Hope's Travel Blog

Summer is officially over. It seems like I hardly did a thing all summer. I rode my bike out to the Coon Rapids Dam from my house once. Connor and I went to Elm Creek Park Reserve and went swimming and biking once. Other than these two things, I think I wasted an entire summer and have nothing to show for it. To make up for this alarming fact, over the weekend, Connor and I did a little exploring of Minnesota. On Saturday, we went hiking at Afton State Park with my friend Rebecca - different Rebecca than the one I backpacked with in Virginia. On Monday, Connor and I walked around Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles. Just two attempts to salvage the last remaining days of summer, or, attempts to let summer go out with a bang.

So, now what? Do I herald in fall with some excursion? You betcha! I'm heading out of town for the weekend to Duluth. I am actually going by myself. That's right. No kid, no parents, no pets, no friends, just me, my car, my bike and my longing for adventure. I'm staying at a B&B while there. I haven't ever stayed at a B&B, a real B&B before, so this should be fun. I'm staying at Manor on the Creek (http://www.manoronthecreek.com/) in the Ida Duncan room. I'll have a whole room to myself for two whole nights. This may not seem like much, but for me, this is a real treat. I can hardly imagine waking up and not having to take care of anyone but myself.

I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing while in Duluth, but I promise to report anything of interest here. Off to pack!

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 4:14 AM | Permalink

This is just one of the stream crossings we had to navigate through during our backpacking adventure. This was probably the scariest looking one, but not nearly the most difficult. This photo was taken after Rebecca and I both sucessfully made it across. What you can't see in the picture is the short falls that were downstream (to the left in the photo). They weren't very high, but just the idea of falling off the log, into the water, and over the falls with a 40 (or 50 lb pack in Rebecca's case) on your back was a little unsettling.

Oddly enough, this was not the stream in which my water bottle and Luna bar sprang free from my pack. That stream was an easy crossing. I think I was a little too confident in crossing it. As I hopped onto the last bolder, water bottle and bar were loosed into the water and were carried downstream. Thankfully, some day hikers were close by and could fish it out for me. Thank you Mother Nature for reminding me who is in charge out here!

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Rebecca and I survived our backpacking adventure. We spent 3 days and 2 nights hiking in the backcountry of Shenandoah National Park and along the Appalachian Trail. We saw some amazing things along our journey, such as a deer and her fawn, birds of prey launching off of mountain tops in search of food, and one shy black bear. We came out of the trip a little more appreciative of things like running water and soap. More details - and photos - coming soon.

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 12:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Amazingly, It's 1 am and I am packed and ready to go to Virginia. I have seven hours before my mom and Connor take me to the airport. A whole seven hours! Normally, I would still be pacing around the room trying to pack. This behavior is mainly due to the fact that I wait until the night before to pack everything. What makes it incredible that I can actually squeeze in six hours of sleep this time is that I had some extra gear to consider for the backpacking trip. I had to include on my packing list things like a headlight, so I don't accidentally fall off a cliff when walking around at night, or eating utensils, which will come in handy while trying to feed myself. Oh, and, food...gotta have that. Then there are all the fun fashion items like a hiking boots that I have to find room for in my luggage. Thankfully, I bought a big internal frame backpack that has most of my hiking gear and clothes in it.

The one great mystery about packing is why I always pack multiple pairs of shoes. Is it completely necessary to have hiking boots, sandals, running shoes, and walking shoes? The hiking boots and sandals are for, obviously, hiking and the moments when I want to give my feet a rest from the boots. The running shoes are along in case Rebecca and I want to go for a run. What about the walking shoes? Well, I have to have those because I can't wear my running shoes with jeans or with sandals.

Jeez, when did I become so high-maintenance?

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 6:57 AM | Permalink

I leave on Wednesday for Virginia to visit my friend Rebecca. I'm looking forward to the trip because I get to visit her and get to see a part of the U.S. that I've never seen before. I'm also looking forward to escaping my life for a while. There seems to be a confluence of personal issues in my life right now, all of which I can't seem to solve. For part of our trip, we will be backpacking in Shenandoah National Park which straddles the Blue Ridge Mountains. Part of the Appalachian Trail runs through the park, and we plan to backpack some of that, too. I'm hoping our time there will give me an good opportunity to reflect on what's going on and possibly figure out a way to deal with it all.

