Birthday Party Road Trip

Big Stone Gap

The first song I learned to play on the piano was “Birthday Party” (taught first by Marian during an evening I spent at her house while my parents were out, and then formally by Thema as we worked through “Teaching Little Fingers to Play”).  The words and tune ran through my head as we drove out of Nashville, moving with purpose toward Stafford and a very important birthday party.  

Here we go, up the road, to a birthday party.  (Yes, yes, I know.  The actual lyric is up a row, but that’s not what I was humming.)

We did the drive in one shot back in February when we bought the RV and it was brutal so we planned the trip back with 2 stops at Harvest Hosts and one more at a no-frills campground so we could arrive relaxed and with plenty of daylight to spend with the kids of both generations.

Our first night was in the parking lot of a huge church campus near a Burger King.  It was quiet, smelled good, and a great place to play fetch with Axel.  Our second night was at the town of Big Stone Gap, VA.  The actual town was the host, with concrete pads at their riverfront park specifically to welcome us.

The drive off I-81 to Big Stone Gap was through the same mountains as Watoga but more scenic than scarry this time.  The village itself was quaint with a bustling downtown.  We arrived as they were setting up for their weekend beach party – complete with a shutdown street converted into a sand beach.  It was a neat place with an active community, lots of festivals throughout the year, and a decent meal at a local place called Big Cherry Brewing Company.  There was also a tangle of low wires hanging across the entrance of the park - I only managed to snag them once.

The drive out of town was wide and steep with sweeping views of valley farms, railroad tracks, and mountain streams.  We passed a Rural King.  We drove under a monstrous coal conveyor belt kind of thing.  We descended through overwhelming greenery.  And then we were at I-81.

The no frills-campground was within spitting distance of a truckstop and not configured for rigs our size.  Ironically, the potholes were so big that anything smaller than us would probably have been lost forever.  But none of that mattered.  We slept well, dumped the tanks that needed dumping and filled the tanks that needed filling and it was an easy drive to Stafford for afternoon coffee with the grandkids.

I’d say we spent the next few days catching up, but anyone with experience with an “about to be three”-year old knows there’s no catching up, only endless chasing around.  That was fine with this PopPop.  We helped out around the house in preparation for the party, watched the annual fourth of July parade, wrestled with how to plug the RV into the house without tripping any circuits (reminded me of the scene in Apollo 13), and packing for our trip to Hawaii.

The Birthday Party itself was grand, so many little kids.  More little kids than adults and there were a lot of adults.  Emily and Blake were great hosts and Sarah seemed to love every minute.  The days passed quickly, summer days filled with lemonade, ice cream, family and the shrieks and laughter of carefree youth and their grandparents.

On Monday morning we loaded up the car, sent Axel off with Renee’s parents, and said goodbye.  There was a plane to catch (three, actually) and an ocean to cross.

Grassy no-frills parking lot

The thingy

 

June, 2024 -- 3 Days in Nashville

I fit in here

Back in the pre-internet, pre-iPhone, pre-everybody’s a filmmaker, pre-everything’s gotta be a sequel or we’re too afraid to make it, 1990s, there were all sorts of quirky, sorta independent films with clever names and off-beat characters that made it into almost mainstream.  “3 Days in Nashville” could have been right up there with “Eight Heads in a Duffle Bag” or “Things to do in Denver When You’re Dead”.  But it wasn’t.  But it should’ve.  Or maybe not.

We enjoyed our stay, despite the now ubiquitous challenging drive into the campground and skipping out on the Grand Ole' Opry.  US Army Corp of Engineering campgrounds are awesome.  We weren’t waterfront, but it was spacious and quiet and an easy walk to a nice beach.  Axel approved.

It was also extremely conveniently located for everything Nashville including music, hot-chicken, and a must-see car museum.  The Lane Motor Museum’s collection of vehicles included conversions from airplanes, tiny 30 hp pickup trucks, a massively huge amphibious landing craft, Japanese drift machines, and dozens of motorcycles.  They claim a European leaning so I was hoping to see a Lotus or three.  They’ve 5 in their collection but only one was on display.  It’s okay though, it was one I never thought I’d seen in real life.

