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Maui, Hawaii

March 3rd – 7th, 2017

Today we flew from the Big Island to Maui which was a short flight. We rented a car and drove to the Westin Hotel where we were meeting up with our friend Nano Lopez. There is nothing negative that I can say about Hawaii it’s one of my favorite places to visit. We try and go to Oahu at least once a year. I believe if it weren’t so far away from Florida we would go more often. We love driving around there and eating at the many food trucks.

The rest of the time we were in Maui we just drove around and found these hidden pockets where we would walk into bamboo trees and hike to many hidden waterfalls. That is one thing that Hawaii isn’t short of magnificent sunsets/sunrises and waterfalls.

One of the evening’s our friend Nano who is an artist was having a show at one of the galleries downtown which was great we got to meet a lot of people who love his work as much as we do.

One thing to bring with you are watershoes they are more comfortable to hike and walk on wet rocks. Unfortunately, this was our last stop on this trip.

Big Island, Hawaii

February 28, 2017
Today we flew from Oahu to the Big Island a.k.a Hawaii Island which is a short flight. We rented a car as soon as we got there and started our long drive to the King’s Land Hilton Hotel.

We got settled in and decided to take a ride to a local supermarket to get some provisions since our villa had a full kitchen and dining room we decided to make dinner a few of the nights were there.

March 01, 2017
Today we had a helicopter ride scheduled to see the lava flow which we were lucky to see because they aren’t sure how long it’s going to flow. The helicopter ride was terrific the lush greenery, the beautiful waterfalls and seeing the lava flow was just fabulous. Once again we made a delicious dinner in our suite.

March 02, 2017
Today we just decided to drive around the island and do a little bit of hiking and a lot of sightseeing. One of the most amazing things that we ate was a Portuguese donut called Malasada. It was so good that I am still thinking about it today, and I will revisit the Big Island purposely to get it again. We had dinner at this local place at the Lava Lava Beach Club since we had to pack and get ready for our flight to Maui in the morning we didn’t want to hassle with making dinner again.

Location to buy the BEST DONUT EVER!!!!!

Ko ‘Olina/Oahu, Hawaii

September 14th – 21st, 2013
September 7th – 14th, 2014 September 23rd – October 1st, 2016 February 23rd – February 28th, 2017

John and I have been to Oahu/Honolulu, Hawaii so far four times. We always stay at our Disney timeshare called Disney Aulani which is located in Ko Olina. The first time we were in Hawaii we visited Pearl Harbor, it was a very somber sight to see. The oil is still coming out of the USS Arizona ship. We also took a helicopter ride to get a bird’s eye view of fabulous Hawaii.

One of the evenings we took a sunset cruise which was nice they had food and drinks on board. I also got a chance to see my first green flash which was terrific.

One thing we love is food so we love to get recommendations from the show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and we try a different place everytime we are there. Another thing we like to do is try the food at all the different food trucks. There are so many various options and so far all of them have been good. Since I started the blog years after visiting Hawaii, I never wrote down which food trucks we visited I will take better notes. So far the one we love and visit each time we are there is Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck, and we get one serving of Spicy Shrimp and one with Garlic and Butter. You can’t go wrong with either cause both are delicious!

One great thing is that each time we have gone to Hawaii our good friends Nano & Mariya have met us there and we go hiking together, and we also took a dinner cruise that came complete with dancers. It was a great time! We have made long-lasting memories in Hawaii.

If you would like to see more about Hawaii. Big Island & Maui.

If you are planning a trip to Oahu and would like a list of the 100 Best Things To Do In Hawaii please click on the link

Outside Passage, Alaska

August 01, 2015

Today we cruised the outside passage. I only have pictures of us on the ship.

Maria & John – with our friend who is also the F&B Director Adam Martindale

Isaac, Michael, Nano, Maria, John & Adam

Sitka, Alaska

July 31, 2015

We just walked around town and saw the fish hatcheries and there was a really cool aquarium where we were able to touch all the sea life.

Skagway, Alaska

July 30, 2015

Today we took a helicopter to another Glacier which was once again amazing. We flew over Chilkat Glacier with cascading waterfalls around the Ferebee Glacier and the river of ice known as Meade Glacier.

We took a brief 20-minute walk on the Glacier and got a short lesson about glaciers. It was the first time I ever walked on a Glacier and John’s second time. He said it was just as exciting as the first time.

When we arrived back on land we had plenty of time before we had to board the ship, so we decided to take a walk through the town and get a bite to eat. There is one thing you have while in Alaska you guessed it King Crab Legs. Every chance we had we ate them.

A bigger family cruise ship I think it’s Celebrity

Hubbard Glacier, Alaska

July 29, 2015

Today we got an up-close look the Hubbard Glacier what an amazing sight. The sounds that it makes when the pieces break off sound like thunder.

Juneau, Alaska

July 28, 2015

Today we were supposed to take a ride on a helicopter but due to the bad weather, they canceled our flight. We decided to just walk around town and grab a bite to eat at one of the local restaurants.

Wrangell, Alaska

July 27, 2015

Our tour today was another Bear adventure hopefully today we get the chance to see some.

We disembarked the ship at the pier and met up with a covered, heated boat and took a twenty-five-mile ride to Anan, traveling via Eastern Passage.

Upon arrival at the Anan, we were greeted at the trailhead by U.S. Forest Service personnel, who gave us a brief orientation of what we were going to do and see. Beginning this month pink salmon arrives at Anan Creek to spawn which attracts brown and black bears, bald eagles and harbor seals.

The walk to the observatory was 20 minutes long and about a 1/2 mile in length, we had one guy in the front with a shotgun and one guy in the back with a rifle. When we got to the observatory, we had 90 minutes of bear watching. We even saw a bear catch a salmon and eat it in the creek. The current was so strong in the creek, it didn’t even faze the bears which was wild to see how powerful they are.

Ketchikan, Alaska

July 26, 2015

Today we flew on a floatplane first time I’ve ever been on one which was cool. The flight was twenty-five minutes of breathtaking views of homesteads, mountains with dense forest, pristine lakes and a great view of inside passage shaped by massive glaciers.

When we landed, we were met by this Alaskan Naturalist who lives in the forest. After a short drive to the trail w got out of the jeep and began our half mile hike to a viewing platform that overlooks a stream brimming with salmon. Although they don’t guarantee we see Bears, this is a good place to try and see them since they know that’s where they can get salmon. We ended up only seeing a small black bear sitting in our path, but once he saw us, he ran into the forest.

Maria & John – with our friends Isaac and Michael

Alphabetic Links of Where We’ve Been