The plan is to hike a 28-mile loop through the park. If you look at the Old Rag or Whiteoak Canyon maps on the NPS's Shenandoah site, you can see the route. It starts at Corbin Cabin, descends to Nicholson Hollow Trail, then up to Old Rag's summit via the Ridge Trail. After what is described as a "scramble" up Old Rag, the trail descends via the fire road, then goes on to the Whiteoak Canyon and Cedar Run Trails through two gorges and then connects with the Appalachian Trail. Fun, eh? And all that with packs!

Other things we may do in Virginia include visiting Jamestown National Historic Site, which was the first permanent English settlement in North America. We also may get to sail in Chesapeake Bay, if the weather permits. Plus there will be lots of opportunities to chat with my friend and find out about the place she now calls home.

I'm hoping to post some blog entries and pictures when I'm not hiding in the mountains, so check back if you can.

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 9:28 AM | Permalink

Aloha means hello and goodbye in Hawaiian. So today, as we get ready to leave for home, I’m saying aloha to Hawaii. On our last day here, we spent the morning at the beach. It was a good thing we did. The surf was up, so we got in some last minute boogie boarding and body surfing. We also were able to see a Humpback whale breaching off-shore. The whales migrate through here and we’ve seen one every year. We hadn’t seen one until today. I’m going to think of it as Hawaii’s way of saying aloha to us.

The final picture from Hawaii is of the coffee shop that we stopped at every other morning for coffee, etc. Note the name of it: Keoki’s Surfin’ Ass Coffee Shop. The donkey balls that they sell there are actually made of chocolate and macadamia nuts. Just in case you were wondering.

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 3:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today is our last full day in Hawaii. We took a snorkel trip to Kealakekua Bay, which is an underwater marine sanctuary. The bay is also the home of the Cook Monument, which commemorates Cook’s landing in Hawaii and his death. Connor tried snuba, which is a combination of SCUBA and snorkeling. Basically, you get to breath through a regulator and dive up to 25 feet while the tank floats above you in a raft. Connor was down there for about 35 minutes and had a great time. He also spent some tome jumping off the high dive. I even went of it and was the only woman on the boat to do so (I had to show the men that a woman can go off the high dive, too.)

After the snorkel trip, we went to the Kona Inn Restaurant. This is our favorite place on the island. They have the best fresh fish and the best view of the ocean and the sunset. They also have this really interesting ceiling fan system. All of the fans are connected via belts, which are turned by one motor hidden behind a wall.

The photos below are of Connor and the snuba instructor John and of the ceiling fans at the Kona Inn Restaurant.

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Today we left Granny and Papa behind and had Mommy and Connor day. We started our day by going on a guided kayak tour. I was actually a little nervous about being out on the ocean in a kayak, since I’ve never been in one before. However, after a 30 second lesson from our guide Cassie, we were ready to head south along the coast. We stopped once to get a brief lesson on how to get in and out of our kayaks. It was a little strange to get out of the kayak and float around in open water. There are no beaches along this part of the Big Island, so dry land was your kayak. After that, we continued on to a sea cave. We actually got to go into the cave and ride a swell inside it. Once everyone had a chance inside the cave we continued southward towards our snorkel and rest spot. It was a great place. The water was clear and we could see to the bottom at about 30 feet. It could have been less, or more, it was hard to tell. There were also tide pools and a cliff to jump off of. The cliff was about 22 feet high. Connor jumped and unfortunately landed a bit wrong. He survived but decided not to go again. As for me, well, I did enough cliff jumping when I was younger so I decided to pass. The return trip was much easier. Connor figured out how to steer and I figured out how to let him steer. In general, it was a great experience. I was glad that we decided to go on a tour instead of renting a kayak and trying it out for ourselves.

After the kayak trip we had plate lunches at Kamuela Deli. A plate lunch consists of some meat dish – in our case it was kalbi ribs and yakatori chicken - two scoops of rice and macaroni salad. Macaroni salad is just elbow macaroni, mayonnaise and julienne carrots. The entire thing doesn’t sound very nutritious and it probably isn’t, but it is good. We were a little tired after the kayak trip so we decided to see a movie. It might seem like a poor use of time to see a movie during the middle of the day in Hawaii, but neither of us were up for sight seeing or getting more sun burnt. Thankfully, the theater had stadium-style seating, so now I can officially move here some day. I have always told myself that I won’t live in a place that doesn’t have it. After the movie, we watched the sunset, had sushi – including fresh Ono - at Wasabi on Ali’i Drive and then headed back to the condo. Our day together was busy and a lot of fun.

The pictures below are of the kayaks we used on the trip and of the sunset from the scenic point in Keahou.

