Hawaii 2012

Heading to the Big Island in November.  Here's the itinerary:

November 14 – Depart O’Hare @ 10:04 AM

                         Arrive Honolulu @ 3:08 PM

                         Depart Honolulu @ 5:03 PM

                         Arrive Hilo @ 5:54 PM                                               

November 14 - 17       Chalet Kilauea

                                    19-4178 Wright Rd

                                    Volcano, HI 96785

            800-967-7786

                                   Chalet Kilauea              
                    

November 17 - 20     Royal Kona Resort
                                  75-5852 Alii Drive

                                  Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
                                  Royal Kona
                     

November 21 – Depart Kona @ 3:49 PM                                                                                                                     Arrive Honolulu @ 4:32 PM

                         Depart Honolulu @ 8:03 PM

                         Arrive O’Hare @ 8:05 AM (Nov 22 - Thanksgiving Day)

Guns, Chases and the rest of our last day

Memorial Day was spent driving from Charleston to Raleigh, NC (so Renee could cross both Carolinas off her state list) for our flight back to O'Hare.  We drove north up the coast of South Carolina along Highway 17 and then got on I-40 in Wilmington NC.  We were only a little ways into our drive when we saw a nice Escalade pulled over on a side street with about 4 police cars and the officers standing with their guns pointed at the occupants.  Such excitement for 9 AM!  The rest of South Carolina was pretty boring compared to that.  I was hoping to see the ocean on our drive, but we were mostly surrounded by trees.  We did drive through Myrtle Beach, which was not that exciting.  Lots of traffic and lots of mini-golf courses.  The water was again too far away to really see.  We crossed the NC border and stopped for lunch at a Wendys.  The real excitement happened shortly after we were back on the road.  A motorcycle when flying by the car and was closely followed by a police car.  Well, not far behind were several more police cars.  Other drivers did not seem to care that sirens were blaring and lights were flashing as they weren't quick to get into the right lane.  The motorcycle just went straight down the middle of the two lanes.  So Renee and I were speculating about what the guy had done and if we would see him stopped.  She commented that at least he was wearing a helmet!  Farther along, the traffic came to a crawl.  I spotted an ambulance coming down the ramp, followed by a firetruck and police car.  Everyone pulled over for the ambulance and promptly moved back into line, apparently not noticing the fire truck.  Finally, the vehicles got through and we could see them stopped.  I was hoping to not see a squished motorcycle rider in the middle of the street.  Eventually, we pulled by and saw the motorcycle in the ditch and the guy on a stretcher.  Renee says his face was uncovered so maybe he wasn't dead.  There was a Jeep pulled over that we assume must have hit him or he hit her.  We counted and there were 11 police cars at the scene!  Guess the guy wasn't being pulled over for a simple speeding ticket!  The rest of the ride was uneventful.  We circled around Wilmington and were able to see the Battleship North Carolina that is docked there and some views of the harbor.  Once on I-40, it was trees and more trees.  We could not see Raleigh from the interstate.

The Raleigh-Durham airport is really nice.  The Hertz bus lady was super friendly, there were no lines to check in or go through security.  We got to experience the full body scanner, which I thought was really simple and no big deal.  The airport was clean, quiet and spacious.  Now it may not be that way all the time, but at 4:00 on Memorial Day it was.  Our plane left on-time and even arrived early to O'Hare.  We were able to check our bags at the gate for free due to the flight being full and they were already coming around the belt by the time we got down to baggage claim.

I would like to mention that Sunday night we at a place called Hubee Ds and it was delicious.  We each got the junior chicken tender basket.  For $5.50 you got 2 chicken tenders, a bunch of fries, coleslaw and cornbread.  The tenders were just delicious and the cornbread was so sweet and moist.  They had lots of dipping sauces to choose from and free boiled peanuts to sample.  Renee and I sampled and we did not like.  For dessert, we got the fried banana pudding and that was just heaven.  3 pieces of fried banana, creamy pudding and chocolate drizzle.  A great way to end our last night.

Charleston in late May is hot, humid and still charming.  A little too hot and humid for us, but that's ok.  Next time, I would like to experience it in cooler weather when walking around the various historical spots isn't unbearable.  The people are friendly, the city accessible and the scenery beautiful.  A must visit city!

