Whats Next – Day 149

What’s Next?

Day 149 – August 27, 2003 – Wednesday

Fighting Injustice & More….
 

The trip Round America ended on August 26, 2003 at 7 pm. But we couldn’t “close the book” on the trip quite yet. We had to write the book, and we had to travel to Kingsland, Georgia to fight injustice….

Whats Next

Boz and I will be hard at work for months as we update the website. We have to write information for the days when we only posted brief reports. We still have thousands of photos to review and add…if we feel they are worthy. We have to transcribe our audio tapes, supplement the web site with that information, and organize the material into a first draft / outline for our book. We have awards to announce, news releases to issue, and much more.

 

We are already planning additional trips. In mid-September, we will be going to Kingsland, Georgia to fight our traffic ticket, and we will include a visit to see my Dad in Orlando for his 85th birthday. We will be attending the wedding of the son of a close friend in San Antonio in October, so we plan to see some sights we missed in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas as we drive to and from the wedding. We will also go from the wedding down to one of my favorite spots from the trip, Big Bend, so Bozzie Jane can see what I enjoyed so much. And, we will be going over to Savannah and up the coast to Washington, DC and back so Boz and I can spend more time seeing those sights.

 

We’ll take the camera, recorder, and other essentials on each of these trips…and on the next Round America trip (when we go around backwards). The plan is to update the web site from now on as we make additional trips and see more sights. We’ll just add the information for the states we visit, so the Round America site will continue to have more and more information about the places to go, the sights to see, the people to meet, and the pie to eat.

 

And yes, I will remove the cap and beads from the trophy case as they will now be an integral part of every trip we take.

 

We finally closed the book on the trip Round America on May 17, 2006!

 

The Kingsland, Georgia Convention & Visitors Bureau advertising says: “Kingsland Georgia is located on I-95 at the Georgia / Florida state line. The Kingsland area is a community of pristine coastal beauty where the meandering rivers wind through dense marshlands… where challenging golf quietly exists among tidal creeks and marsh grass… where river shores and lakes are brimming with wildlife.” What they didn’t say is that the Kingsland police love to write traffic tickets, and in our experience, the courts love to side with the police seemingly with little regard to the facts.

 

Round America “visited” Kingsland on April 3, 2003, Day 3 of the First Trip Round America. According to Mr. Rand and Mr. McNally, the distance from Savannah to Saint Augustine is only 180 miles. It took us 12 hours to get there, so we averaged just 15 miles an hour (though we ended up driving over 350 miles, so we actually averaged about 30 mph). I recalled passing just one vehicle all day. I hadn’t had a ticket in 9 years, and I had decided to drive at or under the speed limit throughout this trip. After all, we were driving on two-lane roads to see the sights — not racing to get somewhere. So it was the lowlight of the day when Officer Vincent Passarelli of Kingsland, Georgia claimed I was driving 55 in a 35…in a construction zone. I was just driving along at the same speed as a bunch of other folks. Officer Passarelli admitted he was coming from the opposite direction, so he decided to stop the white convertible instead of any of a variety of pickup trucks and SUV’s. I joked with him that we had driven only 500 miles of 25,000, and at this rate, I would lose my license before we hit Alabama. He didn’t laugh. I tried to get him to let me take his picture, but he refused. We did manage to get a shot of a sign nearby that said “Speed Checked by Radar.” On our Trip Scorecard, I budgeted 0 (zero) traffic tickets, so we were way over budget, and it was only day 3.

 

Officer Vincent Passarelli claimed on the ticket that he timed me on radar. I felt that was impossible, since it was rush hour on a weekday on a multi-lane road, and he was traveling in the opposite direction, flipped on his flashing lights, and then hooked a U-turn to pull up behind me in the curbside lane. His radar would have covered many vehicles, especially those passing us in the lane to our left. The ticket also indicated that we were stopped in a location where we were not stopped! I decided to fight the ticket.

 

I notified the court, and the hearing was set for September 23, 2003. I purchased an online book about fighting traffic tickets, and I became well-versed in radar. Barbara and I drove to Kingsland on the 22nd so we would have time to photograph the area and draw a map. I was well-prepared.

 

We went to the court (behind the police station) early. We sat through many “trials” where it sounded to us like everyone was being sentenced to jail time. Barbara got very sick at the thought that I was going to be sentenced to jail because I fought the traffic ticket.

 

My case was finally called, and my evidence was overwhelming. My case was even better because Officer Vincent Passarelli gave testimony that was in absolute conflict with what was on the ticket. I believe I proved that he could not have had my car on radar; that my car was nowhere near a construction zone; and that Officer Vincent Passarelli entered erroneous information on the ticket and could not explain why. I rested my case, and I anxiously awaited word that I had won.

 

Much to my horror, I was found guilty and sentenced to 7 days in jail. I have never been arrested, accused of a crime, or been in jail as an inmate. A deputy then took me by the arm to a room where I was allowed to pay $350 in lieu of serving the jail time. I pulled $350 cash out of my pocket really fast!

 

This was a scary experience. In my opinion, Kingsland has what we have heard referred to as a “kangaroo court.” The police are always right, and the accused is always wrong, and it doesn’t matter what evidence you have. I was very, very unhappy with what took place.

