We checked out of our hotel and got on the road. We had all day to wander along the scenic route, as our flight isn’t until 11:45 at night! We stopped at a wonderful 442-foot waterfall – lovely sight (see photo). On the way out of the falls, we stopped in a small western-style town to poke around in the antique shop. The people there were very nice and recommended a scenic point for us not to miss and a 50’s style diner for lunch. They were correct on both counts. We had lunch in a funky diner – 50’s music playing, lots of jukeboxes, and record albums on the wall. The restroom was dedicated to Betty Boop! The scenic point was lovely. We watched as whales spouted off shore and the waves crashed onto the rocks in shore (see photo). We eventually reached the Kona coast, which is so different from the Hilo side of the island. This side does not get as much rain and looks more like Arizona – quite dry. We stopped at a national historic site and took a walk down to the beach. We spotted a Pacific sea turtle sunning himself in a tide pool (see photo). That was really cool. We continued driving the coast and stopped at a beach park where families were swimming and camping on the beach. We were tempted to go for a swim, but then the thought of having salty bodies on the plane put us off that idea. We found a nice place to have dinner where we could eat outside. We soaked up the last rays of sunshine and reminded ourselves that it would be quite a while before we could eat outside at home without wearing a parka! We had had a lovely last day and decided to get to the airport early. Unfortunately, we outfoxed ourselves. We had to wait to go through the agriculture checkpoint, as our gate was not open yet. So we waited until it was close to the time for the gates to open and I went to stand in line with our carry-ons while Dave waited to check our big bags through the agricultural checkpoint. It all worked out fine. Dave got through and joined me just as we were called to the counter. We got rid of our big bags and then passed through security. We then had to go through another agriculture checkpoint for our small bags. We finally got to our “gate” – outside seating on park benches with a roof over our heads. We waited some more and then finally got to board – a short walk across the tarmac and up the stairs to the plane. We managed to doze a bit for most of the flight and landed early in Phoenix. We have a wait for our next flight to Philadelphia, but that is okay. We stopped for breakfast and are now just sitting in our waiting room watching CNN. This is basically the first TV we have watched in a month. We realize that we didn’t miss much. We usually are mostly focused on the weather at home anyway. We will be home late tonight and we are ready to be home – we miss our family and friends and will be anxious to catch up with everyone. So goodbye Hawaii and hello Connecticut. It was a lovely trip, but it is always nice to come home.
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