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Kauai 2025 – Wailua and Opaekaa Falls

Posted on February 20, 2025 by JimG

Wailua Falls

Feb 20, 2025

We had breakfast at the Kountry Kitchen which we had discovered on a previous trip.  It has become our favorite breakfast place on Kauai.  It is a popular spot, we got there as it opened, so we were seated right away but as we left, I noticed there was a waitlist.

We headed out on our first driving tour.   When we were in Banf, we tried an app called “Guide Along” which acts as a private guide.   I was surprised at how well it worked and bought the Kauai tour.   It detects your location, gives you driving instructions while giving you a tour.  You cannot ask any questions, but you are on your own schedule instead of being back on the bus at a specific time.

We started by going driving to Opaekaa Falls in the Wailua State Park.  We then headed to Wailua Falls which were made famous by the 1970s show “Fantasy Island”.  The opening sequence featured the falls right before the plane would fly by and Tattoo announcing it.

We then headed to Lihue and stopped for Saimin which was very good before heading to Poipu to see the Spouting Horn. Continue reading →

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Kauai 2025 – LAX to OGG and then to LIH

Posted on February 19, 2025 by JimG

 

Sheraton Kauai Resort

Feb 19, 2025

We were up at 4:30 AM to get ready for our 8:40 AM flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Maui (OGG) on United and then continue on Hawaiian Airlines to Lihue (LIH) in Kauai.  As much as I like avoiding the traffic into LAX, I find that when I get up that early, I spend most of the day feeling exhausted and I have been able to sleep well on an airplane.

As we boarded our flight, the flight attendants were all wearing fake leis and flowers.  It reminded me of my first flight to Hawaii, at least they aren’t wearing polyester muumuus like they used to.   Early in my career, I was assigned a six-week project in Hawaii and every week, I went from Kaui to Maui and then back to Kaui again. I felt very fortunate to have been put on that project, I could have just as easily been assigned a project in Chicago during the middle of winter.

When my parents retired, I cashed in my miles to get them tickets to Hawaii, and I went along with them.  We stopped in Oahu and then headed to Kauai.  It was a special trip, and Kauai will always be my favorite Island and now that I am older, I don’t mind that everything closes at 8:00 PM and there isn’t much night life.  I was looking forward to driving around the island and appreciating the beauty.

When we arrived in Maui, my first thought was that the airport looked the same as it did the first time I flew to Maui and when we landed in Kauai, I had the same thought.   As we drove up to the hotel, I realized that we had stayed at this Sheraton hotel about five years before.  As we checked in, I asked and they said that they were a Marriott Courtyard and a few years back, they rebranded the hotel as a Sheraton resort.   I am not sure I would call it a resort, but it was located in Lihue where I wanted to spend a few days before going on to Princeville.

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Catalina Island

Posted on June 28, 2024 by JimG

The Casino

June 28, 2024

We woke up early and we walked to the iconic Avalon Casino building.  Although the building is called the casino, we were told that there isn’t a casino in it and never has been.  The word “casino” means gathering place.  Unfortunately, the building wasn’t open when we got there.  I found a schedule but it mentioned that opening times depended on cruise ship arrivals.

We walked around the outside of the building and I couldn’t help but notice how quiet everything was with the exception of a few small groups of scuba divers who were suiting up. As much as I would have loved to go into the building, I was enjoying the quiet morning.   The Catalina Express would be bringing in visitors, I was glad that there weren’t any cruise ships.

After our walk, we went back to the hotel, packed everything up, checked out and had them store our luggage while we got lunch.   After lunch, we headed to the pier where we hung out waiting for boat back to Long Beach.

I was surprised at the amount of wildlife, I could see plenty of fish, I spotted a sea lion along with Cormorants.   It was a nice ride back to Long Beach.

Overall, a fun weekend. Continue reading →

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Catalina Island Backcountry Tour

Posted on June 27, 2024 by JimG

June 27th, 2024

We were picked up at our hotel by Backcountry tours and was taken to see the other parts of the island.  Part of the tour was on dirt roads, I was glad that we were in an air conditioned truck as opposed to an open air vehicle.  Our guide from Backcountry tours explained that they offered a variety of services that include hauling camping gear and setting up camps for hikers that want to hike.  With the steep hills, I could see where carrying food and gear could be a challenge.

We enjoyed seeing the rest of the island and hearing about the conservation efforts.  Unfortunately, we did not get to see the Bison which were brought to island in 1924.  Fourteen American Bison were brought to the Island and now, a hundred years later, a herd of about 150 roam the island.

After our tour, our guide dropped us off at “The Lobster Trap” where we had lunch. I rarely get lobster, but decided to have the lobster roll. I wasn’t disappointed. Continue reading →

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Catalina Island

Posted on June 26, 2024 by JimG

The Casino

June 26, 2024

I haven’t been to Catalina since the early 90s.  At the time, I was living in Long Beach which is one of the locations that the Catalina Express boats go in and out of.   We got up, headed to Pann’s for breakfast and then headed to Long Beach to catch our 11:15 boat.  We made good time which allowed me to drive by my old apartment and reminisce.  I had moved to Long Beach for work.   I loved my job, I loved my apartment and have very fond memories from that time.   I have always said that if I could go back and relive a time, that time period would be at the top of my list.

I had purchased a package deal from the Aurora hotel which included the transportation to and from the island, the taxi from the pier as well as a tour of the Island. When I called the hotel to book the package, I was impressed with how friendly and helpful they were.  Overall, I felt the room and the bathroom were small but we had an ocean view and it was only for a couple of nights.   I would definitely stay there again!

