TropicalCastaway

Miscellaneous Travel Adventures

May 18, 2012

Drove over to San Diego and spent the night on the boat.

The next day, we drove up to Los Angeles arriving around 6 PM. We checked into a Hotel and then around 11 PM, we left the truck at a parking facility near the airport. In the morning, we caught the early morning flight out to Miami, Florida. After a short layover in which we had lunch at TGI Fridays in the airport, we caught our connecting flight to ST Thomas USVI. We arrived in St Thomas late in the evening on the 19th only to realize that I had left my spare set of hearing aids on the table in the restaurant. We picked up a rental car at the airport – a Ford fusion – and drove off to find Blue Beard’s Castle.

After being stopped by the local constabulary for running a red light and being given a stern warning, we found the entrance to Blue Beard’s Castle and checked in for the week.

For the week, we had a nice studio apartment with a partial kitchen, a full bath, and a patio that over looked the harbor – one of the many harbors on the island.

The only drawback to Blue Beard’s Castle – other than the obvious that there never was a real pirate named Blue Beard and he did neither visited nor built a castle on St. Thomas, was all of the bloody steps. It was 36 steps down from the parking lot to our apartment, which meant that it was also 36 steps back up every time we wanted to go anywhere. Also, the pool was another 47 steps above the parking lot, and reception was another 16 steps above that. One of the major tourist attractions in downtown Charlotte Amalie was an area called the 99 steps. We went up and down these steps in the center of the old tourist town just to say that we had done it; and then I pointed out that from our room up to the reception desk was exactly – you guessed it – 99 steps.

During the week, we drove all over the island, burned up the transmission in the Fusion, enriched the local economy – sometimes unintentionally – and visited as many different beaches as we could find.

We made friends with the locals

And even got up close to the wildlife.

We checked out the fortifications guarding the harbor

As well as those at Bluebeard’s Castle

Perhaps the most relaxing beach was one that we had decided early on not to visit due to the admission fee.

With so many other beaches available, we figured we didn’t need to pay an entrance fee. Later in the week, we did stop in and pay the fee to go to Magan’s Bay.

The beach we enjoyed the most was at Hidden Harbor – the last beach we visited on the last day of our trip.

We stayed too long at this beach and almost missed our flight home. We found ourselves running from the security checkpoint through the gate area as they were announcing that they were closing the doors and all passengers should be on board.

As we returned through Miami, we stopped at TGI Fridays on the off chance that they had found my hearing aids – but no luck. We arrived back in LA late in the evening on the 26^th and retrieved the truck from the parking facility and drove back to San Diego.

Spent the day the 27^th hanging around the boat, went for a bike ride down to the cruise ship terminal, and dinner at the seafood restaurant near Mission Bay Marriott and Dana Landing.

On the 28^th, took the boat out sailing. We sailed east along the Bay towards the Coronado Bridge, and then turned back to the North along the back of the U.S.S. Midway and west back to the slip. We had a nice quiet, peaceful sail with Alanah at the tiller and me working the sails until it was time to come into the slip.

As we came along the waterway between “F” dock and “G” dock, we missed the slip and ended up motoring back out to the open area towards Spanish Landing Park. Then we took another try at getting into the slip only to be coming in too fast and riding the front of the boat up and onto the cushioned rail of the dock before coming to a stop. Like they say about airplanes, any landing you can walk away from is a successful landing – I guess that any docking maneuver you can walk away from is a successful maneuver.

July 4, 2012

The fourth of July came on a Wednesday this year. We rented a car and drove over to San Diego on the fourth. We anticipated the fireworks display right out our front door and across the street in San Diego Bay. About five minutes before the show was to start, we heard one loud explosion followed by another and looked out the boat cabin entry towards the Bay and the sky was filled with fireworks explosions – one after another; right on top of each other. The entire fireworks show that was to take an hour or more, went up within two minutes. The media reported the next day that there was some sort of “technical glitch” that caused the premature igniting of all the fireworks.

The next day, we took the boat out sailing. As we left the slip, the engine died and we continued to drift across the lane towards the other boats on “G” dock. I realized that I had not turned the gas on – just the water – and jumped down into the cabin, throwing the ladder out of the way, pulled back on the engine cover so that I could get to the gas valve, and sure enough, it was in the off position. I pushed it over into the open position and climbed back into the cockpit and the engine started right up.

We went out into the harbor and headed out toward the Pacific Ocean passing by Shelter Island on one side and the Navy Base Airfield on the other. Before getting to the entrance to the Bay past Point Loma, we turned around and headed back into the Bay and back to the slip. We had a great three hour sail without mishaps or complications. On the 6^th, we headed home to Scottsdale. We had tickets to the Beach Boys concert on the 7^th and did not want to miss it.

July 27, 2012

At 2:00 PM, I was told that if I was up to date on my projects, I could leave early, so I called Alanah and asked if she wanted to go to San Diego. I left work at 2:15 PM and by 4:00 we were on the road headed out of town. We had rented a car from Enterprise, packed and gotten away in less than two hours – some kind of a record – at least for us.

On Saturday, we decided to go sailing. There was a good steady breeze and we battened down the hatches and made ready for a day’s sailing. As we left the slip, I told Alanah that we wanted to swing the nose of the boat into the empty slip beside us as we pushed the boat back into the lane. As we were leaving the slip, the engine died. I knew that the gas was on and could not get the engine to start up again, so I grabbed the last line that ran from the port side of the transom to the dock to keep us from drifting across the lane. The wind was quite strong and it would not have taken long for us to have been blown those few 40 or so feet. Unfortunately, Alanah had released the bow and it was nearing the lane, almost clearing the end of the other side dock. I yelled for Alanah to run around and I would throw her a line. Then I ran up to the bow with one of the dock lines, looped it around the stanchion on the boat and gave it a huge toss towards Alanah on the end of the side dock. She and I were both surprised when she ended up with the entire line. It had come unhooked from the stanchion.

TTFN

November 2019

I was deleting files on my computer, and came across this file. It is a log of my trip in November 2019. I think this was my first solo trip to Hawaii.

November 2, 2019

4:30 AM SuperShuttle pick up at home and ride to Airport.

6:00 AM Delta flight from Terminal 3 at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Phoenix to LAX. Lax to Honolulu. 3 hours in Honolulu Airport. Honolulu to Hilo. Arrive Hilo at 4:00 PM.

Pick up jeep from Thrifty Car Rental. – Out of Airport about 5:00 PM. To WalMart in Hilo for groceries, and Home Depot to pick up concrete and block. Sign at Home Depot advertising 60 lb bags of premixed concrete for $7.89. Get to register, and the clerk tells me that they are all out of 60 lb bags. I tell her that there is a pile of it out on the front loading dock – maybe 30 bags – all I need are 4. She rings it up and I go out to load up. The yard boy points out that the bags I see are all 80 lb bags . . . they are all out of 60 lb bags. I load up my block and return into the store, to the same cashier, and I have to apologize and tell her that she was correct. The bags I saw were 80 lb bags, under the 60 lb sign. She has others in line, so she asks the cashier in Garden area to assist me. She credits my credit card the cost of the 4 60 lb bags, and proceeds to ring up the 80 lb bags. She says,” Because of the mix-up, I can discount these to the cost of the 60 lb bags”. I pay for the 80 lb bags at the 60 lb price, go out to the loading dock and load up my 4 bags and proceed to leave. All the while, I am thinking, “What difference did it make? – Why go through the exercise of refunding me $7.89 for the 60 lb bags I had purchased, that they did not have, and then charge me $7.89 for the 80 lb bags that they do have? Why not simply give me 4 80 lb bags and send me on my way?” Strange.

The place I am staying is in the Glenwood subdivision outside Hilo. I drive west on Highway 11 past the turn off to Pahoa, past the towns of Kurtisville and Mountain View. The map I have tells me that I need to turn on Glenwood road. I do not know if there is a traffic light at the intersection, or if this is one of the many minor roads leading off from the highway. It was dark when I was finished at Home Depot, so I am driving along Highway 11 in the dark with no streetlights, trying to find the names of streets that may or may not be well marked. I come to a well-lighted intersection with a traffic signal. Kulani Road. South Kulani Road to the left (Makai – towards the ocean), and North Kulani Road to the right (Mauka – towards the mountain) A few miles past this intersection is a small mini-market on the right side of the road, and just past this is a sign indicating that I am approaching an intersection with Glenwood Road. Just past the turn for Glenwood Road is a mile marker for mile 20.

