I did not look forward to this day! I did not want to leave this paradise in the middle of the Pacific Ocean! I don't know why vacations and visits with family always have to have a "last day!" But, alas, our last day has come and we must say good-bye to this beautiful place that has blessed us with so many wonderful adventures and memories that will last a lifetime.
For some reason, our flight did not correspond with Billy and Anna's flight, but we all had to go to the airport at the same time. We got up early, ate a minimal breakfast consisting of whatever was left over in the fridge or the cupboards, got ourselves packed and ready to make the trek to the airport. The traffic in Kailua was horrible! More and more folks were arriving daily in preparation for the upcoming Iron Man Triathalon. More and more skinny people on bicycles and in swim suits and jogging attire. All the way to the airport, we saw them bicycling along the side of the road or running somewhere.
The first thing we needed to do when we arrived at the airport was to check in our wonderful rental car. It had served us well and given us a good ride. It was interesting to note that when we picked up the car, the lot was full of cars ready to be rented. But today, the lot was practically empty! All those athletes, I suppose!
The shuttle dropped us off at the airport and we waited around for a half hour or more, waiting for our plane to come so we could board it. Billy and Anna's flight wasn't for another hour and a half. Poor guys! They had to wait in all that heat.
With a reluctant step, I made my way to our waiting area when our flight was called. We said our good-byes with hugs and kisses and tears, and left Billy and Anna sitting in the main part of the airport while we went to our gate. Saying good-bye always brings tears. I really, really don't like them!
Once aboard the plane, we could concentrate on a very long flight home. I got to have the window seat, so Dean handed me the camera and I took some pictures of the airport, our lift off, and the islands that we passed on our way to Honolulu. We tried to guess which island was which, but it's so hard to tell when you are up above them looking down! They were a pretty sight, however.
When Honolulu and the island of Oahu was in sight, I felt a thrill, as I recognized many of the landmarks that I was seeing. There was Diamond Head and the huge Veterans Cemetery within the crater; there was the beautiful white-sand beaches with the tall hotels lining the edges of them; there was the crystal blue Pacific Ocean licking the shores of those same beaches. I craned to see if I could see the USS Arizona and Pearl Harbor, but it must have been on the other side of the plane.
We only had a short lay-over in Honolulu, but we couldn't really go anywhere, so we just made ourselves comfortable and waited for our flight home. I kept myself busy texting my kids, saying "Aloha" and that we were on our way home -- reluctantly!
Our flight home was uneventful, but very long. We ate a pretty good dinner and watched a movie, "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock. I really liked that movie. I always seem to like the movies that Sandra Bullock is in. She can be so funny.
We arrived safely in Portland about 9 p.m. and then had to collect our luggage and ride the Max Train to Dean's cousin's house in Gresham. By the time we got to the station near her house, it was quite late and she was very tired! She had been waiting for an hour for us -- our plane was a half hour late!
Ah, but the end of a wonderful journey always makes one very tired! We have so much to reminisce about over the coming weeks and months. In fact, it has taken me a month to write this entire travelogue, so I have been reliving it over and over again as I write. Wish I was still there!
1 comment:
You had quite the trip to remember! Glad you arrived home safely with all of your memories in tact. I was reliving a few of my memories right along with you! Thanks for sharing!
Love you,
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