HAWAII: THE SIGN
When in Paradise...
Here in the states or "the mainland" we're into "flipping the bird." It's derogatory, insulting, inflammatory, and outright antagonistic. We do it a lot in traffic to express our frustrations then hit the accelerator and race off. W/o the armor of an auto, an in-your face bird can get you an in-your-face fist.

Ah, not so in our paradise state, Hawaii (50). On the Islands it's "shaka." Thumb and little finger up, the middles tucked down, it's a happy gesture and Islanders use it all the time. In traffic it's signed to another driver to express thanks for a courtesy or just to say "hi." Surfers, beach jocks, and the outdoorsy crowd are credited for it's more general use. It's Hawaiian for cool, right-on, all-right and, most of all, "hang loose."

According, to "tour bus driver lore," the Shaka sign was adopted by Hawaiians following WWII. Then, it was used by U.S troops to ID Japanese fighting on our side. A Japanese soldier who did not return the sign was shot! Click on the links below to learn more.


Pictured is Diane with 2 laua dancers signing the "shaka." It's second nature...and friendly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka_sign
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka

HIGH POINTING BY TOUR BUS
Somebody's already thought of that, too?

Our Globus Hawaii 4-island trip concluded with Maui which included a bus trip to Haleakala Nat. Pk. and the Visitor Center at 9740ft. This, I learned, was 283ft. and 1mi. short of this shield volcano's summit, Pu'u'ula'ula, 10023ft., the high point of Maui.

"So, the bus doesn't go that far," I asked our ever-grinning, island-knowledgeable HI native bus driver. "So, how can I get up the remaining mile to the summit?" Suddenly he was helping another rider down the bus stairs, then another. He half-turned toward me, stopped grinning, and said we had a 30 minute stop at the VC, my time to do with as I pleased - 30 minutes. I quickly spotted our tour guide and briefed him. His eyes glazed over and I was gone into the 9740 cloud we'd driven into, visibility about 50ft. I checked my watch: 1010AM. Mustn't miss the bus!

My calculating brain switched to quantum as I jogged from the parking lot to the main road which traveled the remaining 283ft.elev. Before I reached it a white SUV appeared. I stuck out my thumb. Are they going up or down? What luck, it was a NPS vehicle: two native 20-ish ranger cuties. "No," they couldn't take me up, policy, but the view would be the same one reminded me. Duh. Mahalo (the HI thank you) and never mind....

Starting uphill, I assumed the hitchhiker walk-backward gait. Tricky business in this muck, dressed in shorts, sneaks, and a light jacket. It was cold, windy, my glasses coating with cloud-stuff, and the air, thin. I was either going to get a ride or get hit by one. Then, ha! I snagged the 4th car, a nice retired couple from Phoenix. I quickly explained my dilemma and, no, I wasn't a high-elevation carjacker cleverly dressed as a dopey tourist.

Of course, it was colder and windier on top, my estimate: high 30's wind chill and gusting to 50mph. And, those NPS gals had it right, yup, no view here, nuther. A stone stairway leads to a glassed observation hut on the summit. A young couple there, the 2nd car I think, recognized me as the green-jacketed thumber and apologized for not stopping . They took my summit picture and I, theirs. Lest I lose it to the Pacific Ocean, I'm pictured anchoring cap to head. The fuzz is the cloud.

The AZ couple wanted to get outta there, too, and gave me a ride back to the bus. I checked my watch: 1027 - 17 minutes up and back - all right! When he saw me, the bus driver did his grin. The tour guide frowned. Clients taking over the Globus protocol? Not good for them but fruitful for me in the scheme of Do-It-Yourself High Pointing By Tour Bus. Think it'll catch on?

HAWAII SHAKIN' VACATION
Surviving that & all the rest of it....