Renee is not a car person but enjoyed our visit describing several of the vehicles, especially an early Mazda, as “cute.”  Being able to live without being rushed has allowed us to enjoy many places we’d have skipped over previously because they “weren’t our thing” – there are so many stories.  It’s not just a fish, it’s trout.  It doesn’t just have scales, look at the detail, the color and patterns.  Right?

Speaking of not our thing, we also went to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.  We walked through the gift shop, found the nostalgia compelling, and so decided to not be cheap.  We bought the relatively pricey tickets and went to see the exhibits.  What an amazing place, artfully documenting the life and times of performers, the intersections and cross-influences of blues, folk, and rock with country, and the remarkably cooperative and nurturing professional musician community in Nashville.

From the set of Hee-Haw to Dwight Yoakum’s pants to the Bandit’s Firebird, there was something familiar around every turn.  At least until we got to the last part.  Other than Darius Rucker, I don’t know any of these new kids.

Back on the town, we strolled through Bon Jovi’s place, ate at The Assembly of Food (which was WOW), and listened to a lot of really good live music as we walked the streets and shopped for emergency sunglasses and an Alani Nu.  I even stopped in at the Bridgestone building to grab snaps of their Indycar static display and oversized tire mobile (the kind that hangs from the ceiling).

We ended up going downtown 2 days, parking at the stadium and walking across the bridge both times.  It’s hilly, but enjoyable in a county fair midway sort of way.  It seemed a bit overwhelming at first, but like so many of the places we’ve “lived” the past couple of months, we’re carrying away a comfortable familiarity and look forward to coming back.

Photobombed like a boss

He's a cowboy

A bike at a car museum.  But its a carbon fibre LOTUS!!!

It's a Fiat, not the Mazda, but still cute

This is the only one they built

Our cool beach

I would not go 200 in that

I would not go 200 in this either, even wearing that pink shirt

 

July 2024 – Mahalo, Kauai

 

The path to Hideaways

The flight from Oahu to Kauai on Hawaiian Airlines was short and sweet with a cup of juice and bright sunshine for the 35 minute duration.  The airport in Lihue is about the size of the one in Palm Springs and uses a similar “open air” style.  We took a shuttle to our rental car and had to laugh, the “off-site lot” is closer than the garages at Dullas.

Having spent a week trying to drive and park on Oahu, I was glad we rented a small car and I was looking forward to driving a Mazda 3.  Hertz generously greeted us with a complimentary upgrade - aloha - and my subtle compact turned out to be a bright red Dodge Charger.  Mahalo.

We started with coffee and a sandwich at Java Kai in Kapa’a based on local recommendations then went touring.  Wailua Falls was at the top of our list and it was super close to where we were staying.  Great intro to the island.  Us old folks didn’t climb down but considered going back to do so every single day we were on the island.  The mountain road dead-ending at the Falls was a twisty journey up through crowding trees and towering tropical grasses with farms, fields, pastureland, and sudden views up to the jagged mountain.  The falls themselves were spectacular - iconic even – but there wasn’t enough parking, crowded with people for the available space, and littered with litter.  Lesson number 4 about Hawaii – if you don’t have to pay to get in, it’s been soiled. 

We went south to Koloa and Puipu filling our afternoon with an amazing gluten free menu at Friendly Waves, Dole-Whip at a Mango-Something ice cream shop, and oohing and ahhing my cousin’s favorite Kauai beach.  We were also advised, during lunch via the government alert system, to leave immediately because of a fast moving wild-fire.  Good thing we had the Dodge.

We rented an oceanfront AirBnB “condo.”  The grounds were beautifully landscaped with palms, ferns, bananas, taro, kolo, hibiscus, and chickens.  It was just an old hotel room rebranded, but perfect for us with a sliding door that opened to the beach.

We drove the island, miraculously finding midday parking for everything except the Queen’s Bath.  I mean miraculously – we’d pull up and suddenly there was a spot, or someone who needed to pull out leaving us a spot, and the three cars behind us would mask their jealous envy with a friendly shaka.  We found Hideaways Beach, Tunnels, pull-offs, Hanalie (great food trucks), glass beach at Eleele, and even our first stop at Wailua (though we didn’t appreciate it at the time).

