The longest journey begins with the first step. Back in the day, at least. This journey started with a tap of the trackpad on the United Airlines Vacations website. After missing vacation last year due to unemployment, Bernice wanted something special this year. She had been pushing the idea of Glacier National Park, but every time I looked at the map, I cringed at the thought of driving that far with our bickering boys. Grant and I had already traveled to South Dakota with the Boy Scouts, a long trip but only half the distance. And with another week at Boy Scout summer camp in the beginning of August, more camping wasn't very alluring.
I toyed with the idea of flying to Montana and renting an RV, which was pretty expensive. Doing that in Florida would have been much cheaper, but we were already sweltering in Wisconsin and Florida would be worse. Bernice suggested Hawaii but the airfare alone was expensive.
Before leaving the United website, I noticed that they had a vacations option and gave it a shot. Turns out that for little more than the cost of airfare, we could get a room and car for ten days. The standard hotel was three hundred more but $3500 put us in a condo at a small, nondescript hotel near the center of Kailua Kona. Bernice had her doubts but this was the Dick Hoppel way of doing Hawaii and after Skyping Bernice in Japan, I clicked on "Purchase".
From an eBook on the Big Island, I have since learned that we will want to keep our doors locked due to the derelicts, I think was the word, wandering off the streets. Let's hope for the best. Oh, and yesterday I learned that there is a queen bed and a twin bed for the four of us. Grant says he will take the couch. If there is one. I have a feeling that Bernice won't be letting me forget this decision for years to come.
The journey itself began yesterday as we made the first steps to the garage, and then returned to the house fetching forgotten items. The first leg was to Streamwood, where four other of my Hawaii journeys began many years ago. Shadow was happy to be joining us on the drive, although he didn't look very happy as we backed down the driveway this morning with Dick's Speedy O'hare delivery service.
UAL flight 1 has been zipping us through the Friendly Skies (does United still use that?) for an hour and a half now. The boys had no interest in doing some basic math for the Guess the Halfway Time game, so I stuffed the ballot box with Dylan's seat 46F. A nice scattering of calculated times should put him in the running. I'm in the middle of the row (2-5-2) so I hope I won't need the facilities much. Not a big deal as the seat to the left is empty, and I have Dylan and Bernice to the right. Grant volunteered to take the seat across the aisle from Bernice, figuring he would get a view out the windows. Since an attractive young woman squeezed past him to the window seat, I'm sure he's been a bit self-conscious. Ah, it's only 9 hours of nervousness.
After spending many hours loading this iPad, my phone, and iPod with movies, podcasts, and, well I went with the music I already had loaded, I now find myself listening to the songs from my childhood on XM satellite radio. Oh, Doobie Brothers' China Grove! It's the first song I remember from my childhood Hawaii trips. Yep, there are certain songs that still take me back to at least one of those flights in the '70s. Always have, always will. You see, back in the day—sorry, I see I already used my favorite phrase; I'll try not to use it again—the song tracks on the airplanes were pretty short and I had to listen to the same songs over and over and over again. Etched into the brain. I wasn't about to check out the country or big band tracks. Rock and Roll, baby. Now that I pay for my tickets, my flights are rare, and I didn't realize that there was this audio bonanza waiting for me on my very own quality earphones. Ah, now the Dead. Casey Jones. This is better than back in, I mean, years ago. I don't expect the track will be looping, either.
Something that I never anticipated when planning this trip was that it will be a cherished memory for the boys, just as my childhood Hawaii trips were to me. Grant has been saying for a week that he can't believe he's going to Hawaii, and now he's on his way. I was pleased to have a four hour layover in Honolulu, thinking that we might have some time to see something. When I told Grant the plans he was disappointed that we wouldn't be staying on Oahu. The Pearl Harbor thing. Been there done that for me, so I was only headed to the island that I haven't been to. I want the off-the-beaten-track experience and apparently Hawai'i still delivers. I used the native spelling for the island, just like my tour book. I see the entry form spells it that way for the whole state. I'll go with the automatic typing completion version from now on.
In the terminal before departure, Dylan was looking troubled. I asked him if the crowded area was giving him the willies (a common issue with him), but he said he was nervous about the long flight. He flew just a couple of years ago, but that was only to Florida. Much shorter. He says he is fine, now.
Dang, I need to go and Bernice and Dylan are going to wonder why I didn't do so when they did 20 minutes ago. I hadn't thought about it until they returned and thought I could hold out much longer. Times up.
Well that wasn't so bad. No complaints from the others. I thought I might try to stay regular while in there but no, my body has switched into travel mode. It never asks, it just does. I tried to overrule but their wasn't enough time to convince it. I think it's a remnant from my childhood travels, when dark, spidery outhouses weren't uncommon. I might be backed up for days now. And worse, the audio track is looping already. How did I fall for that XM Satellite bit?
Movie time on this iPad.