2/8- Monday afternoon, I will need to go to Wal-Mart for a NAAT COVID test. That must be done within 72 hours of my last flight, which leaves Los Angeles at 1:25 PM so I'll have to wait until 3:30 CST to be safe. Turnaround time is 24-48 hours so if there is a SNAFU at the testing site, I should be okay to do it first thing on Tuesday morning. I fully expect my test to be negative and this test is more accurate than the PCR. Unfortunately, if it comes back positive, I'm probably SOL. Not enough time to re-test.
2/10- I know the drill. Drive to Atlanta after work and stay in a cheap motel near the airport. Done it many times before. It is much cheaper than flying out of Birmingham even with the hotel stay.
2/11- Flight out of Atlanta does not leave until 9:40 AM so I won't have to get up super early. I'll have an hour and 40 minute layover in LAX so that will be plenty of time to get a sit down lunch though I may opt for In and Out Burgers. I land in Kona at 5:20 PM local time. Not much daylight left and I'm sure that I'll be tired. Most likely, I'll just check into my hotel and shut down for the night.
Boogie board:
Bring my own, rent or buy? In Cancun, I brought my own and it was a good call because there are not many surf shops. Different story in Hawaii so I'm leaning against that for this trip. It will cost $30 each way to check it and one of DELTA's acronyms is Don't Expect Luggage To Arrive. Miller's Surf Shop USED TO have good deals on weekly rentals but that's off due to COVID. Choose your own offensive word about that policy. I can buy one at Wal-Mart or Costco for under $40, which is still cheaper than bringing my own. Unfortunately, I'll be sacrificing some quality but I'm not paying over $60. Many others are in my situation and you would think that there would be a good selection of used boards at discounted prices. That may not be the case but I'll look into it. No reason to bring it back home when I already have two. I could make a young kid very happy by giving mine away before I leave.
Flight home:
I don't leave Hawaii until 9:40 PM on 2/16 so I'll have essentially 5 full days. I'm taking a red eye into Seattle and don't expect to get much sleep. I don't get back to Atlanta until 3:50 PM the next day. However, what is most important is the 5 days in between.
Here's a list of things that I want to see:
Akappa Falls (sp?)- That's on the Windward side closer to Hilo and I can probably do this one the same day as another hike, which is Pololu Valley. That one could be EPIC at sunrise.
New Black Sand Beach (Punalu). I should see some sea turtles here and the water does look to be good for swimming as well. This is near Volcanoes NP so these 2 will be seen on the same day.
Mauna Kea- This one is big but also tricky. It's the tallest mountain in Hawaii at 13,000 feet elevation. I've been higher at Pikes Peak, Colorado without significant issues. There will DEFINITELY be snow at the peak and lots of people go skiing and sledding at the top. My boogie board can double as a sled. I've seen lots of YouTube videos of people doing it. Man, it would be wild to do this in the morning then body surf in the afternoon in 80 degree weather! Truly, a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Big problem is that 4 WD is required and your insurance is voided if there is an issue on that road. You are only permitted to drive up to the Visitor's Center at 9,000 feet. I'd imagine that my State Farm would also be voided. I'm renting a Jeep so I'm good on the 4WD but still don't feel good about chancing it. I'll ask about the conditions and safety issues. Two other options include hiking up to the snow line, which is probably not too far. However, finding a good spot may not be as easy as at the summit. Second, I can hitch a ride from a local who has done this before. Yes, it is a common practice there. The full hike up to the summit is 6 miles each way. Too long and too difficult at that altitude. A clear day is a must with no snow on the road!
In addition to New Black Sand Beach, I'd like to sample Magic Sands, Kua Bay and Hapuna. All 3 are reportedly spectacular. Of course, there are plenty of other spots worth seeing that I won't be able to get to. I may not spend as much time in Oahu but want a full week in Kauai and Maui. 5 days is a good amount of time for the Big Island.
No pictures on this post. Wait for the trip report.
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