In flight...

Tuesday Nov. 1st 2005

Sitting in row 35 on our way to the AK at some 30,000 feet above the pacific ocean I finally found some time to start this, our first post of the actual move. I have been thinking about this one for a while now… in the days and weeks leading up to take off, I have had a lot running through my head.

If on a normal day you were to look through the window of my mind at my perception of existence, it would be cloudy and full of so many superficial smudges and things that you wouldn’t be able to see very far into the “big picture” that it frames, but lately it’s like somebody came through with a bottle of industrial strength windex and wiped it so clean that I feel like I aged ten years and can see with the wisdom and clarity of an old man looking back on a lifetime with a twenty year olds eyesight.

I have been looking at our move with an objective sort of lens, one that helps me to see how amazingly lucky we have been to live in the islands and to have experienced what we have to this point, to have seen things that most people only read about in books and to have known so many wonderful people in our lives that have helped us and taught us so many wonderful things. It’s a beautiful thing when one can appreciate those things, and not take them for granted. It’s like going to work every day and seeing that amazing rainbow as you head into the office with your mind so full of other thoughts that you hardly notice it and then one day you finally see it, pull over and take a picture to send to all your friends and family.

So as I sit here on this plane, with baby’s screaming, I guess this post is one of thanks, to all those people who have helped get us here. I think that it is also a report of reflection on both our past and on our future.

With our last few weeks in the HI we managed to pack in time with friends and see some things that we had left on our list…. A never ending list it seems, say our goodbyes and start to stare into the great unknown of freezing our butts off. Oddly enough we can’t wait to get there, excited about every last little thing. At the same time we will miss everybody that we left behind and hope that it wont be the last time that we see any of you…If you know Lisa and I, you know that our door is always open in Alaska (not really! It’s freakin’ cold man!) and if you ever need a place to crash just let us know…

Before I get carried away I will post some of the pictures from our last few days leading up to the big leap.

The dolphins at the Kahala Mandarin.


Elvis sighting in hawaii!

My first wave, kinda fizzled on me


Spring got a good one!

The judges...

Is that Dom or Tom?

The costumes...

Richie, the angel...

Some last scenes from the HI...

With under a week to go before we board the plane to make a snowman we thought we would just post to share some photos of our last few activites in paradise...

Lisa's work pals all got together for some beer and bowling... needless to say, the skills went down with the beer.















We also went to the north shore to watch the first big wave event of the winter season...and yes that is a sweatshirt that Lisa has on, boy o boy if we think it's cold here in the winter!!! Just image when we set foot in anchorage in the middle of the night in the dead of winter!
















Last but not least, we had a fall fest/pumpkin carving party, Spring won... barely dethroning last years champion, Ben. Her pumpkin is the one with the face behind bars... close race though as just about everyone got a vote for the grand prize.

Making the most of it...

So while we are still here we are trying to fit everything in that we can... we visited the last few corners of this island that we haven't been to. We also went back to an old favorite... Yokohama Bay. We had been there about 2 years ago when we thought the road went around the corner to the north shore. After almost slipping in the ocean in the jeep, the washed out road turned us back. Scary, but a good memory. Our friends Vanessa and Hilary came with us since they had not been there before. We found a wet cave we hadn't noticed before, unfortuneatly we didn't have flashlights with us so we couldn't go to far.



The next weekend, our friends Mike, Hilary, and Dominic went on the Manoa Cliff Trail. It was really muddy and there were strawberry guavas everywhere, or "nature's paintballs" to the boys. They were running and dodging each other on the trail, Hilary and Lisa kept getting caught in the crossfire. We are standing in front of Manoa Falls in the picture.

Then we came upon these really big leaves that Lisa has always wanted to take a picture of, knowing they could be used in so many ways. For example:

Then last weekend, we had a ball celebrating Lisa's last HMT shift at work, our roommate Richie finding out the results of passing his bar exam, and our friend Chris' raise, at none other than Magoo's for the $5 pitchers. On our way to some Irish bars, Richie gracefully shook his money maker in the middle of Ala Moana Blvd at a stoplight, making us and the people around us laugh so hard it hurt.

The next morning we all attempted a hike Lisa's coworker had suggested in Palolo Valley. It was actually a Board of Water Supply access trail to a pumping station. It was also a pencil-thin trail hugging the cliffside, being hidden by the dense rainforest, making it impossible to walk any faster than a slow careful stride. Mike ended up falling about 5 feet due to the many times the trail was washed out from rain. After 1 1/2 hours of hiking, we came upon the first of 3 amazing waterfalls. These waterfalls were being fed from the Ka'au Crater at the top of the Ko'olau range, our destination. Unfortunatly, on our way up the third waterfall (cascading more than 100 yards, only ropes tied to available trees to scale up the side of it with) Ben came across a tricky spot in which the rope snapped, therefore making up stop our hike and turn back. Even though bummed, we were all a little excited to go back, none of us had eaten and we had run out of water 3 hours ago (we had no idea it was going to be so long!). So after 4 1/2 hours of hiking, we made it back to the car, ready to eat anything that moved. Overall, a fantastic hike with the most serene and untouched waterfalls on the island we've seen.

The Move Begins!

Hi Everyone!

So we are officially on our way to the AK! The movers showed up the other day and took everything but an air mattress and 4 bags of clothes...






Wednesday, we dropped off the Rubicon, hopefully it will get there before we do so that we dont have to putt around in some goofy rental car!

Lisa is totally hooking us up with some temprary housing when we first get there. Here is a link to the place we will be staying!
http://www.corporatehousingalaska.com/collegealps.html

PH: (907) 332-0001.

Hope everybody will enjoy this travelogue, check back often as we plan to update it daily during our trip starting Nov. 1st.