scubacruiserx2

A view over the North Shore and a very tall waterfall Rear view mirror in focus on the landing skid Eli looking toward the Na Pali Coast Hanalei Bay where Puff the magic Dragon frolicked Mount Wai'ale'ale mist Another helicopter below us coming out of the clouds The Green Spires . The last time that we were here we saw white mountain goats standing and climbing on these narrow ledges . A possible grow house heading back to the airport The airport in sight Photos with Eli and the aircraft . Note the ladder to help the ladies up in the front .

The view from the view from the other side behind the pilot shot with a Canon D 6 Waimea Grand Canyon The white dots are the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the west coast Banking a turn over the water

After passing the cruise port in the south we made a right and went clockwise . These are Pat's photos and videos from right front door . I didn't see this waterfall but Pat did and noticed a blue helicopter in the green patch that had landed near a walkway to the falls . The Waimea Grand Canyon is 3000 ' deep and 10 miles long . The stunning Na Pali Coast with a small boat in the second shot The North Shore near Hanalei Green Spires video Mount Wai'ale'ale is 5148 ' tall and averages 450 " inches of rain a year . That's 37 and a half feet !

Pat was seated forward by the starboard door and I was in the aft port behind the pilot Eli . All strapped in and ready to fly south over the empty cruise port Nawillwilli . We would later see a ship when we visited the port for lunch .

We decided to use the oldest of the helicopter providers in Kauai who has been around since the early 60s . We met at their office near Walmart for payment and a flight briefing on how to use the equipment and proper procedures . From there we would shuttle to the airport . The Henderson 500 is the smallest helicopter that we have flown in and unlike this one , the doors would be off . Additionally , unlike our previous flight in Kauai , on the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska , and on the behemoth MIL 8 in Saint Petersburg , Russia , we would be hot loading with a running engine like when I was on Air Rescue with the Miami- Dade Fire Department . This is more dangerous than a start up procedure and requires an escort to keep you safe and buckle you in and keep your gear secure . I must admit that I like the cold start like we did here in Saint Petersburg where you can hear and feel the power .

We wanted to get some rest as we had our circle the island helicopter flight scheduled for 0745 in the city . One of the high points of the trip .

On Sunday morning we were up early to walk over to see the sunrise . We had a nice chat with Richard with whom we had a lot in common . We we told him of our encounter the day before and he said 3 police cars were on the beach the day before after we had left the beach . Richard really wanted to take several photos of us and this was our favorite . An eFoil hoverboard

Earlier that morning ( day 2 Saturday ) Pat had went shopping at Safeway in the morning for coffee filters and could't find any so she went to Longs Drugs (CVS ) . They we both uncrowded but she couldn't find coffee filters to drink the coffee that she had purchased ( she was really missing the convenience of the in room coffee in a Neptune suite and the flavor of the Explorations Cafe ) . Later we went to a Vietnamese restaurant for some takeout ( we had found our Tamarind ) and I located some tapered filters that were way up high above her line of sight . We really needed round ones and stopped at Longs again . This time we struck Gold . This is where the Luau would be held later .

It was very intense until we left but that was definitely the low point with no other problems with anyone . Locals being territorial at their surf break is nothing new dating back to the 60's when I first learned to surf . This still carries over for locals when we found out that we could not park at Ke'e Beach on the North Shore to hike the Kalaulau Trail like we did in 2001 . Only locals can park there and visitors must reserve a tram before you go . When I turned 60 my wife surprised me with a visit to the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon in Disney World so we shared the surf break . It was the first batch of videos that we posted on social media as I still had dark hair .

