“USA 🇺🇸 ~Just Getting Started! Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii!”
Aloha!
We Have Arrived!
Our flight from the Portland International Airport in Oregon, to San Francisco, California went by very fast. Our layover of three hours at SFO, gave us plenty of time to eat, before settling in for the final leg of our journey; the long flight over water, to reach Hawaii. I’ve been flying in planes so long, I remember non-stop flight. Now THOSE we the days!
Departing San Francisco
Flying in and out of San Francisco can be tricky.
In the winter months I avoid transfer flights involving San Francisco, because fog can be a huge issue, causing many delayed flights.
In the summer months, there still can be a blanket of fog to contend with, but it not as thick; though the famous Golden Gate Bridge still can’t be seen from the plane very often; due to said cloud cover/fog, but the delays are not as much of a problem.
We had no issue, and departed in time; arriving in Kona, ten minutes early!
It was dark upon our arrival, and at 9PM Hawaiian time, it was midnight for us, coming from the west coast time zone on the mainland, in Oregon. 🥱
Our sweet friend, Lisa was there to greet us and pick us up. Soon we were at hers and Dave’s house, looking forward to a good nights sleep.
We woke up to the most beautiful morning and enjoyed our coffee out on the lanai; looking down over the Pacific Ocean.
Our view for the next 8 days ⬆️
⬆️ Together, the eight main Hawaiian Islands: Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, Kaho’olawe, Lanai and Ni’ihaun, are home to virtually every geographic formation, terrain and climate to be found on earth, and the possibilities for outdoor enthusiasts are boundless: There are lava deserts on the Big Island and highland rainforests on Kauai; on Molokai you’ll find the world’s tallest sea cliffs and miles of pristine beaches.
The 137 islands, islets and shoals that make up the Hawaiian Island chain sit at the northern tip of the Polynesian Triangle, an expanse of ocean roughly the size of Europe and North America combined.
As one of the most geographically isolated, continuously populated spots on Earth, Hawaii is a land of many contrasts. Urban Honolulu, on Oahu, is the state capital. It is a cosmopolitan metropolis with a population of more than 370,000; the entire island of Molokai, a scant 50 miles away, has 7,400 residents.
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At Lisa and Dave’s Place ⬇️
Ideal!
Far off in the distance, with no noise at all, we can watch the boats going in and out of Kona Harbor, as well as the planes flying out of the Kona Airport.
It’s customary to wave goodbye to the “sad people,” who have to leave, Kona, (as we try not to think of our departure day).
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Just a few facts that may surprise you about the Hawaiian Islands:
• home to the longest continuously erupting volcano in recorded history (Kilauea Caldera on the Big Island has been producing a lava flow since January of 1983)
• has no daylight savings time
• is home to the oldest educational institution west of the Rocky Mountains (Lahainaluna School in Lahaina, Maui, founded in 1831). The Lahainaluna campus was also the site where the first newspaper, west of the Rocky Mountains was published, in the late 1830s.
• has no snakes in the wild
• is considered the nation’s endangered species capital
• is home to the tallest mountain on the planet (Mauna Kea on the Big Island; measured from the seafloor, at 33,476 feet. From sea level it measures 13,796 feet high).
• has the only U.S. city to be founded by royalty (Honolulu, on the island of Oahu), and hosts the only royal residence on U.S. soil (‘Iolani Palace)
• hosted a structure (‘Iolani Palace) that featured electricity, before even the White House in Washington, D.C.
• had a Hawaiian monarch; King Kalakaua, who was the first reigning monarch to circumnavigate the globe and the first foreign head of state to speak before a joint session of Congress.
• had a population that, during the Hawaiian monarchy, was among the most literate in the world.
• is home to (reportedly) the wettest spot on earth (Wai’ale’ale, Kaua’i’s highest mountain, records about 485 inches of rainfall per year)
• has two official languages: Hawaiian and English
• is comprised of 137 islands, encompassing a land area of just over 6,423 square miles (and only seven of these islands are inhabited).