We saw sea turtles, came across a pair of monk seals sleeping on Poipu, watched a ray swim by from the loungers in front of our room.  We even saw chickens.

We hiked the Canyon Trail at Waimea Canyon (the Grand Canyon of the Pacific) State Park – wow.  It’s part of why helicopter tours are a must on Kauai, why all the Jurassic Park movies were filmed on Kauai, it’s the big emptiness that makes Kauai feel so much less crowded than Oahu.

We did not take a helicopter tour – one crashed with no survivors the day we arrived on the island.  The odds of two in the same week might be low, but it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test…”

And we were busy.  It’s a small island but the average speed between 2 points is always 25 mph.  Lesson number 5 about Hawaii – If you are in a hurry, you’re missing the point.

With red dirt on our shoes and suitcases packed with souvenirs, we wrapped up our week with a dinner at Friendly Waves (the cool gluten free place) and another warning to “leave at once or be burned alive.”  We shopped the “Kauai Chicken” store, drank Kona coffee, and drove 25 mph to the airport.  The flight back to Oahu was short and sweet, the drive back to Andrew and Katie’s house familiar and uneventful.  Daisy (their dog) was ecstatic we came back and had a terrible case of the zoomies.

We hiked and beached Oahu style for our last few days, climbing to the pillboxes at Lanikai, jumping out of the water at Bellows because somebody thought they saw a shark, walking the path at Patriot’s Park on base, and crashing the public side of the lagoon by a pair of resorts including the one where they filmed “The Wrong Missy” and Disney Hawaii.  We may, or may not, have wandered around the Disney one that was more crowded than a cruise ship where a single can of coke costs nearly $5 at its marketplace.  Or not.

We flew back on a red-eye to Dallas, the flight attendant cheerfully announcing it was the captain’s “last flight before retirement” and seemingly oblivious to the importance of not sharing that kind of information.  I mean, how many movies have you seen where somebody says, “This was my last mission.  I was going home, man!”

We made it.  And the hop to Richmond.  And so did our checked luggage.  I think if I go back I will leave from the West Coast.  Yes, that will only be 5 hours or so, much better.  And that is Lesson number 6 about Hawaii – it makes you think about next time, even before you’re back home. 

I have a friend who lives on Guam.  He keeps telling me to come visit.  Says things like, “It’s only another 7 hours past Hawaii.”  Maybe, but then I think about Lesson number 1 about Guam – You think Hawaii’s a long plane ride…

Hideaways

Missing Man at sunset
Patriot's Park, JBPHH

July 2024 – Aloha

Honolulu from Diamond Head

This post is out of order.  Sorry about that.  But, as cool as Nashville was, we’ve been in Hawaii the past couple of weeks and I want to write about it.  This leg of our travels will be told in two parts with a third post of pictures.  And no, ha ha ha, we did not drive the motorhome here. :P

We flew American (no more United for us, no sir) from Richmond to Charlotte to Los Angeles to Honolulu.  Good flights, smooth layovers, a bit of bonus time sitting on the apron at LAX while they sorted a water problem and then another “minor mechanical”, but really nothing to complain about.  It’s just a long time to sit on airplanes – Lesson number 1 about Hawaii, there’s no easy way to get there.

But it takes a long time because Hawaii is really, really far away.  So far, in fact, that many people who live there spray paint, “Hawaii is not America” on any surface not covered by a chicken.  Lesson number 2 about Hawaii – there are free range chickens everywhere.  Why is it that nobody has ever told me this?  As I am writing, a hen and her chicks have come to surround my lanai and demand a handout.

Andrew and Katie picked us up at the airport and whooshed us off to their home on Hickam, a drive that took less time than walking to baggage claim.  The air was sweet with botanicals, the evening comfortably warm, and we slept in until 4 am HST (10 on the east coast of the mainland).

