wide range of farm products have been developed over the years but sugar cane and beef have been the major crops. The winery claimed to be “famous” for its pineapple wine that sells like hot cakes to tourists. Our dry red wine tastes didn’t match the sweet pineapple wine so we passed on buying a bottle to take home. Our tasting covered a few other samples of the winery’s products but none seemed ready to compete in the world wine market.
A small museum featured pictures and stories about past owners and their families. It was interesting to note that the Hawaiian cowboys from the ranch have fared well in Rodeo competition on the main land. One hand from the ranch was actually the top cattle roper in US competition in the early part of the 20th Century. The stories of owner families told about many of the heirs who gave up their Hawaiian roots in favor of living out the second half of their lives in California.
We walked across the highway to a family owned pupu (snacks) and sandwich shop to buy our lunch which we ate at one of the several picnic tables nearby. We sat near a man who occasionally snapped a bull whip for the fascination of children who were picnicking with their families. We talked with the man who was weaving a lariat from rawhide. He described the rawhide lariat as a favorite for cowboys around the world. He told us that synthetic fabric lariats were available and used but they tended to be stiffer and much heavier than the preferred rawhide lariat like the one he was making. He didn’t look like a cowboy or an Hawaiian but we enjoyed meeting and talking with him.
The highlight of our day on the northwest end of the island was yet to come. The winery announced its schedule of activities, to bring people to taste their wine, which included a “Polo Match” featuring ranch hands doing their polo thing. Since we were there and the time was right, we walked down the road a quarter of a mile and 150 yards across a pasture to a seat on a felled tree overlooking a remarkably tailored polo field. In due time, the polo ponies and their riders took the field and gave the 25 or 30 polo fans on the hillside, the four of us included, a wonderful display of polo play or whatever it’s called. We sat on our tree with aching behinds through the first seven minute quarter during which one team scored a goal much to the concern of the other team. We duly applauded the fete and collectively decided that we had seen more polo than we needed for the day and motored back to our respective homes for the week.
By the end of third day in our island paradise, we took stock of what we had found to date. Our condo was beautiful in every way. Our fourth (top) floor balcony faced directly onto the sea where Molokai stood prominently in front of us. Only we rarely saw the island because it was covered by winter clouds. Several towering coconut palms swayed wonderfully in our view except that the high winds of our first few days moved them so briskly the flapping of the fronds drowned out the gentle lapping of the waves on the sea wall thirty feet in front of our room. The swimming pool below us featured dozens of lounges for sun bathing except that the high winds discouraged only the hardiest and most determined from gaining their Hawaiian tans. Being in Hawaii with our friends made up for these few wintertime shortcomings and we knew early on that our Maui get-away would be memorable.
Monday we spent most of the day enjoying Lahaina and its myriad of tourist oriented shops. We avoided buying tee shirts with slogans such as “How many times must I tell you I’m not stupid” and “Buy me another drink ‘cause you’re still ugly” and “Spooning often leads to Forking”. Ugh!! We found several art galleries that displayed dozens of art works featuring sunsets, whales and beautiful Hawaiian girls. Our tour wound its way to Bubba Gumps restaurant where we managed another round of Fish and Chips, this time made with Mahi Mahi. It was great. In the evening we searched for and found a nice restaurant at Napili Bay, The Sea House. The dining area opened onto the bay and featured a Guitar/Ukele playing singer that provided a wonderfully romantic ambience. We knew we had found the right spot when the performer sang the arrangement of “Over the Rainbow” that was played at our December 20 Family Wedding. We thanked him on our way out and stayed a while longer to dance to his music on a postage stamp sized dance floor.
Tuesday we drove to the opposite side of the island to drop Marie and Clay off at the Waiehu Municipal Golf Course where they played a round of golf in near gale wind conditions. While they were battling the greens, we headed out on our exploration of that part of the island. Our first stop was at the Iao Valley State Park and the Iao Needle. We knew we must be in an important place because several tour bus loads from the cruise ship anchored in Lahaina Harbor had already deposited their tourists at the site. We walked through most of the beautiful park, took a few pictures to remind us how lucky we were to be at such a special place and enjoyed the marvelous scenery. Dottie waited below while Bill climbed the 144 steps for a better view of the Iao Needle with a back drop of the nearby ocean.
A short ride from the Iao Needle we found Kapaniwai Heritage Gardens that displayed several gardens designed to celebrate the various nationalities that have immigrated to Hawaii in the past. At each garden a plaque told the histories of the immigrant groups that included Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese and, much to our surprise, Puerto Ricans. We wandered through the various gardens taking exception to a family that we watched who were netting Coi out of a pond in front of a large sign that told visitors not to remove fish or plants from ponds.
