Mo' Bettah Da Kine

My schedule bid for January centered primarily around getting a week off toward the end of the month, so I could go to Kauai for my parents 40th anniversary. Along with my sister and her family, we stayed in a very nice place in Kapaa. It was a very welcome break from the back-to-back standups that I had been doing all month as punishment for getting the week off. I was scheduled to fly in early to LAX from San Luis Obispo and then run over to the American terminal to catch a direct flight to Lihue. This was a gamble because I never have much luck securing a gate early in the morning.

Fortunately for me (and not for the passengers), the flight got canceled, so I had a respectable night's sleep and a surprisingly efficient nonrev process on American. As you will note from my previous posts, the American operation has left much to be desired, but they have made the process infinitely easier. We even got exit row seats and free snacks. Ooh, aah! On our first full day, Anne was fixing to go ziplining, so we left my parents with my sister's young children while we all flew through the foliage of Poipu.

There were 8 separate ziplines and we had the option to ride the traditional way, or like superman as you see Nicole demonstrating in this picture. With the exception of Nicole, it was our first ziplining experience, and a good one indeed. It's an odd sensation after that first step. Now I know what it's like to be a Navy SEAL stealthily zipping into a combat zone. . . especially if the SEALs squeal with childish delight as they are roping in. Pew pew! The following day, we drove around to the north side of the island and played some mini golf. Nicole and I made loco moco for dinner.

The following day, Nicole and I wanted to enjoy the sunshine since we had not seen much of it back in "sunny" California, so we elected not to spend too much time driving around in a car. We lounged around by the beach and I went for a run. It was delightful. For our final day, our flight didn't depart until 3:30pm, so we spent the morning driving to Waimea Canyon and the Kalalau Valley. The last time Nicole and I went to look at the valley, it was socked in with fog, so it was good to see it clearly this time.

We stopped briefly at Waimea Canyon on our way back down and then worked our way back toward the airport. We got some loco moco and then got on the plane, which departed 30 mins ahead of schedule. This was surprising for two reasons -- it was Hawaii and it was American. My parents were able to get on board as well, but their seats were even further toward the back. It may have been just as well since Nicole and I had very loud talkers (and coughers) behind us. All I wanted to do was watch Florence Foster Jenkins and I kept getting whiplashed by the coughing behind me. "Such a smooth landing!," one of them loudly exclaimed as we were still 50 feet above the runway. This is why we need to put more money into education. And on that note, we arrived to LAX in the nick of time. The following day, it was virtually impossible to get in or out of the airport thanks to a hastily implemented and confusing travel ban. Protesters and attorneys flocked to LAX to defend those detained. It took me 45 mins to go one mile on the employee bus. All of this makes me want to do a 180 and go right back to Hawaii. They say ignorance is bliss, but right now I'm at the epicenter as an airline employee.

Island Escape

Ten years ago, I spent a brief time living on O'ahu while I "studied" at Hawaii Pacific University. After a stressful week of learning that I would be spending at least another month in Houston and away from home, it seemed the perfect time to get away for a few days and try and forget about these issues. Both Nicole and I had been to O'ahu before, but on separate trips. When I lived there, I didn't have a car, so my transport around the island was limited to a K-Mart bike and the bus (known as The Bus). Neither of these methods was particularly reliable. The Bus tended to make up its own schedule and my K-Mart bike lost a pedal while on a bike ride on the windward side of the island. Having acquired a luxurious Chevy Spark, we had more efficient access to the island and tried to see some things that the average tourist would likely miss. We drove up the Pali Highway from Honolulu toward the windward side, but stopped at the top of the top of the Ko'olau Mountains to explore a bamboo forest. We were the only ones exploring this offbeat trail.

Once on the other side, we continued on to the Byodo-In Temple in Kaneohe. I had technically been here once before, but it was probably 15 years ago. It was the only time during our brief trip that it rained. That being said, it created a mystical atmosphere that shrouded the temple in a nice diffused light. We continued our journey in the car toward the North Shore, where we decided to try and get lunch in the town of Haleiwa. Every time I've been up here, it has been relatively deserted with just a few surfers and the occasional Japanese tour bus.

This time was a little different. The town was absolutely packed. Traffic was a mess. We were just trying to find food at a grocery store or market for lunch, but even finding a parking spot was a challenge. This was not the carefree North Shore that I remember. I'm not sure if it was a sudden influx in tourists due to spring break or other factors like a rebounding economy, but it certainly wasn't relaxing. When we finally got a sandwich and some sushi at a market, we resolved to get the hell out of the town and eat it someplace else. I drove us to a nearby beach park, where only locals were having picnics, and we found a bench where we could eat in peace.