Sure, we could tell our friends that chunks of Big Island buildings were falling all around barely missing us while the Pacific swirled around our feet. Naahhh...we were having a big buffet breakfast at our hotel in Kauai before departing to the airport and Maui, the last stop on our 4-island trip. On the bus we heard about the October 15th, 707AM, 6.6 quake, it's epicenter about 15 miles from the Sheraton where we stayed 3 days earlier (we later learned it sustained minimal damage). We felt nothing, knew nothing until 2 hours after the rumble. HI Earthquake '06 Survivor t-shirts were already being silk screened.

Unknown was if we could land per schedule in Maui, seis-ing in with 3.2 which caused some power outages there. But, we alit ok - the airport had electricity, there were no cracks in the runway nor reports of a big wave headed for our tour group. But, the 2nd night there, at 230AM, we were awakened by a hotel alarm that sent a few hundred guests outside in their pjs. Another quake? If it was a tsunami, why were so many of these early risers tending toward the beach lemming-style? For the next 20 minutes, much speculation ensued until one of the big hotel's 3 graveyard-shift personnel appeared to announce a false fire alarm. Was it really a drill or just somebody's post-quake jitter?

Our "Road to Hana" event was changed to an in/out rather than the usual circuit drive owing to landslides. On the "passable" section, our very capable HI native van driver was sometimes required to stop for big errant rocks and throw them off the winding, undulating, narrow road before continuing. All the while, it was raining hard. This island route already had a rustic reputation. Afterwards, the driver issued everyone who rode with her a "survival" certificate. I inquired about endorsements for today's trek. The next day, we also got certificates for surviving a ride to the Haleakala crater. (Say, did we make a wrong turn somewhere and somehow wind up in The Amazing Race?).

We took off and landed 10 times, counting our Kauai helicopter ride, and de-shoed 5 times. All our commercial legs seemed bumpier than usual. We came too close to missing our flight out of Denver; our LA seats were given away. We luckily got others, but apart. The airports are generally a bucket of worms: The Security Checks, hurry up and wait, lines, crowds, baggage, eateries w/inflated prices, squirmy/squealy kids + strollers, callers screaming into cell phones, and a red-eye w/o blankets, pillows, or audio for the "free" movie. Jet lag. And, clueless tourists, too many, shuffling about, hoping to survive it all, maybe even get some-where.

Will we return? Naahhh.... T-shirts? Go here:
http://www.cafepress.com/buy/Hawaii/?click=true&CMP=KNC-G-PP-DOM&ovchn=GGL&ovcpn=Places+-+Domestic+Basic&ovcrn=sr2DP1go40529go513pi1ai450+Hawaii+t-shirts&ovtac=PPC&SR=sr2DP1go40529go513pi1ai450

HAWAIIAN BREWS

And The Most Southern Bar in U.S.A.

Back to the rental car: Before returning it at the Kona airport, we'd hoped to have dinner at the Kona Brewpub. But, it began to rain hard in Kona and our windshield wipers quit. Then, with our heads out the window, it was a 7-mile race in commuter traffic to the airport before it got dark. Never mind calling the rental company for a rescue - we didn't have all day.

Nevertheless, earlier we did have lunch and a Kona beer in Na'alehu at the "Shaka Restaurant and The Most Southern Bar in U.S.A." before our venture to South Point. Kona brews are outstanding and several of their products were tried while on the islands except their "coffee" flavored. Other local brands sampled were from the Mehaha (Mauna Kea Pale Ale) and Keoki (Keoki Gold) breweries - all nicely crafted.

Some islands brewery links:
http://www.konabrewingco.com/tap.html

Also, Suck Em Up:

http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/dining/beer/

SOUTH POINT, HAWAII
Key West, upstaged...

HighPointing, TriPointing, and throw in "GeoXtreming." The latter for us being the acquisition of "South Point" (Ka Lae) on our Hawaii, 4-island Globus tour "free" day. While Key West is the southern-most of the 48, it's HI with it's Big Island lava-gnarly rock equator-side shore that qualifies with the southern-most point of the U.S. 50.

