My Fiftieth: Hawaii at DennyGibson.com

Postlude - April 14, 2017
This was a truly fantastic trip. The big accomplishment, of course, was visiting my fiftieth state but I also took my first helicopter and submarine rides and celebrated my seventieth birthday. Given that it was just eight days before that birthday, I'm taking the liberty of calling my hike to the top of Diamond Head an accomplishment, too. Although the trip involved eight airplane rides (3 out, 3 back, 2 inter-island) it also involved some driving. More than I expected, really. The routes driven are shown on the locator map. I also used public transportation when I could. It was excellent on Oahu, pretty good on Maui, and barely existed on Hawaii. Thankfully Uber had begun operating on Hawaii a couple of weeks before I got there. Several friends offered suggestions and shared their own Hawaiian experiences and that added significantly to my own. Mahalo to my stepmother, Tom & Monica, Brian T, Brian R, Alex B, and Bob A.

April 10, 2017 (day 19)
After a final meal in Kona, I boarded a plane around noon and arrived in Dayton, Ohio, a bit before 10:00 the next day. Elapsed time was about fifteen hours but it sure seemed longer.

April 9, 2017 (day 18)
After multiple mentions of taking a dive popped up, I did then drank from a flaming parrot. Oh, and there was a brewery tour in between.

April 8, 2017 (day 17)
Another full day of driving that took me to Volcano National Park and darned near the southernmost bit of land in the country.

April 7, 2017 (day 16)
Today I managed to change hotels without an airplane and celebrate National Beer Day in a most appropriate way.

April 6, 2017 (day 15)
This was a day spent quietly exploring things in and around the hotel including a small museum and a not so small Japanese garden.

April 5, 2017 (day 14)
I believe I rode in a helicopter for the first time today. I'm absolutely certain I rode in a helicopter today and fairly certain it was my first time. Of course, I have forgotten a thing or two over seventy years.

April 4, 2017 (day 13)
Following another good breakfast, I moved on to my third island.

April 3, 2017 (day 12)
Even though it was a gorgeous day in Lahaina, I spent part of it inside watching basketball and listening to music.

April 2, 2017 (day 11)
I did even less today than yesterday although I did manage to bring this journal up to date.

April 1, 2017 (day 10)
A little down time has is allowing me to catch my breath and almost catch up on this journal.

March 31, 2017 (day 9)
I fulfilled today's plans yesterday so today I did rather random stuff and not much of it.

March 30, 2017 (day 8)
Today felt like a real road trip as I drove the narrow, winding, and incredibly scenic Hana Highway.

March 29, 2017 (day 7)
Today I moved from Oahu to Maui following a wonderful beachside breakfast. Then I got in some planned visits on Maui before calling it a day.

March 28, 2017 (day 6)
I knew I'd be walking once I turned the car in but I wasn't exactly expecting this.

March 27, 2017 (day 5)
A lack of planning made my second day of driving less than it could have but it sure wasn't bad.

March 26, 2017 (day 4)
I picked up a rental car today and made it to a few slightly more out of the way places. Not all were off the beaten path since it was Sunday and the paths to the beaches were definitely getting beaten.

March 25, 2017 (day 3)
I took my first ride on The Bus and did a little walking. I climbed a tower, checked out a brewery, visited an armadillo, and watched a little hula.

March 24, 2017 (day 2)
I spent some time at a memorial I've wanted to see most of my life and also got to see and try some things I've only read about recently.

March 23, 2017 (day 1)
More than half of my twenty-two hour day was spent inside an airplane but I ended up in Honolulu and that makes it OK.

Prelude - March 5, 2017
A few years ago I started chipping away at the list of states I had not visited and in 2016 reduced the list to just one. The one remaining state is Hawaii and plans are in place to scratch it off in 2017. For weeks I've contracted and expanded the scale of the trip and I've mentally shuffled dates and itineraries but the shuffling and flip-flopping have ended and I now have a plan. I'll be flying out on March 23 and back on April 10. In between I'll spend six nights each on Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii (a.k.a. The Big Island). I'll be renting a car for a couple of days on each island so there will be some road tripping involved but flying, both to and between the islands, will be the primary mode of transportation. I don't mind flying but am not a fan of the lines and hassles of airports. I am very much dreading that part of the trip but it can't be helped. All Fifty Club, I'm on the way.

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