 

There was no doubt in my mind that I would appeal the case to the next higher court, and I did. I filed my appeal on a timely basis, and I waited and waited. I never received anything — no written communication, no calls, nothing. I called repeatedly trying to find out who I could call to get things moving along. No one ever responded.

 

I finally emailed the mayor and every member of the Kingsland city council. The Chief of Police called, and he promised to resolve things. Nothing happened. I emailed the Kingsland mayor and city council again. I finally received a call from someone at the police department, and he promised a refund of my $350. I received a check for $350 from the City of Kingsland on May 17, 2006 — over three years after I was stopped and 31 months after I filed my appeal.

 

Something that was very upsetting to us and a real negative during the first part of our trip ended positively. As with so many other things on the trip, we have laughed again and again about the experience. We’d like to think that perhaps the City of Kingsland decided that life should be kinder and gentler in their small town, too.

 

Fighting Injustice and More – Day 149

Fighting Injustice and More

Day 149 – August 27, 2003 – Wednesday

The trip Round America ended on August 26, 2003 at 7 pm. But we couldn’t “close the book” on the trip quite yet. We had to write the book, and we had to travel to Kingsland, Georgia to fight injustice….

 

Boz and I will be hard at work for months as we update the website. We have to write information for the days when we only posted brief reports. We still have thousands of photos to review and add…if we feel they are worthy. We have to transcribe our audio tapes, supplement the website with that information, and organize the material into a first draft / outline for our book. We have awards to announce, news releases to issue, and much more.

 

We are already planning additional trips. In mid-September, we will be going to Kingsland, Georgia to fight our traffic ticket, and we will include a visit to see my Dad in Orlando for his 85th birthday. We will be attending the wedding of the son of a close friend in San Antonio in October, so we plan to see some sights we missed in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas as we drive to and from the wedding. We will also go from the wedding down to one of my favorite spots from the trip, Big Bend, so Bozzie Jane can see what I enjoyed so much. And, we will be going over to Savannah and up the coast to Washington, DC and back so Boz and I can spend more time seeing those sights.

 

We’ll take the camera, recorder, and other essentials on each of these trips…and on the next Round America trip (when we go around backwards). The plan is to update the website from now on as we make additional trips and see more sights. We’ll just add the information for the states we visit, so the Round America site will continue to have more and more information about the places to go, the sights to see, the people to meet, and the pie to eat.

 

And yes, I will remove the cap and beads from the trophy case as they will now be an integral part of every trip we take.

 

We finally closed the book on the trip Round America on May 17, 2006!

 

The Kingsland, Georgia Convention & Visitors Bureau advertising says: “Kingsland Georgia is located on I-95 at the Georgia / Florida state line. The Kingsland area is a community of pristine coastal beauty where the meandering rivers wind through dense marshlands… where challenging golf quietly exists among tidal creeks and marsh grass… where river shores and lakes are brimming with wildlife.” What they didn’t say is that the Kingsland police love to write traffic tickets, and in our experience, the courts love to side with the police seemingly with little regard to the facts.

 

Round America “visited” Kingsland on April 3, 2003, Day 3 of the First Trip Round America. According to Mr. Rand and Mr. McNally, the distance from Savannah to Saint Augustine is only 180 miles. It took us 12 hours to get there, so we averaged just 15 miles an hour (though we ended up driving over 350 miles, so we actually averaged about 30 mph). I recalled passing just one vehicle all day. I hadn’t had a ticket in 9 years, and I had decided to drive at or under the speed limit throughout this trip. After all, we were driving on two-lane roads to see the sights — not racing to get somewhere. So it was the lowlight of the day when Officer Vincent Passarelli of Kingsland, Georgia claimed I was driving 55 in a 35…in a construction zone. I was just driving along at the same speed as a bunch of other folks. Officer Passarelli admitted he was coming from the opposite direction, so he decided to stop the white convertible instead of any of a variety of pickup trucks and SUV’s. I joked with him that we had driven only 500 miles of 25,000, and at this rate, I would lose my license before we hit Alabama. He didn’t laugh. I tried to get him to let me take his picture, but he refused. We did manage to get a shot of a sign nearby that said “Speed Checked by Radar.” On our Trip Scorecard, I budgeted 0 (zero) traffic tickets, so we were way over budget, and it was only day 3.

 

Officer Vincent Passarelli claimed on the ticket that he timed me on radar. I felt that was impossible, since it was rush hour on a weekday on a multi-lane road, and he was traveling in the opposite direction, flipped on his flashing lights, and then hooked a U-turn to pull up behind me in the curbside lane. His radar would have covered many vehicles, especially those passing us in the lane to our left. The ticket also indicated that we were stopped in a location where we were not stopped! I decided to fight the ticket.

 

I notified the court, and the hearing was set for September 23, 2003. I purchased an online book about fighting traffic tickets, and I became well-versed in radar. Barbara and I drove to Kingsland on the 22nd so we would have time to photograph the area and draw a map. I was well-prepared.

 

We went to the court (behind the police station) early. We sat through many “trials” where it sounded to us like everyone was being sentenced to jail time. Barbara got very sick at the thought that I was going to be sentenced to jail because I fought the traffic ticket.