We found a place called “Maui Plantation” where we knew we could find a restaurant. We arrived a few minutes before 2:00 PM and were told by the greeter that the lunch service usually ended at 2 but we could make it if we hurried. We did and were pleased that we did. The lunch room was one that looked as though it could serve a half dozen tour busses at once. Obviously, the purpose of the business was to cater to cruise ship tourists in large numbers. As we ate near a window overlooking a beautifully landscaped area, an elephant train loaded with tourists passed by. We were certain that the guide/driver was pointing us out to the attentive tourists as some form of life unique to the region. We later took the train ride and found that there were actually some unique flora near our window that caused the gawking in our direction. The ride took us through the plantation where quarter acre plots featured all of the fruits and flowers associated with the South Seas. We saw Bananas, Guavas, Avacados, Papayas, Mangos, Coconuts, sugar cane and several varieties of orchids and tropical flowers. We almost missed the ride because everyone else had purchased tickets at a ticket booth two hundred yards away. As I started to run for the tickets, the young greeter spotted us and gave the guide the high sign to allow us to ride sans tickets as his personal guests. We figured he must be a real Hawaiian.
After our Maui Plantation visit we sought out the Maui Historical Society Museum at Wailuku. The museum was housed in a residence that once was home to an early Mormon settler who seemed to include everything and anything in his resume. He formed a school for girls on the site while he managed a sugar cane mill, farmed, served as mayor and wrote books on the side. One of his sons is listed among Hawaii’s most notable early artists. The one remaining building from the girls’ school is now used as a gift shop where visitors can purchase some really nice things to take home and forget about.
Since we still had some time before we believed Clay and Marie would be finished with their round of golf, we set out to find a yardage shop where we could buy some Hawaiian looking print material to replace the table cloth and bench covers on the Lanai at home. We received some mixed directions from several sources that set us off across Wailuku in search of the local mall that we were told had a yardage shop. We found the mall and were looking for a parking spot when Marie called to say that they were looking for a ride home. When we arrived at the golf course the wind was at its full strength making it difficult to open the car doors and, once outside, to stand up without hanging on to something solid. Marie and Clay were happy as clams with their day chasing the little white ball and seemed to hardly notice the breeze.
The next several days were spent 1) trying to find a spot out of the wind to enjoy the warm sunshine, 2) revisiting Lahaina to continue our shop explorations and 3) enjoying several more of the outstanding restaurants in the area. We had a great lunch at the old Pioneer Inn next to the Banyan Tree in Lahaina and enjoyed reading about the history of the Inn. The account we read said that an English immigrant to Canada went to work with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This “giant of a man” who was unusually tall and weighed more than 300 pounds was sent to Hawaii in 1901 to arrest a suspected criminal who had fled Canada to avoid prosecution. No one knows what really happened but the RCMP didn’t catch his man and he resigned his post and stayed in Hawaii. During his first year on Maui he sold $50 shares to build a hotel. With the $7500 he raised, he built the Pioneer Inn and repaid his investors within two years. He operated the Inn successfully for over thirty years. One of his sons moved toTahiti where he spent a half dozen years. He returned to Maui, minus his French Polynesian wife, and worked to take over the management of the Inn. For the next dozen years or so the son successfully managed the business adding to the original holdings and establishing a liquor distributorship on Maui, all the while spending most of his days imbibing freely under the Banyan tree across the street. It is said that he spent so much time under the tree that he had his mail delivered to his bench under the tree where he spent most of his days and managed his various businesses. The original Pioneer Inn stands today as one of the most popular tourist attractions in Lahaina.
We enjoyed a Hawaiian breakfast with two friends who just happened to be vacationing on the Kaanapali coast while we were there. We drove into Lahaina with Joy and Paul Scribner for breakfast at one of the many nice places to eat on Front Street. It was a first meeting with Paul for Bill but Dottie and Joy had known one another for many years. Joy works with Dorri in the same dentist’s office where she is a Dental Hygienist. She knows more about Dottie’s teeth than anyone else but she wouldn’t tell me a thing pleading professional confidentiality. Joy and Paul enjoy traveling and we had a grand time hearing of their most recent travel adventures.
A search through local phone books led to the discovery of a large yardage shop at Kahalui and a GPS aided search ensued leading us the to shop we needed. With so many Hawaiian prints in stock, it became a challenge to select just the perfect match for our Lanai. Once found, it didn’t seem right to only buy one of the lovely prints so an additional five yards of fabric was added to the bill and we left for our ocean front home with thirty more pounds to be added to our homeward bound luggage.
