On to Portland!

The Drive Across America was to be another major part of the post-COS trip and the birthday celebration. As I said, I already had the route in mind, and that was because of Annals of the Former World, John McPhee’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning book. I love John McPhee! I used to think he was a geology professor who wrote well, and then I found out he was a writing professor who liked geology – but I guess I first got to know him through his geology articles in the New Yorker. These became books – Assembling California, Basin and Range, Rising from the Plains, and In Suspect Terrain were compiled for this book, and a new section added so that the entire country was covered (plus, geology had advanced since his last book to the point where there was something about the middle of the continent to discuss). It’s a geological history of the U.S., as seen while crossing I-80. When I first formulated the idea for the Drive Across America, I realized that I had a lot of friends concentrated along I-80. I had wanted to read the book (in fact, I think I have a copy in storage) but it seemed like a great idea to read it while I was crossing the country on I-80! I had a copy sent to me at Martha’s. Another nice thing about the idea of a Drive Across America is that I was unenthused at the thought of domestic air travel with my heavy bag. With a car, I could add a heavy book to the heavy bag – and visit my friends! And do something I had always wanted to do but wasn’t sure I would ever have the time to do. And I could visit my friends!


I had a couple of good friends who I wanted to see who were too far from I-80. One is my friend Terry, and I decided to fly to Portland, OR from Los Angeles, leaving the big green bag at Martha’s. It was great to see her and her family. She’s working on a new business, and I had a chance to put on my marketing/consulting hat and brainstorm some ideas. We watched silly movies and took a couple of walks in the dusting of snow. Went into Portland and explored the funky 23rd Street shopping area, had more Mexican food and savored Moonstruck chocolates. I’d like to get to know Portland better. It was too short a visit, and I felt that way all across the country. This blog is more about the places I’ve been and things I have done, but what was more important in many of the stops was the friends I saw and time I spent with them.


Back at Martha and Susan’s, I spent the next day getting down to business – reserving a car, getting distances and directions, making room reservations and inquiries, figuring out who would get what of the things I brought back, downloading pictures into my increased-memory computer. I’m glad my hostesses were so welcoming and accommodating – I needed all the time to regroup and adjust. We also went out - had our traditional manicure/pedicures and went to another favorite, Kate Mantelini.

California, Here I Come!

The flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles wasn’t that long – and my friends Martha and Susan were there to pick me up, which was very nice. Martha paid all of my bills while I was gone – I didn’t know if I would have internet access, and even though I did, she still did everything, which gave me amazing peace of mind. We went to their house and talked until late – still on Hawaii time, but at least not Asia time.

Martha took the next day off, which was very nice of her. We went out for breakfast and then went to Occidental College. I figured that since I was on the Obama tour, I’d see his first college (it has a nice color scheme!). Hm – I went to Columbia this summer and didn’t really take note of his having gone there; how things have changed in a year and a half! We went on to Walt Disney Concert Hall and took a tour there – impressive Gehry design that is the center of a new downtown. One day, I’d like to hear a concert there! We went to CPK, had Thai massages, went to a bookstore for a Rand McNally Road Atlas, and had another cuisine I had missed, Mexican food.




My plan-as-you-go had gotten me to Los Angeles, and the plan was to make more plans once I got there. I had the idea of a route in mind, but hadn’t looked into rental cars, driving distances, stops, timing…Los Angeles was the perfect place for this. Martha and Susan both work during the day, so I could use the days to plan, unpack/repack/figure out where to send the souvenirs, be a good guest by doing some food shopping and baking (chocolate bread pudding!), take some walks and acclimate myself further to being back, and rest! Rest was pretty much all I did the next day, though – not quite ready to take on the planning or the boxes. Everything takes longer than you think it will in America too, and there are always errands here too. We did go to the Apple Store, which was huge – they replaced my broken (and dirty) casing and told me where to go for more memory. I desperately needed it!

On Saturday, Martha and Susan had signed up for One-Day University, a really interesting concept. This is something that in the past I might have joined them for. But one of the things I wanted to bring with me from Morocco was a simpler life. Writing, reading, and cooking from scratch were important ways that I spent my time there. Granted, there weren’t things like One-Day University to do – but I had always wanted more time to myself and in Morocco I had nothing but time. How to bring that home? Recognize its importance. Try to lessen my commitments and obligations. Say no to things that sound nice to do but not things I really want to do. This fell in that category – not to mention that with all of the travel, I might have had a little cold coming on, and I was still a bit jet-lagged. Staying in while they went out was definitely the way to go.