 

My case was finally called, and my evidence was overwhelming. My case was even better because Officer Vincent Passarelli gave testimony that was in absolute conflict with what was on the ticket. I believe I proved that he could not have had my car on radar; that my car was nowhere near a construction zone; and that Officer Vincent Passarelli entered erroneous information on the ticket and could not explain why. I rested my case, and I anxiously awaited word that I had won.

 

Much to my horror, I was found guilty and sentenced to 7 days in jail. I have never been arrested, accused of a crime, or been in jail as an inmate. A deputy then took me by the arm to a room where I was allowed to pay $350 in lieu of serving the jail time. I pulled $350 cash out of my pocket really fast!

 

This was a scary experience. In my opinion, Kingsland has what we have heard referred to as a “kangaroo court.” The police are always right, and the accused is always wrong, and it doesn’t matter what evidence you have. I was very, very unhappy with what took place.

 

There was no doubt in my mind that I would appeal the case to the next higher court, and I did. I filed my appeal on a timely basis, and I waited and waited. I never received anything — no written communication, no calls, nothing. I called repeatedly trying to find out who I could call to get things moving along. No one ever responded.

 

I finally emailed the mayor and every member of the Kingsland city council. The Chief of Police called, and he promised to resolve things. Nothing happened. I emailed the Kingsland mayor and city council again. I finally received a call from someone at the police department, and he promised a refund of my $350. I received a check for $350 from the City of Kingsland on May 17, 2006 — over three years after I was stopped and 31 months after I filed my appeal.

 

Something that was very upsetting to us and a real negative during the first part of our trip ended positively. As with so many other things on the trip, we have laughed again and again about the experience. We’d like to think that perhaps the City of Kingsland decided that life should be kinder and gentler in their small town, too.

 

50 States 2500 Towns 29000 Miles Tons of Fun – Day 148

50 States  2500 Towns  29000 Miles  Tons of Fun

Day 148 – August 26, 2003 – Tuesday

The trip Round America ended this evening at 7 pm when Bozzie Jane and I arrived back at home in Atlanta. Boz picked me up at Hartsfield International Airport.

The flight from Honolulu to Houston was uneventful. I did manage to sleep through most of it. The flight left just before midnight on the 25th (Honolulu time). That’s 6 am Atlanta time. The flight to Atlanta from Houston was equally uneventful. I did, however, continue to be amazed by the complete void of personality demonstrated by every Continental flight attendant that I saw.

We held a press conference in the driveway of our home at 7 pm to announce the end of the trip Round America. Bozzie Jane and Kitty B Kitty were on hand to cover it.

The trip was a big success and a lot of fun. It was also very tiring. It was good to be back home with Bozzie Jane and Kitty B Kitty.

When we originally began thinking about this trip, it was to be just a leisurely vacation to small towns. When I expanded the trip to cover all 50 states, it became much more complicated. When I committed myself to writing every night and processing hundreds of photos every night to entertain our virtual passengers who traveled with us by Internet, it became a serious challenge. Barbara joked on Day 3 that the trip would be a combination of Survivor and Fear Factor. We managed to stay out of harm’s way, but it wasn’t easy to be “on the road” for 148 days. As we talked this evening, I told Boz that I was proud. We accomplished what we set out to do, and it was far better than we ever dreamed it would be. We had something to do with that, though the people we were fortunate enough to bump into along the way were the biggest factors that made the trip truly special.

We did a very good job of following our Rules of the Road. We primarily drove on two-lane roads, so we were able to see the “real world.” We ate where the locals ate, and we consumed a lot of pie — 181 pieces in all. The food was very good; we had only a few disappointing meals. We saw many sights that others miss. We most definitely enjoyed the unexpected. In fact, following tips from people we met along the way or checking out something that we just happened to see or learn about were among the most enjoyable experiences. We tried a lot of new things! We traveled smart, and we preserved the experience — detailed notes on tape, hundreds of pounds of brochures and maps, and 14,341 photos.

When we met artist Judy Van Heist at the Grand Canyon, she asked what our book would be about. I told her that we didn’t know yet; we figured the trip would tell us what to write about. I asked her what she thought we should write about, and she asked “What surprised you?” Many things.

While I had previously been to 48 of the 50 states, we were surprised that there were so many interesting places and sights that we had never seen. The diversity of geography, people, and things in America is truly amazing. Despite all the research we did before the trip, this was still a pleasant surprise to us. It has motivated us to want to encourage others to take advantage of every opportunity to see America.

One of the big questions we had before the trip was answered early and often: There is a kindler and gentler America, and it is alive and well in small towns. We envied people who loved their small towns. If it were not for our family in Atlanta, we would love to live where we could enjoy the kinder and gentler life.

We were surprised to see that America is cleaner than we thought it would be. We were surprised to find so many people with a sense of humor.

We were pleasantly surprised that when we asked questions and listened to people we met, we were usually rewarded with great pie or sights and experiences that we would have missed.

We were surprised to learn some things about ourselves. We enjoyed the odd stuff more than we did the famous stuff. I enjoyed seeing the World’s Largest Ball of Twine more than I enjoyed seeing the Grand Canyon. And while we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Grand Canyon, I was surprised to find that Big Bend National Park impressed me even more. The trip caused both Barbara and me to realize that we choose to be preservationists; we want to do anything that we can to support the preservation of great old buildings and cultural landmarks.