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

After the beach – detailed in the previous blog entry – we drove to Lapakahi State Historical Park. The park contains the ruins of a Hawaiian village. There is a walking trail that takes you around the ruins. You can pickup a map at the trailhead. There are numbered sites along the trail that are detailed in the map. It was a fascinating place to visit. The first thing that you notice when you arrive at the site is the wind. It’s constant and blows from the Kohala Mountain. There is also very little shade, so when the Hawaiians first settled there, they needed both shade and protection from the wind. They built their hale, or homes, and other facilities using the resources around them, which includes volcanic rock.

One thing that I thoroughly enjoyed about visiting this site is that as a visitor, you were actively engaged in the process of putting yourself in the shoes of the Hawaiian people who had once lived there. The brochure details their lives, but it also asks you, “How would you have settled this area?�

The picture below is of the historic hale, which sports an A-frame, grass siding, volcanic rock fence, canoe storage, well, canoe launch, and stunning ocean views. How’s that for a real estate listing!

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Big Island has 13 of 14 climate zones within it. That’s why it is so easy to go from Keahou, where we are staying, to North Kohala to find the sun. This morning, it was a bit gloomy, so we got up bright and early and drove to the sun. It wasn’t far; only about 30 miles away. North Kohala has the benefit of being on the leeward side of Mauna Kea, which means that clouds are blocked by the behemouth on a regular basis. (I call Mauna Kea a behemouth because it has 10,000 cubic miles of rock and is taller than Mount Everest if you measure it from its base below sea level.) Kohala Mountain also helps to keep the clouds at bay in this area. So we enjoyed a day at the beach, swimming and snorkeling. Connor and I swam the entire beach, which is about a quarter mile long. It only took us about 11 minutes - Mom timed us - which seems really fast. When we were swimming it, we both thought it was taking us forever. The surf was rather rough and we we got bounced around a lot during our swim.

As you can see from the picture below, it was relatively empty. This is probably due to the fact that you have to pass by a gate and a security guard to get to it. The Mauna Kea Resort that is located along this beach has the road that leads to the public access. There is public shore access to the beach, as there is for any beach in Hawaii. Getting to it or any other beach that has a resort nearby can always be an challenge. I’ve seen beaches in Maui where the folks staying at the resort wear wrist bands on the beach so that they can get access to towels, chairs, and umbrellas sitting on the beach. The public beach, mind you. This is one of the slight irritations that I have encountered. Imagine if you were a local and had to deal with this on a regular basis.

PS I did get sunburned today. I managed to burn the tops of my feet, which is a very odd place to get sunburned.

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 8:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Why are they better here? Because I don’t have to get up early to go to work, silly! There is also the fact that the ocean is nearby and the weather is great. We did get up early so Connor and Dad could go parasailing. Mom and I sat by the shore at a coffee shop called Island Lava Java and watched them from afar. It seems that if you weigh less than 130 lbs, they won’t let you go by yourself. Rather than having to go with someone because I’m too small to go by myself, I opted not to go.

After parasailing, we all went snorkeling at Kahalu’u Bay. It’s a great place to snorkel. You just have to maneuver the rocky shore first, which can be challenging. Several people came limping out of the water after slipping on the rocks. Once you are in the water, there are plenty of fish to see. Dad and Connor even spotted a honu (green sea turtle).

Around noon the clouds began to roll in and we left for lunch. We had lunch at the Royal Thai Café. Mom and Dad have never had Thai food before, so this was a new experience for them. After lunch we took a drive to Greenwell Farms to buy coffee and take a brief coffee farm tour. We visited this farm before and loved their coffee so we had to go back. After Greenwell Farms, we drove down to Kealakekua Bay. Kealakekua Bay is important for many reasons. First, it’s where many dead ali’i, or Hawaiian royalty, have their bones interred in holes within the pali (cliff). Second, this is the site where Captain Cook first landed in Hawai’i. Third, part of the bay is an underwater marine sanctuary and has the best snorkeling in the state. Also on the bay is Hikiau Heiau which was allegedly a site for human sacrifices during the Hawaiian kapu system. Kapu means forbidden and under this system, most offenses were punishable by death. While at the heiau, we encountered the strangest dog. It ran into the men’s restroom, stole a roll of toilet paper, and began to gnaw on it like a chew toy.

Pictures below are top to bottom: Kahulu’u Bay, Kealakekua Bay, and the toilet-paper-eating dog.

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 7:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Today was our first full day on the Big Island. We decided to spend most of it at the beach. It was a beautiful day for it. The sun was out and the winds were down. We went to Hapuna Beach State Park near Kohala. The beach is approximately ½ mile long, and we swam the whole length of it. Connor complained a bit. Okay, he complained a lot, but we still swam it. We also did some body surfing and boogie boarding.