I wrote the above paragraph a long time ago – I’m not sure when, but it was before I started posting again in October; I think it was fairly soon after my return from the Philippines. I’ve left it intact as a reminder of how I felt when I came back – staying in Southampton is quieter and simpler than being in a city would be, but I have been feeling stressed and busy lately! So I have some recalibration and rebalancing to do.

The Road to Hana

After getting my passport stamp, I boarded a plane for Maui – for another main thing on my “next time” list – the road to Hana. This is a fabled drive, and I just ran out of time for it last time. Maui was the first stop on that trip years ago, and it was nice to go back having experienced different islands, each with its own feel. I stopped at a sugar museum – learning more about the history of this unique place. Then it was on to hippie-town Paia, the last real town before the road to Hana begins; I had a snack and went to a bead store. I miss doing those beads! All of my beads, findings and tools are in storage.



One can buy a tape (well, ten years ago it was a tape – now I suppose it’s a CD) that gives you running commentary along the road to Hana. I decided that would be overkill, but I did read up on the attractions at the various mile markers and noted where I wanted to stop. There are some stunning viewpoints, of course, and then some places where there are short hikes. I’ll have to admit, though, that I felt some uneasiness – in my reading and in signs along the way, they said not to leave valuables in the cars; cars and trunks get broken into. I had all of my stuff with me (I would have checked the big bag at Honolulu airport, but there’s no bag check after September 11). So I still went on the short hikes, but I made them shorter than they might have been, and I didn’t feel at peace. What a shame to be in paradise and feel that way – in my own country, after solo adventurous international travel. Of course, more than once along the way I thought that if anyone wanted the big green bag and could get away with stealing that heavy albatross, more power to them.


It was just about nightfall when I arrived in Hana. There are those who take the road there and back in a day – there’s not a lot there – but I figured if I waited this long to get there, I’d stay a couple of nights. My room had beautiful Hawaiian quilts – I now have more appreciation for all textiles. I thought that the hotel I chose would have a television set, and that I might get up early and watch the inauguration, but it didn’t, so I had to settle for knowing I was in President Obama’s home state on the day that he was inaugurated. At least I will remember where I was! And foregoing the Hana CD meant I could hear some of the concert of the day before while I was driving, which was fun. It would have been great to be in Washington for it, but I know I was a lot warmer!

I went to the Hasegawa General Store – for some reason I remember that tune; after I went to it, I found a Hawaiian-songs radio station, and then I heard it! My room was more like an apartment, and it had a kitchen, so I bought food for dinner and breakfast. I hadn’t cooked in a while, and it would be a while before I could again.


In the morning, I went to Kahanu National Tropical Botanical Garden. Very interesting, including a guide to the native plants and how they were used by Hawaiians, and an ancient temple called a heiau. There, verbal offerings were encouraged – so I took it as an opportunity to be grateful for my travels and for being there. My post-COS trip might have been the happiest time of my life. I then went to a lava tube, a red sand beach, and a beach admired by James Michener.


And then it was on to Haleakala National Park. The main part of the park – the volcano crater that people bicycle down from after sunrise (I hiked in the crater when I was there; I drove it and stayed for the sunset, not liking hill biking and after being told that it’s the same sun in the morning as at night). This rainforest part of the park is accessible only from Hana. It has a separate visitor center – which meant another passport stamp. I didn’t bring my National Parks Passport with me though – it’s in storage! I didn’t think I might be at National Parks before I got home. Now I’ve been to several, and I have a bunch of little scrap-paper passport stamps to glue into the book when I finally see it again. Also at the visitor center I got a map and some hiking recommendations – took a walk to a waterfall. As with Manoa, it was pretty crowded! Hana hadn’t seemed that busy – but I guess everyone who was there went to Haleakala! And then the next morning it was time for the drive back – this time without stops – and the flight to Honolulu and then to the mainland!

An Oahu Weekend

After the Thai and Indonesian massages, I thought I would splurge on a Hawaiian lomi-lomi massage, even though it probably cost as much as all of the others put together. I think I spent more in one week in Hawaii than I did in five weeks in Southeast Asia, but it’s Hawaii. The massage was very nice, I must say!