We were surprised how our trip was so much more interesting and enjoyable because we spoke with people who we never took the time to speak with in the past. We were absolutely amazed by the impact of a string of Mardi Gras beads. The people really made the trip for us.

We were surprised to find that we learned so much, and we learned and re-learned many valuable lessons. We have made a conscious effort to apply these lessons in our everyday life.

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this web site. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest and the full itinerary is shown.

Aloha – Day 147

Aloha

Day 147 – August 25, 2003 – Monday

Today was my last day in Hawaii. I wish it had been overcast. Instead, I opened the window this morning to see the prettiest day yet!

I met Al and his wife in the elevator. Wendy, Steve, and Nadine checked me out. I met Helen at the valet parking stand. I was almost out of beads.  Aloha.

Last night, 11-year-old Haley told me about a place her Mom loves — Leonard’s Bakery. They serve a Malsadas — a Portuguese Donut. I tracked Leonard’s down, got directions, and went there for breakfast. There were cars coming and going and a lot of folks waiting in line. I met Star, Cindy, and Joyce as they were waiting for their Malsadas. Star was from Honolulu, and she enjoys Malsadas often. Cindy and Joyce were tourists, and they heard about Leonard’s from a tour guide.

The donuts are yeast-raised donuts (as are almost all “glazed donuts” that most of us know so well). But, the Malsadas are made from a Portuguese recipe and mix, and they don’t have a hole. They’re fatter than the normal donut. The most popular are either covered with a sugar or a cinnamon sugar. They serve them hot right out of the fryer. They were absolutely fabulous! Very soft, great flavor, hot, and they melt in your mouth. They remind me more of a beignet than a donut because of the shape. Since I started a donut franchise two years ago, I know donuts. These are without any question the best donuts that we’ve had on the trip, so I named them Best Donuts in America. Thanks, Haley, and thank your Mom for me, too!

We ended the trip with 181 pies! Three Hawaiian pies made the Top Pies List, and we are naming the Malsadas the Best Donuts in America!  Aloha.

From Leonard’s, I went to Pearl Harbor. It was a moving experience. I looked all through the Visitor Center and Museum, saw the movie, took the boat ride out to the USS Arizona Memorial, saw the USS Bowfin submarine, and saw the Battleship Missouri. I met Edie and Jason from Houston at Peal Harbor; I then saw them again tonight at the airport as we were on the same flight to Houston. I also met Liz, Doug, Amelia, and Maddy at Pearl Harbor. Doug breeds dogs and shows them at the Westminster Dog Show. I forgot to ask him what he thought of the movie, “Best in Show.” We did both comment that Pearl Harbor and Ground Zero were quite similar. Very sad places to visit. And in both cases, the US was caught with its pants down.

After Pearl Harbor, I drove all along the southern coast of Oahu out to the westernmost point — Kaena Point. The southwestern part of Oahu is the least pretty, but it is still beautiful. As I drove back toward Honolulu, I went to Ko Olina and saw Paradise Cove — a beautiful resort in what I suspect was once a less-than-beautiful part of Oahu.

I ended my sightseeing in downtown Honolulu at the Aloha Tower Marketplace. I saw the Hawaii Maritime Center and the beautiful Aloha Tower. I had a Mango Hawaiian Shave Ice at “Bite My Dogs,” but it was nothing like the fabulous Mango Snow Cone I had at Freddy’s Fast Lube & Snow Cone Stand in Escobares, Texas.

The sunset came and went too fast. I was still driving in Honolulu without a good view. I visited the State Capitol, but the sun had set, and there was no light, so my photo shows little more than the red light on the street corner.

At the Honolulu International Airport, I met three really nice ladies with Continental Arlines. As I’ve written before, I have found Continental folks to be unfriendly and downright rude in my many years of flying 50,000 to 100,000 miles a year. But Mary Helen, Galynn, and Nalani were delightful. Nalani asked about the beads, and the rest was a long story.

The last meal for the Round America tour was served a little after midnight on Continental Airlines en route to Houston. The flight left at 11:30 pm Hawaii time, and it’s a 7-hour flight — due to land in Houston about noon on the 26th.

Aloha.

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this website. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest, and the full itinerary is shown.

 

More Information on the Sights Visited Today:
Honolulu Hawaii — Leonard’s Bakery — Pearl Harbor — Kaena Point — Aloha Tower Marketplace
 

Don Ho Show – Day 146

The Don Ho Show

Day 146 – August 24, 2003 – Sunday

A leisurely Sunday in Hawaii.

Room service breakfast always seems to taste mighty good. Just the traditional stuff — eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast. No pie this morning.

I took a few minutes to submit news about our trip to the Food Network and the Travel Channel. You never know, maybe they’d like to do a story about the Best Pie in America.

