Don't Be a Miserable Squatter: Essential Tips for Your Astoria Trip

I feel like Astoria should be one of those places I only need to visit once. And really, did I actually need to go at all? Yet, despite the terrible weather and the unpleasant fishy smell and the undesirable hiking, there's a pull on me to go back again in the future. I wouldn't want to live there, to be sure, but maybe a ten year anniversary trip to commemorate my book, or something, would be fun. Regardless, I thought I'd document my learnings for future travelers to Astoria, myself included. 

Before You Go

Learn the history before you go. Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't promote my book, "The Miserable Squatter’s Guide to Manifest Destiny." Other good ones depending on what part of the history you want to read about include "Astoria: An Oregon History" by Karen L. Leedom, "Kanaka" by Tom Koppel, and "Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty" by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe. For good visuals, I recommend the Postcard History book "Astoria" by  Andrea Larson Perez, and "Astoria: An Adventure in History" by John Goodenberger which is hilariously illustrated by Roger McKay. 

The Grotto (and Labyrinth)

If flying into Portland, I highly recommend the stop here, exactly as I did. Would not change a thing. The Labyrinth was so unexpectedly experiential, I'd be interested in hearing what others feel and experience on their own journeys. 

First Stop: The Column

I would definitely recommend starting at the Astoria Column (drive, don't walk like I did), especially if the sky is blue and visibility is clear. I suggest this mainly because you get the free passes to all the other museums with your parking fee, so it’s a money saver in that regard, but also because it's a quick drive up and the parking pass is good for days, so you can keep returning as I did for different views (day/night, gloomy/clear). 

If the weather is good and you're up for a hike, do the Cathedral Tree Trail just off the parking lot. The forest is gorgeous and the views on a clear day could be really cool. 

If you think you'd like to sit and enjoy the views, bring a towel with you to wipe off the chairs (even on a clear day, it is a generally moist environment, so better to have the towel and not need it…). 

You can buy a little glider at the gift shop. If you're up for a climb, go up the windy stairs to the top, I'm sure the view from up there is amazing and probably unobstructed. You'll be able to see the ocean on a clear day. 

Other Recommended Places

Definitely visit The Heritage Museum and Flavel House Museum. I am not a museum person and I thoroughly enjoyed both of these, especially knowing the stories behind the artifacts I was seeing. 

Your visit to Astoria is not complete without stopping at the Fort Astoria / Fort George park. There's no admission, and there's really not much to do there, so just go on your way to something else, it'll take five minutes, twenty if you really push it. 

I didn't visit the Film Museum but if you are a film fan or Goonies fan, it is undoubtedly a good place to stop. There are also a couple shops / businesses that are Goonies themed if you're interested as well. 

Grab a tea, a loaf of sour dough, and/or lunch at the Blue Scorcher Bakery and Café. It was so good, I went twice for the grilled cheese. The chai tea was "all spice, no sweet" as the barista told me, and it delivered! 

Fort George Brewery had great pizza, great beer and a great atmosphere. Definitely a good stop. I didn't make it to the Astoria Brewery, but it would be on my list if I went back. 

Where to Stay

I noticed a place called the Cannery Pier & Spa when looking at a map or something, and it seemed like a cool place to stay potentially. 

That being said, I cannot say enough about where I stayed. The historic Captain Johnson house hosted by John on Airbnb was absolutely perfect. It was cozy inside, the bathroom was perfectly operable (and I'm very judgey about bathrooms), the toiletries were lovely, the bed was comfortable, there was furniture for sitting, eating and working, a kitchenette for preparing and storing food, TVs with streaming, board games and notably Goonies-themed games which might have been fun to play with others, especially fans. It was walkable to food, shops, sites and museums, and parking was no problem (unless your parallel parking is rusty - an opportunity to practice!).

General Recommendations

As far as solo trips like this goes, I should have brought my portable tripod because there were a few times I wished I could have someone take a picture of me instead of my usual selfie, and there wasn't always someone around (and I don't really like to ask people - lol). Especially at the Astoria Column, it would have been nice to capture different angles. 

As with walking most places, I would definitely recommend varying your routes when you can, go up one street and back down on another, and also varying which side of the street you walk on. I noticed more historic markers this way, and more details like lovely flowers and different scenic views. 

As a bonus, Pokemon Go actually helped me identify a headstone I hadn't realized was there, so it pays off to play Pokemon Go as one way of exploring a new place. 

Gloom, Goals and Grilled Cheese: My Astoria Journey

For the week of Thanksgiving, since I am not a turkey-stuffing-gravy-kind of person, I did something a bit out of the ordinary for me, but it was glorious because it was 100% for me. I took a solo trip to Oregon, flying into Portland and then driving to and staying in Astoria. Inspired by what started as an AI-generated rabbit hole of curiosity which had spewed out the makings of an obscure non-fiction historical book, I wanted to spend time in the place I had written 20,000+ words about, visit the museums, see the places, feel the cool, damp environment, and grasp additional interesting anecdotes and tales to further develop my manuscript. The trip, though, was so much more than what I could describe. But here is my attempt, anyways. 

I did the things, to be sure, and ate the foods, with delight. But the emotional journey and ups and down, the growth in reframing inconveniences as opportunities instead of small catastrophes, sort of mimics the story of Astoria, and I pulled from the perseverance of the people who survived the unthinkable to manage my emotional tribulations. 

The trip had been planned for months, as is my way, but a number of factors had me in a state of stress prior to departing. For one, I had multiple challenging personnel issues at work that were weighing heavily on my mental state and taking up a lot of my thinking capacity. While I know I am not seriously considering quitting, it does seem like if I could find a way to make the same comfortable living with writing, that would be far more preferred. Romantically, I've been in a weird purgatory state that I suppose is largely self-imposed, or at least, I could break out if I really wanted to, but for some reason, I'm stubbornly allowing myself to reside in that space even though I find it hugely unpleasant. But even if I could bring myself to do it, breaking out of that state would not instantly solve the underlying pain of being single and not wanting to be. My ever-present ambitions in constantly changing topics and talents provides rabbit holes for me to utilize to feel productive while actually procrastinating on actually finishing whatever I've set out to do. 

So as I finished packing the night before my flight, and even as I drove to the airport, I was aware of the intrusive thoughts and my heightened stress level, both of which needed to be calmed for this trip to have the significance I wanted for it and to achieve my objective: finish and set for publishing my manuscript. 

Two mimosas into the flight, I was starting to feel a little bit better, and when the flight attendant apologized for running out of champagne, I switched to a red wine to round me off before I had to sober up for the drive. The alcohol and first class service helped take the edge off for me, and I settled into the book I was reading for additional info on my subject of study. 

Upon arriving in Portland, I was fighting travel stress as I walked the long corridors of the airport to the rental car center. Avis had my car ready for me but it was an EV, which instantly gave me range anxiety knowing the distance I'd be traveling. I tried to change my car on the app but, as is typical of Avis, the app didn't want to log me in and sent me through a spiral of infuriating technical issues that didn't need to be at all. I finally gave up and decided to take the chance on the less than 300 mile range, and I'd figure out how to charge it in Astoria if needed. Or I'd let myself be stranded and have another reason to hate Avis. (I only use them because that's what my company uses so my points are through that. Otherwise, I much prefer National.) 