West of Na'alehu the 12-mile gradually deteriorating South Point Road takes you past a forlorn stand of has-been windmills. At mile 11 or so go right where the road forks more directly to the shore. Driving this southbound route to Ka Lae was even more challenging since it was also on the car rental off-limit list. Hey...if you rent a 4WD, what do you use it for? Duh.

The route became more and more a non-road, yet doable. Seaside locals fishing the surf directed us to the obvious blinking beacon with black/white checkered square (left). This should be visible from the above fork. Hereabouts, graffiti takes the form of contrasting white coral chunks on black lava (rt. - unofficial sign twixt beacon and surf). If you must, use a GPS for the lowest latitude; otherwise, tiptoe on slippery rocks as far as you dare for your conquest. Purist/techies who need the periodically visible very southern-most rock must venture even closer to the equator, 1500mi. away.

If asked to choose from the comparatively little we covered on our HI trip, the South Point area was the most simplistic and laid-back we experienced. Don your straw hat, clogs, go a-fishin' or hike to Green Sand beach. SP just might be one of those best-kept secrets. And, of course, don't tell anyone.

Note: There are no tour buses going to SP. Also, most of the highways on the B.I. are "old-fashioned" 2-lanes so don't expect to roar around Hawaii at interstate speeds.

http://pahoahi.tripod.com/kona/kalae.htm

MAUNA KEA REPORT
The Big Kahuna State High Point?

Using the free-day on the Big Island our 13-day Globus tour allowed, we rented a car and bagged Hawaii's high point - Bill: 40, Diane (pic): 36. Ah-lo-ha! (Use Saddle Rd. from the east or west). As is recommended, we spent an hour of acclimation time at the 9000ft. Visitor's Center on Mauna Kea Access Rd., killing time by watching their safety video and perusing the gift shop (the Winger's hp guide is here).

That done, we headed up going from near sea level to almost 14k, a big change. Ranger Dave, the VC manager, said that even he and his staff can get sick if not cautious going up and down. From the VC it's 8 miles. The road turns to a dirt, washboard surface for 6 mi. then back to paved again for the final 2 to the short summit hike. Do baby steps, catch-your-breath pauses, and you're there.

Renting a car for the venture was confusing since rental vehicle liability is a biggie on these islands. Designated roads are off limits. The one-and-only "legal" rental company was too inflexible for our free-day window, pick up and return-wise. One company refused to rent when we mistakenly announced our intentions. Becoming frustrated we assumed a "don't ask, don't tell" policy, rented from a name company, and drove their car to the summit. A 2WD would work; in fact, we were issued a Jeep Laredo with AWD despite our request for a 4WD! Anyway, it ascended flawlessly, a no-brainer!

Dave said there were 9 companies which run tours to the summit. Our Globus guide was of no help with this info. Our pre-trip research only turned up 1 outfit which did a sunset gig with dinner on top for big bucks. We wondered if they carried oxygen for such as a white-haired, white-sneakered 80-ish couple from Passaic who've never been higher than High Point, New Jersey. Sure hope so. Our early AM start made us lone hikers under a bright, blue sky. We spent a 1/2hr. taking pics and got back down for lunch in Hilo.

Using naivete' or owning more "free time" then we had is an advantage. Working out the rental acquisition logistics turned out to be harder then the actual short walk to the 13,796ft. summit after parking at the observatories. Following MK we needed the remains of the day to reach South Point. (See post). That morning we arose at 415 in our hotel south of Kona. A $40 cab ride got us to the airport for car pick up then we were off on a long day and a 200+ mile circuitous drive.

Note: Technically, standing on the top of the Pacific, you're on the highest mountain in the world, exceeding Everest, when scaled from the ocean bottom. And all this time we thought mountain tops were measured from sea level. http://americasroof.com/hi.shtml

HIGHPOINTER TEST
How's your "fast" US geography?

Put-on-your-thinking-cap-and-go-here: http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf

CELEBRATING...
Counter Hits Milestone

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