Pictures below from left to right, top to bottom are: Hapuna Beach State Park, our adopted stray cat Tom, fancy drinks from the Hard Rock, and sunset in Kona.

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 7:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We are finally here in Kona. After the 5 hour delay in Seattle, we were rerouted to Honolulu and delayed another 5 hours there. We arrived in Honolulu at around midnight. Our flight to Kona was scheduled for departure at 5:18 am. We had the option of going to a hotel on Honolulu and rebooking for a later flight. We opted to stay at the airport and wait for our flight. It was a good choice. Honolulu has had rain for about 40 days in a row, so hanging out there would have been depressing. We earned ourselves two flight vouchers for $200 off, which will get me to England sometime in the near future and maybe some other fabulous location. Suggestions are welcome!

We picked up our car – which has a retractable sunroof and lots of pickup – at around 7 am and headed for my parent’s condo. We made a stop for coffee and a donut at the nearby Internet café. When we got to the condo, we had a nice surprise awaiting us. Mom and Dad had upgraded their condo so Connor and I have a room to ourselves with two twin beds. The condo also has two levels, three bathrooms and a surround sound system. It’s really nice. It’s also big enough so that I could have brought all of my friends along.

Today we did a bit of exploring around one of our favorite places to wander, Ali’I Drive in Kailua-Kona. We had to hit the Scandinavian Shave(d) Ice place – Connor’s favorite – and were able to visit ‘Ahu’ena Heiau, which was King Kamehameha’s personal heiau or temple. Photos of both are included below.

Both Connor and I had very little sleep last night, so we all headed back to the condo at around 4 pm. We plan to head to the pool and then try to rest, so we can get going early tomorrow.

PS Wish you were all here.

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 2:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Should I be upset that Connor and I are delayed 5 hours in Seattle? It seems they encountered some mechanical problems during the flight check, which caused us to be delayed while they await another plane to take us to Kahului, Maui. We won’t get there until almost midnight; our arrival time in Kona is unknown. To be honest, I’d rather be delayed in Seattle awaiting a plane that works than be flying over the Pacific Ocean and our plane breaks down.

Connor and I have made good use of our time here. We decided to leave the gate and explore the airport. We rode the tram to the main terminal and wandered around the shops. We had fish and chips – cod fish and chips – at Anthony’s Fish Bar. We are now sitting on a bench watching planes take off. There is a lovely window here (see picture below) for us to view them as they lift off gently into the air. Beyond the runway, there is a line of pine trees with snow-capped mountains behind them. On our decent into Seattle, I noticed that there were pine trees dotting the landscape. I also saw the mountains and the bay as we were landing. I’ve never been outside of the airport, but this aerial view has made me think that I should come back here for a real visit. I’ll have to ask Kate, who lived here for a time, about the other wonders of the area.

PS They have wooden rocking chairs here! I waited patiently for someone to vacate one and eventually got a chance to sit by the big window and rock back and forth. What an odd thing to find in an airport, but somehow strangely comforting. Like a little piece of home away from home.

Connor says, "And you like the sunset don’t you mom?" He knows I am a big fan of sunsets. The sun is setting as we wait.

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 2:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's around 6 am and I haven't slept much. I can never really sleep the night before I leave for vacation. I can't seem to stop my brain from runnning through lists of things that I have or have not done. We have a long day of sitting in planes ahead of us - 14 hours from start, connection, to finish - so if I'm a little sleep deprived, I'm sure I'll make up for it en route.

I still need to wrap up a few things before I go, including sending some emails, writing this blog entry, finishing some work, and making sure the cats will have food and water. Thankfully our dog Chelsea is over at my grandparents' house while we are away. They feed her lots of treats so she is happy there.

So what can you expect from this travel blog in the near future? Hopefully, it will be updated at least every other day, if not every day. I will write entries everyday, but may not get to posting them each day. I also hope to include a "picture of the day" in each entry. I always take a lot of photos with my digital camera, so this shouldn't be a problem. The problem may be in picking one photo to post.

Before I move on to that list of things nagging me at the back of my mind, I wanted to mention that I had a really great send off from my friends yesterday. There were lots of well wishes from many of them, but I also met a few of them - you know who ya are - for happy hour after work. It was so much fun! I think we all decided that all birthdays and vacations warrant a happy hour be called by someone.

Now for those emails...

Posted by Hope L. Johnson at 11:57 AM | Permalink