I turn left onto Glenwood Road and head off into the jungle. Glenwood is a well paved road, wide enough for two cars – one each direction – but there are no painted lines on the roadway. The road follows the contours of the land through what appears to be individual farms of about 5 to 10 acres and it proceeds in a rather straight direction for about a mile, when it makes a 90 degree turn to the right, and another 90 degree turn to the left with about 100 feet between turns.

About 100 feet ahead is an intersection with a gravel road going left and right. Glenwood road continues straight south without stopping, while these two roads have stop signs. Off to the right is a gravel parking area about 50 foot square. Just past this is a speed bump with a sign telling you that it is a speed bump. 100 to 200 yards down the road is another speed bump complete with another sign.

Glenwood follows the contour of the land, is paved, as room for one lane each direction, but no markings on the pavement. Every mile or so is another intersection with a gravel road from each side. These gravel roads have stop signs, but Glenwood Road does not.

After traveling 3 or 4 miles past 3 or 4 gravel roads, I was concerned about finding Makoa Road, so I called my Air B-N-B host. I spoke with Jen. She talked to me as I made my down Glenwood for another mile until I came to a third speed bump, and about 100 feet past the speed bump is Makoa Road. Turning left, I was now heading generally East. Jen continued talking to me as I drove down this gravel/dirt/rocky road at about 20 miles per hour, for about a mile to another intersection with another gravel road traveling north and south with stop signs for this road but not for Makoa. Jen told me to continue through the intersection for about another mile. I passed an entrance to one of the properties off to the right where they have made a grand entry with curving rock walls about 2 foot tall and sloping up to 5 or 6 foot tall at the entrance with iron gates maybe 20 foot wide. Red cinders have been spread over the entire entry. I passed this and came to some entries on the left, but not the entry to the Air B-N-B I was staying in. Over a slight hill, down into a gully, there on the left is the large arched blue gate – made out of what looks like corrugated roofing. On a masonry column before the gate is a keypad, and Jen gave me the code for the keypad. After four or five tries, I finally got it right and the gate swung open.

As I drive thru the gate, off to the left is a lean-to type building with the tall side towards the driveway. This building is a post and beam structure 12 foot tall on the high side sloping down to about 8. It looks to be 12 foot deep by 30 foot long. It is cluttered with workbenches and there are two SUV type vehicles pulled in under the roof with their hoods up. Obviously, a mechanic shop of some sort. Off to the right is a structure that looks like it might be a house of some sort. The architecture appears to be beach driftwood classic. Sitting out front on two folding lawn chairs are two adults. I assume that they are Jen and Keith. I stop and get out as the husband gets up and walks over. The driveway is not very level, not well marked, simply dirt and rocks. About 30 yards ahead is a car parked off to the left, it looks like there are white chalk lines on the ground to indicate parking places. There is a sign with the number 3 straight ahead at what would be the end of the parking space. There is a tall building past the parking stalls – 18 to 20 foot tall, 4 or 5 foot off the ground.

He introduces himself and I promptly forget his name. He tells me to park straight ahead, but keep to the left as much as possible to leave room for another car to the right. I thank him for the instructions that Jen gave me, I comment on the gate. The person who had rented unit 4, which was the unit I was to occupy, extended his stay, so I will be in unit 3. The only difference is that unit 3 has a queen sized bed, where unit 4 has two twin beds. He talks about his business as an auto mechanic. We talk about coqui frogs and general stuff. I proceed to park.

I gather up a few items and proceed down the path towards the tall building. It appears to be about 36 feet long from left to right and the path drops down from the parking area through a slight depression towards the left side of the building. As I descend about halfway to the building, a motion sensor kicks a flood light on to light up the path. The path is covered in red cinders, as is the parking area. As I round the corner, another motion sensor kicks a second light on showing me a few steps of concrete and beyond these, is a set of three wooden steps leading to a porch that runs the length of the building opposite the parking area.

My unit is the first one at the corner, and when I get to the door, I try to enter the code into the door lock to unlock the door. There are no lights on the porch. I cannot see the buttons, much less the numbers on the buttons. I put down my suitcase and get my phone out of my pocket to use as a flashlight. I can now see the numbers and the keypad.

The door is a Stanley metal door with a window in the upper half that slides up. The unit is two story. The first story looks to be about 8 foot wide and 12 foot deep. Straight ahead and in the far left corner is what would be described as the “stairs” –

not much more than a ladder in an area 3 foot deep by 4 foot wide. To the right is a small room with a 3 x 3 fiberglass shower stall.

Immediately to the right as I enter from the porch (or Lanai) is a shelf in the corner at about 5 foot high with a small microwave.

To the left is another shelf at 3 foot above the floor with what appears to be a low voltage camping refrigerator – 18 to 24 inches long, 12 inches deep and 12 inches high – with a lid that opens from the top. In front of these two shelves and between the refrigerator and me is a 4 foot round glass table. There are two plastic patio chairs at the table. In front of the stairs/ladder is a folding table 24 inches wide, and 3 foot long. Above this is a wooden pole at a 45 degree angle with three plastic hangers.

I put my suitcase on the table, hang up my jacket and proceed up the ladder. At the top of the ladder, the ceiling is about 4’6” high and slopes away to the south where it is probably 8 feet high. The walls and the ceiling are covered with a plastic/melamine board with wooden strips over the joints – well, most of the joints. This same 1 x 3 is used in some areas as the baseboard. At the far south wall, there are two aluminum sliding windows at 4’6” off the floor.

To the left of the ladder is a 2 foot vanity and in the corner is a toilet. In front of the toilet is 3 foot of wall to provide privacy to the toilet.

Between this wall and the windows is a queen sized bed. Hanging on the wall is a 48” flat screen TV. The floor upstairs and down is covered in what looks like sheet vinyl. The seam in front of the vanity is held down with staples.

I return to the jeep and get the cooler and my backpack. I unload the stuff from the cooler into the fridge, heat up some roast beef I brought from Phoenix and make myself a sandwich.

I turn on the TV. I can get NetFlix, Hulu, and others, if I have them downloaded on my computer and have my computer hooked up to the TV. I turn off the TV and go to bed.

Sunday – Drive to Holowai – 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM 11/3

Sunday morning, November 3^rd. I wake up around 6:30. I go downstairs and take a shower. The shower head gives off a very fine spray which makes the water cooler than it is. The faucet is a single knob with a sign taped to the wall that says: “Turn valve all the way for cool, ½ way or less for hot”. I turn the valve to about ¼ to ½ turn and it is warmer, but not hot. After getting dressed, I have a bowl of frosted flakes. The electrical power is off from 11:00 PM until 7:00 AM, so the microwave does not work. The low voltage must be on 24 hours a day, because the lights and the fridge work. I rinse out my bowl, put the bottle of Pepsi and the carton of POG juice that I bought in the Jeep and head off to Na’alehu.

I stop in at the gas station/convenience store/grocery store in Na’alehu and get a bag of ice. At Holowai, I dig out the red cooler and put the Pepsi, the juice, a couple of bottles of water and the ice in. I start to unload the block and the concrete, putting the concrete on top of the pallets by the platform, and the block next to it. I have to stop and rest and wipe the sweat off many times.

Once the block and concrete are out of the Jeep, I put the buckets and the plastic bottles into the back of the jeep. Then I find some gloves and begin to move the pile of branches that I left at the northeast corner of the first lot, where I am planning to have a driveway. I move the branches into the gulley where I had started throwing rocks on the last trip. Then I go get the Jeep. Using the Jeep, I drive over the branches, crushing them into the rocks below.

I look at the driveway. Not a bad start, but it still needs more fill. Just past the gulley, is a small hill. I get the hammer, use it as a pick, and dig out this rise to the level of the driveway, throwing the rocks and dirt onto the crushed branches. To the east of this is another pile of branches. I move these branches into the drive way also using the jeep to crush these, back and forth, back and forth. I still need something to make a driving surface – I need a load of cinders.

A trip in the afternoon to the park in Waiohinu to get water to water the trees.