• is still growing ~Lo’ihi, a new seamount is 20 miles off the Big Island of Hawaii, giving birth to the chain’s next island; due to rise above the waves in another 60,000 years)
• is the most geographically isolated population center on earth (we’re 2,000 miles from the Marshall Islands, 2,390 miles from California, 2,500 miles from Tahiti, 3,850 miles from Japan, 4,900 miles from China, and 5,280 miles from the Philippines)
• has no rabies and requires a strict process to determine if incoming cats and dogs have the disease
• is the only place on earth that hosts all branches of the U.S. military
• is the only state in the nation with no incorporated towns (towns and regions are governed by counties, each encompassing an entire island or more: The City and County of Honolulu govern the island of Oahu, plus all the isles stretching north up the Hawaiian Island chain to the island of Midway; the County of Maui governs Maui, Moloka’i, Kaho’olawe and Lana’i County of Hawai’i governs the Big Island of Hawai’i; and the County of Kaua’i governs Kaua’i and Ni’ihau. Each county has a mayor and a council.)
• has the most advanced telecommunications system in the world; is one of only five states in the U.S. with 100 percent digital switching for telephones; and has more fiber optic cable per mile, per capita, than any other state.
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By only day two of our island getaway, I managed to throw out my back. Really?
I’m hobbling around like an old lady, so we put off picking up our rental car, until tomorrow, hoping I will be mobile enough again, to go exploring!
Here’s the thing about renting a car on the islands; due to the Covid-era, and the previous lack of tourists:
30-40 percent of the rental fleet has been sold off. This caused a huge shortage in rental cars, now that tourists are back. What has come about is locals renting out their personal vehicles, to score some extra cash.
Prices are not cheap though, but if ya want a car to explore, ya must pay. We are renting for only five or six days of our stay at $100/ day. We made sure to get full-coverage insurance, before we left the main land, to have during this island time. Not required, but a darn good idea.
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Lisa and Dave also had other guests with them at their home, when we arrived. What a great couple; Rich and Pam. Their two kids were so sweet and very enjoyable to be around.
As of yesterday, they left Lisa and Dave’s, to adventure at the Friemont, on another part of the island; to continue their family vacation.
For Dave’s birthday, we all gathered at the Friemont, for a wonderful evening of great conversation, drinks, story-telling, laughing and of course a beautiful sunset!
(yes, we saw the “green flash)!” ⬇️
The green flash occurs because the earth’s atmosphere works like a giant prism that bends and disperses the sunlight.
This effect is particularly significant at sunrise and sunset when the solar rays go through more of the lower, denser layers of the atmosphere.
⬆️ This photo is from my trip to Maui, years ago, of the “green flash;” Which is a bit like a green orb, or an arc of light.
An Evening Out With Friends ⬇️
Lisa and I have known each other for 45 years! We met in high school after we both made the cut to be on Varsity Rally. BTW, everybody should be so lucky to have a bestie like Lisa!
We have great memories and history. Now, we have the pleasure of all of knowing each other.
Yes, we had warm winds, blowing, which is very normal along the shores of the Hawaiin islands.
Love him ❤️ ⬆️
We only just met Rich and Pam, through Lisa and Dave, but already feel like we’ve known them a long time. They are our kind of peeps!
We all have hopes of meeting up; out in the world, someplace to travel together!
Pork Belly ⬆️
Twice baked potatoes in bone marrow and Ribeye! ⬆️
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Lisa and Dave have separate living quarters called the “Ohana House” on the same property as their main home. They love having company and we are so fortunate to be recipients of their generosity.
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To say we are having a wonderful time in Hawaii, is an understatement!
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⬆️ Here is a wide-angle view of the Hawaii chain of islands.
While I’ve been to Oahu and Maui, this is my (our) first visit to the “Big Island,” as it is known. Hilo on the west coast is the Capital, but we are on the east coast of Kona. With a car, tomorrow, we will get an early start and drive to the southern reaches.
We would love to do a helicopter tour, but at almost $500 pp, it’s quite spendy.
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⬆️ The millipede is a large creature capable of harm. They bite!
Be aware.
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⬆️ We are staying in Kailua-Kona
The total flight duration time from Portland, Oregon (PDX) to Kailua-Kona (KOA) is typically 9 hours 58 minutes. Let’s just call this a 10-hour flight. This is the average non-stop flight time based upon historical flights for this route.
During this period travelers can expect to fly about 3,354 miles.
(we did not have non-stop, but you get the idea)
Oregon ~We flew out of Portland in the North
California ~San Francisco is in the North
The Hawaiian Islands (seen in the insert) are actually located across the water, southwest of California.
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About Us
Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More