(Partial) Day 1: The Grotto (and especially the Labyrinth) - 12,191 steps

Before heading to Astoria, I had planned for myself a quick stop to the nearby Grotto. I don't recall how I had originally learned about this place, but it was a very short drive from the airport and I figured it'd be good to stretch my legs before the drive. The Grotto itself was very cool, but not as dramatic as I perhaps had hoped. I spent most of my visit wandering the Upper Gardens which features lots of religious sculptures and places as well as gorgeous trees and a small stream. I knew I wanted to do the Labyrinth, so I headed straight there, stopping only occasionally to take in the fresh air or snap a scenic photo. 

There were two women there when I walked up, one was sitting while her companion was walking the Labyrinth. I gave her space while taking a few pictures on the side, and once they left, I embarked on my Labyrinth journey. 

I assumed the labyrinth would wind around the outside and eventually nearing and then entering the center. Instead, it actually took me quickly right next to the center, and then out again. I noticed that there were a lot of sharp switchbacks right away in rapid succession. As I continued on, the distance between the switchbacks lengthened. I imagined this was by design, a way of calling our attention to the quick turns as we got into the groove, pulling us out of our intrusive thoughts. The walk felt more meditative as the long stretches grew longer. When I made it to the center, I did feel a bit transformed, and certainly calmer, almost feeling achieved (even though all I had done was walk on a given path). My desire to capture the moment prompted a quick selfie, after which I returned my phone to my pocket and allowed myself to focus on the nature around me for a few moments. When I was

feeling better, I started my journey back out, following the path in reverse. The long lengths between switchbacks gradually becoming shorter made me think it was like the Labyrinth was slowly bringing us back into this world, gently waking us up and reminding us of the real things via the twists and turns. As I was so engrossed in my thoughts and feeling about the labyrinth, a leaf falling near me caught my eye and honestly startled me as much as the sudden appearance of a bear would have. I laughed a little at myself and continued on. At one point, I had a dread of being lost, which is sort of hilarious given its just a flat layout of stones and I could easily just walk off at any time. But I was certain for a moment that I had somehow mistakenly gotten on the wrong the path and was now headed in the wrong direction. It was quickly resolved though as I continued and realized I was nearing the beginning. 

What a weird experience! Or rather, set of weird experiences, as there were so many emotions felt along a relatively short and exteriorly uninteresting journey. As I walked away towards another part of the garden, I considered that I wouldn't want to walk a labyrinth regularly, at least not of that scale, because I didn't like the switchbacks; they halted my movement in a way that actually felt unnatural and uncomfortable for my hips. But the meditative state achieved by following a pre-established path so that I didn't have to think about things like watching cars at street crossings or making decisions about which way to go could be recreated in other ways. 

The rest of the gardens were beautiful but I didn't have much to note, other than overhearing a passing woman say to her friend that she felt like she was in Twilight, which I totally understood. We were, in a way, since much of it was filmed in Oregon. 

My drive was through wet, foggy conditions, and my thoughts were haunted by the rapidly decreasing range on the car. I would definitely have to charge it before attempting to drive back to Portland. I tried to put this unnecessary anxiety out of my mind. As I neared Astoria, I caught sight of a huge lumber enterprise, which I knew had been one of the supporting industries during the time of interest in the book I was writing. As I glimpsed the modern operations, I tried to imagine what it looked like in the 1840's to 1860's, and was wholly impressed with both. 

I found my AirBnB easily; an iconic historic home built towards the end of my period of interest, and close to the sights and museums I'd be visiting. Utilizing my rarely exercised parallel parking skills, I got the car in place just outside the house, entered with my code and brought my things in. The bathroom and bedroom were upstairs, so I left my backpack and a few things in the living room downstairs and took the rest of my stuff up the tight, awkward staircase. Since it was already dark and late, I was in for the night, and a little exhausted to be honest. I passed out easily and awoke early the next morning on my own. 

Day 2: Fort Astoria, Heritage Museum and Maritime Museum - 16,352 steps

It smells like fish. The minute I stepped out of the house the smell hit me, and it is not a smell I enjoy in the least. 

My body didn’t seem to get the memo that I could sleep in. After a little more than 6 hours of sleep, I was ready to go. I am a morning person, to be fair, but I wouldn't have minded a little extra sleep without an alarm to interrupt. Nevertheless, I had a lot to do and I was excited to get going, but the museums didn't open until later in the morning, so I decided to walk to the public park that marks the spot of the original Fort Astoria. On my way, I noticed a shop called Ohana which made me wonder if the owner's heritage was part of the Kanaka laborer who migrated from Hawaii and were so foundational to the origins of the town and its industry. 

I knew what to expect from the park - it was a very modest structure with a mural depicting what you could imagine Fort Astoria looked like in 1811, complete with a dog playing. While I was taking some pictures and appreciating the environment, a woman and her dog came along and started playing fetch, so the dog unwittingly reenacted the mural in the background. On the backside of the sign has a map of the fort's plans. One of the things I wanted to make a note of was the placement of the Hawaiian's quarters, outside the fort. The memorial to Ranald MacDonald is there too, telling a 
bit of his strange story, both in English and in Japanese.

Always attracted to water, I then made my way down to the coastline of the great Columbia River. It was a drizzly, overcast day so the view wasn't that great, but the low clouds gave it a spooky look and, well, it was fitting considering the theme of my book being that this place is miserable, cold and wet. I discovered a little park dedicated to the Nordic heritage of many immigrants to the area, and browsed the displays, ensuring I found all 6 "hidden" trolls (they were not, in fact, very hidden at all). 

While walking around the town, I was absolutely endeared to the fact that the trash cans were all decorated to mimic various brands of canned fish and salmon, referencing the boom time industry when Astoria was the world's capital of salmon canning. I also noted some historical buildings which I had become familiar with the stories I had read, especially in the Haunted Astoria book which was disappointingly void of strong evidence of ghostly presences. 

Finally, the museums were open. I headed to the Heritage Museum first, paying the inexpensive admission price. By now, I had been wandering for over two hours, so spotting the bathroom, that was my first stop. That's probably an unnecessary detail, but I've written it and that's that. 

The first set of exhibits were most applicable to my book - the beginnings of the town as a fur trading post. While I had already learned quite a bit in my research and reading, the exhibits did a good job of making the historical knowledge visual and tangible. Pelts from various animals were on display with encouraging signs to touch them and choose your favorite. I was surprised at some of the textures, and found I like the ermine the best. 

The coat of arms for the Hudson's Bay Company was displayed, and I had to look up the Latin, which meant "a skin for a skin." I thought it was funny and maybe a little foreshadowing, given what happened at Fort Astoria / Fort George over the years in the name of the fur trade. 