One of my new Hawaiian friends, Ted Nakamura of Ted’s Bakery, called this morning. He made a special dessert just for me — one of their seasonal big sellers that they didn’t have the day I visited the bakery in Sunset Beach. He drove all across the island from the North Shore to bring it to me. Now how nice is this! He brought not one, but TWO big cakes. The Pineapple Cheesecake is a layer of cake, topped by a layer of cheesecake, topped by pineapple. The Chantilly Cake is a cake that Ted does for a lot of weddings. I had a slice of each before the Don Ho show and again after. I gave the rest to the staff of the hotel, and they were very appreciative.

I was planning to go see Pearl Harbor before the Don Ho Experience tonight, but my left foot was really hurting. Pearl Harbor has been postponed until tomorrow. I spent the day reading on the balcony of the hotel and down next to Waikiki Beach. I just kept to myself — didn’t even try to meet anyone or take any photos (as it’s been overcast all day, and I’ve previously gotten a number of great Waikiki photos in good sunlight). Just chilled.

The sun came out as I walked down the street to the Don Ho Show.

I met some really nice folks at the show. The folks I was standing next to in line, Sherry and Tony, just happened to be from a few miles away in the Atlanta area. Small world. Tony is the Treasurer of an intimate apparel company. He says they don’t cover all parts — just the best parts. Then I looked up and saw a man wearing a Texas Tech cap. I met Pat and Phyllis. Pat graduated from Tech five years after I did. He doesn’t like Bobby Knight (Texas Tech basketball coach) — first Tech alum I’ve met who has said that.

At my table, I met Paul and Bev from Portland, Oregon and their granddaughter, Haley from Clackamas, Oregon. Bev brought the lyrics to a song that Don Ho sings that was written by her stepfather, and she had a chance to speak with Don about the song. 11-year-old Haley is a star pitcher on a fast-pitch softball team. We’ll be looking for her in the Olympics someday! She learned to surf today. Kathleen and Scott from San Diego were celebrating their second anniversary on Oahu. They went to Las Vegas for their first anniversary and were really ill the entire time they were there, but all has been great on this vacation. Jim and Charlotte were also at our table — at the far end, so I didn’t get as much time to speak to them. They’re from Montgomery, Alabama, and they support the Ten Commandments statue! Jim played football at Mississippi State in the late 1940’s. I also met Pam and KC at the next table over. KC is a middle school teacher. We talked about the importance of education and the problems with inadequate funding for schools and the need for higher pay for teachers!

We were given the opportunity to meet Don Ho before the show. He seemed like a very nice man. I gave him my card and some pink beads, and I thought it was really nice of him to wear the beads during the show. Don started and ended the show with “Tiny Bubbles.” He said he did that because most of his fans are so old that they often forget he did the song if he only sings it once. The show was entertaining. Don did more talking than singing, and he had a funny routine. He joked a lot about how old he is and about his fondness for the ladies. Two teenagers were extremely entertaining. A lovely 19-year-old named Peilani danced beautiful hulas, and a 14-year-old named Harmony played a ukelele like it was a flamenco guitar.

Don Ho had been entertaining for something like 50 years, though taking a page from Jack Benny’s book, he said “39.” He was the King of Entertainers in Hawaii, and I was very glad I was able to see his show. See www.donho.com.

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this web site. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest and the full itinerary is shown.

 

More Information on the Sights Visited Today:
Honolulu Hawaii — Waikiki — The Don Ho Show
 

Betty Shimabukuro is Hawaiis Pie Expert – Day 145

Betty Shimabukuro is Hawaii’s Pie Expert

Day 145 – August 23 – Saturday

Betty Shimabukuro is the Food Editor for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper. We became acquainted when I emailed the Star-Bulletin asking for recommendations on the best pie in Hawaii. Betty suggested Ted’s Bakery in Sunset Beach (where I had a wonderful time yesterday), and she invited me to join her for pie this morning at Yum Yum Tree Restaurant in Honolulu. (Here is a link to Betty’s story about Ted’s Bakery — http://starbulletin.com/1999/04/07/features/story1.html.)

Betty and I had a good chat. She had the Yum Yum Tree’s Apple Pie, and I had the Macadamia Nut Pie made by Ted’s Bakery. The Macadamia Nut Pie was excellent.

During our breakfast pie meeting, Betty mentioned a local restaurateur who used to make a pie that she felt was really special. Then she picked up her cell phone and called Kelvin Ro. Kelvin has a new restaurant called the Diamond Head Market & Grill. He isn’t making the Banana Pie anymore, but Betty asked if he would make one just for me. I didn’t want Kelvin to feel obligated to make a special pie, so I spoke with him and told him I would come by and sample what he regularly carries.

I drove to the Diamond Head Market & Grill. It was reasonably close to my hotel. Unusual place — best described as a gourmet drive-in restaurant. I asked for Kelvin, and there he was with a bowl of bananas — making his special Banana Pie just for me. But he wasn’t expecting me until dinner time, and I was there at lunch. I told him I’d be back at 6, and I ordered a Portobello Burger, crispy fries, Plantation Iced Tea, and Diamondhead Torte for dessert. Everything was outstanding. The Portobello Burger was a huge mushroom, a big thick hamburger, and sauteed onions. The Plantation Iced Tea was homemade tea sweetened with pineapple juice. The Diamondhead Torte had a chocolate cookie crust, a layer of peanut butter, a layer of chocolate, a layer of bananas, another layer of chocolate, topped with whipped cream. An outstanding dessert — a great lunch.

