Hawaiian Adventure Day 1

I was up early and relieved to see that the first flight to Phoenix was listed as on time with a gate already assigned.  I was able to check in through my phone, with boarding passes emailed back to me.  Nice...

Roads were slightly improved, and Jason dropped us off at the airport.  We took off near sunrise for the flight to Phoenix.  Once airborne, it was possible to start relaxing as the flight was on time.
Flying to the Southwest, I enjoyed watching the scenery through the window.  It isn't the same as riding the motorcycle cross-country, but since this is at least partially a motorcycle adventure, it counts in some way.  Unnaturally straight roads contrasted with sinewy streams and rivers.

I was reading As I lay Dying by William Faulkner on the flight.  Not exactly a pick me up and Faulkner was a bit challenging to read initially in the cacophony of the airplane, but once I started in the book, I enjoyed it.  The lady sitting next to us even commented on it - her comments suggested she may have some literary background?  Can't tubby, 40-something, camo-wearing guys have diverse taste in books?

Vardaman

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My mother is a fish.

We landed in Phoenix without incident and had a snack of very expensive french fries; I just could not do the $9.35 hot dog...
Back on a plane, we flew over the Sierras.
And crossed the coastline, over the Pacific Ocean.  Time to breath easier that we might just make it.

The flight over the Pacific was long, but not tedious as every minute brought us closer to Hawaii.  Looking down on the water, it made real how immense the Pacific Ocean really is.  Having recently reread Tony Horwitz's Blue Latitudes in anticipation of the trip, I was amazed that Captain Cook had roamed these waters nearly blind looking for land.
The scene below us ranged from clear to very cloudy.  Even when cloudy it was interesting to peak down 10s of thousands of feet below.  The clouds undulated, almost like they were taking on the personality of the waves beneath them.

I started to get really excited as we crossed the halfway point between California and Hawaii.  As we approached one of the most remote sets of islands anywhere on the globe, the Sandwich Islands, the twin peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa rose above the clouds.

Around seven hours after the wheels lifted off the tarmac in Phoenix, we hit terra firma in the 50th state.  I HAVE NOW BEEN IN ALL 50 STATES!!!!

Kudos to American Airlines as the day was infinitely better than the last time I flew anywhere on my dime.

Kona airport wasn't exactly what I expected; it was small and there was no jetway.  Descending the plane, it was near 75 degrees and humid.  We waited for a the rental car shuttle for a few minutes before picking up our car.  The company I work for has an account with National Car Rental and as a result I was able to get a much better car for the price of a econobox anywhere else.  Dodge Charger it is - I feel like a Hawaiian cop.

Both SO and I were famished, having not really had a real meal all day.  Our route from the airport did not take us immediately past any restaurants.  As we left Kona, headed up and over Daniel K. Inouye Highway (AKA Saddle Road), the temperature dropped form 75 degrees to near 50.  True to what I had read about the Big Island climate, we also crossed from the dry Kona side to the wet Hilo side.  Terrain varied immensely from arid landscape to a'a lava (rough and jaggady) to pahoehoe lava (smooth and syrupy).

Once in Hilo, we ate at Zippy's - a Hawaiian chain.  Food was good, but just about anything would have tasted good by that point.  We stopped by a grocery store to pick up a few essentials since it was just under an hour to get to our Hideaway.  I was determined to by Hawaiian coffee, but it would have been cheaper at home...
Although it was dark, we followed directions and the previously identified GPS coordinates (which helped immensely in the dark) to the Hideaway.  Rental houses can be a bit of a crapshoot, but it looked great.  The driveway felt like a jungle path as we made our way in.  The house was small but had everything that was needed.  It will be interesting to see a bit more in the light.
The house had notes and reminders all over the place, making it a bit patronizing, almost like when I was a kid...

Severely jetlagged, we turned in early by Hawaii time, but late by our unadjusted internal clocks.  There was no air conditioning, but the 1400 foot elevation made that not be an issue, even if it was a bit humid.  Coqui frogs screamed and hollered all night long.  Invasive, but magical.