I studied the list of crew and passengers aboard the Tonquin which was the first crew to land and settle in Fort Astoria. Captain Jonathan Thorn, I knew, was a terribly mean leader. I found it interesting that under the crew, two names were

listed with the title simply of "boy," one of them was a James C. Thorne. I wondered if he was the captain's son, but could find no reference to James or any connection anywhere else. It was one of many dead ends I would pursue. With so little historical records of Astoria, many of these people are just a name on a list, their stories lost to all but imaginations. 

The leader of the overland expedition was Wilson Hunt, and seeing his portrait, it was obvious why the more outdoorsy types along for the trip were skeptical of his pathfinding - he was definitely a business man and not a journeyman. 

The presumed oldest headstone in the Pacific is in the museum, belonging to Donald McTavish who drowned in the treacherous river just months after arriving in Astoria to take over Fort George. I was curious why the headstone wasn't in the Pioneer Cemetery, but perhaps its just its claim to being the oldest that makes it a museum piece. 

There were a lot of familiar portraits and some great maps illustrating the insanity of Astor's quests. I also enjoyed the Indian artifacts there, as the items traded are often hard to imagine or absorb without visuals like these. 

In a bit of a jarring transition, the next set of exhibits were much more modern - talking about Clark Gable's theater debut in Astoria and the filming of the Goonies in the 1980's. 

Redeemingly, there were separate rooms focusing on various topics. The first of these which I entered was about the indigenous people and their way of life prior to the European colonization. I'd been thinking recently about how getting out in nature is a prescriptive cure for general sadness, and what is lost in our modern lives by being cooped up in sealed buildings instead of living as these people did, so it was timely to see models of what that looked like. 

Going upstairs, I was greeted by the hilarity of the sinful side of the town: prostitution, gambling, and bars. Apparently, Astoria was known to be the best red light district in the Pacific region! Good on them. I really enjoyed the recreation of the bar known as The Louvre. 

There was another room full of early photography and film artifacts and information, with more Goonies memorabilia. 

There was another room dedicated to the lumber industry which took root (pun intended) near the Columbia given its dense population and ease of floating logs down the river. This area also talked about berry-picking and butter churning, including an eye-catching model of a dog-powered butter churn. 

One of the final rooms I went into dealt with discrimination and racism, including artifacts from the local KKK and a map of where discrimination took place. It talked about the Chinese laborers who did a lot of the brunt work for the early canning efforts, the Hawaiian Kanakas who made up a large portion of the populating in the fur trading days, and celebrated the first black-owned business in town. 

I looked at the many books on offer, skimming several of them, and also noting some archival publications. I purchased a book and a few postcards and headed out for lunch. 

The Fort George brewery, tempting me with beer and pizza, was not open for another few hours, so I popped into Blue Scorcher Bakery and Café and was not disappointed! They made loaves of sour dough bread there and had on the menu a grilled cheese made on sour dough, which sounded like the perfect thing, along with a chai tea, to warm up. It was so good, I went back later in the week. I noted, too, that there was an EV charging station across the street, which would be very convenient since it was a short walk from the house and I could grab a bite at either the bakery or the brewery. 

On my way to the Maritime Museum, I got a good little laugh at a couple punny store names - B Serious Music Store and Bach n Rock. While not punny, I also thought it was funny that the adjoining store advertised, "CDs, Tapes, Incense." That seems perfect. 

While I had a very narrow focus, and therefore didn't spend a ton of time on the modern parts of the museum, I did really enjoy the life-sized models and mannequins posing as fisherman, showing the nets and tools of how it might have looked back in the 1800s. My ticket came with an entrance onto the lightship Columbia which was closing soon, so after looking around for a short while, I headed outside to redeem my lightship tour. It was cool to be aboard a ship like that, as it always is, but I was feeling my motion sickness quickly, so I didn't linger longer than necessary. I went back to the museum and spent a little more time in some of the other exhibits I hadn't seen yet. After perusing the books and gift shop there, I was pretty exhausted, so I headed back to the house for some downtime. 

I went out to the Fort George Brewery for dinner, and as I was locking up, the greeter cat, Annie, came out to see me. I had brought my laptop hoping to do some work on my book while eating and drinking but the wait for the tables was pretty lengthy and the bar was open, so I instead sat at the bar and used my phone to do some archival searches. After dark, the model fort was list up with Christmas lights, so I took a few pictures on my way back to the house. 

Day 3: Wet Thanksgiving Hike to the Astoria Column - 12,767 steps

I had a Thanksgiving morning perfect for my style - leftover pizza (and I really treated myself by reheating it, too!) and watching the parade in bed. My sister and nephew were at the parade and were cheering on the NAU band whose membership included many of my niece's friends, so that was fun to exchange pictures and videos with my sisters and niece. After the parade, I showered and got ready for my day's adventure. 

When I stepped out, I noticed happily that the fishy smell of yesterday was noticeably absent. Whether that was because of the rain or due to the reduced commercial fishing activities, or a combination of both, I was appreciative. 

I had estimated that the Astoria Column was within walking distance when I planned my trip, and having seen a sign on one of the nearby intersections directing to it, I decided I'd try to find my way without my usual aide of GPS navigation. It was another drizzly, gloomy day, but I figured I was dressed for the weather and I had nothing better to do since most places were closed, so let's go! 

I was successful in finding my way with the helpful signage, but I had not anticipated how uphill the whole journey would be. What was worse, once I got on the road for the park, there was no sidewalk, so I had to carefully walk on the edge of the road and ensure I stayed out of the way of cars coming down the winding road in dark and rainy conditions. Definitely not ideal, and I would not recommend doing that. I considered multiple times turning around and getting my car, or calling an Uber to take me the rest of the way, or maybe at the top I'd make a friend who could take me at least down the hill back to the sidewalk. Tired and in a pretty glum mood, I caught something out of the corner of my eye.

It was a deer, and it was watching me from behind some shrubbery. I grabbed my phone and took a couple pictures before I realized I had three, no four, deer, watching my from various vantage points. After taking a few more pictures, I was definitely encouraged. This is why we walk in nature. Something like that could easily be missed while driving. And the close encounter was so cool. 

I happened to be listening to an audiobook about the healing effects of walking through the woods, so I tried to channel my thoughts towards breathing in the piney foresty scents, imagine the fresh air healing my asthma. I had inadvertently forgotten my little Belle bag that has my hair bands, chapstick, and most importantly, my inhaler. So I had to be conscience of my breathing, but thankfully, I had zero asthma-feeling issues through all this walking and hiking up and down the hilly town. 

The road takes a turn that reveals the Astoria Column in view up a steep grassy hill. While the road continues around the hill and up, it was clear that many people had taken the more direct unofficial path up the grassy hill. I opted to stick to the road, but it was a neat view to see the destination. Neat, or tormenting? We'll go with neat. 

Finally arriving at the top, I admired that the view would probably be pretty good on a clear day. There are winding stairs up to the top of the column, but considering both my exhaustion and the lack of a view, I opted out of that climb. I also noticed a trail, but again opted out of that. After capturing some pictures, I used the restroom and headed back down the hill, now very cold and wet through my pants. At least it's down hill, right? I mean, yes, but those quads definitely got a workout from the steep hill down. 