I decided today needed to be a day of rest for my injured feet, so I bought a book at Border’s and spent the day on the balcony of the hotel room reading and napping. There are sights still to be seen, so I hope there’s enough time on Sunday and Monday.

Five lovely ladies in town for the American Society of Association Executives were in the elevator as I was heading out for my dinner pie. Harriet, Paulette, Cynthia, Pam, and Barbara. Paulette asked about the beads, so I told a 30-foot version of the story, and they went to their banquet wearing shiny new Round America beads. I met a number of nice people today — Lance at the hotel, Betty, Kelvin and Jan at Diamond Head Market & Grill, Taxi Driver Kevin (who says he gives great Oahu tours — 808-223-2000), and Tracy at Andy’s Arco Service Station.

I headed back to Kelvin’s place about 6:30, and he gave me a slice of the Banana Pie. A traditional pie crust on the bottom and sides, topped with fresh bananas cooked in a secret sauce, and topped with an oatmeal crunch topping. I’ve eaten Banana Cream Pies on many occasions, but never a Banana Pie. It was heavenly. I wish I had asked Kelvin if I could buy the whole pie. When you come to Honolulu, be sure to plan lunch or dinner at Diamond Head Market & Grill, and make dessert part of the experience!

As I walked along Waikiki Beach, there was a spectacular sunset. I was able to get some great photos. I planned to grab dinner somewhere, but the pie was so good that I just didn’t want to eat anything else.

A man on a street corner with a sign that said Waikiki is a “Violent Crime Area” caught my eye, so I went over to ask about it. I met John Cook. John was violently attacked in Waikiki eight years ago, and the person who kicked him into a coma (and was never punished for it) recently did the same thing to someone else. John goes out with a sign and stands on the corner to warn others. I walked back to the hotel a little faster than I would have before meeting John. I wish him the best of luck with his crusade. Before the trip, I would have seen John Cook and thought he was a nut. The lesson from this encounter is to try to avoid prejudging people.

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this website. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest, and the full itinerary is shown.

 

More Information on the Sights Visited Today:
Honolulu Hawaii — Diamond Head Market & Grill — Waikiki
 

Hawaiian Pie – Day 144

Hawaiian Pie

Day 144 – August 22, 2003 – Friday

The weatherman must have read yesterday’s Round America report as the sun was out in full force today. I drove almost all the way around Oahu today. Delightful day filled with beautiful views…and the opportunity to see small towns and the not-always-as-beautiful interior areas of the island. Coming to Oahu and seeing nothing but Waikiki and Honolulu is like going to England and seeing nothing but London. Fabulous cities to see, but you don’t get to see the country. I saw the country today, and it was an especially enjoyable day.

I had pie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner — all in one stop. Ted’s Bakery in Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oahu. Ted’s Bakery was the ONLY “best pie” place in Hawaii that showed up on the Internet research that we did. And Ted’s Bakery was recommended by EVERY person on Oahu who I asked about good pie. I was driving along the Kamehameha Highway and I slammed on the breaks when I caught a glimpse of Ted’s Bakery out of the corner of my eye. Many little communities are not marked, and there was nothing to indicate I had reached Sunset Beach, and I didn’t even have an address for Ted’s. All I remembered was “North Shore.” I met Arsenith just inside the door. Sweet young lady who told me about the best pies. She was kind enough to ask Ted to speak with me. He came in from out back, took me on a complete tour of the bakery, introduced me to his brother Glenn, and they were kind enough to tell me all about the business. It’s one of those great success stories. Ted’s Bakery has become a phenomenon. They produced over 2,000 pies today. Half of their sales are the Chocolate Haupia Pie.

Takemitsu and Eva Nakaumra, parents of Ted and Glenn, opened the Sunset Beach Store in 1956. They sold bread, soda, and candy to Sunset Beach residents, surfers, and people driving around the island. In 1965, they leased the store to another family, who expanded to include a restaurant operation that over time became a pizza parlor. Ted and Glenn Nakamura went to Leeward Community College, where Ted enrolled in the culinary program. His first job as a baker was with the Kahala Hilton. Glenn went on to the University of Hawaii and became a school teacher.

In 1985, the 20-year-lease on the store was up and Glenn wanted to quit teaching and reunite the family in running the store. Glenn took over the store in 1986. Ted left the Hilton and joined the family the following year and added his doughnuts, breads and cakes. Each of the 20 pies he made for the store sold out every day. Ted’s pies soon started popping up around Oahu, and their popularity spread.

In 1998, the Nakamuras began promoting their pies. By Thanksgiving 1998, Ted’s Bakery went from producing 20 pies per day to an average of 4,000 per week, and the all-time high was recently 14,500 pies per week. Ted’s Bakery has become known as the baker of THE BEST pies in Hawaii. Ted’s Bakery is a great success story.