On Friday, Clay left for home early and was greeted with the stand-byers constant hope….first class seating all the way home. Marie, Dottie and Bill followed the next morning to find their favored 11:45 AM flight sold out. Settling down for the next flight at 8:45 PM with fingers crossed hoping that room for these happy but pooped travelers would be available, or maybe the next flight…or the next flight.
Our love to all, as always….
Gram and Grandpa Bill, Mom and Dad, Dottie and Bill
PS: We finally made it onto an eleven o’clock flight that only had two seats for these three weary “stand-bys”. Seasoned stand-byer Marie volunteered to wait for the next flight that would probably not have any seats until Monday after the Sunday rush to go home. Thank you Marie. Thanks again to Marie and Clay for inviting us to join them on our wonderful stay on Maui. And thank you Clay for making sure we got home after we arrived in San Francisco.
Our Hawaiian Adventure
Early in 2009, friends Marie Hoemoeller and Clay Haller suggested that it might be fun to travel to Maui, Hawaii with them where they have a time share condo. We didn’t have to think about it very long after Marie announced that as a retired United Airlines employee she could arrange low cost stand-by air fares for us. Marie also knew of a nice condo that she had used in the past that would probably be available.
We checked on the availability of the Condo a the Kahana Reef and when we found it available when we wanted to go we sent a deposit and started dreaming of blue skies, warm sunshine, sparkling seas and a chance to turn off the rest of the world for a week and lay back and enjoy..
On Friday March 27 we picked up Marie before sun-up and headed for the San Francisco Airport. Clay had business to attend to and followed us to Maui the next day. We unloaded our suitcases on the sidewalk where Marie was greeted by skycaps as one of their own. She then took our car to park for free in the employee parking lot as we made our way through the usual stuff you need to to do to get to your intended gate. Marie caught up with us and we checked in at the gate as “stand-bys” and waited for assurance that there would be space for us on the flight. We got word that we could board and then an announcement was made that the flight crew found the plane unsuitable and another plane would need to be brought to the gate. Our original flight was scheduled for 9:20 AM, our replacement flight 11:45 AM. We were airborne about two hours later than we had planned but our “stand-by” status was working.
An uneventful, but sleepfull for Bill, flight took us to Kahului Airport on Maui and we were soon in our rented car heading for our condo at Kahana Reef. The community of Kahana marks about a mile of beach frontage with Kaanapali on the South end and Napili on the North; all connected by Honoapiilani Road. While these exotic names are accepted for directions, the State of Maui and the U.S. Post Office consider these communities a part of the city of Lahaina which is about eight miles away.
Once settled in, we joined Marie at the Sands of Kahana, her time share, where we enjoyed $3.00 “happy hour” Mai Tais before a light dinner of fish and chips. The long day we had spent getting to Maui easily convinced us that an early bedtime was in order and we all crashed. Marie spent the evening with us in our condo because her time share wasn’t to be ready until the following day.
On Saturday, we all drove back to the Kahului Airport, about 33 miles, and picked up Clay. On our return from Kahului we stopped for an early dinner at Buzz’s Wharf, a well known eatery at Ma’alaea Harbor abut half way between Kahului and Lahaina. We decided that the reputation of Buzz’s Wharf had been well earned as we enjoyed some delightful seafood.
Sunday found us on the road for the day with our first stop at a beautiful small Catholic Church on the crest of a hill overlooking the little town of Pukalani. After service, we continued on along a winding Hwy 37 in search of the little town of Ulupalakua and the Tedeschi Winery. The winery is a part of one of Hawaii’s old estates that has remained very much as it was in the 19th Century when a sea captain purchased a tract of land covering 6,500 acres. The land has had six owners over the years and each owner has tried to improve the quality of the ranch and its profits. A wide range of farm products have been developed over the years but sugar cane and beef have been the major crops. The winery claimed to be “famous” for its pineapple wine that sells like hot cakes to tourists. Our dry red wine tastes didn’t match the sweet pineapple wine so we passed on buying a bottle to take home. Our tasting covered a few other samples of the winery’s products but none seemed ready to compete in the world wine market.
A small museum featured pictures and stories about past owners and their families. It was interesting to note that the Hawaiian cowboys from the ranch have fared well in Rodeo competition on the main land. One hand from the ranch was actually the top cattle roper in US competition in the early part of the 20th Century. The stories of owner families told about many of the heirs who gave up their Hawaiian roots in favor of living out the second half of their lives in California.