Andrew drove us around the next day and we got a taste of Oahu, touring from Honolulu up the East coast following the H1 to 72 past Diamond Head, Maunalua Bay, and Koko Head to a stop at the Halona Blowhole Lookout – it’s worth fighting for a parking spot and don’t let the tourists with their cameras and rented SUVs and tight schedules rush you.  There is nothing CONUS that even comes close and I don’t care how many times you’ve watched “50 First Dates” or “Gilligan’s Island”, you haven’t experienced Hawaii until you are actually standing there, on a jagged cliff’s edge of black igneous as the ocean leaps skyward against the island that’s in its way.

If you only have a couple of hours on Oahu, take a drive on 72.  It is one of the most breathtaking roads I’ve ever been on, even with the traffic.  It was a clear day and we could easily see Maunaloa on Molokai across the channel.

From there we drove on to the Makapu’u Point lighthouse park.  As with every other place we stopped, parking required waiting for someone to leave.  Lesson number 3 – in Hawaii, there are more cars than places for cars.  There were a lot of people but it was a beautiful day and there was a spacious paved trail.  So spacious, a man older than me was able to ride his road bicycle up and down it without a problem, even playing show tunes from his handlebar speaker.  

We continued along 72 past the site of the Robin Masters Estate to Bellows Field, an Air Force installation the Marine Corp uses for navigation training.  We used it to put our feet in the Pacific, get some ono grinds, and satisfy Andrew’s need to show us some pea fowl.

We left Bellows to continue north beneath Lanikai up through Kailua to the Naval Exchange on USMC Base Hawaii.  I bought a towel.  Don’t laugh, it’s a very cool towel.  It says, “Aloha” on it.

We headed home via the H3.  It rises dramatically from the ocean to the Tetsuo Harano Tunnel on a stretch of highway elevated above the rainforest often seen on the “hit” TV show “Hawaii Five-O.”  It descends, though not as dramatically, to the more industrial Pearl Harbor/Honolulu sprawl.  There’s a monorail but the development has been… political… so it doesn’t really serve anywhere people want to go and is generally empty.

JBPHH (Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam) is a relatively calm, low-rise, stretch out and breathe hub of activity with wide avenues shaded by mature trees, quiet streets, brightly colored birds and flowers, and the calming scent of a tropical flora menagerie carried on a constant breeze.  It’s a great place for dinners grilled in the backyard, sunset strolls along the ocean, and to host your parents.  It’s also a place where some of the buildings still bear battle scars from December 7, 1941.  There’s fresh paint, but no mistaking the history.

We play a lot of Sequence which, if you haven’t tried it, is a blast.  And we watched “Barb and Star Visit Vista Del Mar” which, if you haven’t seen it, is a hoot.  And we went to Costco where I found the best bag of chips and bought a cake because nobody makes a cake like Costco and Andrew said he’d help me eat it.  I left half of it when we left for Kauai but that part of the trip is in the next post.

We spent a day at the museums of the USS Arizona Memorial but didn’t go out to the ship.  We hiked Diamond Head and saw a blue stop sign.  We went swimming on the West shore where we saw a sea turtle from the beach and explored a creepy sea cave filling with tidal waters.

They have shrimp flavored potato chips and mushroom popcorn.  The sea is an unconscious part of everyone here, but so is the incredible fusion of Eastern and Western cultures with the Polynesians.  It’s a generally polite and unpretentious place that, much like the black bears in West Virginia, only gets mean when you poke it.

There’s something else too, something intangible.

We’ve spent a lot of time at the ocean.  Southern Maine (HA!), Cape Cod, South Carolina, the Golden Isles of Georgia, Florida’s Clearwater, Coco Beach and Destin.  The Virgin Islands, Nevis and St. Kitts, Puerto Rico and Haiti and Grand Cayman.   I don’t think I realized how many places or how much time until writing that list, how incredibly fortunate we have been.  Experience, right?  And yet, Hawaii is different.  Completely different.  Soul touching different.

We took off with the the Mobile Mojo Dojo Casa House to tour the country and decide where we wanted to live.  If it weren’t for all the chickens, this might have been it.

That's the tide coming in