I move the block to the bottom of the hill, and cover the concrete with a black plastic bag, and head off to Glenwood.

Monday – to Hilo for Lumber 11/4

Monday morning, November 4^th, I wake up a little after 6:00 AM. Have a bowl of frosted flakes for breakfast and take a shower. I found that if I took off the showerhead, the water comes out of the hose in one steady stream, and feels a bit warmer. Under the far end of the front porch are the top half portions of some buckets that have been used as concrete forms. I “appropriate” these to use on my deck/platform at the bottom of the property. Also, I “borrow” a 4 foot level leaning against the wall in the third unfinished section of this building. I get into the Jeep and head off. Instead of turning left at the highway to go towards Na’alehu, I turn right and head into Hilo. I need to pick up some lumber for the deck at the bottom of the property. The trees on both side of the street are about thirty feet tall, and there is thick under brush growth. This is definitely a very wet area of rainforest jungle. A few miles down the road, I come to the Mountain View elementary school on the right side of the road. A modern well kept school complex – like most elementary schools today, there is an iron fence around the entire school. Further on, I drive past the town of Kurtistown and I notice that gasoline is priced at $3.79 per gallon at the 7/11 convenience store. I’ll check the price of gas in Ocean View later in the week. After Kurtistown, is the town/area called Keaau. At Keaau, there is a large intersection to the only highway down to Pahoa and the Southeast end of the island. There is always lots of traffic here, but this morning it is extremely heavy. Before getting to the bypass that connects Pahoa road to Highway 11 heading back into Hilo, traffic comes to a halt. We are 8 or 9 miles out of Hilo and traffic is moving at about 5 to 10 miles per hour. It is Monday morning, around 7:30 in the morning – must be the morning rush hour of people going in to Hilo for work from the outlying towns and areas. Slow and steady, it takes 45 minutes to get to Home Depot in Hilo. I pick up some 2 x 6’s and head out to Na’alehu. I drive back up past Keaau, Kurtistown, Mountain View and Volcano, before passing the entrance to the Visitor’s Center at Volcano National Park. I’m at about 4300 foot elevation and beginning to descend towards Pahala. Mauna Loa looms off to the right, the top shrouded in clouds and the slopes covered in green vegetation. Past the turn offs to Pahala and after the macadamia nut farms the road to Punalu’u Black Sand Beach goes off to the left. The ocean and shore views stretch out before me as I descend into a small valley with a flat bottom. At the bottom of the hill is the gated area that leads to a ¼ mile walk through the trees and grass to a crescent bay of black pebbles. Along this pathway, there are a few signs telling about historical events, and information about the plants along the way. At the other end of this valley is the other entrance to Punalu’u Black Sand Beach and Sea Mountain Condominiums. About half way across the valley there is a corral area off to the right under the Monkey pod trees. Directly opposite the corrals is a road with a yellow gate that is open and leads off through the tall grass towards the ocean. I have driven past it before seeing that the gate is open and decide that there is no time like the present to go exploring. I turn around and go back to the gate. Less than 100 feet past the gate, there is a rocky hill that would be difficult in a 2-wheel drive vehicle and impossible in a rental car.

I shift into 4-wheel drive and proceed up and over the rise of about 6 feet, and then descend approximately 8 feet. A 4-wheel drive is absolutely necessary to navigate the potholes at the bottom of this hill, and without 4 wheel drive, it would almost be impossible to get back out.

The road meanders through the tall grass, passing under monkey pod trees, and more rocky 4-wheel drive required areas.

The grass ends and in front of me is a small bay/lagoon that is relatively calm, with the waves breaking at the shoreline and reef line at the entrance to this small flat “pond”. On the opposite side, there are a dozen or so coconut palms.

To my right is a pole shed structure large enough for two full sized vehicles to park under with a shed roof sloping towards the ocean. The shoreline is covered in black smooth round pebbles smaller than a golf ball. The ocean stretches towards the horizon as I look south, broken only by the waves no taller than two feet that are breaking on the rocky shore. I stop the jeep on a flat, grassy covered parking area and walk out towards the fish pond. It appears to be no more than a foot or so deep, and the water is warm enough to be comfortable, yet still refreshing.

I fill my five buckets with small black pebbles, pull out the fishing pole and try a few casts across the surface of the fish pond. Nothing reacts to the lure I have on the end of the line as the waves slowly and caressingly cross from the ocean towards the back end of the pond. If I stay much longer, I will be tempted to stay all day, so I get back into the jeep and head back out to the road. Three or four times, I am grateful for the 4-wheel drive, and just before entering back onto the highway, I shift into 2-wheel drive.

I stop at Punalu’u Bake shop and buy a loaf of guava flavored bread rolls. Then I go across to the convenience store/gas station and get a bag of ice, and drive to the park at Waiohinu to fill up the bottles with water. It is noon before I arrive at the property on Holowai. I back into the parking spot I have created and place the buckets of rocks where the tires would go as I cross where I believe the property line to be. Using the jeep, I crush the branches and pebbles more into the driveway. It’s going to take a lot of trips for small pebbles.

I unload the 2 x 6’s from the jeep and take them down to the bottom of the hill where I am planning the next deck. The humidity is making itself known and I stop to rest many times. I move the concrete blocks to the bottom of the hill, and proceed to plan on how to construct this deck. I try leveling out the small hilltop and remove the dead limbs and branches. I stack a few rocks at the north side making a small rock wall.

I empty the water bottles onto the trees and plants and use a couple to wash my head, and arms and hands. I load up the bottles and the buckets, and call it a day.

Tuesday – 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM – Drive into Holowai 11/5

Stop at Fish Pond – 4 wheel drive – gather stones

Stop at Waiohinu Park for water

More digging and rocks into driveway area

Pour columns for lower platform

Ice in Ocean View

Home Depot in Hilo in evening – floor joist

Wednesday – 6:30 to 9:00 AM 11/6/

Cinders and rocks along road by sign to entrance to park

Water from Waiohinu park

Install beams on pillars

Get Chipper from Lorenzo

Chip pile by front entrance

Chip branches at driveway

Home Depot in Hilo for floor joist

Thursday – 11/7

Chip branches at south end of walkway – north End of house clearing

Back to Fish pond for more black pebbles.

Install floor joist over beams

Friday 11/8

Cinders from along the road near bridge construction

Chip pile at top of slope to bottom portion of property

Install fascia on ends of floor joist and two sides of platform

Water from Waiohinu Park

Saturday 11/9

Sand at ocean bath area

Ice in Naalehu

Community meeting about Fire Ants

Sort and organize –

Tarp from Ace Hardware

Back to the mainland.

TTFN

Puerto Rico – 2017

We flew into San Juan on a Saturday night, arriving at 10:00 PM. We picked up a rental car at the airport and proceeded to promptly get lost in the dark, in the rain, and it seemed to us, in a foreign country, in the mountains in the central part of Puerto Rico. Fortunately, this was not an indication of the week ahead. We found ourselves on a road labeled highway 187 that wound its way through what was probably the most beautiful mountain rainforest that we could not see because it was pitch black. The headlights had trouble piercing the downpour of rain limiting our vision to less than 50 yards ahead of us. Not being able to see gave us the advantage of not being scared out of our wits from the size of the pot holes in the road, the treacherous cliffs on the side of the road, or the narrowness of this one lane each way trek over and through the mountains to the southeast coastal town of Humacao. We arrived at the Royal Club Cala in the Las Palmas development a little before midnight which saved us from turning back into white mice like Cinderella’s footmen. We had booked our stay here through our timeshare at RCI and they knew ahead of time that we would be arriving extremely late. Check-in was simple and quick – without the typical timeshare sales pitch we have come to expect at most of the resorts we have stayed at in Australia, Mexico, Hawaii, and the Bahamas.

Sunday was spent finding a nearby WalMart and groceries. We also walked down to the ocean and hung out around the resort. When we were coming out of WalMart, it sounded like we were in an industrial factory; there was the noise of large machinery coming from many different directions. There was a pharmacy and a Wendy’s in the parking lot of the WalMart. Noise and smoke was coming from behind both of these places. There was also noise of a large piece of machinery coming from behind WalMart. As we left the parking lot and tried to get out on to the highway, the traffic lights were all blank. Cars were alternating turns from each direction, most of them taking turns, but with a few idiots who couldn’t seem to be able to play well with others. When we got back to the resort, we learned that there was no electricity on this side of the island – everyone was using emergency generators. Only there was no emergency. It was just business as usual in Puerto Rico with electrical blackouts.

