More Kauai and Coming Home to the Snow!

On Monday, Michele took us on a tour of the island. We drove to Hanapepe which is where Taro Ko chips are made in a little tiny factory. Michele took a picture with the woman who makes them with her son or nephew. We also visited the Banana Patch Studio (see Web site) which makes beautiful handcrafted items. Then when drove up Waimea Canyon Road and stopped at several overlooks to look at Waimea Canyon and to the Kalalu Lookout where we could see the Napali Coast which is only accessible by boat. It's hard to describe how beautiful these locations are.

We drove back down the mountain and spend the rest of the day at Salt Pond Beach Park. We then went back to Michele and Karl's and visited and then went to the airport to fly home. When we got back to Honolulu, John picked us up and brought us back where I hurriedly packed. Shawna, Mona's daughter, came over with 3 of her 4 kids. My Ramona and Shawna had been in the Corps together, so they enjoyed reminiscing and getting to know each other again.

Then I was off to the airport for the trip home. As I went through security, the TSA agent who greeted me was Johnny, the same one who taught Angie how to surf. A perfect end to a perfect trip.

When I got back to Ohio, it was snowing quite a bit. My van wouldn't start at the Park N Go place and two of the guys said it wouldn't take a jump and that something was probably realy wrong with it. By now I'd been traveling for close to 20 hours and it was 10 at night and I was trying hard to keep the "Live Aloha" motto alive in my heart. Then another guy who worked at Park N Go, Leslie, said Let's try some different jumper cables. I pulled mine out of the back of my van (Yeah emergency kit!) and he hooked them up and it turned over on the first try. I looked at him and said, "Leslie, are you a believer?" He said, "Yes I am." I said, "I knew it!!" So this last photo is of Leslie next to my van as it's warming up.

After spending the night in Dayton (till the roads cleared) at a Super 8 motel (that's a story for a different day), I came into HQ at 11:00 a.m. today, safe and sound.

Angie and Mona stayed one more day and got one more trip to the beach in, and now they're safe and sound at their respective homes.

Thanks to all who made our trip so wonderful and to all our friends and family who prayed and believed with us for one of the greatest times in our entire lives.

Aloha and Mahalo.