Hawaii, Day One

Posted on by Pete Schloss

Sunday, January 18th saw us rise long before the sun broke the horizon. We left the house at 3:30 AM for the airport. It was 10°F and before our travel day would end the outside temperature would be in the upper 70s.

Hawaii is the 50th and final state admitted to the United States (1959). It is also the last of the 50 states that Christine and I have visited.

Hawaii is four time zones west of Kansas City. It lies approximately 2000 miles west of the continental United States, is the furthest south of all the states, its 137 islands span 1500 miles from its eastern most island to its western most island, and has a population of approximately 1.5 million. It and Texas are the only two states that were previously recognized internationally as independent nations. It is our home for the next three weeks.

Our Road Scholar group numbers 27, including three group leaders. We will be visiting four islands with each day a dedicated learning experience about the geography, geology, flora, and fauna of this paradise. Today (Monday, January 19) included a brief nature walk, a program orientation, and a “meet and greet” dinner.

Our first impression is very positive. The participants are largely of our generation and stand out as intellectually curious retirees. Some pictures follow below.

Peace Everyone. Pete.

We are aboard Delta Airlines in Minneapolis. Christine is relaxing at the start of our nine hour flight.
We landed in Honolulu and had to catch an island jet to Hilo. Not as luxurious as Delta, but the flight took only 55 minutes. 
We are flying over Honolulu as the sun is setting.
The view from our room on Hilo Island. 
The trees are magnificent! This broad canopy is a monkey tree. It is not native to the island. Much of the flora and fauna are not. Hawaii’s native ecology is the most threatened in the world. 
This is a Banyan tree, also not native to Hawaii. To get an idea of its immense size those small specs in the lower left corner are people.
Civil protest is alive and well in Hawaii
Protest signs and refreshments
This Japanese garden park, a short walk from our hotel, is the largest of its kind outside of Japan.
Members of our group listening to our group leader explain the history of the park.
Freshwater is a rare commodity on Hilo. This park is a natural basin for freshwater and freshwater fish.
A guava tree heavy with ripening fruit.

14 thoughts on “Hawaii, Day One”

  3. Barbara Johnson says:

    Road Scholar has interested me for a while now, Pete. Looking forward to your impressions of them. Have a great time!

  4. Bill says:

    Looks great, reminds me of the vegitation in Vietnam. Amazing what always summer can produce. I’m glad you guys are off to a good start. Be safe.
    Peace, Bill.

  5. Babe Wiley says:

    How fun! Low clouds making fog here this morning, +30 and strong west wind, but the ground is still brown. Waiting for the other shoe to drop, as we still haven’t had much winter and it will soon be February! Have fun! I enjoy following you both on your explorations!

  6. Liz S says:

    Are you on Banyan Drive? (Frank is asking – and wondering what hotel you are in). We are very interested in how this trip goes for you – given that we all are using running our own show. We went sledding down the hill yesterday – so much fun. 10 degrees today – colder tomorrow. I love seeing the grass (and the protesters). Aloha

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