The Pioneer Cemetery was along the way, and while I had noticed it on my way up, I decided to stop on my way down and check it out. Unfortunately, there are not too many headstones anymore, and I didn't spend a ton of time there, wanting to get out of the rain. 

Back at the house, I debated taking another hot shower to warm up, but opted to have my ramen and sit under my bed covers. The chill was deep, though, and it took me longer than I expected to warm up. Nevertheless, I got a lot done on my book, incorporating the new things I had learned from a running checklist I had used to take notes. 

Looking closer at what my host left for me, I noticed there were several passes to the museums which I had already been to, as well as one for the Flavel House Museum. I was bummed I hadn't realized they were there before paying for admission, but it wasn't a lot of money and I figured I'm helping the local economy or whatever. 

The host also had left out, either intentionally for me or as a usual thing for his guests, books about Astoria. I was familiar with one of them, and had deemed it out of scope so I hadn't read it in depth. But since it was there, I spent some time perusing sections of it. The Haunted Astoria book I had already bought and read was there, so I didn't need to look at that one. But there were a couple others about Astoria and the greater region which I also skimmed through. It was surreal reading one book which detailed historic homes still standing today, and realizing 
one of the entries, while entered under a different name for some reason, was the address of the house in which I was sitting. 

There were also some sweet treats left for me by my host, so after finishing my work for the evening, I rewarded myself with a turkey-shaped chocolate - the best kind of Thanksgiving turkey if you ask me! 

Day 4: Bubbles! Flavel House and more - 11,257 steps

The Flavel House Museum was the last museum I intended to go to, and it was a short walk from the house. So, I figured I'd have an easy day - just the museum and charging my car, and other than that just finishing up my book. Sunshine poured through my curtains as I got ready, and it occurred to me that maybe I should go back to the Column (driving, not doing that hike again). 

On my way to the museum, something caught my eye. It wasn't a deer this time, but it took my brain much longer than it should have to process what I was seeing. At first I thought it was a light, no, two lights. But they were floating and revolving around each other? A sprite? Maybe there is some supernatural activity here. No, it was a bubble. A big one, to be fair, but just a bubble. In fact, there were a dozen, fairly large in size, floating from some unseen origin. I watched as several more made their way over the buildings and tried to capture some sort of artistic view of them in front of the Flavel House, to limited success. Turns out, bubbles are hard to photograph, and especially because they don't behave predictably. 

The museum was great! It started with a 13-minute video which I ended up watching a couple times because there was so much detail I wanted to note. The Flavel family history was a little bit beyond the focus on my research, so I had known only a little bit about it, but I was fascinated by the stories and visuals in the video. The house was perfectly splendific. It was old-timey and luxurious, exactly as you'd want to see for a millionaire retiring in the late 1800s. I thought it was interesting there were paintings of ships on the Columbia in the downstairs "public" areas where guests may have been entertained, but in the bedroom, there were more natural scenes void of ships. I especially enjoyed the instruments and the

chaise lounges in the womens' bedrooms. The wallpaper in the dining room and some of the chandeliers could easily fit into my modern décor aesthetic. Near the end of my tour, I found the bathtub, which was near a window with trees outside - a bath with a view - I like their style! 

Checking the weather forecast, it looked like I had about an hour of clear skies before the gloom would return, so I got my car keys from the house and drove up the hill back to the Column. I was charged $5 for parking which also came with a free pass to all the museums I had already paid to visit. Do'h! 

Rubbing salt in the wounds, the view was absolutely AMAZING up there. I had missed all of this yesterday when I had worked so hard to climb that hill - this view would have definitely made it feel more worth it. Ah well, I was glad I got to see it anyways. I had read more about that trail I had noticed yesterday, so I thought I'd give it a go, but as I started down it, the mud was a bit thick for me, so I opted to turn back. With the gift shop open, I browsed it and found a few things to buy as gifts and a commemorative ornament for myself. 

I took my car to the EV charging station - which was now full. A quick search found there was another one a little but further away, not as ideal, but I needed to get this sorted and didn't mind a "little" extra walking. I was able to plug in and, hilariously, the $10 credit I had preloaded and never used on my Blink account in 2011 was still there. All in all, it would take $10.99 to charge the car, so my card was charged for the extra $0.99. 

I debated trying a new place for lunch, but had enjoyed that sour dough grilled cheese so much, I decided to go back to the bakery for more of the same. This time, I also purchased a dessert and a loaf of asiago sour dough to take with me. None of which disappointed in the least. 

Tracking the slow charge of the car, I decided it would be a while, so headed back to the house on foot. The Arizona State rivalry game with Arizona was on shortly after, so I turned that on and continued edits on my book. Based on an estimate of how much charge was needed and the rate at which it was charging, I determined that half time would be a good opportunity to walk to get it and drive back. As I got near the shoreline, I noticed the Astoria Column was glowing. Since my pass was technically good still, I decided to drive back up to see it at night. The car was just barely fully charged when I arrived - I had nailed the timing! I drove up to the Column, took a few pictures, and realized I had nothing else I wanted to do there, given it was dark and there were no more views to see. As I headed back down the hill, my headlights caught the most chill buck with huge antlers just hanging out in a lawn. Back at the house, I finished watching the game and worked to get my book into review. 

Though ASU had started strong, they fell apart and UA won. I submitted my manuscript to be published. Mission accomplished, I rewarded myself with another chocolate turkey. Why can I not eat it without going for the head first? 

 

(Partial) Day 5: Leaving Oregon (Weird) - 7,034 steps

I didn't have anything else I needed or strongly wanted to do, so I let my morning be a little slow, eventually getting ready and packing up to leave. Driving out of Astoria, the song "I'll be Home for Christmas" was playing on the radio, and for some reason, a deep sense of nostalgia for the town came over me. Even though I had focused on only a portion of the history and hadn't fully explored the restaurants and shops a local might, I had come to learn the town's streets and history in a very tangible way, the stories almost feeling like memories to me now. 

On the edge of the downtown area, I was less familiar, having only seen it once as I was coming into town days earlier. I noticed cute houses just past the Co-op that somehow reminded me of the adorable boxy houses in Krakow, Poland. 

I reflected on my journey and what I would do different (that blog to follow). Getting an EV rental car was a result, I recalled, of choosing the "surprise car" option instead of selecting the type of car. The range anxiety I had built up upon realizing I had an EV was, in hindsight, an unnecessary stress to save a little money on the rental. Or, maybe, I thought, it was a small opportunity to solve a problem, and feel accomplished and learn something from it. And, it got me out of the house just a little bit more. I wouldn't have gone to the lit up Astoria Column at night had it not caught my eye on my way to get the charging car, and I wouldn't have seen that gloriously chill buck laying in a yard. I still don't think I would have chosen it without a plan for charging ahead of time, but sometimes making the best of less than ideal situations brings unexpected blessings. It was a bad idea to save a few bucks, but it brought me the joy of seeing a different kind of buck. 

Here's the link to my book! 