Ships, Forts, Beaches and Charles Towne

Yesterday, Renee and I went to Patriots Point.  This is one of the world's largest military maritime museums.  We again managed to arrive early enough to be the first ones in line to buy tickets.  Got onto the 10:45 Fort Sumter tour, which gave us plenty of time to tour the USS Yorktown and USS Laffey.  We were glad to be there in the morning as it was already warm in the ships.  We toured the living quarters on the Yorktown as well as the flight deck and engine room.  The flight deck was a great place to cool off and get some good views of Charleston and the harbor.  The Yorktown serves a Navy style lunch in the CPO Galley.  We could not get the lunch because of our Fort Sumter tour, but it looked like they were serving meatballs with gravy and some other stuff.  Probably delicious.  After the Yorktown, we toured the USS Laffey, a destroyer that was part of the D-Day invasion at Normandy.  The submarine that is part of Patriots Point is closed for repairs through mid-summer. 

We were second in line to get on the boat to Fort Sumter and found great seats right at the back of the boat by the railing.  We saw several dolphins on our way out and back from the fort.  A park ranger greets you at Fort Sumter and offers a short history talk.  The original fort was much taller than the remains and was supposed to hold a garrison of over 600 men.  The 85 Union troops who occupied her for the beginning of the Civil War managed to hold off for 4 or 5 days before surrendering.  NO casualties were reported, but 2 men died in the 100 gun salute that the Confederate Army allowed after the surrender.  So the first two casualties of the Civil War weren't even during a battle.  You have 1 hour on the fort after the boat arrives and that is plenty of time to walk around and explore.  The entire trip is 2-1/4 hours.  I think it's well worth it.

Renee and I wanted to go back to the beach for the hot afternoon so we got lunch, got our swimsuits and headed back to Folly Beach.  Well, the traffic for the last few miles was at a crawl and then there were no parking spots that we could find so we just turned around and sat at the pool at the motel instead.

Today, there was no evidence of subtropical storm Beryl, so we put our suits on again and headed out to Folly Beach first thing.  It was a great plan as we found a perfect parking spot on the street (free!) that was right by public beach access.  When we got to the beach, we could see that Beryl was helping to generate some giant waves and a lot of wind.  We plopped our towels down in the sand, sat down and promptly had sand all over.  The wind was just whipping that dry sand and it was pretty painful.  Finally, we just walked along the water and watched the kids playing close to the edge of the waves and the surfers trying to stand up and the dogs enjoying the beach.  We got our clothes, changed and walked out on the pier.  Lots of people fishing, but no one caught anything while we were up there.  The sign mentioned shark fishing and that would have been neat to see! 

After the beach, we headed to Charles Towne Landing.  This is a state park that replicates the original village of Charles Towne.  It was quite warm so we only walked as far as the Animal Forest.  There are shore birds, otters, puma, bear, deer, bobcat, bison and turkeys.  The air was cool walking in the Forest, but not so much when you got back out into the sun.  We skipped doing anything else for the day and spent the afternoon sitting by the pool.  But that's what vacation is for!

Plantations!

My most favorite place in Charleston is Drayton Hall.  This old stately home is the best to visit because it hasn't been modernized and is not full of "period" furniture.  I recommend arriving right when they open the gates at 9.  That gets you on the first house tour at 9:30 and it is likely to be a much smaller group than later tours.  When I went a few years ago, I was the only person on the first tour and right after I was done, a tour bus showed up.  Renee and I arrived before they even opened the gates and were the first car through.  We were able to walk around the lawn and take pictures without other people in the way.  Spotted 3 small alligators sunning themselves by the reflecting pond!  The tour is great.  Our guide, Deena, was wonderful.  She explained about the portico problem they are currently spending all their efforts on.  The porch is slowly settling at a rate faster than the rest of the house.  A lady is excavating the columns and has discovered that one side of the house has 6 rows of bricks and the other has only 5.  We were able to watch her digging and also another lady adding new mortar in the back of the home.  The home has no running water or electricity, other than a few safety boxes added in the narrow interior stairwell and fans for summer.  This morning there was such a lovely breeze coming off the Ashley River and the house was very comfortable.  We walked down to the Ashley River after the tour was over and then around to the reflecting pond.  The air was a bit muggier as we headed away from the river.  We were able to get close to a little alligator and take his picture while he was sitting in the water.  Drayton Hall is such a quiet and peaceful place.  Be sure to stop at the African-American Cemetery on your way out.