As we were taking all kinds of photos I had hoped to take a photo of the fisherman casting his net for bait for his fishing poles . I had walked down to the water to take some sea level photos and turned around to take a photo of Pat on the bluff . I was going to ask the guy if he had any luck ( Pat's dad loved to fish and took her and me perch fishing , Salmon fishing and ice fishing on the Great Lakes ) . Before I could ask him he began yelling that it was His island and His beach . Next began the F bombs . You F ing racist , why are you taking pictures of my girlfriend ? I replied that I was taking a photo of my wife . He continued with why was I taking a picture of his half naked girlfriend . It's my island and so on . The next accusation was a question if I was going to take photos of children and that I was a F ing pervert . I could see where this was going and offered to erase any recent photos and apologized . About this time Pat showed up and offered to help me erase the photos that I couldn't see in the bright sunlight . The orders continued " erase the blanking photos now " which we did . When his girlfriend came she advised Pat that we should leave the beach now which is what we did , walking about 2 blocks to the Sheraton . We had a luau scheduled there and we asked if we could look and / or take photos there and they said that it was OK . Lesson learned . Be very careful when taking photos and ask permission . This is why I prefer landscapes or inanimate objects to photograph .

Yes it does . We loved Iceland , Norway , Patagonia and Antarctica . We would love to see them again and a couple of new hot and cold spots as well . The nice thing is that it leaves from and returns to our home port . Unfortunately it's during our nicest weather .

On the first night in Hawaii we watched the # 1 Hawaiian men's volleyball team play . Tonight they play at 2230 in the men's Big West conference in California . The next morning we walked about 3 minutes to the closest beach near our condo . A lesson learned ! We will talk story tomorrow .

The experience and accommodations at Plantation Hale, reminds us of the closest that we got to a Pinnacle Suite on HAL because it had a kitchen ( Butler Pantry), refrigerator, microwave and indoor dining . Once when we were doing a 10 day HAL cruise to ABC Islands and had a NS corner aft, which is our favorite .We did have an offer to "upgrade" to the Pinnacle, but at $400 a day or $4k, which was almost double what we paid, we declined. 14 our last 15 cruises have been on HAL, with only 2 not being a Neptune Suite, both on Nieuw Statendam. Our favorite cruise on HALwas S. America and Antarctica for 22 days on the Zaandam. Our longest cruise was on the Nieuw Amsterdam for 35 days in a row. Our favorite cabin was on the Zuiderdam . We have only done 15 cruises on HAL, which is a distant second to Carnival for the number of cruises. Most of Carnival cruises were done for scuba diving.Our last 2 trips on Carnival, were on the Victory . Our youngest daughter was married on her February 2013 and a family cruise January 2014. We are currently looking into a HAL 133 day Pole to Pole cruise, January 25 - June 7, 2025, that we saw on the internet. It leaves Ft. Lauderdale and goes from Antarctica to Iceland and Greenland .

2 things had changed since our last visit here . The window air conditioners had been changed to ductless air conditioning with a remote control and they used to have a stackable washer and dryer in the closet which was now locked . The washer and dryer were now shared and open from 0800 - 2200 . We asked for an upstairs unit that was quite . However we had a downstairs unit that was the closest to the pool and the laundry with people walking past our windows to use the washer and dryers . We had requested a change of rooms but we were told that they were all full as it was spring break . Our living room AC wasn't cooling so we called for a repair . After about an hour we walked down and talked to a man named Phillip who tried to help us . He had worked there for 30 years and was very nice and helpful . We did change the batteries in the remote but that didn't work . We went shopping at the Safeway and had a card that gave us a discount . A nice cashier named Joanna helped us change our card to the correct store . The pool . My wife used to be a lifeguard in Michigan before we met so I had my own lifeguard . We had looked up on the internet the Fujitsu page that told us that most of the AC problems came from a dirty filter ( which we could see ) and it should be cleaned every 2 weeks . We called the office and requested that they vacuum the filter . After they cleaned it there were no more problems . Above us were some very active teens making a lot of noise from afternoon until about 8:oopm or so. Pat went up and asked if they could step a little lighter. They apologized and said no problem, they did not realize how much noise they were making. She thanked them very much and there was very little noise from then on.