We were staying at the Club Cala Resort in the Palmas Del Mar Development. We were in a two bedroom condo on the second floor, with a full kitchen, two bathrooms, and a large balcony/patio that overlooked the street out front. The development is a sprawling assortment of lots surrounding two or three huge golf courses.

There is a pool at the office where we checked in. The beach is kind of like an afterthought.

We had to walk down the street , around the corner, and tucked away in the back alley was an access to a small sandy beach. But it did have the traditional palm tree that leaned way out over the sand towards the water.

The marina seemed to be the focus in this area of the resort,

but nowhere near the beauty of the golf courses.

We did learn later in the week that there were other beaches at the other end of the resort with clubhouses, restaurants, restrooms, showers, basically all the facilities one would expect at a tropical resort beach location.

On August 21, 2017 there was a partial eclipse of the sun.

It was to be visible from the northern portion of Puerto Rico, so we headed up to Loquillo on the North East corner of the island to Luquillo Beach.

The eclipse dimmed the light considerably

This is what you saw through the glasses

We shared our glasses to protect the local wildlife from the eclipse

You had to have some special viewing glasses to look at the eclipse without burning your eyes. You were to order them over the internet.

Restrooms and Souveneir shops off to the right

A very nice developed park with restrooms and tourist trap vendors selling tee shirts, hats, towels, and all manner of trinkets and souveneirs made in Mexico, Japan, or China and then shipped to Puerto Rico. The beach is a wide sandy beach with a long sandy bottom extending out quite a ways. I was able to come across a nine legged starfish about twenty yards off shore buried in the sand in about three feet of water.

A nine legged starfish, under three or four inches of sand in three feet of water

Shared it with some other tourists there and the daughter who was about 8 or 9 quickly went to shore and refused to get back into the water. In the town of
Loquillas along the shore, we came across a hot dog vendor.

I was hungry and got a dog with everything on it.

We got the rental car stuck in the sand on the beach while chasing crocodiles and exploring Mayan Temples.

Luquillo Beach – Crocodile and race car sand sculptures

One thing we wanted to do was to check out the real estate situation – always on the lookout for that “shack on the beach”. It wasn’t until we got to the southern side of the island where we found roads that followed close to the shore. In traveling across the island, we came across some interesting ruins.

A pair of old warehouses in Manaubo made of rock and concrete with huge wooden doors. A real fixer-upper!

The doors painted with the Puerto Rico Flag

The roofs were gone, but the walls and the doors on one building were all there.

Came across an old sugar mill in Lucia where they used to process the sugar cane.

A bit difficult to access.

The machinery still there, rusting in place as the stone building crumbled around it.

I don’t think this is on the regular tour.

At Playa Lucia,

we came across a house that fronted on the beach and was set back about a hundred yards, right up against the hill that rose up to the highway that towered above the lot.

It was vacant. Had been for some time. No for sale sign.

There were many round stone silos scattered around – most likely used for sugar production.

Patillas Beach.

A nice long stretch of sand.

At one end is a restaurant that hangs out over a short cliff and above the ocean. We wanted to get lunch there,

but it was closed – it looked like it was permanent.

Further on along Hwy 3 which hugged the coast, we came across a real fixer upper. it was on a pie shaped lot

with the long side of the pie facing the ocean and the highway.

It looked more like a pile of used lumber, but if you looked close enough, you could just make out that it used to be a small house that pretty much covered most of the lot.

It appeared to have gone through at least three hurricanes – without any repairs. There was a for sale sign in what would pass as the front window,

but the last number was missing. A bit further down the highway towards Arroyo, we came across a number of cute little houses that sat right on the shore line. The definition of my “Shack on the Beach”.

Next to these were some houses that hung over the rocky shore line. The concrete foundations and floor over the ocean was very deteriorated.

Saw many other “Se Vende” signs, but when I called, I got their voice mail, and I guess that I must have been speaking in a foreign language, because no one ever called back.

When we arrived in Arroyo, we found our way down towards the shore. Near the malecon, we found a nice stretch of beach.

On the beach was a bar that looked like it had been constructed with the cast off materials from other buildings that had been destroyed in previous hurricanes – but it served its purpose. Across from the bar and beach, we found this little house for sale by owner. When we called the phone number, they directed us to a house about four houses to the left. A guy there was a friend of the owner and let us into the house. The downstairs had the single garage with a room behind the glass blocks, and a bathroom. Upstairs had a great room with kitchen/living room behind the balcony that has sliding metal doors over glass doors to protect when the owner is not there. Upstairs also had a bathroom and two bedrooms. They were asking $135K. We should have bought it.

After driving through Arroyo

and checking out the beach, we drove on to a town called Jobos.

There we stopped at the Fishing Club because they had picnic tables,

and we cut open a huge mango for an afternoon snack.

On the drive back to Humacao, we were able to admire the lush green jungle growth that was everywhere. We even drove through a few “tree tunnels”.

Basically, the entire island is a tropical paradise, with vegetation growing crazy.

At one point, the highway was clinging to the edge of the cliff, maybe a hundred feet above the rocky shore line directly below,

when we came around a sharp corner and there was a building hanging over the cliff with the smallest eight car parking lot ever, sandwiched between the highway and the building.

Someone coming around the corner too fast could knock the whole thing over the cliff to the water below.

Restaurant Paisajes Curet – we just had to stop. Dinner started off with the best passion fruit rum punch drinks

followed by fajitas – fried pork, onions, peppers, flour tortillas – only they called it something other than fajitas. A rose by any other name – it was delicious – or maybe it was just the rum punch! But the views from the dining area hanging over the cliff were fantastico!

The next day was devoted to Old San Juan. The old fort at the end of the peninsula that guards the entrance to the harbor is worth a post of it’s own.

I’ll be posting that as Part 2.

TTFN

Return to Paradise – 8/28 & 29

We went to the beach today. Ok, it isn’t a “beach” in the traditional Hollywood fashion, white powdered sand, waving palm trees, cabanas every ten feet, lounge chairs and cabana boys who bring you drinks with the little umbrellas – It is more of a shore line. A rocky shore line with short clifs where the waves crash against and create fountains that splash into the air.

Whittington Beach Park is located just off the highway as it comes down the hill from Naalehu to the ocean. Here, there are not cliffs, but a rocky shoreline that extends out into the water. The waves batter against the rocks some 50 to 100 feet off shore and the water in the “tidepools’ is calm at the shore. At the north end is an old concrete pier from the 1800’s and 1900’s. All the wood decking has either rotted away, or been ripped away by a hurricane in the 1940’s, leaving the concrete supports that are constantly under attack by the waves. How a ship was ever able to remain motionless at this pier, I will never know.

All that is left of the Honuapu Pier after a 1946 tsunami.

At the southern end is a large lagoon/fishpond. The park has concrete slabs that are the remnants of old warehouses where sugar was stored and processed in the early 1900’s before being loaded on the ships at the pier.

Concrete floors from 1800’s sugar warehouses

The sugar came from the sugar cane plantations on the hills above. There are also a couple of picnic tables under the trees, and a restroom and two picnic ramadas at Whittington Beach Park.

Picnic table under large tree in Whittington Beach Park

Just south of the entrance to the park, there is a yellow iron gate in front of a dirt road that leads out to the rocky/cliff lined shore.

Honey, I wonder what’s down this dirt road.

We have found a place here where the waves wash over the top of the lava cliffs to a shallow lagoon of sorts – by shallow, it is only about 2 foot deep in the deepest point, with most of it averaging around a foot. More like a tide pool than a lagoon. Where it is about 2 foot deep, we like to sit down in the water. It is typically a few degrees warmer here than the ocean, but yet, still refreshing.

The part I like about this area is the towering shoots of water that get thrown into the air as the waves crash against the cliffs.

Walking out on the edge can be dangerous, as the waves and srashing water could easily sweep someone off the cliffs and into the ocean.

Once in the ocean, there is no way to get out and the waves will batter you against the cliffs. The top surface of these cliffs is the end of a lava flow – very irregular, rough, and jagged.