Renee and I had a delicious lunch at Middleton Place.  They serve you 3 courses for a fixed price of $18.95, which is a pretty great deal with the options they have.  Renee had Charleston She Crab Soup, Shrimp and Grits and Huguenot Torte.  I had the Field Greens Salad with fruit, Pulled Pork and Key Lime Pie.  Renee said all her food was delicious.  My salad came with strawberries, pineapple and grapes with a Champagne Vinaigrette.  The Pulled Pork came with collard greens and Hoppn' John, neither of which I care for, but the pork was delicious and I did try the Hoppn' John.  The Key Lime Pie was delicious.

After lunch we walked around the grounds.  Saw a few more alligators and lots of gardens.  We checked out the farm animals, which are all from the period when the plantation was in operation.  The home that is still standing was used as the guest quarters.  The main home was destroyed in 1865 by Union troops.  Drayton Hall was spared because it was apparently labeled as a place with smallpox.  Middleton Place has more buildings to visit and large gardens to tour.  The admission cost is also higher.


The Charleston Tea Plantation was our next stop.  They have remodeled the gift shop since my last visit and have lots more varieties of tea to sample.  You can have as many samples as you want.  They were currently offering a sample of their First Flush Tea as a hot tea, but it was out when we got there.  The First Flush is made from the very first harvest of the season.  The taste of the tea changes each year depending on the type of winter.  It is called the First Flush due to the new, young leaves being flushed up from inside the existing plant.  Plants can be harvested every 18-20 days and are harvested from mid-April through October.  The Tea Plantation offers a free tour of the production room and also a $10 trolley ride around the property.  Recently added to the tour is their brand-new greenhouse where they are better able to grow new tea plants.

We stopped at the Angel Oak on our way back.  This is a huge tree that legend says is 1500 years old.  The sign says actual age may be 300-400 years old.  I like the legend better.  This tree is huge and the limbs mostly drape along the ground.  It's very impressive and free!

Renee has been talking about this fast food place Bojangles ever since we first went past one.  So we stopped and got food for later.  It's a chicken and biscuit place.  We each got a 2 piece chicken meal with sides and a sweet potato pie.  The skin is a bit spicy and luckily I took mine off because Renee's eyes were watering!  So now we can say we ate at a Bojangles.

Again, for anyone visiting Charleston do not miss Drayton Hall and be sure to get there early to take advantage of the smaller groups and easier access to the plantation.  This is my must see place.

Historic Charleston

Revisiting one of my favorite cities, Charleston SC.  I just love this history and charm of this place.  Renee and I arrived late Wednesday night into steamy Charleston Airport.  We had no trouble finding the rental car counter or our car.  Then we headed out to Hwy 17 to our hotel, the Creekside Lands Inn.  The hotel is charming with it's southern plants and creekside location.  There is a pool and breakfast is included.  The rooms aren't fancy and probably need some work, but the beds are comfy and the a/c works so who can complain!

This morning we headed for the Visitors Center to get a parking spot.  I was pleased to find out the trolley system is free.  In the guidebook I have, it showed $5 for an all day pass.  There are 3 different routes and we had no longer than about a 15 minute wait at any stop.  We started out walking as the morning was not overly steamy.  Walked all the way down to the Battery from the Visitor Center.  Explored a few of the cemetery's and checked out all the beautiful homes.  We started to walk back up towards the Waterfront Park.  We were pretty warm by the time we got there so hopped on a trolley to eventually get over to the aquarium area.  A lady pointed us to the East Bay Deli for lunch.  The food was good and the drinks were cold!  We decided to take a carriage ride after lunch and hopped on the various trolleys to get back to the City Market area.  The carriage rides are interesting in that you never know what route you will get.  There are 3 areas of the city and only 20 carriages can be out at a time.  One mule team cannot go out more than 8 times in a day.  Once you are on the carriage, it pulls up to a little hut where a bingo machine decides which area your carriage will head for.  The drivers have to tell the people how many riders and the names of the mules.  Then you are on your way.  We had zone 3, which goes through the western side of the historical district.  We past many beautiful homes and learned that homes downtown can be bought from a price range of $500,000 to $13,000,000.  Guess that explained all the fancy cars parked along the streets!  We had two tour guides and they were both wonderful.  They give a lot of history and answer any of your questions.  They explain why the houses were built in a certain layout and why the porch ceilings are "haint" blue (that color confuses the haunts and they either think it's the sky and fly up or think it's the water and drown) and what it means when the privacy door is closed (the ladies have their hoop skirts hiked 4 inches above the ground and that would cause the men to pass out or something like that).  A carriage ride is a nice way to see the city and a good way to cool off for a bit.