We walked across the highway to a family owned pupu (snacks) and sandwich shop to buy our lunch which we ate at one of the several picnic tables nearby. We sat near a man who occasionally snapped a bull whip for the fascination of children who were picnicking with their families. We talked with the man who was weaving a lariat from rawhide. He described the rawhide lariat as a favorite for cowboys around the world. He told us that synthetic fabric lariats were available and used but they tended to be stiffer and much heavier than the preferred rawhide lariat like the one he was making. He didn’t look like a cowboy or an Hawaiian but we enjoyed meeting and talking with him.
The highlight of our day on the northwest end of the island was yet to come. The winery announced its schedule of activities, to bring people to taste their wine, which included a “Polo Match” featuring ranch hands doing their polo thing. Since we were there and the time was right, we walked down the road a quarter of a mile and 150 yards across a pasture to a seat on a felled tree overlooking a remarkably tailored polo field. In due time, the polo ponies and their riders took the field and gave the 25 or 30 polo fans on the hillside, the four of us included, a wonderful display of polo play or whatever it’s called. We sat on our tree with aching behinds through the first seven minute quarter during which one team scored a goal much to the concern of the other team. We duly applauded the fete and collectively decided that we had seen more polo than we needed for the day and motored back to our respective homes for the week.
By the end of third day in our island paradise, we took stock of what we had found to date. Our condo was beautiful in every way. Our fourth (top) floor balcony faced directly onto the sea where Molokai stood prominently in front of us. Only we rarely saw the island because it was covered by winter clouds. Several towering coconut palms swayed wonderfully in our view except that the high winds of our first few days moved them so briskly the flapping of the fronds drowned out the gentle lapping of the waves on the sea wall thirty feet in front of our room. The swimming pool below us featured dozens of lounges for sun bathing except that the high winds discouraged only the hardiest and most determined from gaining their Hawaiian tans. Being in Hawaii with our friends made up for these few wintertime shortcomings and we knew early on that our Maui get-away would be memorable.
Monday we spent most of the day enjoying Lahaina and its myriad of tourist oriented shops. We avoided buying tee shirts with slogans such as “How many times must I tell you I’m not stupid” and “Buy me another drink ‘cause you’re still ugly” and “Spooning often leads to Forking”. Ugh!! We found several art galleries that displayed dozens of art works featuring sunsets, whales and beautiful Hawaiian girls. Our tour wound its way to Bubba Gumps restaurant where we managed another round of Fish and Chips, this time made with Mahi Mahi. It was great. In the evening we searched for and found a nice restaurant at Napili Bay, The Sea House. The dining area opened onto the bay and featured a Guitar/Ukele playing singer that provided a wonderfully romantic ambience. We knew we had found the right spot when the performer sang the arrangement of “Over the Rainbow” that was played at our December 20 Family Wedding. We thanked him on our way out and stayed a while longer to dance to his music on a postage stamp sized dance floor.
Tuesday we drove to the opposite side of the island to drop Marie and Clay off at the Waiehu Municipal Golf Course where they played a round of golf in near gale wind conditions. While they were battling the greens, we headed out on our exploration of that part of the island. Our first stop was at the Iao Valley State Park and the Iao Needle. We knew we must be in an important place because several tour bus loads from the cruise ship anchored in Lahaina Harbor had already deposited their tourists at the site. We walked through most of the beautiful park, took a few pictures to remind us how lucky we were to be at such a special place and enjoyed the marvelous scenery. Dottie waited below while Bill climbed the 144 steps for a better view of the Iao Needle with a back drop of the nearby ocean.
A short ride from the Iao Needle we found Kapaniwai Heritage Gardens that displayed several gardens designed to celebrate the various nationalities that have immigrated to Hawaii in the past. At each garden a plaque told the histories of the immigrant groups that included Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese and, much to our surprise, Puerto Ricans. We wandered through the various gardens taking exception to a family that we watched who were netting Coi out of a pond in front of a large sign that told visitors not to remove fish or plants from ponds.
We found a place called “Maui Plantation” where we knew we could find a restaurant. We arrived a few minutes before 2:00 PM and were told by the greeter that the lunch service usually ended at 2 but we could make it if we hurried. We did and were pleased that we did. The lunch room was one that looked as though it could serve a half dozen tour busses at once. Obviously, the purpose of the business was to cater to cruise ship tourists in large numbers. As we ate near a window overlooking a beautifully landscaped area, an elephant train loaded with tourists passed by. We were certain that the guide/driver was pointing us out to the attentive tourists as some form of life unique to the region. We later took the train ride and found that there were actually some unique flora near our window that caused the gawking in our direction. The ride took us through the plantation where quarter acre plots featured all of the fruits and flowers associated with the South Seas. We saw Bananas, Guavas, Avacados, Papayas, Mangos, Coconuts, sugar cane and several varieties of orchids and tropical flowers. We almost missed the ride because everyone else had purchased tickets at a ticket booth two hundred yards away. As I started to run for the tickets, the young greeter spotted us and gave the guide the high sign to allow us to ride sans tickets as his personal guests. We figured he must be a real Hawaiian.