Maps of Our Lives

Much of what I write are complex emotions, stories or ideas that aren't easily translated into visuals, but in my professional work, I advocate for the power of visual management and I realize it's something I do in my personal life as well sometimes. 

The first really cool map I made was for my epic road trip to visit theme parks and ride roller coasters and knock some fun things off my Life List. I even pre-planned my social media posts by creating multiple maps showing the progression of our trip along the way. I thought it was a fun way to keep my friends aware of our status, and could be especially helpful for the people who don't always see my posts and may get confused as to why I'm in Canada one day and in New Jersey the next. 

My first trip to the land down under had been planned for a decade before I actually got to go. The wait was well worth it, as we visited all but two of the Australian states and many Australian tourists we talked with on our various excursions were impressed that we were seeing more of their country than they had. While I accomplished just about everything on my Life List for Australia on that whirlwind of a trip, I fell in love with Australia, and have wanted to go back. 

I had the opportunity to go back twice in the last year, once for personal travel which included Tasmania, a state I hadn't yet been in, and once for work, which I extended into a personal vacation - partially to return to Tasmania in pursuit of the elusive and lesser-known Southern Lights, taking advantage of the timing of my work trip taking place in the winter. Many of my Australian colleagues have never been to Tasmania, and I've been twice! I highly recommend it, and my actions show! And since I didn't get a great Aurora Australis, I plan to go back and try again in the next solar cycle!

I did another fun map for a European vacation I went on with my sister, nephew, and boyfriend. I am admittedly bad at geography, so I think the map was five times as much for me as it was for anyone else, but I think everyone appreciated the visualization a little bit. Since we were doing a Disney cruise as a large part of the trip, I made Mickey ears for all of us with this map on the back of one of the ears, so we had the visual with us at all times (at least on the cruise). 

There had been a lot going on in my life at that time, as I had already interviewed for jobs in Dallas and Panama City, Florida. Knowing I'd be leaving Connecticut one way or another very soon, my parents came to visit shortly before the Europe vacation (my first time in Europe). So I held off on telling the facebook world we were moving until we returned, and were a week away. Hilariously, I used a map for that post also, captioning it with, "We're doing a thing next week." 

My ex- bought me a cool woodcut map of America with bottle cap-sized holes to put beer caps in it, intending to represent the beers from the different regions of the country. It was cool in theory, but in practice, most of my favorite beers were from a the southwest, and I had very few beers from other parts of the country. 

Today, I saw a silly post of a guy who lives in the UK who mapped out the furthest in each direction he had been, creating a little square around his hometown - he has not traveled far beyond Europe. While I was a little sad that he shared how little he's gotten out of that Euro bubble, I did like the idea, and was curious what my map would look like.

While technically the International Date Line should be the boundary of how far one could go west, I considered the direction of my travel. Going to Asia and Australia, I've flown west, not east. Thus, there's a box east of the European countries I've visited and west of the Asian countries which I can say I have not been in, and of course, I haven't been to the poles so there's a section of north and south which I haven't crossed into. 

I mapped the locations where I've lived, including my birthplace (green) and my current home (red), and the places I've visited that are those furthest points in each direction. To the north, the farthest I've gone is Fairbanks, Alaska, which I've gone to twice now, once with family to explore my Dad's birthplace, and once to chase the aurora. Tasmania wins the medal for being as far south as I've been. Going east, it was a close call between Italy and Poland, but Krakow wins (for now).

Of course, I could hardly stop there. I mapped out many of my favorite places I visited, and it is interesting to see those, too. Sort of like those maps with pins in them, except again I have a clustering issue which I think may be represented better with this digital visual. I've been to Japan multiple times, including studying abroad in Hiroshima, and have been to China twice, once for martial arts and once for my MBA, but the furthest west from the US was when I studied kung fu with the warrior monks at the Shaolin Temple in Zhangzou, China - which never gets old in how cool it is to say that. 

I took it just a little bit further, and put dream clouds to represent where I want to go in the near future. Based on this, I can see that my desire to go to Santorini, Greece will push my boundary a little further east from Krakow, Poland, which I visited just this year. Additionally, my desire to go to Vietnam and Thailand will push my westward travel point further.  Denmark and obviously the destinations in the continental US won't have any effect on my boundaries. Parts of New Zealand extend further south than my current southern-most point in Tasmania, but my current tentative plans don't include going that far south. I will, someday, try to visit Antarctica, which of course, will be the ultimate southern border push. As far as going further north, I think I'm good - no need to go further north than Fairbanks, although I wouldn't mind returning in another decade to see the Northern Lights again! 

Hawaii Mauka: Our 2025 Hawaiian Adventure - Part 2

As is my way, I insisted we get to the meeting point for the stargazing tour early. It was in the Target parking lot and we figured there'd be food places we could grab lunch nearby. That proved to be partially true - they were a bit further away than I wanted to walk. But Target has Pizza Hut inside, so I sort of insisted we just grab the Pizza Hot. Interestingly, they advertised a Spam pizza which I totally would have tried if they had it, but they did not, so I got pepperoni and Sam got cheese, of course. Then we waited outside for much longer than I expected, and Sam was definitely frustrated with my early arrival, but he didn't press it too much. 

The best thing ever (haha) happened when we finally saw the tour van and approached to check in. Our tour guide, James, gave Sam the most hesitant, awkward hug ever. He hugged me too, but since I was prepared for it, I went straight in for it. I adored our tour guide, he was super knowledgeable and would repeat important things at varying intervals, which you can tell he probably learned he had to do after dozens of tours in which people are only half paying attention. We a Japanese couple with us also who apparently didn't speak English, so James did his best to point things out in Japanese, but it was very apparent to me that he only knew so much of the language. Still, he did such a great job managing the crazy group and ensuring the Japanese couple were included. 

The timeline was strange to me - leaving at 2:45 for a sunset and stargazing tour, but as we made our way up the mountain, it made more sense. It was quite a trek up there, and it was raining most of the trip, but James assured us the weather should be good and clear on top of the mountain. We literally drove through and then above the clouds! Sure enough, blue skies all around us, the only clouds were down below! 

We stopped and spent 30 minutes at the visitor center which is at 9,200 feet so we could acclimate. We also ate there; I had ordered vegetarian sandwiches for Sam and I so as not to risk him getting pig products, and they were actually pretty good. Look at me eating vegetarian! The elevation was already getting to me, I could tell, although not too bad, so I just took it easy and let Sam know how I was feeling. He was very caring for me. 

We then continued up the mountain and visited several telescopes, all the while James was explaining how they are managed and sharing both the culturalists who oppose them and the supporting efforts. Walking around closer to 13,000 feet was only slightly worse for me, but it was still so slight that I think the acclimating had done its job. Sam also noticed it, not the whole time, but when he tried exerting himself up a hill, he said he got winded much more than usual and was surprised and intrigued by that experience. I was comparing it to being at the top of Pike's Peak in Colorado, over 14,000 feet, when I felt like absolute jelly and the potential for nausea was much more prevalent. But since we took a train straight up there, we didn't have the same acclimation, so I attributed feeling better to that. 