Almost every house has at least two papaya trees in their yard. You even see them growing alongside the road. Many of them are loaded with papayas – but yet the best price for papayas at the grocery store is $1.69 each. At the farmers market in Kona, you can find them for 5 for $5, while at the farmer’s market in Naalehu, they want $2 apiece. I found a small fruit stand between Naalehu and Waiohinu when I can get them for $1, so when I saw a sign in Naalehu that said “Papayas 4/$1.00″, we had to investigate. The sign was propped against the stop sign in front of the Ace Hardware store, with an arrow pointing up the street towards the hills. Just past the auto repair shop, there was a large flatbed trailer with 6 or 8 bins that were maybe 3′ square. Each bin was full of papayas. I had seen the sign a few days earlier, so there was no telling how long the trailer had been there, and many of these papays were a bit over ripe. On the end of the trailer was a metal box about 6” square with a slot in the top for you to put your money in, but there was nobody around. We were able to sort through and find 4 decent ones, and slide a dollar into the box.

Back at the property, I cut more of the 2 x 4’s for flooring on the porch along with a few more wall supports before it started to rain about mid afternoon.

Sunday 8/29

I poured a small (16″ x 24″) concrete slab under the shed for the solar system batteries. Moving them out of the shed will give a little more room inside and any fumes they give off will also be outside. I used my concrete stamp I created to simulate lava as the surface. I will place wood on top of this concrete for the batteries, as it is not good to place batteries directly on the concrete. I will also build a box around them to conceal them.

Mixing a small amount of concrete using two buckets.

I cut the last 2 x 4 as supports in the walls for the tin siding. I only need two more. Then we went back to the ocean.

We drove through the gate north of Whittington Beach Park and out to the ocean end, but turned right and headed a few hundred yards back towards the park. We found a place where we could pick our way down through the lava to a small lagoon/tidepool about 50 feet across and 3 feet or so deep.

The waves crashed against the rocks that are about 100 yards off shore, and then gently wash into this area. The rocks are very slippery here so it took some effort to get in, but once we were in, it was quite nice. We spent a couple of hours here and then headed back to the property – stopping in Naalehu to get ice.

To be continued . . . .

TTFN

Return to Paradise – 8/27

After the lavish welcome and wonderful feeling of the Aloha spirit we received at the Hawaii MVD, we headed out to do some shopping. We purchased six 2 x 4 x 12 for the eastside porch of the shed, a large and heavy digging bar for dislodging large rocks, and a mini refrigerator. I had purchased a used one previously, but I felt that it was causing an overload of the original inverter. In fact, it had even short circuited the new pure sine wave inverter I had purchased so that it will not turn on. Perhaps a newer one would draw less current.

The grocery store was next. Milk, eggs, bread, and we hit the road for Naalehu. It is now 5:30 PM. It is overcast and threatening rain. Traffic up the hill is not as heavy as usual and we make good time – through South Kona, Captain Cook on the hillside above Kealakekua Bay, where the Captain Cook Monument sits at the location where the Hawaiians killed Captain James Cook, then past the turn off for Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park and Two Step Beach where the snorkeling is fabulous. Soon after, we pass the turn off to Hookena Beach, and the houses become fewer and farther between; with developments selling ocean view lots with large iron gate entrances at the highway and the development stretching down the hill. The jungle gives way to rough lava and ohia trees in the Kipahoehoe Natural Area Reserve until we pass the turn off to the fishing villiage of Miloli located on the coast some 1200 feet below. We drive up a hill and the road turns gently to the left as we pass the Nanuka State Park on the left side of the highway. Then we are at Ocean View. Less than ten minutes later, we turn off the highway onto South Point Road. Then on to Kama’oa Road past Discovery Harbor and into Mark Twain Estates.

It was dark when we arrived – and the air mattress had lost a bit of air. The battery powered air pump was dead. So, Alanah began filling it up by blowing into the little nozzle on the side. After she finished, I added a few more breaths, just for luck. We put the sheets on the bed along with blankets and pillows and went to sleep.

“The bed is flat.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

Two questions I was hoping not to hear. Especially in the middle of the night. I just lay there with the wood pallets digging into my back. I’m not sure how long I just lay there before getting up, putting on my pants and shoes to go get the single mattress from under the shed. We moved the air mattress out of the way, put the pallets back on top of each other and put the single mattress back on the pallets like I have had it before. Then I folded the air mattress in half lengthwise and laid it directly on the floor next to the bed. On top of this, I put a small blow up raft – about 5 foot long, and a blow up pool float that was about 6 foot long with a built in pillow. I covered this with a sheet and a couple of blankets and lat down on it while Alanah got into the single bed and we tried to go back to sleep.

As the sun was just coming up, I woke up to find that both the blow up raft and the pool float had lost all their air as well, and I was laying on the floor.

Friday – 8/27

Alanah went on line and found a single bed – a mattress and box springs – for sale for $20 in Fern Acres. I had stayed in Fern Acres twice before, so I knew exactly where Fern Acres was – over by Hilo, past Volcano. It is actually in the town of Mountain View. We called and they still had it for sale. We told them that we would be there around noon. I was putting in 2 x 4 blocking in the walls to support the tin siding. I finished cutting and installing what I could with the wood we had bought in Kona. I had used most of the 2 x 4’s as floor/deck boards for the east side porch.

We headed out to Fern Acres around 11:00. It started to lightly sprinkle as we passed Pohala and after we entered the National Park and headed up the hill towards Volcano, it began raining rather heavily. The rain continued as we went past the entrance to the Visitor’s Center at about 4300 feet elevation and as we started to descend into the Hilo area it became a sprinkle/drizzle as we turned onto S Kulani Road in Mountain View.

When we picked up the bed, we backed onto the lawn/grass area. We loaded the mattress and box spring into the back of the Ford Escape to keep it out of the rain. They stuck out the back about 6 inches, so I wrapped the ends in a tarp and tied the hatch down. As I was doing this, I was attacked by dozens upon dozens of mosquitoes. Further evidence of why I do not want to be on this side of the island.

From Fern Acres, we drove on into Hilo and picked up some double A batteries for a wall clock that Alanah had brought over, and six more 2 x 4 x 12’s. We also got gasoline at $4 .07 per gallon. During all my trips to Hawaii under the previous President of the United States, I never paid over $3.20 per gallon for gasoline. I am so glad we now have a President who cares about my individual welfare! (Thank you Mr President) We also picked up a small block of ice – maybe 10 pounds – before heading back to Naalehu.

We moved the air mattresses out of the way – I folded them and put them outside on the porch. Then we put the box springs and mattress on the floor next to the single mattress. We put sheets and blankets on this and went to bed – Alanah on the “new” bed and me on the single mattress. After not getting much sleep last night, we slept through the night.

To be continued . . .

TTFN

Return to Paradise – 8/26 – Hawaii MVD

Thursday 8/26/2021

The lumber yard has been calling and leaving messages about my delivery. Apparently, half the stuff on the order is unavailable and they may not have it for three weeks – but when they do have it, they will deliver it for free. Every time I call them back, the phone rings, and rings, and rings. The main computer answering message thanks me for shopping there, and asks me where to direct my call. I tell the computer the phone extension the girl left in my phone message and the computer connects me to the extension that just keeps ringing, . . .off the wall.

This morning, Julian – the delivery driver called and I answered. He wanted to verify that I knew that he would not be delivering half the stuff I had ordered. I told him to cancel the order. In order to do that, I would need to call the order desk. I explained to him that they never answer the phone when I call, and when they call back, I have no service – so they leave a message for me to call, which they never answer. He said for me to hold on, and he walked over to the service desk and handed his phone to the girl who has been calling. We cancelled the order.

Alanah is coming to Hawaii this afternoon – This means that I have to take out the single bed and blow up the inflatable bed. And hope it holds air. The single bed is on two pallets – actually it is on four pallets, but it is two pallets high. I need to rearrange these to make it 4 pallets , but one pallet high. The single bed is 3′ wide and 6′ long and the blow up mattress is 6′ wide and 6′ long. This will take up twice the floor space in the shed – it is already crowded in the shed as it is.