By this time, we were ready to get out of the city and headed for Folly Beach.  There was a bit of traffic getting there, but the beach itself was not too crowded.  I was able to find a place to park on the street, which is free, and right by the public access.  We did not have our suits, but the warm Atlantic water was so soothing to stand in.  The backdrop of the crashing waves and the Folly Pier was just perfect.  Wandering up the beach we found a small jelly fish.  That was exciting!  There are chairs and umbrellas for rent and we will do that if we make it back.  It was a perfect beach!

On our way back to the hotel we stopped for frozen yogurt.  The place had different kinds and you put whatever you want in your dish with whatever toppings you would like and pay by the ounce.  The honeydew and chocolate were a perfect combination!

I love walking around downtown Charleston.  It is so easy to picture what it would have looked like in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds because the homes are that old and all you have to do is add horses in the streets.  Down by the Battery it was so quiet and peaceful.  The stately homes line the park and provide the perfect backdrop to the Holy City.  I think this is a must visit place, but avoid anytime after mid-May if you don't like humidity or heat!  Tomorrow we check out the plantations!

Traveling Vermont's Scenic highways

Today's breakfast was the Green Mountain Omelet.  This thing was huge and filled with apples, sausage and Cabot cheddar.  It was good, but I could not eat it all.  The lady said it was 3 eggs and they must be huge eggs.  I had plenty of time to take the scenic routes back to Burlington as my plane didn't leave until 5:30.  I drove up through Smuggler's Notch again and continued along route 108.  I then followed the 15 to the 104 to the 104A to I-89.  These country roads were all 2 lane and the speed limit was no higher than 50.  Lots a beautiful views of the farmland and mountains.  The trees must have been so beautiful the week before.  Once I got back to the interstate, I decided to take Hwy 2 across Lake Champlain onto Grand Isle.  It was really windy and cold out so I did a lot of hopping in and out of the car to take pictures.  Ferries cross Lake Champlain to New York.  There is one that leaves from the island and it runs all year round.  I believe it is a 12 minute crossing.  You can also continuing driving north on the 2 and enter NY way up at the top before you cross into Canada.  I did not bring my passport so I did not drive all the way up.  The lake offers lots of nice scenery with the Adirondacks to the west and the Green Mountains to the east.  There is even a lake monster, Champ, that has been sighted numerous times.  Unfortunately, I did not see him! 

I headed back to I-89 and south two exits to Burlington.  There is another ferry that runs out of Burlington, but it closed on the 10th so I was not able to take it.  It must be for tourists and I guess the tourist season is over.  I drove down to the waterfront through the University of Vermont campus and the downtown area of Burlington.  There was free parking along the waterfront and a nice boardwalk and bike path.  I found a place with lower priced cheeseburgers and some pretty good fries.  I wanted to walk on the boardwalk for a bit, but it was dripping and cold so I went to the aquarium.  It seemed like a great place for kids.  There was a touch pool and lots of interactive displays about the lake and the surrounding area. 

I got bored with that and decided to just head for the airport.  The exit I had used to get to the waterfront was supposed to be the exit for the airport, but there were no signs anywhere directing you.  I ended up stopping in a grocery store to get directions.  It was in completely the opposite direction I was going, but in the end, I found it.  The Burlington airport has free Wi-fi and there was no line at the check-in counter or security!  Now if only O'Hare could add free wireless and figure out how to move people along faster!  Now I have a 2 hour wait until my plane leaves and then a 2 hour layover at JFK before I will finally arrive in O'Hare at 11!