As the sun dropped in the sky, James took some really amazing and unique photos of us. We watched the sunset from that location, very near the peak, and then boarded the van to drive down a little ways for the ideal stargazing spot. 

I set up my tripod and starting taking pictures while the other tour guide set up a telescope and let people peer through it for various planets and stars. I continued to take long exposure photos while James led an astronomy lecture using his laser pointer to point at things in the sky. His counterpart did the same in Japanese. We learned that the Southern Cross, usually only visible in the southern hemisphere, was actually visible, albeit low on the horizon, for about two months in Hawaii. This was really impactful to Sam. 

Apparently I had set up so in exactly the spot where James wanted to set up. He was actually willing to find a new spot, which I thought was so kind and a little ridiculous of him (haha) - who am I? Just a person on his tour. Once my long exposure completed, I gave him the spot and set up elsewhere. His photos, of course, were so amazing. We even got a couple pictures pointing to the Southern Cross. It became sort of an underlying theme of the trip - aspects of the southern hemisphere coming north to Hawaii. Sam, of course, being the main one. 

After all that wrapped up, we packed back into the vans and wound our way down the mountain. James kindly dropped us off at our hotel, and we got a final hug each, less awkward. 

After taking an early phone call for work on the balcony, we packed up and headed to the airport to transport to the last island together: Maui! Finally, I'd see if Haleakala could redeem itself, although the Mauna Kea tour on the Big Island had already surpassed my hopes for stargazing on this trip. 

We landed and got the rental car and still had a couple hours before we could check into the AirBnB, so we went in search of a late lunch / early dinner. I was hoping to go to the ramen place I had taken my parents so, Tampopo, but it said it was temporarily closed. As we drove, though, I remembered I also really liked Black Rock Pizza, and Sam was agreeable to go there, so we had pizza for a second day, albeit much better than Pizza Hut Express at Target. 

Since we were on the fourth floor, I was very glad to see there was an elevator. We got settled in and took in the view from the balcony. I could not get over it; it was absolutely beautiful! We took it easy that first night, and I used my tripod on the balcony and took some decent shots of the night sky even from there!

 

I started the next day with leftover pizza for breakfast on the balcony - can life get any better? We went for a swim at the nearby sandy beach and watched sea turtles coming up to our beach from the balcony. Then we made preparations to bundle up for the cold and made our way up the mountain. It was another long drive, and I remembered all those twists and turns from having driven it twice a year and a half prior. But it was worth it!

 

After a little confusion in the absolute dark of where to go to get to the top, we found the staircase and brought our things up the short climb to the pavilion. When I was there last, the pavilion was under construction and was off limits to us. This time, it was open and we could use it to warm up a little and mostly get relief from the wind. Sam had found a Thermos and brought tea up with us so we could have a hot beverage to help warm us up.

 

We were so completely alone up there and it was just breathtaking. I couldn't believe the summit wasn't shoulder to shoulder with locals and tourists wanting to take in this incredible view! But, I wasn't complaining… Sam put on the classical music of "Jupiter" while we worked on mastering the art of taking pictures with the other in the foreground while still taking in enough darkness to get the stars in the background.
The photos were great, for sure, but even what we could see with the naked eye was so impressive. My mission to see the Milky Way had finally come to fruition in the grandest of ways!

 

And it was really special to share that with Sam. He told me later, after he got back to work, that he showed his teammates and they were barely interested. His adopted enthusiasm for my passion is one of the things I really like about him.

 

He had agreed to relieve me of driving down the mountain, but being a left-side driver normally, his tendency to lean towards the right edge of the road had me nervous, so I'm not sure if it was better or worse than me just driving myself. Either way, we made it.

 

The following day, with nothing scheduled, it was a good day to have some solo time. First we walked to the local pizza place for lunch and got some leftovers. I did a little shopping there for a Hawaiian dress/jumpsuit, and we walked back. Then he took the car to do some shopping while I stayed at the AirBnB to work on some coursework. We called it a night early so we could get up early to drive the road to Kona the next day!

 

I wasn't sure what to expect with the Road to Kona. I had been under the impression people joked that they "survived" it because the street vendors were shady, or something like that. Actually, they seemed lovely, and I guess the "survival" part comes from all the beautifully scenic one-land bridges and the twists and turns. I was impressed how the lush greenery changed throughout the drive - it wasn't the same for hundreds of miles, it changed and if you blinked, you'd miss it. There were waterfalls visible from the road, especially near the bridges, and there were cliffsides and ocean views. We had packed leftover pizza for lunch so we stopped at a beach in Kona and picnicked at a table facing the water. Some very brave cardinals approached to beg for food. Sam took a quick walk while I relaxed.

Then we headed back, stopping a bit more, now that we knew what the road was all about. We pulled over for some waterfall pictures, and stopped at a vendor for a macadamia nut cookie, a Hawaiian drink and a souvenir magnet commemorating survival of the road. Actually, since Sam was driving on the way back, I was commemorating surviving his driving.

 

I had booked dinner reservations at Mama's Fish House months prior, and tonight was the night! We arrived to the northern town of Paia a little early, so we walked around the downtown shops and then headed over to the restaurant. We were afforded some gorgeous views and took the opportunity to grab some more beach pictures while Sam was all gussied up.

 

Dinner at Mama's was absolutely amazing. We had a stunning view of the beach, and all the food was so good. Adding to our theme of the southern hemisphere coming north, Sam ordered an Antarctic Toothfish. I ordered a port wine with our dessert, which Sam was intrigued with and enjoyed.

 

As the sun set, we left our table and walked down to the beach and got some great pictures with a gorgeously colored sky behind us. Further towards the water, we saw a sea turtle, and got to watch as he made his way back into the water.

 

It was a perfect capstone to an absolutely wonderful vacation. I dropped Sam off at the airport the next morning. He'd spend one more night back on Oahu before flying home, while I spent the night and majority of the following day still in Maui. During the day, I drove up towards Laihaina and explored a public beach by the resorts there. Sam recommended I keep my record going and have pizza yet again. "Pizza everyday!" Then I did some more shopping in Kihei before heading to the airport a little early - only to have to wait to check my bag because I was too early. I'm sure Sam loves that!

 

No matter, I couldn't have asked for more on this trip. Sure, there are other Hawaiian and touristy experiences we could have done, but since my primary mission had been to go to the top of the mountain(s) and see the stars, it surpassed all my expectations. Everything else - the luau, swimming with manta rays, even just the regular beach swims, stunning sunsets and other land-based tours - were just the cherries on top! I feel truly blessed and am so glad I got to experience all of this!

Hawaii Makai: Our 2025 Hawaiian Adventure - Part 1

I've been attempting to see the spectacular Milky Way one sees in photos since at least 2021, when I first ventured to Yosemite in hopes to catch a glimpse. I was stunned at how underwhelming the view was from where I first stayed just outside the park. Figuring it was a combination of overcast skies and being too into the city, I unintentionally began a quest to see it and capture a view.