After speaking with Ted and Glenn, I bought a slice of Chocolate Haupia Pie, Peach Bavarian Cream Pie, and Carrot Cake. I sat in the car in the parking lot and devoured the Chocolate Haupia Pie. I don’t like chocolate pies, but this one is different. The chocolate was more like a candy bar than it was like a chocolate pudding (as found in most chocolate pies). The chocolate was delicious, but the combination with the Haupia (coconut) was just incredible. Bozzie Jane, who loves chocolate and coconut cream, would have been in Pie Heaven. This pie definitely ranked among the top of the now over 170 pies that we had eaten on the trip.

The Carrot Cake was delicious — extremely smooth with a great cream cheese icing. The Peach Bavarian Cream was also quite good — definitely different.

Hawaii is known for huge waves and the best surfing in the world. I had heard about Waimea Bay and the Banzai Pipeline since I was a high schooler. It was a treat to see them today, but the waves are as small and docile as can be this time of year. The big stuff comes from October to April.

Most of the day was spent driving at 25 miles and hour all along the coast. I stopped to get out and enjoy the view and take photos when parking space was available.

I drove all the way to the northwestern tip of Oahu — Kaena Point. I met a wonderful family there — Todd, Yaroslavna, and their son, Quincy. Yaroslavna is from Russia, and she is due to have their second child — a daughter — on or about Thanksgiving. They were thinking about naming her Miraslavna, which I believe translates to Peace Lover.

I drove back to Waikiki through the middle of the island. Not much to see there. It didn’t take long. I was shocked when after just a few minutes, I realized I was at Pearl Harbor.

Other sights that I saw today included the Polynesian Cultural Center, Hanauma Bay, Kahuku Sugar Mill, Sea Life Park, Banzai Pipeline, Waimea Bay, and Tropical Farms.

I limped to the room after seeking medical attention for the blisters on my feet — a drug store with Band-Aids and Neosporin. It would be even better if I had been able to walk, but it was a delightful day seeing Oahu, Hawaii.

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this website. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest, and the full itinerary is shown.

 

More Information on the Sights Visited Today:
Polynesian Cultural Center — Hanauma Bay — Kahuku Sugar Mill — Sea Life Park — Ted’s Bakery — Oahu’s North Shore — Banzai Pipeline — Waimea Bay — Tropical Farms — Honolulu Hawaii
 

Hula Hula – Day 143

Hula Hula

Day 143 – August 21, 2003 – Thursday

It was a nice day in Waikiki. Not the most beautiful Hawaiian weather I’ve seen, but it is beautiful here at all times. The sun was out off and on, but there were quite a few clouds, and big clouds along the horizon stole the sunset. I was out walking from 8 am to 8 pm, and my face picked up little or no red.

I planned to walk around Waikiki a bit and then hop in the glow-in-the-dark-yellow Mustang Convertible for a drive to some other spots, but I just kept walking and walking and walking. I met some nice folks, and I stopped a few places and just sat and watched the world go by.

Waikiki is prettier than I remembered from previous trips. From some reading I had done, I get the impression that the area may have gotten a bit run-down, so the area has been greatly improved in recent years. The landscaping was beautiful, and I saw crews hard at work making it even more beautiful. There were a number of sculptures that weren’t here when we last visited, including surfboard-shaped sculptures that are signboards for the Waikiki Historical Walk.

We had stayed at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki on previous trips here, so I stopped in. It’s a beautiful hotel built over and around lovely shops. I met Carolyn at the American Express Travel Service there. She fixed me up with tickets to see Don Ho. I figure one must see Don Ho when seeing the biggest sights in Hawaii. Don Ho was Mr. Hawaiian Entertainment for about 50 years. I bought a ticket for Sunday night.

We had our first smoothie in Hawaii 20 years ago. We flipped over them. I decided to have a Mango Smoothie for breakfast just to see how it compared with the Mango Snowcone at Freddy’s Fast Lube & Snow Cone Stand in Escobares, Texas (Day 16). Sorry, Hawaii — no comparison. Freddy’s was infinitely superior.

Hula Pie was a must-have while in Waikiki. I found myself at the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel in front of Duke’s Canoe Club at 11 am, so I had an early lunch of Fish Tacos followed by a gigantic slice of Hula Pie. I’ve never had Fish Tacos before, and they were excellent. The Kimo’s Original Hula Pie was also a first, and it was really good. It was developed at Kimo’s Restaurant on Maui, one of several restaurants owned by the folks who own Duke’s. The pie has a chocolate cookie crust topped with vanilla macadamia nut ice cream, chocolate fudge, whipped cream, and roasted macadamia nuts. Pools of hot fudge are poured on the side (so they don’t melt the ice cream prematurely). It was soooo good. I was amazed with how the ice cream remained frozen — served to me outside on the patio where the temperature was in the 80’s. The serving was huge — easily enough for several to enjoy. Sheila was my server, and she was delightful. The manager, Yvonne, brought the pie and sat down to tell me about the pie and about Duke’s. It was a most enjoyable pie-time and lunch-time all around. See www.hulapie.com.

I mainly saw colors, flowers, beach, swimmers, surfers, sunbathers, outrigger canoes, sailboats, catamarans, hula dancers, hotels, shops, water, historical markers, and lots and lots of people. Colors are so vibrant here.

The waves aren’t big. I understand they are big in the “winter.”

I saw quite a few flags here — far more than in Alaska. The military presence and history undoubtedly have a big influence on the patriotism here.