We kinda felt like we had stepped back in time when we entered the condo . A couple of things had changed but it felt like it was 2001 again before digital cameras / smartphones . The unit was built in 1972 and had 1 or 2 upgrades but most of it appeared to be vintage 1970's . The upgrade

The flight was only about 35 minutes and we had rented a car like the first time that we had visited by cruise ship in 2001 celebrating our 25th anniversary . On that day we drove to the Waimea Grand Canyon Lookout point a distance of about 28 miles , almost an hours drive . We returned to the Kauai for a 5 day in a condo after our final port in Honolulu . We planned on staying in the same condo for 9 days this trip exploring the best options for a day trip when your HAL cruise makes port there like the Konningsdam did yesterday from 0800 until 1800 . Kauai by air . We missed coming into the cruise port but we would visit there later . So we settled for the air view instead Car rental The airport - Aloha and welcome to Hawaii Where we would be staying . What if any would have changed in 22 years ( besides our hair color ) .

A layover at Honolulu airport

An early morning and a flight over open ocean that was as long as our flight from Ft. Lauderdale to SFO 5 hours and 42 minutes . Salt or Pepper ? Wash up before eating Hawaiian style My study guide in the air

Dinner was was at 8 PM at the grab and go in the hotel and we went to bed early for our 0400 cab ride for the flight from SFO to Honolulu 2400 miles over the Mighty Pacific Ocean .

A couple more photos of Pebble Beach Teeing off at Pebble Beach So how much does it cost to play around at Pebble Beach ? It depends . https://golf.com/travel/pebble-beach-green-fees-how-much-it-costs/

As we entered the Pebble Beach area we were told that the 17 mile Drive the main road , was closed . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pebble_Beach,_California We did stop for a few photos including the dead trees We did see a couple of fire trucks and I told the Driver Operator that I was a Retired Firefighter /Paramedic from Miami Dade County and asked if I could take a couple of photos of their truck . She said yes and they drove off after the photos .

My wife traces her roots through Ireland and on St. Patrick's day she usually makes Corned Beef , cabbage and potatoes . The leftover corned beef ends up in Reubens and or corned beef hash . We do like the Corned beef hash that HAL serves in the Pinnacle grill for breakfast when we stay in a Neptune Suite The Reuben that we had at lunch was good but made with pastrami and was not as good as the one that my wife made yesterday . We were traveling to Hawaii on Saint Patrick's day this year so the was the closest that we got to a Corned beef this trip so we did enjoy it . We had a couple of visitors at lunch and this was our turnaround point . Our next stop was Pebble Beach .

This is where we stopped for lunch After ordering ,we went downstairs to the gift shop to wash up , I thought I was in the wrong restroom . Unique gifts including jade found on the beach Chai Latte with extra protein and a Reuben

Thanks @jimbri , the same for us .

Before we had left the Carmel area we had past by the Carmel Mission Basilica . Eric Told us about the El Camino Real a 600 mile long route linking 21 Spanish missions from San Diego toward Monterey . And about that grape growing for wine ( for Holy Communion , as a symbol of the blood of Christ ) As visitors would travel from mission to mission, bells set outside would be rung to alert the monks who offered food and a place to stay for the travelers . The Mission Bell system reminds me of an old Fleetwood Mac song cover long before they became very popular in 1970 . It's still one of my favorite albums and features Christine McVie before she married John McVie . She sang and did the cover art works . Sadly she passed away last November . Vineyard planting in the state began with the Spanish Franciscan Missionaries starting with California's first mission: Mission San Diego de Alcalá in 1769. Just as palm trees were planted so there would be palm fronds for Palm Sunday, vineyards were planted so there would be wine for communion. From the University of California Davis. To facilitate overland travel, mission settlements were approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) apart, so that they were separated by one long day's ride[citation needed] on horseback along the 600-mile (966-kilometer) long El Camino Real (Spanish for "The Royal Highway," though often referred to in the later embellished English translation, "The King's Highway"), and also known as the California Mission Trail. Tradition has it that the padres sprinkled mustard seeds along the trail to mark the windings of the trail's northward progress with bright yellow flowers, creating a golden trail stretching from San Diego to Sonoma.[5][6] Wikipedia