I put the single mattress under the shed on top of some lumber that I had stacked there and blew up the queen sized air mattress that I had got from Mom’s house. Then I took off for Kona. It was 11:30. I stopped in at Ocean View and got a bag of ice and put it into the ice chest. I had brought 1/2 a papaya, some smoked sausage, and a small bottle filled with Pepsi. I knew that I would need ice for anything I would buy in Kona like milk, eggs, juice, etc. The trip was uneventful until I got just past Captain Cook. The highway department was repairing a section of the highway and had closed off that one lane to any traffic. they were rerouting all traffic to the other lane by alternating turns for cars headded in opposite directions. they had flagmen to stop the cars from one direction as the cars from the other direction proceeded past. then they switched. This took about 15 minutes to get past. Then, about a mile further on, they were doing the same thing to trim trees on one side of the road. this one only took 5 minutes to get through.

When I got to the airport, Alanah had been there for about an hour. Her plane had arrived early and I was late. We ate the papaya. I had already drank the Pepsi.

We went to the Hawaii Motor Vehicle Department to get a copy of the current registration for the car. When I took the car to the repair shop for the annual safety inspection, I could not find the current registration. The information in the MVD computer system verified that it was current, but I did not have the little piece of paper. Everything else passed, but I failed because I did not have that little piece of paper.

So, I show up at the Hawaii MVD office and there is a table outside the office with a girl who checks your paperwork and only lets a limited number of people into the office at a time – a sort of a gatekeeper. A bad omen to start with because I am not the Keymaster!! Anyway, she listened to my story of what I needed and asked, “Do you have an appointment?”

I answered, “No.”

She frowned and said, “You are supposed to make an appointment!” Then she told me that she would put me on the “naughty list” (she did not call it that) and I could wait and maybe they could get me in today.

“Those who made an appointment have 1st priority.” she explains. “”After they have been seen or if there is time in between, then we will go to the wait list”. As an after thought, she adds, “This is to stop Covid.”

Everyone who shows up, has to eventually get in. It is not like you can go anywhere else to get your car registration, or your driver’s license. This is the only place. They have to see me eventually. I was unaware that you could stop covid by making an appointment!

They believe that by keeping everyone outside, they are keeping their employees “safe” – except for the one girl stationed outside. I guess she is the sacrificial lamb. Or like the have on Star Trek, the “expendable crewmember”. Rather than have one of the regular cast get killed by an alien, they have an unknown crewmember that takes the fall.

So, she is explaining to me why it was that she needed to do her job of keeping the rifraff like me – people who don’t make appointments – out of the office, so that everyone else is safe, and I said, “Look, I don’t even need to go in.”

She looked at me with a strange look as if to say, “Then why are you even here?” and I continued, “All I need is for someone to type the VIN number of my car into their computer and print out the current registration.” And I added, “It will take less than five minutes.”

“Oh, we don’t do that here!”

Maybe I was at the wrong place. Maybe I should be at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant down on the waterfront, or maybe at the ABC Store. Maybe I could get my car registration at Kona Boys Kayak Rentals. She must have been reading my mind, because she added, “Well, we don’t do it that way. It isn’t that simple.”

Then she started to explain that they have an automated kiosk at Safeway where people can renew their car registration, but I could not use that because I do not have all my paperwork. She must have tumbled to the fact that this was just my point. I do not have the paperwork, and that is why I am here . . . to get the paperwork at the only place where the paperwork is available. Then she said, ” Rather than waiting, you could just write a note detailing what you need and drop it in the dropbox around the corner along with a check for $5.” I wanted to ask her if an Italian, or a Greek, or maybe a Canadian or a Mexican, would be just as good as a Czeck, but I thought I was pushing my luck just being there “without an appointment!”

I explained to her that I do not use checks any more. We live in a digital world now where all my banking is done online and with plastic cards. “Well, you can wait, but I don’t know if we will be able to fit you in.”

I looked around and there was one woman waiting at a picnic table, a woman with a young child at a bench off to the side, and one man on another bench behind me. While she was explaining this to me, three different employees had come outside to see if there were any customers that they could help. She shooed them all back inside each time they came out.

Then she called the woman with the little boy to go in – I guess she had an appointment. Then another young guy came up and told her why he was here and she went into the whole appointment thing. He looked around with a helpless look on his face and walked around in circles as he left. Probably to go to his computer and make an appointment. Another couple came up to her and she was very happy! They had an appointment! Two women came out – one was putting her new driver’s license into her purse. The “gatekeeper” went inside to make sure the coast was clear, before allowing this couple with the appointment to go in. While she was inside, another “customer” came out and left. Right after she let the couple in, another “customer” came out and left. The woman at the picnic table opposite us, went up to ask her if she could go in now, as there were three people who came out. The gatekeeper, replied, “In a minute”. The woman came back to the picnic table and confided to us that she also had just showed up “without an appointment”. The gatekeeper lifted up the clipboard with the “naughty list” on it and looked at it rather intently. Then she called the woman at the picnic table’s name and told her to go in. As she was going in, she looked back at us and smiled.

No sooner had the door closed, when it opened and two employees came out and had a rather lenghty discussion with the gatekeeper, who showed them her appointment list and then the naughty list. The two employees went back inside. The woman with the little boy came out and left. The gatekeeper called in the man sitting alone behind us. He went in and another customer came out. A few minutes passed and the woman who had been sitting at the picnic tablrecame out and she smiled and noddedmher head as if to say, “You’re next” The gatekeeper called my name and told me I could go in. “Once I get inside, where do I go then?” I asked.

“Go to window 16.” It was 1:46 PM

Inside, each “window” is encased in a makeshift tent made of plastic visquine. Each one also had a plexiglass shield in front of it. I sat down in a chair in front of the plexiglass and leaned over to the side to talk to the clerk around the plastic barrier. I handed her my “failed” inspection report and told her that I needed a copy of my current registration. She asked for identification. I gave her my driver’s license. She swiveled over to her computer and began entering information. Then she hit print.

She handed me a sheet of paper with a box printed on it with sections in the box. In different sections was my name, my address in Naalehu, the vin number of the car, a heading that said Hawaii MVD, and a signature line at the bottom with the words above this line that said something to the effect that I agree to pay $5.00 for a copy from MVD.

I signed her form and gave her a five dollar bill.

She went back to her computer, and hit a few keystrokes. Then she went to her printer and retrieved for me a copy of my current registration, which she handed to me along with my driver’s license and my failed safety inspection and asked, “Is there anything else I can do for you today?”

I told her no, and thanked her. Then I got up and left. It was 1:49 PM and as it turns out, they DO do that here!

To be continued . . .

TTFN

Return to Paradise – Continued

Friday – 8/20/20201

Worked on the gates. When I built them, I was one slat short. I purchased one more slat when I arrived on Wednesday and when I went to put it in place, it was wider than the space. This meant that I needed to either cut it down, which would make it smaller than all the others and possibly stand out – or reposition all the other slats to make room for it. I removed the other slats on one gate and repositioned them to have just a little less space between the slats. The last one now fits.

I went into Naalehu to the Post Office. I picked up one parcel that had three orders from Amazon that were packaged together. Four solar lights, a 500 watt pure sine wave inverter, and a mosquito net for the bed.

I installed one solar light on the gate

Not a very good picture, but the gates with all the slats and one solar light.

And one each on two trees down the pathway to the shed.

Saturday 8/21/2021

I have long wanted to have some kind of structure under which to fix my meals. Something that was more sturdy that just a tarp. Something that I did not have to put up and take down each time I came. At the Punaluu Bake Shop in Naalehu, they have two open gazebos under which they have picnic benches where people can sit and eat their baked goods. I have thought that some type of a gazebo would be just the thing.

I have toyed with where to locate this outdoor kitchen gazebo, and finally decided to place it halfway between the shed at the bottom of the property and the deck up on the knoll.

Today, I measured out as well as I could the locations for the footings. I tried to put up strings outlining the edges to make sure it was square, but this is difficult to do alone. Nonetheless, I think I am somewhat close, so I dug the footings for the four corner posts. I installed another solar light on the gate.

Gates withn two solar lights. Also see the full moon just barely above the gates.

Sunday 8/22/2021

Removed the tin siding from one side of the shed. I had installed it so that the leading edge was pointing out. I need the leading edge pointing in. Reinstalled the tin siding on one side with the leading edge pointing in. I used the last of the 2 x 4’s for bracing in the walls to nail the tin siding to.