At 5 pm, Diamondhead appeared to be just a short walk down the beach. Wrong. It was 7 pm before I reached the Diamondhead Park and another hour or so before I got back to the Marriott Waikiki Beach. After wearing white socks and my dirt-colored Rockport Walkers for the last four months, I decided “Topsiders” and no socks was more appropriate for Hawaii. The look was better, but I was about halfway into the Diamondhead Marathon when I realized I was getting blisters on the bottoms of both feet. Half dollar sized. Back to the dirt-colored Rockport Walkers.

Hawaii became a state in 1959. Oahu is the third largest of the six main islands. About 850,000 folks live here. There are 112 miles of coastline. Oahu is 60 miles long and 30 miles wide at the widest point.

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this web site. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest and the full itinerary is shown.

 

More Information on the Sights Visited Today:
Honolulu Hawaii — Waikiki — Duke’s Canoe Club — Diamondhead
 

Wedding Proposal at 30000 Feet – Day 142

Wedding Proposal at 30000 Feet

Day 142 – August 20, 2003 – Wednesday

The final segment of the trip began today. The flight to Hawaii left Atlanta at 12:30 pm EDT, and I arrived in Honolulu at 5:30 Hawaiian Daylight Time (6-hour time change from Atlanta). I’ll leave Hawaii on August 25, and get back to Atlanta on the 26th.

11 hours from Atlanta to Honolulu via Houston. Bozzie Jane took me to the airport. I used a bunch of points to fly First Class for free on Continental. I met several nice people at the airport. Vernon and Charles helped me with my luggage. Efrem and Pat were kind enough to scan me after my Rockport Walkers set off the metal detector (seems Rockports have steel in the soles). And I met Bart, Milan, and Shital. Bart and Milan own the Milan Grand Plaza Restaurant in Buckhead in Atlanta, and I told them Boz and I will come eat dinner with them when I return from Hawaii.

I sat next to a nice pharmacist from San Antonio on my first flight — Joe. The flights were uneventful until a couple of hours out of Honolulu when the flight attendant on the PA system asked a lady to ring her flight attendant call button. The lady across the aisle to my right rang her call button. Then three flight attendants came over and brought a small wrapped gift box to her. As the man next to her dropped to one knee, I realized I was sitting right next to a very romantic wedding proposal. After the squealing and hugging and kissing, I passed them some beads, my card, and my best wishes. Cathy and Steve. Delightful couple! Cathy’s originally from California and Steve from Chicago. They met ONLINE! They emailed extensively before they ever talked, and then they had long phone conversations before they ever met. Their first face-to-face meeting was at a Starbucks, and the rest is history. Cathy has a beautiful ring on her finger, a sparkle in her eyes, and they are very excited. It was fun to see!

The meals on the flight were quite good. The flight attendants were very efficient, but zero personality. In my opinion, American Airlines has by far the best flight attendants. Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines also have personable people who make it more enjoyable to fly.

I drove around Honolulu in a glow-in-the-dark-yellow Mustang Convertible. Figured I might as well end the trip in style and with the best tan available. The Marriott Waikiki Beach Resort is on the far end of town from the airport, so I got a nice look at Honolulu as I drove to the hotel.

I received over 200 Sobig-F virus emails. It took hours for them to download, and I was deleting them as fast as they come in. How sad it is that there are warped people in the world who have nothing better to do than to cost the rest of us money and waste our time with garbage like this.

Leilani and Sharleen at the Marriott Waikiki were so nice when I checked in. They’ve given me several leads on pie, and Leilani was kind enough to upgrade me to a much nicer room. Beads.

The Marriott Waikiki Beach is a big hotel — third largest in Hawaii. It had a $60 million renovation last year, so it is extremely nice. Waikiki Beach is just across the street. It’s warm here — 90-degrees today and 79-degrees tonight. I always forget that there is no air-conditioning in the lobbies here.

I ordered Puaa’ Pie from Room Service. It’s an ice cream pie — a combination of brownie topped with Macadamia Nut Ice Cream with whipped cream on top. Very good. I received a phone call and an email from the Food Editor with the Honolulu Star Bulletin, so it looks like I will be meeting her to eat some pie and give an interview.

Hawaii is very close to both the International Dateline and the Equator. There are six main islands. California is 2,500 miles away. Beach, rainforests, volcanoes, and thousands of different species. Nowhere in the world is there as much diversity in so small a space.

There was a big smile on my face as we landed in Honolulu. I feel quite a sense of accomplishment to have visited all 50 states in this trip that started 142 days ago.

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this website. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest, and the full itinerary is shown.

 

More Information on the Sights Visited Today:
Honolulu Hawaii
 

Home in Atlanta – Day 141

Home in Atlanta

Day 141 – August 19, 2003 – Tuesday

Home in Atlanta. The final segment of the trip — Hawaii — starts tomorrow, August 20. Back from Hawaii on August 25.

We spent the day organizing information for the book and updating the website.

Today, I began sorting and filing the 500 pounds of brochures and information that we gathered over the past five months. Tomorrow will be a travel day — 10 1/2 hours from Atlanta to Honolulu.

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this website. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest, and the full itinerary is shown.

Home in Atlanta