As frustration gave way to despair, I started to learn more and more that the dazzling photographs are not accurate representations of what one can see with the naked eye. Still, I felt certain I could do better. I tried again at Bryce Canyon, to absolutely no avail. 

It started to get to a point where it felt like some sort of curse. I would set myself up for ideal conditions, or at least the best you can plan for since there are always factors within nature that can change and impact the results. The more I failed to see anything close to resembling the Milky Way, the more determined I became. 

As I planned a Christmas in the Sand vacation for my family on the Hawaiian island of Maui, I stumbled upon an astrophotography experience in which a photographer would take people up to the summit of Haleakala and take portraits with a brilliant Milky Way background. I perused her photos and they were good. Amazing, even. So I coordinated with her to go the very first night I would be in Hawaii to be as close in time to the New Moon as possible. We went up, and she shared a lot of history of the Polynesians using the stars to navigate and Hawaiian names of the stars and constellations. She served me hot chocolate. We had a great, lengthy conversation. 

But no stars. Barely even single digits when we started and it got worse the longer we sat there, shivering against the cold despite being a little bundled up. She kept apologizing profusely and explaining how she had never seen it this dark. We technically should have been above most clouds, at over 10,000 feet, and she'd done this dozens of times before with great success. She suggested if I had another free night or if I came back to the island at a later date, she'd take me up again to try the photoshoot free of charge. She apologized again and again, seemingly embarrassed that Hawaii was treating me so badly. I assured her it was me. The Milky Way was officially alluding me. 

I dove into camping at dark sky sites using light pollution maps and timing my trips with New Moons. I returned to Yosemite and stayed in the park, hoping that would make a sufficient improvement. I learned a long the way that a tripod was an absolute requirement and longer exposures would let more light into my camera. I considered, and still am considering, buying an actual real camera and learning how to use it, but two things are working against that initiative: (1) It seems complex and yet not piquing my interest enough for me to invest my time and energy into learning it, and (2) my Google Pixel phones shoot really good pictures actually. 

I proved this out on my side quest seeking the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. With the aurora in a multi-year peak, it felt somewhat urgent to get somewhere to try to see it, so I booked a crazy trip to Fairbanks, Alaska which I felt was doomed to failure and catastrophe. With only a couple full nights to there, after I saw absolutely nothing the first night, I opted to book the aurora tour for the second night. While it wasn't anything close to the most dazzling aurora, it was a great success, and my Pixel camera phone on a tripod with a long exposure managed to capture some amazing photos and videos with plenty of shapes and colors and even some meteors. 

I will also admit, begrudgingly, that I had some success my second time camping in my new home state of Texas. My first attempt, Copper Breaks, was pretty much a bust, and very underwhelming views and hiking by day, as well. But Big Bend put on a good show. I didn't realize until the morning just how close I was to the Mexican border - my tent couldn't have been 15 feet from the river that forms the border between the US and Mexico! When I comically spotted a coyote, followed by a roadrunner, leave my campsite and head in that direction, it occurred to me that was a Mexican coyote and roadrunner. But I digress. I did manage to capture some decent pictures that night camping in the park, as well as the following night when I stayed in a "space dome" near by. 

Still, Maui remained on my mind. Since meeting Sam, we have both happily gravitated towards beachy vacations and Hawaii is a rather convenient midway point between Sydney and Dallas. So, when I started formulating a return trip to Maui, Sam was all in - with the additional request that we also go to the Big Island to swim with manta rays. Since I've swam with sea turtles and dolphins and snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, this seemed like a perfectly logical adventure to amend my blessed life experiences. But going to the Big Island also afforded a second opportunity for stargazing, too! He also wanted to go to the luau and fireworks show at the Hilton on Oahu. This was shaping up to be quite a trip! 

We've found that our trips tend to have themes and running jokes throughout them, and rarely are they repeated the next time we get together. This trip seemed to be themed, one for you and one for me. Especially the day we had nothing specific planned on the Big Island. He realized we'd be near the home of Kona coffee and found a place to do a tour. As we found our gate at the airport prior to flying to the Big Island, a bar reminded me that Kona beer would likewise be in that same area. So a coffee tour for him, and a beer tour for me! 

Unfortunately, the manta ray excursion, while absolutely amazing and I'd highly recommend it, stirred up my old motion sickness and I ended up getting sick in the water. Thankfully, not much clean up, and I got dizziness under control before boarding. Still, I wasn't feeling 100% for the remainder of that night and into the next morning. So I wasn't sure about the beer tour, but we did go to the Kona coffee place and then went to Kona Brewing Co for lunch and a couple tastes. 

But, let me give the manta ray experience the full description it deserves. It was very well done, to start. The guides gave us clear instructions and told us what to expect to minimize panicking or concerns in the water. The $40 Go Pro rental, while relatively steep compared to just buying one, was actually well worth it to me because of how simple they made it to use for this specific purpose. Sam really seemed to enjoy using it to capture the magnificent sight, while I was content in enjoying the experience, thinking the videos would never really do it justice anyways. Actually the videos were great, and I sort of wish we had done more "selfie" type video, but that's such a minor point compared to the experience. 

As we boarded, we were given optional wet suit tops to keep us warm in the water, floating services and snorkels, all of which I declined because I had my own dry snorkel with me and didn't want the other two. I was glad Sam got a wetsuit top because he gets cold easily and towards the end of our swim he was getting cold anyways, he would have been much more miserable faster had he not had that. 

I generally love being on boats, and especially faster moving ones which don't foster that subtle rocking sensation that more often triggers my motion sickness. This boat was fairly sizeable but still quite quick, as we made our way out to one of two places in the world (both being in the waters around Hawaii) where the giant manta ray come to feed at night. 

By supplying a large float lit from underneath, plankton are attracted to the float and thus the manta rays would come right up to us with their mouths wide open - it would be terrifying if we weren't previously warned and reassured they only eat little plankton, and then do a back flip inches from our faces. We merely needed to hang onto the lit raft and stretch our feet backwards to keep them on the pool noodles we were supplied. Sometimes they'd swim by and their lengthy pectoral fins ("wings") would bump our shoulders, or even stomachs. And they were huge! Most we saw, I'd estimate to be 5 to 8 feet wide! We were told they could be even bigger out there! And there were dozens of them! It would have been tricky to try to count unique ones since they swam far and wide (and deep) but it was easy to see 4 to 6 at a time unless your view was being blocked by a ray passerby an inch away as they did frequently. 

After our swim was complete (and I stopped vomiting my Thai chicken into the ocean), the boat had a centralized hot shower we could rinse off in and use to warm up a bit. Not going to lie, it felt glorious! 

Upon returning to shore, we exchanged the rented Go Pro for the micro SD card we had used and that meant we got to see the videos on my laptop that night when we got back to the hotel! They were pretty neat, actually, and did a decent job of capturing the awe-inspiring chaos as the rays swam up towards us from down below while others surprised us by coming in close from the side and blocking our view of the multitudes below with their graceful passbys. 

