9/7/17, “Papahanaumokuakea”
Hilo, Hawai’i, Hawaii
Stamps, souvenirs, a picture, and
a Plaque. That’s what it takes to
properly claim a US World Heritage Site.
Visiting all 50 States was the highest goal on my list, and visiting all
23 US WHS is number two. I am currently
in the process of claiming my 22nd of the 23 WHS in the US. This one goes by the name of
Papahanaumokuakea. It is by far the
hardest to claim. I have gotten the
stamps and souvenirs. That was the easy
part.
As for the picture, the monument
itself isn't open to the public, you can’t even get within eyesight of it. I will have to settle for flying to the
northwestern most inhabited island of Hawaii and taking my picture in the
general direction of the protected area.
It will not be dissimilar to what I did at Yaviza in Panama as I stood
at the end of the Pan-American Highway with the Darien Gap inaccessible behind
me.
The Plaque, though, that was a
challenge, as it is in a building that is not generally open to the
public. When has that stopped me before,
though? I called NOAA and told them my
plan. After jumping through some hoops
and making various arrangements over the past six months, I have at last just
spoken with one of my contacts at NOAA and confirmed the final plan. They will be picking me up tomorrow morning
in Honolulu and escorting me to their regional office so that I can see the
Plaque. I love it when a plan comes
together. Then, I will visit Pearl
Harbor and fly to American Samoa. This
brief respite in Hawaii is, I have mentioned, the sorbet that cleanses the
pallet before the entree that will be American Samoa.
After I closed last night, I published my
entry, went back inside, post my photos and promptly collapsed, waking up
around 7 AM. The proprietor was making
breakfast, and I could have anything I wanted from the available ingredients. I wound up getting plate of fresh island
fruit (pineapple, mango, and banana) and a hot plate consisting of local
specialties (Spam, Portuguese sausage, and fried eggs), along with coffee. It was perfect.
After breakfast, I lit up an Oliva and killed
some time on the porch until the Mokupapapa Discovery Center opened at 9
AM. I got there right as they opened,
and they had a few exhibits, along with, most importantly, stamps and
brochures. I did my stamping, so close
now to having all 23 WHS that I could feel it.
I then looked around the exhibits a bit.
The gift shop was still being constructed, so I walked into town to find
some souvenirs.
I settled for some small
statues of the various marine life found at the WHS, along with a bracelet to
signify the cultural aspect of this mixed WHS, the only such one in the
country. I then walked back to the
B&B, packed, changed into my suit, and sat on the porch. I lit up a Graycliff and called my contact at
NOAA, followed by my parents. I then
proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close as it is almost time to
go to the airport.
Princeville, Kaua’i, Hawaii
(Queen’s Bath)
Never has the mission ever more
clearly come first than here. Everything
I have done today since breakfast has been in service of the mission, and it
has been a hectic and chaotic spurt from the time that I set foot in the
Mokupapapa Discovery Center to get my stamps to the moment I am sitting here on
the cliffs of Princeville writing my entry after having just claimed
Papahanaumokuakea WHS. It has not been
easy, not by any measure, and it ended with a treacherous hike to the
cliffs.
When I did something similar in
Yaviza in service of claiming Darien National Park as a WHS, I did not expect
to come all this way. It seemed foolish
that I could actually complete all of these crazy goals, visiting every North
American WHS and setting foot inside every Olympic Stadium the most
challenging, but I knew I would keep going until I failed. Except, I kept succeeding. Panama was a success. The CA-4 trip was, remarkably, a
success. Mexico was one success after
another.
Meanwhile, I diligently worked
my way through the 27 Olympic Stadiums.
When I failed, I went back, and in the case of London 2012, it was the
third time that was a charm. In the end,
I succeeded. Now, all that stands
between me and Completing the mission is American Samoa, including the National
Park there, and the big one, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. This was no accident. This was done through hard work and shear
determination, always putting the mission first.
After I closed at Hilo, the proprietor took
me to the airport, and we stopped at Target so that I could pick up some stuff
I had neglected to pack. The airport was
a breeze, but our flight was delayed by 15 minutes, and, once more, I had a
tight connection. I was panicking. The flight would not land until a few minutes
past 2 PM, if everything went right, and boarding for my HNL-LIH flight closed
at 2:22 PM. We landed at 2:05 PM, and I
was off the plane at 2:10 PM.
I raced to
my gate, getting there as boarding began.
Phew. The flight to Lihue was
even shorter, and it was over before I knew it.
Meanwhile, I was texting all day with my friend finalizing the details
of our portion together. It was draining
my battery, and my charging was too slow.
