The Journey to the East

May 26

Up early at the hotel for the scramble to the airport.  Our flight to LAX departed at 8:00am.  The airlines have figured out how to make us do more work – this time we checked in our own bags.  We weighed them and did all the info entry at a kiosk in order for the tags to be printed.  We were reminded who was the intended beneficiary of the new procedure by having to wait a long time for a clerk to appear to finish the process.  It was a relief to get rid of the packs we’ll be using for the Grand Canyon.  When we get to Maine we’ll box them up for shipping back to Hawaii. 

 

Even now in 2011 it seems a miracle that I can be sitting in an almost-comfortable seat 10,000 feet higher than the summit of Mount Everest, the outside temperature minus 76 degrees F, having a cup of coffee and tapping away at my laptop.  Our Hawaiian Airlines A330 is ghosting along at 575 mph.  It has all the latest conveniences such as seat-back screens and UBS ports.  I don’t like this mode of travel and how it has replaced the concept of the journey as an end in itself, but sometimes you simply have to fly.  There’s no scheduled passenger travel by ship between Hawaii and the mainland.

We began considering this trip about five years ago.  Kate seemed to be a kid who would benefit from the experience.  That gave us perfect cover for doing what we wanted to do anyway!  Plus, she could never complain plausibly in therapy that we neglected her.  We might be deeply stupid people but we figured we could conceal that fact from her by introducing her to intelligent, playful, thoroughly alive people around the world. Lastly, we  didn’t want Kate growing up thinking we were boring.  Maybe this trip is going a bit too far.  At this rate, when she turns 25 she will probably want to move to a tract house on the outskirts of Topeka and never leave it for the rest of her life.  

We were blessed with a child who, from the very moment she could focus her eyes, has been eagerly engaged in everything.  As a little kid she was always busy working on projects and has arrived at the wizened age of 13 as the best possible candidate for a long journey.  She loves history and making connections.  Yesterday, on the deck of the battleship Missouri in Pearl Harbor, she mused that the Mighty Mo was only about 30 feet different in length from the Titanic.  Her knowledge of geography is pretty admirable:  “I can’t believe I thought Afghanistan was a city when I was little!”  I’ll spare her the knowledge for now that only about 37% of Americans have passports, a number which has increased lately only because of new requirements for crossing the border with Canada.

So we tossed around the idea for this trip as we watched our little sprout grow to be a young lady.  A few years ago we began to position things so we could have the option of going in 7^th or 8^th grade.  We figured they might be the last years she would be so open to a trip of this sort.  High school will be too fraught with distractions, even in the mountain-top cloister I have in mind for Kate.  The Great Recession threw us a curve but by January of this year we had managed to claw our way back just enough to make the trip a viable plan.

At a land trust rally in Pittsburgh in 2008 I got wind of a job running a small land trust on the Big Island of Hawaii.  The two years I’ve done so have been one of the highlights of my life.  In January, our land trust merged with three others to form Hawaiian Islands Land Trust.  As our trip approached it was difficult to step aside from all the opportunities that have opened up.    On her part, Jenny had a good part-time position at an urgent care in our town of Waimea.   In spite of our excitement, we had mixed feelings when we decided to commit to the trip.

We thought it fitting to begin our travels by paying our respects to the fallen at Pearl Harbor.  Yesterday we toured the Arizona Memorial, the battleship Missouri and the submarine Bowfin.  That the Missouri is tied up very close to the Arizona is a multi-layered symbol.  World War II began for the United States with the sinking of the Arizona on December 7, 1941.  The war ended with the Japanese surrender on the Missouri 3 years and 8 months later.  The transformation of and effort by the US during that period is nothing short of astounding. 

Mighty Mo

The Mighty Mo also represents the overwhelming military power that the United States has, for better or worse, insisted upon since.  Its mighty 16-inch guns, still the largest at sea, make the ship a jaw-dropping presence.  For me, the experience of standing on the very spot on the vast teak decks where Japan surrendered was extraordinary.  WWII was the biggest thing that ever happened and having it bookended in this way by the two battleships was very moving.  

May 25, 2011

We’re sitting on the cramped balcony of our room at the Sheraton Waikiki.  The smooth, perfect waves that made this place a favorite surfing spot for ancient Hawaiians and everyone else (except the missionaries) ever since, are rolling toward the beach.  As is so often the case in Hawaii, the air and temperature are perfect.  During our travels I will miss the sound of the wind in the palms.

Jenny and Kate at Waikiki

We had a rather full day yesterday, to say the least.  We jammed on packing and cleaning, getting our cat Rosie situated in her new assisted living digs, doing last visits to the bank and post office, and generally panicking.  Luckily we have friends who helped us!  Mega-mahalos to Ross and Mary and Bob and Shelby who leapt to our aid so we could make the flight.

 

Once we got our luggage checked in we felt much better and started to relax a bit.  Here in Honolulu we quickly showered and went off to John and Joan Henshaw’s house off Pali highway for a glass of wine and pupus.  

Something in the cleaning, moving or whatever caused me to have a severe bout of allergies.  I’m hoping a day outdoors on Oahu will clear me up.  That, and some good pharmaceuticals!

The feeling of being on the road is already delicious.  We’ll get through this awkward time of getting organized and having everything in its place.  As we shed luggage, managing will become much easier.