The Wrigley Family bought the back in 1919. This is the same Wrigley family that owned Wrigley field along with the Chicago Cubs.  It is hard to imagine the amount of money that this family made off of chewing gum.  At any rate, the family is still owned by the Wrigley family and is known for its wildlife and scuba diving.

When we arrived, we noticed that Avalon was crowded with lines almost everywhere.  I knew that a lot of people will go to Catalina for the day and there was a huge cruise ship parked off of the pier.  I wondered if it was going to remain as crowded as it was.   As we headed out to dinner, we noticed that the cruise ship was leaving and the crowds had dissipated. Continue reading →

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The Lost Jedi-diah

Posted on October 17, 2023 by JimG

Tuesday, October 17th 2023

The weather was better the following day and we wanted to go back to Crescent City and Jedidiah to do some additional exploring and hiking.   Although the weather was cool, it was a beautiful day with beautiful scenery and Jedidiah had a different feel with the sun.

We started with driving along the ocean, stopping in and around Crescent city to appreciate the coast line.   We actually ran into our tour guide from the day before when wet stopped at one of the beaches.   We then headed back into Jedidiah Redwoods state park.

A couple of years back, I had pulled a page out of a “Visit California” magazine that had an article called “A Geek’s Guide to California”, there was a picture of a man standing in a Redwood Grove looking up with a smaller picture below with had George Lucas,  next to Princess Leah, Chewbacca, Hans Solo, C3PO and R2D2 with redwood trees behind them.  The article talked about the Sci-Fi movies that had been filmed in the area.

It wasn’t there to find the exact places where E.T. finally went home or the areas that served as also served as the moon of Endor, home of the Ewoks in the Return of the Jedi, the scenes in Jurassic Park: The Lost World, but it made me want to explore it even more. Continue reading →

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Ultimate Redwood Experience – Crescent City and Jedidiah State Park

Posted on October 16, 2023 by JimG

October 16th, 2023

I woke up and it was raining.  I was hoping by the time our tour started, the rain would let up but it hadn’t.  I had booked the Ultimate Redwood Experience from the redwood Sightseeing Tour Company and when met our tour guide met us in Crescent City, CA, I could tell he was hoping that we would postpone until the following day.  We had made the half hour drive from Brookings, OR to Crescent City, CA and we were the only ones on this Group Tour and I wanted to spend the following day exploring on my own and we were visiting a rain forest.

We made a few stops around crescent City and then we headed into Jedidiah State Park. I was a bit confused because I had seen it listed as a State Park as well as a National Park.  The guide explained that it was comanaged by the National Park Service and California State Parks as are other Redwood Parks in the area.

It is difficult to describe the experience.  The trees are 300 feet tall and thousands of years old, it makes you feel small and yet part of something bigger. The air is fresh and earthy, it felt healthy to be breathing it.   The grove is shaded, leaving plants that can grow in limited light, it is eerily quiet with no birds and surprisingly, no bugs. Continue reading →

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The Legend of Bigfoot

Posted on October 15, 2023 by JimG

October 15th. 2023

We continued heading north towards Brookings, Oregon.  The 101 also known as the Redwood Highway, travels through the redwood forests and at times, along the Pacific Coast. The drive is stunning.

We came across a road stop called The Legend of Bigfoot in Garberville. It looked too fun not to stop!  We were in Bigfoot territory and I was enjoying it. I grew listening to Bigfoot and Loch Ness monster stories – I am a fan of urban legends and loved the X-Files.  I was  hoping to see Bigfoot and capturing footage on my camera. Unfortunately, the wooden carvings of Bigfoot was the only thing that I captured on my camera!

Overall, a fun stop filled with touristy stuff that is fun to looked at.  They also had redwood carvings of Bigfoot  along with Smokey the Bear, Shrek, and a variety of garden gnomes both for display and for sale. I checked out the refrigerator magnets, coffee mugs, and t-shirts.   I picked up a spoon rest and coffee mug and after I left, I hoped that we would pass it on the way back home so that I could stop and pick up a 2024 Redwoods calendar and a refrigerator magnet!

Continue reading →

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Avenue of the Giants – Humboldt State Park

Posted on October 15, 2023 by JimG

October 15th, 2023

We stopped at the Visitors Center for the Avenue of the Giants in the Humboldt Redwoods Sate Park.  We were driving through the park but also wanted to do some hiking.   As we headed into the visitors center, they had information about Redwood trees saying that they had been around since the time of dinosaurs and that they can live over 2,0000 years old.   Some of the areas along the Avenue had never been logged.

There was a cross section of a redwood with plaques showing the rings that were in the 12002, 1300s and so on.  It really drove home the point that these trees were old and if my grandparents had driven down this avenue, they would have been looking at some of the same trees.

The woman at the visitors center gave us maps and suggestions on where to stop and where to hike. She was very helpful and every time I had a question, she would open a drawer and pull out a piece of paper with additional information.  I guess they get the same questions over and over again.   She suggested that we start with the Gould Grove Nature loop which would take us down to the river.  We headed out and had a great hike. Continue reading →

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Medocino Botanical Gardens

Posted on October 14, 2023 by JimG

October 14, 2023

We were staying in Ukiah which is along the 101 Freeway which is inland.   We decided to head to the Coast and used CA State Route 20 to cross over to Fort Brag and then headed south to Mendocino where we found a botanical gardens.  When I reviewed my pictures from that day, I realized that there were very few pictures of the gardens but a lot of pictures of the coast.  In fairness to the gardens, it is fall, there isn’t a lot that is in bloom with the exception of the Dahlias.

When I left, I realized that we spent a lot more time than I had expected.  I really enjoyed sitting and just looking at how wonderful nature can be.   A lot of people think of California as being warm sandy white beaches when the majority of our coast line is anything but that. Continue reading →

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