I took a taxi to my hotel in Princeville, and it was outrageously
expensive. Once more I regretted not
renting a car. It was so expensive that
I nixed the idea of having him take me to a lookout point further west, instead
opting for one to which I could easily walk from my hotel.
I changed as quickly as possible, wanting to
post my picture by 11 PM New York time.
I then walked to the trailhead, a place called the Queen’s Bath, which
was quite a popular lookout, but it was a treacherous trail. I endured, putting the mission first, and was
soon rewarded with a view of the ocean from the cliffs. I knew Papahanaumokuakea to be west by
northwest, but the sun was setting west by southwest, so it made for a poor
photo.
I lit up a Romeo y Julieta and
took my ceremonial picture and shouted, “Papahanaumokuakea!” It was 22 down, 1 to go. That’s when my I lost my cell signal, so all
dreams of posting my photo were lost. As
it is now, I will be racing back to civilization to try and post by midnight New
York time. I then sat down on a rock
away from the cliffs, where I proceeded to write this entry, which I will now
close so that I can head back.
Princeville, Kaua’i, Hawaii (The
Cliffs)
I ate too much. That’s the problem with skipping lunch. You overcompensate at dinner. Not only don’t you save any calories, but you
are also miserable twice. Once during
the day because you’re hungry, then again at night from overeating. I am aware of this. I did not skip lunch as a way of
dieting. In fact, I got on the ITO-HNL
flight with the full intention of getting some Chicken Fries from Burger King
before my HNL-LIH flight, but my reader will recall that I didn’t have anywhere
near enough time for that. Fiber bars
and water can tide you over, but not for long.
I also only had one cup of coffee this morning. And I should have rented a car.
All in all, my time has in Kaua’i so far has
been entirely miserable, but it was a success, and that’s what mattered. The fact that I posted my photo at one of the
worst times to post a photo doesn’t matter.
The fact that I didn’t enjoy checking Papahanaumokuakea off the list
doesn’t matter. What matters? The mission.
When I remember this trip, I will not remember that I didn’t have
Chicken Fries or a rental car. I will
remember the mission. I will remember
all the highlights. But I really wish I
had those Chicken Fries.
I will fly out
of HNL four more times this trip, twice of them around lunchtime. I will have those Chicken Fries before I get
home. I will also have a slice of
Hawaiian pizza and a poke bowl, things I would never consider eating back
home. I actually didn’t eat too much,
really, but, rather, I ate too much too fast.
All I had was an entree and a few onion rings on the side. Two months ago, I would have considered that
a light meal. I just ate it so quickly
that I had an adverse reaction.
It doesn’t
matter. What matters is that I have now
claimed 22 of the 23 WHS in the US, and I will be seeing the Plaque in 12 hours
and flying to American Samoa shortly after that. What matters is that in about 115 hours, I
will be saying, “Mission Accomplished.”
After I closed at the Queen’s Bath, I made my way back to my hotel, it
being exactly one minute after midnight in New York when I was off the trail
and had a signal again. I lamented the
terrible and lowly-visible time of the post.
I walked back to the hotel and relaxed for a bit before ordering an Uber
to take me to dinner.
I had opted for a place
called Tahiti Nui, and the driver took me there, but, as soon as I got there, I
realized it was for too loud and crowded for me to have an enjoyable
dinner. Instead I went across the street
to another place called Kalypso. That
looked (and sounded) perfect. I was
starving and needed food and quickly. I
wavered quite a bit on the menu, being particular tempted by the coconut shrimp
but turned off when I learned that the shrimp wasn’t local.
Eventually, I opted for chicken skewer
appetizers and a main consisting of taro patty topped fresh ahi tuna and
vegetables. Almost as soon as I made
that decision, I unmade it and called the waiter over, asking him to cancel the
chicken skewers and just bring some onion rings with the main instead. It wasn’t even a matter of the calories, so
much, but more as an issue of it being late and not wanting to have a
two-course meal. I was glad I made that
decision. I ate almost everything on the
plate for my main and half of the onion rings.
That was all I could managed, even though I loved every bite of
everything in front of me. I was so
hungry that I scarfed down the whole plate of food in under eight minutes. That was what did me in, I think. I really wished I had had those Chicken
Fries. I hope my reader catches the
irony that I am eating fresh local food everywhere I go, and I am lamenting not
getting to have something I can get at any Burger King in the country.
I then called an Uber, and it turned out to
be my driver from earlier. He took me
back to the hotel, and I went out to the balcony, where I lit up an Ardor and
proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close so that I can publish and
post and get to bed, as I need to be up early for my flight back to HNL.
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