Before I go on to talk about the highlight, err, most elevated (haha) experiences, let me back up even further and talk about arriving in Waikiki. Because lining up flights from Sydney and from DFW continues to be challenging, we opted for me to get there the day before on this trip, so I arrived Thursday afternoon on June 19th. I checked into the Hilton Hawaiian Village and although I was exhausted and could have easily just collapsed onto the bed to go to sleep, I pushed myself to get ready to go to the place I've previously called my happiest place on Earth - House Without a Key. I had discovered it over a decade ago on my second trip to Hawaii with the ex's family.

What I love about it is that it is situated over the beach but on a dock so there is no sand in sight, but the water is right there. The deck affords beautiful views of Diamond Head, but the umbrellas provide ample shade without blocking the stunning colors of sunset. A live Hawaiian band serenades guests as a hula dancer graces the stage with her mesmerizing accompanying movements. The food is terrific, and the drinks are fruity and strong. There seems to be a story behind much of the menu, and the wait staff is phenomenal. And if you have to go to the restroom during your stay, you'll be treated to Toto bidet washlets like I have come to love in my own home (I sometimes joke that the worst part of traveling is that I miss my bidets). In fact, even if you don't need to use the restroom, if you've never tried that kind of bidet, I'd recommend detouring to the restroom to check it out. I was so comfortable with it that I forgot it wasn't mine and instinctually hit the User 1 setting button before remembering that this was not my toilet and therefore had not been programmed for my tastes. I would have to manually set my temperature and pressure settings. Gasp! Still, it was a nice surprise that just adds to why I love this Waikiki establishment. 

I walked nearly a mile and arrived exhausted and hangry, and was unsure if it would stand up to that lofty title of being my happiest place on Earth, but after a mai tai, terrific rolls and butter (what WAS that?) and some pizza, I can say it is definitely worthy of the title I've bestowed on it. While I sometimes mix up the name (Room without a Lock? Place without a Door?) the experience was perfection, nearly 11 years later! 

After two drinks there, stumbling back to my hotel was a little rough, but I made it successfully and even remembered to stop at the ABC store to get distilled water for my CPAP machine. And then I crashed hard! 

Recalling a pastry shop I had spotted while checking in, I decided to wander for a little bit and see what shops and restaurants were in the area, but determined that the pastry shop sounded the best to me for breakfast, so I headed to Chee Hoo Patisserie which already made me giggle a little. I learned what a fougasse was - and to no surprise, discovered it was also delicious - and got a crookie - a soft, buttery chocolate chip cookie wrapped in a croissant crust. I ate most of the very carb-loaded fougasse and instead of discarding the mini pizza box it came in, I used that as a sand-proof platform for my things on the beach while I went for my first ocean swim this trip. Genius, I tell you! The water was wonderful, and after locating a sandbar which would likely have fish, I went back to my things to retrieve my goggles and went for a little snorkel. I was rewarded with a number of fish sightings including spotted tobies. 

I knew Sam would be landing soon but it would still take him time to get through customs and then make his way to the hotel, and that he may not be able to get on a wifi to message me before then. So trying to keep from rushing out of excitement, I headed back to my room and showered and then enjoyed the second part of my breakfast - the crookie, on the balcony with a gorgeous view and awaited a message. When it got closer to his anticipated arrival time and I still hadn't gotten a message, I decided to relocate into the room so I could hear him knock in case he came straight there. He did, indeed, and I jumped up, now allowing myself to get excited. After letting him settle in for a few, we spent a few minutes taking in the view on the balcony and got the first of many selfies, and this one ended up being one of my favorites. He needed a nap and wasn't hungry yet, so I left

him to snooze while I grabbed a burger at the bar downstairs and watched All Space Considered on my tablet. 

We went for a short stroll down the beach and then donned my aircraft-themed Hawaiian shirts for the first big event - the luau! Since Sam doesn't eat pig products, I knew his selections would be limited, but actually there was plenty for both of us to eat, buffet style. We had great seats and enjoyed the show, of course. Sam even got a little video of my dancing at the end of the audience-participation hula lesson. We had tickets for four drinks each which was of course way too much, but we redeemed two during the dinner and show and then redeemed the last two as it wrapped up, and enjoyed them while watching the fireworks from the lawn. We called it a night after that. 

We got up early the next morning to go for a swim before we had to pack up and bounce to our next island. It seemed really quick, but our big adventures awaited us on other islands and Sydney flights really only go in and out of Honolulu, so it's not like Sam could have bypassed that island anyways. 

I had a migraine, perhaps related to the extra drinking at the luau, so we mostly took it easy in Kona and went to a nearby Thai restaurant for dinner in hopes the spice would kick the migraine. It did not, and I was feeling really unwell, but knew it wasn't contagious and felt I could push through for the manta ray swim that evening. 

Alright, so we're all caught up now, as I've previously shared the exquisite manta ray experience. The following day, I was still a little wooshy feeling, but staying in bed or in the room didn't seem like it would improve anything. Since we had left space in the itinerary for a backup time in case the manta ray excursion got rained out, we had nothing officially on the itinerary. 

So we caught an uber - well almost - to the Rising Kona Coffee Farm tour, which was much less commercial and much more startup than I expected. They had only been running the tour for three months, in fact! The tour guide was both passionate and hyped up on caffeine, but also gave laid back beach bro vibes. It ended up being a private tour for just Sam and I, and the main part of the tour included a demonstration of brewing the coffee in front of us, with tips and whatnot that would be helpful if you liked that sort of thing. 

I say we caught an uber almost, because there was a bit of confusion on where we were going and it required a gate code and we had no idea if we were at the right gate and all that, but it ended up getting us there. But to avoid similar confusion, we opted to walk down the hill to outside the gate before calling a ride. That afforded a lovely walk in the beauty of the hilly Kona neighborhood and while waiting for our uber at the bottom of the hill, Sam found a friendly outdoor cat who plopped down and accepted all the scratches Sam could give. While I think cats are quite cute, I am very allergic and didn't want to risk adding any complication to my recovering migraine / motion sickness malady. So instead I photographed the love affair between Sam and the cat we later nicknamed Jollity. 

The uber got us to Kona Brewing Co., where we sat down for a great lunch and I had two small beers to try some of the local draughts. Everything was delicious, naturally, but we decided we didn't need to do the brewery tour. Instead, I loaded us up on merch, including a beanie for Sam because he's perpetually cold, and a shirt and pint glass for me. I was about to call an uber to take us back to our hotel when I realized we were less than a mile away, so we opted to walk it and continue taking in the fresh Hawaiian air. Back at the hotel, I opted for a rest while Sam did his speedwalk. We walked to the Cheeky Tiki for dinner, which featured, hilariously, pendant lamps designed to look like monkeys were hanging off of them, Jungle Cruise style. 

The following day was the first big stargazing event - leaving at the seemingly absurd time of 2:45 pm. Sam slept in while I went for a walk and a swim in the little harbor our hotel sat on. I used my snorkel to check out the rocks a little further out from the shore, and was again rewarded with an amazing assortment and quantity of tropical fish! 

Continued here: Hawaii Mauka: Our 2025 Hawaiian Adventure - Part 2