This Vermont trip was great.  I was able to relax, see lots of beautiful scenery and eat lots of delicious food.  If I come again, I will make it a week earlier, pay the higher hotel price and get to see more foliage.  I would recommend Stowe as a destination as it has easy access to much of northern Vermont, has lots of little shops and places to eat and is just quite charming.  If you enjoy outdoor activities, there are lots of those options for all seasons.  The people were all friendly and it was very easy to find your way around, other than getting back to the airport!  I would love to come again!

The hills might be alive

Today was going to be a hiking day.  This was important because I started off the day with a crepe that was probably way too fattening and sweet to be a breakfast, but it was.  It had caramelized peaches with mascarpone cheese and raspberry syrup.  Oh my!

It looked to be a rain free day so I set off for the Smugglers Notch State Park.  There was a hiking path to a pond that I wanted to take that was supposed to be about 2 hours.  The road through Smugglers Notch is only open part of the year and I could see why!  Once you get past the gondola area, the road becomes very windy, narrow and lined with giant boulders.  It was one of those roads that I don't like to drive on, but I will be doing it again tomorrow when I head back to Burlington.  Anyway, the drive was very beautiful and probably was even more so a week ago when the leaves were all on the trees.  I pulled over at one parking lot along the route, but there weren't any signs that it was the main parking lot so I kept going.  Well eventually I ended up down on the other side and decided I had to turn around and go back.  Turns out the parking area I had stopped at was the main parking.  There were those little information sign places, but no signs in them.  And no rangers to direct you.  I saw other people heading up a steep rocky path, which must have been the way to the pond, but I am not comfortable hiking on paths that aren't well marked so I skipped it.  Maybe the signs are only up during the main season.  In any case, I headed back the way I came.  Parked in Stowe and wandered around a little, but shopping wasn't something I was interested in and it kept drizzling.  I did take some time to wander through the town cemetery where the first burial was from the 1780s. 


I ended up heading out of town to the Trapp Family Lodge.  Yes, those Trapps of Sound of Music fame.  The movie is really very far from being accurate.  All the names of the children were changed, the story of how Maria ended up with the family is different and lots of other things.  But, the family seems to take it all in stride as they have weekly showings of the movie at the lodge.  Apparently they ended up settling in Stowe because it reminded them of Salzburg.  I could see why when I drove past the front of the lodge.  It looks out over a valley towards the mountains.  These are not nearly as tall as the Alps, but are a good substitute if you can't go home due to Nazi's!  The nice thing about the Trapp Lodge is the abundance of hiking trails.  Visitors can purchase a $10 day pass and have access to all the grounds and trails.  If you aren't a guest or do not have a pass you can only enter the Lodge and eat at the restaurants.  There are several gardens and the family cemetery.  They have a brewery, make maple syrup and have cows.  I first got lunch at the cafe.  Several sandwich choices, some quiches, soups and meats and cheeses.  I ate outside as all the inside tables were full and I was the only one.  I guess it was too cold!

After lunch I finally got my hiking in.  One path leads to a chapel.  This path was mostly uphill and through the trees.  I was the only one at the chapel and it was so peaceful.  Then some kids arrived, rang the bell and played hide and seek.  Not so quiet anymore!  I then took a walk along Sugar Road to the Picnic Knoll and then back along the Russel Knoll track.  The Picnic Knoll was the perfect place to run up a hill and twirl around.  Luckily there were no other people there!  Got my shoes wet and was all warmed up by the time I got back to the car.  I started the journey with two sweaters, a coat and gloves.  Ended up with just the one sweater.  It was very quiet on the paths and they were well marked and a bit muddy from all the rain.  I would highly recommend the Trapp Family Lodge as a place to hike if you aren't an adventurous person since you can't really get lost.  They also have skiing and snowmobiling in the winter and mountain bike trails.  I think it was well worth the $10 fee.

By the time I was done walking around I was pretty tired.  So I just headed back to my room to sit down.  I went to Piecasso again for dinner, but got a slice and a salad to go.