As Michael Douglas said in the movie “Romancing the Stone” – “I may not be cheap, but I can be had!” I saw a sign on a gate down around the corner from my place that said: 2 – 12 volt solar RV batteries – $50 each with a phone number. I called the number and agreed to meet the seller on Sunday. Picked up the two batteries.

It turns out that one holds a charge of 12 volts, while the other only charges to 11.4 Volts. Obviously, I’ve been had!

Monday – 8/23/2021

Removed the siding from another side of the shed and turned it around so that the leading edge is pointing in. Went into Naalehu and turned in the paperwork for a PO Box

PO Box 1123 Naalehu, Hawaii 96772

At 2 PM, I took a shower using my water bottles laid out in the sun. The water was scalding hot! Only used 4 bottles.

Hauled water from over at the transfer station.

Tuesday – 8/24/2021

Removed the horizontal tin on the south side of the shed. Cut it to size and installed it vertically, with the leading edge turned in. Cut two 2 x 6 bird board blocks and installed them.

Went to Kau Auto Repair for the annual safety inspection on the car. I could not have the current registration slip – only the temporary one – but John said he could still do the inspection. Twenty six dollars please.

He stood in front of the car and had me roll up the driver’s window. Then roll it down. Turn on the headlights, then the high beams. Left turn signal, right turn signal, windshield wipers. He took a picture using his tablet of the front of the car with the headlights on. Then he had me turn the steering wheel all the way to the left.

He then went to the back of the car and had me turn on the left turn signal, the right turn signal, push the brake pedal, then put the car in reverse (to turn on the back-up lights). He took a picture of the back of the car with the back-up lights on. He went into the office. He came out with a notice that I had passed everything except for having the current registration paper. I had thirty days to return with the current registration and I would not need to pay the $26 again. I told him that I was going to Kona on Thursday and I would stop in at MVD and get a copy of my registration. He replied, “If you need to go to MVD, you’re fucked!”

Wednesday – 8/25/2021

Checked the PO Box. Looking for another package from Amazon. Not here yet.

Built the last door needed for the shed. Then took a shower in the late afternoon, around 5 PM. Water was still slightly warm, used 4 bottles, and it felt great!

I ooked up the one good battery to my other two. Now my solar battery bank has three batteries.

Tomorrow I need to go to Kona and pick up Alanah from the airport. Also, I have my delivery coming from Home Depot. Gonna be interesting.

To be continued . . .

TTFN

Return to Paradise – Continued – the long walk home

8/19/2021

After getting off the bus, I walked back up the highway about a hundred feet or so before turning onto Kama’oa Road. I walked past a couple of houses to the left and the highway maintenance yard on the right. I was glad that there was a full moon as it was starting to get dark. The moon lit up the black pavement just well enough to see while walking on the road, but if I stepped off the pavement into the mowed grass on the shoulder, it was impossible to look out for any branches or rocks, or holes, or gullies. The highway department periodically mows the grass along this road but there is no way to tell if anything is hidden in the grass. This mowed shoulder can be anything from a few inches to maybe three feet wide, with the tall, thick jungle beyond. So, I stayed on the road as much as possible and only strayed off when a car came on my side of the road. After the maintenance yard at the first side street, there is another lot/house before the next street that goes into the Waiohinu neighborhood for about three football fields before ending at the highway as is winds around the bottom of the Waioninu Hills. Past this street, there are a couple of houses and then a dirt road. I’m not sure if this is a street or someone’s driveway. Then it is jungle on both sides of the road. The road rises up over a slight hill as it turns to the right, then descends into a small valley. There are two or three bed and breakfast properties on the makai side and a large pasture on the mauka side. As I was walking over this rise, I got out my flashlight – mainly to be able to see better when I stepped off the pavement into the grass when cars came. After the short valley, the road begins a steady climb for the next 800 to a thousand feet with a couple of hoeses on each side on large properties. At the top of the rise, there are two or three houses on the right. As the road leveled out a little, but still going uphill, I walked past a large pasture pasture on the left, the makai side. At the gate to this pasture, during the day, there is usually a teenage boy there with a table selling fruit, and jars of honey and coffee. Then there is a short but steeper climb with a few more houses to the right, and then jungle, with another pasture on the left that usually has sheep and a donkey. Past a dirt road on the left that may be someone’s driveway, there is more jungle on both sides of the road. Suddenly, there is a house on the left with a dirt road that goes off at an angle from Kama’oa Road. Beyond this road is a subdivision of lots that are about 1/2 acre each. This is the upper section of Mark Twain Estates.

The road that angles off from Kama’oa Road is called Lewalani Street, and goes down past one house and then another road branches off to the left and heads straight down the hill towards the ocean. This street is called Amepela Road. This is the path I take. It starts out as a fairly good gravel road, but after a few hundred feet, it begins to get a bit rougher – with larger rocks and holes. Every three or four hundred feet, there is a road branching off to the right. I pass four of these roads, all the while glad that I had my flashlight to assist the moonlight to light my way down this road as it gets rougher and rockier as it descends down hill. About a quarter mile from Kama’oa road, the first dirt road that heads off to the left is Palaoa Road.

After leaving the paved road of Kama’oa Road, I have walked past maybe a dozen homes. Some of them are quite nice, others are not. Most of the 1/2 acre lots in this subdivision are still christmas berry tree jungles. Even though I know the street names, I also know not to look for a street sign, as they are few and far between, meaning, not many intersections have a sign of any kind.

The walk along Palaoa Road is a gentle down sloping dirt/rocky road that makes me glad to have my flashlight as well as the moonlight. About two hundred feet along this road, is Mankani Nalu Road that goes off at a 90 degree angle to the right. On the corner of Palaoa and Mankani is a home with well manicured lawns and gardens.

A few more hundred feet and I come to Ahi Road that angles back to the right. Following Palaoa Road on through the jungle, I eventually come to Holowai Street on the right. This is about a quarter of a mile from where I first turned on to Palaoa road, and Palaoa Road turns about 60 degrees to the right and heads down the hill.

Turning right onto Holowai, I come to my gate about 125 feet down the road. It is 10 minutes after 8:00PM. It has taken me 1 hour and 20 minutes to walk from the Chinese Store in Waiohinu. In the dark.

To be continued . . .

TTFN

Return to Paradise – Continued – 8/19

Thursday 8/19/2021

I set up three of the four solar panels on the roof of the shed. I need to either cut off the connectors from the fourth or get connectors to continue the leads. I hooked the panels to the controller and to the two batteries. The controller shows that they are charging. After breakfast of a bowl of frosted flakes, and a tour around the property to survey how it had fared since I was here last, I drove to Kona to return the rental car.

I arrived in Kona around 11:30. I needed to return the car by 12:30 and the bus was not until 4:30. So, I figured to use the car to it’s fullest. I did not want to go to the market as I did not want to have to carry much on the bus, so I went out to the old airport to check out the beach there. I hung around the beach and watched the waves as they tumbled onto the rocky beach area for about thirty minutes before hearing out to the airport. Before getting to the turn off for the airport, I turned off the highway and drove up the hill a few hundred feet to gain a little altitude. From there I could see the island of Maui.

From the airport north, this area of the island is called the Kohala Coast – after the now dormant Kohala Volcano that formed this area. As you can see in this picture, the area is on the dry side of the island. It is also where most of the high end resorts are built. I guess that is because of the ability to see Maui across the channel. I guess the advantage of the dryer climate is fewer mosquitoes, but I prefer a bit more greenery. I love the green tropical jungle of the Hilo side, but I don’t like the daily rain that goes along with it. My location near South Point is the perfect mix between the two.

After dropping the rental car off, I hung around the airport and used their wi-fi to check emails. Then I took a nap. I was on the mauka side of the airport at the restaurant/snack bar that is closed due to the pandemic, right next to the stop for the rental car shuttles, shared ride pickup point, and the Hele-On bus stop. I used an electrical outlet there to plug in my computer and cell phone. At 4:00 PM, I decided to go to the bathroom – it’s a two hour and twenty minute ride to Naalehu. As I was coming back, I saw the bus on the outer loop of the drive. It had to go down to the end of the parking lot, turn and then return back to the bus stop. I wanted to get a picture of the bus as it was approaching.

