Almost Ready for the Road...Again

Off to Kauai this time.  The snorkel gear is in the luggage as well as a rolled up neoprene wetsuit for snorkeling.

A wetsuit?  For snorkeling?  Yes, because I am allergic to sunscreens and cool temps.  A skin could work for sun protection but, warm as Hawaii is, the ocean can surprise you with a chilly spot even on the hottest of days. Neoprene handles both problems.

Snorkeling in Roatan, Honduras.

The reason why I snorkel.

A friend was supposed to meet me in Kauai.  Job pressures prevented that, so this trip is solo.  That kind of puts the kibosh on hiking the Kalalau Trail.  Even I know that my two iffy knees are not going on an eleven mile trek on one of the ten most dangerous trails in the world, but I was hoping to do the first mile or so with a companion.  

To illustrate the dangers involved, here's a section called Space Rock. http://www.hawaii-guide.com/kauai/hiking_trails/kalalau-trail

Yeah, definitely not something to try alone. Or maybe not even without the Hawaiian equivalent of several sherpas.

So, rest easy, I am in no danger of being swept away by a flash flood or plummeting hundreds of feet into a gorge from a slip on a muddy, ten inch wide path. 

Besides hiking - somewhere else - I'll likely be taking a ride on a helicopter.  It's going to put a dent in my budget, but my cousin, Roseanne, told me I'd regret it to my grave if I didn't do it.  Her family went up when they were in Hawaii; she stayed behind.  And it is upon her own regrets that she projected mine.  I'm taking her advice.

Based on my own prior experiences in Hawaii, I know that my budget is in as much danger from eating as it will be from flying a helicopter.  Food is expensive in Hawaii.  My luggage includes five vacuum packages of tuna, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jam, and two boxes of organic mac and cheese dinner. 

I think I've got it covered.