After our Maui Plantation visit we sought out the Maui Historical Society Museum at Wailuku. The museum was housed in a residence that once was home to an early Mormon settler who seemed to include everything and anything in his resume. He formed a school for girls on the site while he managed a sugar cane mill, farmed, served as mayor and wrote books on the side. One of his sons is listed among Hawaii’s most notable early artists. The one remaining building from the girls’ school is now used as a gift shop where visitors can purchase some really nice things to take home and forget about.
Since we still had some time before we believed Clay and Marie would be finished with their round of golf, we set out to find a yardage shop where we could buy some Hawaiian looking print material to replace the table cloth and bench covers on the Lanai at home. We received some mixed directions from several sources that set us off across Wailuku in search of the local mall that we were told had a yardage shop. We found the mall and were looking for a parking spot when Marie called to say that they were looking for a ride home. When we arrived at the golf course the wind was at its full strength making it difficult to open the car doors and, once outside, to stand up without hanging on to something solid. Marie and Clay were happy as clams with their day chasing the little white ball and seemed to hardly notice the breeze.
The next several days were spent 1) trying to find a spot out of the wind to enjoy the warm sunshine, 2) revisiting Lahaina to continue our shop explorations and 3) enjoying several more of the outstanding restaurants in the area. We had a great lunch at the old Pioneer Inn next to the Banyan Tree in Lahaina and enjoyed reading about the history of the Inn. The account we read said that an English immigrant to Canada went to work with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This “giant of a man” who was unusually tall and weighed more than 300 pounds was sent to Hawaii in 1901 to arrest a suspected criminal who had fled Canada to avoid prosecution. No one knows what really happened but the RCMP didn’t catch his man and he resigned his post and stayed in Hawaii. During his first year on Maui he sold $50 shares to build a hotel. With the $7500 he raised, he built the Pioneer Inn and repaid his investors within two years. He operated the Inn successfully for over thirty years. One of his sons moved toTahiti where he spent a half dozen years. He returned to Maui, minus his French Polynesian wife, and worked to take over the management of the Inn. For the next dozen years or so the son successfully managed the business adding to the original holdings and establishing a liquor distributorship on Maui, all the while spending most of his days imbibing freely under the Banyan tree across the street. It is said that he spent so much time under the tree that he had his mail delivered to his bench under the tree where he spent most of his days and managed his various businesses. The original Pioneer Inn stands today as one of the most popular tourist attractions in Lahaina.
We enjoyed a Hawaiian breakfast with two friends who just happened to be vacationing on the Kaanapali coast while we were there. We drove into Lahaina with Joy and Paul Scribner for breakfast at one of the many nice places to eat on Front Street. It was a first meeting with Paul for Bill but Dottie and Joy had known one another for many years. Joy works with Dorri in the same dentist’s office where she is a Dental Hygienist. She knows more about Dottie’s teeth than anyone else but she wouldn’t tell me a thing pleading professional confidentiality. Joy and Paul enjoy traveling and we had a grand time hearing of their most recent travel adventures.
A search through local phone books led to the discovery of a large yardage shop at Kahalui and a GPS aided search ensued leading us the to shop we needed. With so many Hawaiian prints in stock, it became a challenge to select just the perfect match for our Lanai. Once found, it didn’t seem right to only buy one of the lovely prints so an additional five yards of fabric was added to the bill and we left for our ocean front home with thirty more pounds to be added to our homeward bound luggage.
On Friday, Clay left for home early and was greeted with the stand-byers constant hope….first class seating all the way home. Marie, Dottie and Bill followed the next morning to find their favored 11:45 AM flight sold out. Settling down for the next flight at 8:45 PM with fingers crossed hoping that room for these happy but pooped travelers would be available, or maybe the next flight…or the next flight.
Our love to all, as always….
Gram and Grandpa Bill, Mom and Dad, Dottie and Bill
PS: We finally made it onto an eleven o’clock flight that only had two seats for these three weary “stand-bys”. Seasoned stand-byer Marie volunteered to wait for the next flight that would probably not have any seats until Monday after the Sunday rush to go home. Thank you Marie. Thanks again to Marie and Clay for inviting us to join them on our wonderful stay on Maui. And thank you Clay for making sure we got home after we arrived in San Francisco.
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