I figured that the bus would stop at the designated bus stop, so I was standing back taking the picture, . . . and it just kept right on going. Didn’t even hesitate. Just drove right on past. I ran out into the road and waved my arms trying to get the driver’s attention, but it just kept right on going to the end of the drive and turned up towards the highway and was gone. Just like that. I had missed the bus. I looked at my cell phone and it was 4:25. According to the schedule, it wasn’t even due for another ten minutes!

What do I do now???

I looked down at my cell phone again, and it died! It just plain shut off. WTF???? It had over 80% charge!

So, I went back to the benches outside the closed restaurant/snack bar and plugged in my cell phone. It went through the whole start-up routine. . . which takes forever . . . especially when you are stressed because you just missed your ride home!

Finally, I checked out the cost of a taxi – $165.00. Then I checked on the cost of an Uber – $148.00. OUCH!

Well, you gotta do what you gotta do. Other than going out to the highway and trying to hitchhike, this seemed to be my only option. Maybe I could get an Uber to take me to a bus stop down the line in hopes of getting ahead of the bus. How long would it take for an Uber to get here? And then if it took me to someplace like the Keauhau Shopping Center, or to Captain Cook even, and I arrived there two minutes after the bus? Then what?

As I was contemplating what to do and wandering around in circles, I looked up and on the outer road was the Hele-On bus! I quickly unplugged everything, shoved the computer and all the wires into my backpack, and cell phone into my pocket, and hustled down to the bus stop just as the bus was pulling up.

The placard on the front of the bus said ” SOUTH KAU”. That is the district where Naalehu is – Kau. The driver opened the door and I asked, “Do you go to South Point? Discovery Harbor? Naalehu?” I was stammering. He replied, “Yeah, to South Kau.” Then he looked at me as if I were an idiot, because I probably sounded like one as I went babbling on and on about how I thought I had missed the bus when the other one drove past and didn’t stop, and was I glad to see him. I got on and gave him the full $2 fare. I moved down three rows and sat down. Relief flooded over me like I could not believe!

This was a different driver than I had experienced before. On my other bus trip the last time I was here, the driver was a large Hawaiian who had played football at NAU in Flagstaff. He had gotten hurt in his second season, and has been driving the bus here in Hawaii for the last 25 years. I had looked forward to seeing him again, but I was too relieved to have been so lucky. This driver was a small thin haole – a white guy.

I sat back in the seat and sighed! I was the only passenger as the driver closed the door and right at 4:35, pulled away from the curb and headed down the drive and turned up towards the highway.

Once out on the highway, he changed lanes and a couple of miles down the road, he turned left up a road towards the mountain. Just after leaving the highway, he was flagged down by another passenger. After picking up this passenger and putting his bicycle in the luggage compartment under the bus, he drove up to the community college and pulled off this road to the left and out in front of the college where he turned around in a cul-de-sak and went back to the road. Then he turned up towards the mountain again and went up to an intersection with a traffic light. Here, he turned right and drove on for about a mile, and turned into the parking lot of the West Hawaii Civic Center. After a loop through the parking lot, he was back to the upper road and then turned right and headerd back down to the highway. Turning left, he headed towards Kona again.

At the edge of town he again turned left and went up the hill, this time to the Court House. After a turn around in another cul-de-sak, he was headed back to the highway when he was flagged down by another passenger who came running up the road towards the bus waving his arms. Once this passenger was on the bus, he drove down towards the highway in the direction this last passenger had come from.

Rather than turning left, he crossed the highway and drove down to the shopping center and around to the back side, where he picked up four more passengers. Then down towards the ocean and towards the King Kamehameha Marriot Hotel. He drove past the hotel and out onto Alii drive past the waterfront and marina. He continued through the tourist area for a few blocks and then stopped across the street from the ABC store where he picked up two more passengers – one who could barely walk, with an ace bangage wrapped around his left knee, and had half a dozen large packages/bags. The driver helped the guy with his stuff as the guy folded up a walker and brought this on board.

We continued on down Alii drive past all the small houses on the waterfront that would each sell for a few million dollars, and past a couple of billion dollar resorts. He did not stop until he pulled in to the Keauhau Shopping Center. Here, the guy that got on near the community college got off and retrieved his bicycle from under the bus.

Off to the side of the parking lot was another large Roberts Hawaii Hele-On green bus. I tried to get a look at the front to see if this was the one with the placard that said PAHALA that had passed by in the airport, but did not get a good look. The driver turned up past the L & L Barbeque restaurant and up from the parking lot towards the main highway.

He stopped twice before we got to Captain Cook to let passengers get off. The guy with the bandaged knee and the walker got off in Captain Cook across from the two banks. The driver got out and helped him with his bags.

It was well after 5:00 PM and possibly even 5:30, and I was trying to figure out if the sun had set yet or not. The sky was very overcast so the sun could not peek through. There was a thin layer of open sky just above the horizon. Because this area of the sky was still light, I figured that the sun was still up behind the clour layer. This was important to me because I hoped we would get to Naalehu before it was dark. I figured that it would be around 6:30 orm 6:45 and was hoping that there would be just a little light for me to start my walk up the hill.

And, it had started to rai as we pulled into the Keauhau Shopping Center. Most everyone who had gotten on the bus, had an umbrella. I had forgotten to bring my vinyl jacket and I wondered just how wet I would be when I arrived in the dark at Holowai Wai Wai. Alanah has started calling it that – Holowai Wai Wai – Wai Wai translates as place, so it is Holowai Place.

As we passed the turn off to Miloli, the rain quit and the sun dropped down out of the clouds at the horizon. Less than ten minutes later, it had sunk into the ocean and was gone. It was just starting to get dusk when we pulled in to the park and ride at Ocean View where three people got off. I was pleased to see that the driver didn’t tarry here too long, but headed right out onto the highway and down towards Naalehu.

One woman approached the driver and asked him to stop at South Point road. At Ocean View as well here, it was not raining and the clouds were pretty much gone from the sky. As we were weaving through the town of Waiohinu, I told the driver that I needed to get off at the Chinese store. He nodded, and after a sharp left turn, then another sharp right turn, he pulled up in front of the Chinese Store and I grabbed my back pack and got off. There was still just a little light as I headed up the highway to Kama’oa Road. It was 6:50 PM. The bus ride had taken 2 hours and 20 minutes.

To be continued . . .

TTFN

Return to Paradise

7/20/21

I called a septic tank supplier in Kona and spoke with someone named Dusty. He gave me the contact information for an engineer for a septic system.

I called the number he gave me and spoke with a guy named David. We discussed the project in Naalehu and he quoted me a price of $1100.00 for the engineering drawings and the county permit. He emailed me a proposal along with an invoice for $732.00 for him to get started. I sent him the money along with a pdf of my building plans that included a site plan.

I plan on returning in mid August. Being that this is Hawai’i, I do not expect him to have accomplished much by then.

Wednesday – 8/18/2021

Left Phoenix at 6:00 AM, and flew to San Diego. At the gate in San Diego, the airlines was doing a pre-check of travelers going to Hawai’i. Theoretically, if one were to do this pre-check and get a wrist band, you would not need to do anything when you arrived in Hawai’i.

I had to show them my QR code from the Hawai’i Travels website, which they scanned and pulled up my information about my negative covid test. I was good to go along with my cute piece of plastic jewelry.

I arrived in Kona around noon and went right through to baggage claim. No stop. No screening. The process in San Diego worked! Gathered up my lugage and went to get the rental car. Had to show the rental car agent the QR code and then got my overpriced rental car. Went to lumber yard and ordered concrete, block and lumber to build a gazebo. It will be delivered next Thursday. Went to the grocery store and drove to Naalehu.

I arrived at about 3:00 PM. The first thing I did was pull the tarp off the car and started it right up. Then I unloaded the rental car and started to set up my kitchen. I got out the ice chest, and put my refregerated items into it along with what was left of the ice, my milk, eggs, cheese, etc. Then I went into Naalehu to the Post Office and picked up the 2 burner stove I had ordered. I picked up an application for a PO Box, as they had some available.

Returning to the property, I opened up the shed and hooked up the wires to the battery. The lights worked. Then I set up the tarp over the kitchen area. I had picked up some fried chicken in Kona for lunch, and ate the last two pieces for dinner. Then I went to bed!

To be continued . . .

TTFN