In an unusual twist, we began to think that our hotel in Waikiki might actually be more relaxing than our trek around the island. We were a little off the main drag of Waikiki, closer to Kapiolani Park and Diamond Head Crater. The beaches were much less crowded as a result. After the sun set, we walked by my old apartment building, which is surprisingly one of the few things in Waikiki that has remained the same. Many of the shops and restaurants that were familiar to me have changed or disappeared entirely. The L&L Hawaiian BBQ that was just a couple blocks away is no longer there. Many of the surf shops have been replaced by upscale fashion stores like Prada and Louis Vuitton. Finding dinner quickly became a challenge because my usual spots were gone and to make matters worse, there was a festival going on with a never-ending parade. Later on, there were fireworks over the ocean. I never remember Waikiki being that crowded, and that's saying something.


We completed our night by snapping pictures of the Waikiki skyline, where I accidentally achieved this bizarre effect you see here. I had set it on a rock wall so I could use a long shutter to try and capture more of the waves rolling in. However, in the middle of my four second exposure, I noticed a larger than normal wave rolling in and picked up my camera an instant before the wave crashed over the rock wall drenching the spot where my camera had been sitting.


The following day, we just relaxed by the beach in front of our hotel. I decided to go for a brief swim and caught a glimpse of some humuhumunukunukuapua'as swimming around. Despite the crowds we encountered throughout our trip, it's still easy to relax on O'ahu as long as you know where to look. Next time I return to Hawai'i though, I think I will go back to one of the other islands. Things are changing a little too quickly on O'ahu for my liking. Either way, it was a nice escape from the daily grind of both of our unusual jobs. As disappointing as not getting my transfer to LA was, my little trip to Hawaii would not have been possible without my current job, so one has to look at it that way.

Kauai continued . . .

Most people we encountered seemed to fit into one of two categories: time-share owning retirees and younger couples on their honeymoon. There did not seem to be a strong contingent of 30 hour turnaround visitors.

And that's for good reason. If you are paying for a trip to Hawaii, you probably want to take your time and spend a few days exploring and relaxing. With just 30 hours, we faced a daunting task of trying to relax and yet take advantage of where we were.

Having rented a car, we were able to drive around the island (slowly). When I lived on O'ahu, I took the bus everywhere, so I never really experienced just how slow people drive. It is uncanny. To be fair, I'm not sure how many were actual locals and who was just a lost tourist, but with no opportunity to pass, it turns a 20 mile trip into an hour.


All things considered, we saw a good portion of the island in our short time there. When I took a "shortcut" around one of the main towns, I ended up overshooting our hotel. I played it off as if it was planned by making another turn and going to Opaekaa Falls. The last places we visited were Waimea Canyon and attempted to see the Kalalau Valley on the Na Pali coast. Unfortunately, despite intense sun and heat everywhere else on the island, the Kalalau valley was socked in with an intense fog. On our drive back down the hill, the canyon we had just seen 30 mins earlier was also getting fogged in.

 Luckily we were able to see a little bit of it before it faded away.  We saw just the right amount of things to feel like we took advantage of the trip without feeling too rushed. We extended the hotel reservation for a few more hours just to allow us to relax a little bit longer without driving around for 6 hours while wearing our pants in near record breaking heat and humidity. The Hawaiian islands are currently in the center of three different hurricane systems, leading to unusual surf, humidity, and flooding. Our forecast called for 100% chance of rain and overcast skies for the duration of our short trip. Luckily I had the foresight to know that Hawaiian forecasts mean absolutely nothing. It was sunny for the bulk of our stay with only a few stray cloud floating by.


It was a solid impromptu trip. In many ways, it's hard to believe that it even happened. My nonrev flights (airline lingo for non-revenue or a seat that isn't making any money) up to this point have consisted almost entirely of commuting to and from work-related training assignments. This was the first time it felt like I was taking advantage of my benefits and I hope I have the time to use them throughout my career.

30 hours in Kauai

Each time an airline pilot is given a new domicile, they are guaranteed four "moving days" to relocate to their new base city. This is really just a ruse. First, who is actually capable of uprooting their lives and getting established in a new city in four days? Second, these moving days are flexible, so I moved them to Labor Day weekend to coincide with Nicole's vacation time. As you can see by the photos here, I am in Minneapolis right now carrying a futon up the steps of a four story apartment.

Kauai was a last minute decision. Nicole was concerned that 30 hours was too short of a time to fly halfway across the ocean, but after some shrewd negotiations, she begrudgingly agreed that a free trip to Hawaii was acceptable. I am trying to take advantage of every day I have before I am actually in Minneapolis flying six legs a day, and spontaneous getaways like this are a distant memory.