Another thing on the list that I had missed last time was seeing a friend who I had never met! Mac is someone from the Princeton-writers list with whom I’ve developed an off-list friendship. He’s one of the people who help choose the holiday picture every year! I’m not sure how that happened – maybe because I sent him the Waikiki candidate picture ten years ago? I had met someone from the writer’s list in Indonesia as well; I haven’t looked at the posts on the list much in the past few years because those writers write so much, but I made a friend. Mac and I went to Zippy’s, a classic Hawaiian comfort food restaurant, where I had chili and a milk shake, a combo that I often used to order way, way back. How wonderful to meet him at last!

And then – since it was the first really nice, sunny day – I spent the afternoon on the beach! Nice to read and relax. I ate dinner that night at Roy’s. Sure, Roy’s has other locations now (as opposed to ten years ago), so you don’t have to go to Hawaii to eat there, but the food is good, and when in Rome…

The very top thing that I wanted to do in Hawaii that I hadn’t done last time was take a surfing lesson. I don’t know why I waited until my last day in Honolulu to do this – if I’d gone right away, I could have gone more than once. But would I have? I did have a lot of other things to do. Maybe it’s because I was a tad nervous.... I walked down the beach to my lesson and hung out for a while with the surfer dudes while I waited for my instructor. Kealii was the best surf instructor ever! We had a quick safety talk on the beach and then paddled out. He was on a nearby surfboard, telling me what to do. And with the very first wave I stood up and surfed in, and I continued to ride the waves for the balance of the lesson. Just like that! It helped that the waves were small and predictable, but I like to give credit to Kealii. Another surfer came out to take pictures of me, which he then put on a CD that I clearly had to buy. What fun! Now with the perspective of having gone three times in the Philippines, I do wish I had gone more than once in Waikiki. Of course, Joe was no slouch as an instructor either – and the price was right over there. That settles it – I must seek out more surfing opportunities!



In the afternoon, I hiked to Manoa Falls, another Obama favorite thing to do. And maybe a favorite of everyone in Hawaii that day – it was more crowded than anything I usually hike. On the other hand, had I had a problem, I would have been found quickly, and it was nice to see something other than the beach. I also went to the Foster Botanic Garden, downtown. So many beautiful flowers and trees! Then it was back to the beach, where I took an outrigger canoe ride – that was fun, but not as much fun as surfing! And I sat on the beach one last time. For dinner, I went to California Pizza Kitchen for chicken-tequila fettuccine, another usual that I had longed for. And that was my farewell to Honolulu – that is, my aloha. Until we meet again!

Oahu Exploration

After a good night’s sleep, I went to the post office. I had sent a box from Thailand to my friend Howie, but I wasn’t sure about sending a package from Indonesia, so I carried my purchases with me and from here sent off a nineteen-pound box to Howie. I also sent a box on to Martha for reorganizing/sending to others once I got to her house. And I still had heavy bags that were staying with me. I would have bought more in Southeast Asia had I not been constrained by space. Maybe just as well I was constrained! I’m trying to not have so much stuff! U.S. mail - A successful transaction. Another welcome home!



Another thing on my list from last time was the North Shore of Oahu – but I heard that the traffic was terrible, and it didn’t make sense to drive five hours each way when there were other parts of the island to explore – have to leave something for next time, after all (I just hope the next time is sooner than ten years from now!). Plenty of other things to see… unfortunately, heavy rain started, so it really wasn’t a day for exploration, but at least it wasn’t as windy as was predicted. On to the Punchbowl, an inactive volcano that holds the National Cemetery of the Pacific – quite a dramatic setting for our veterans to be buried, with the cone shape and ocean views. I stopped at Pali lookout – very green – and went on to Kailua Beach, a favorite of locals; quiet as opposed to the Waikiki backdrop of high-rise hotels. It was so wet that I got out of the car, had a look, and got back in the car. I drove around the windward side – too wet for a garden or lighthouse walk – so it might have to go back on the list for next time!



I found a web site that listed places frequented by Barack Obama, and that helped frame my exploration day. After all, I saw his house in Jakarta – why not see more Obama sites? Waikiki shops had a lot of T-shirts in anticipation of the inauguration. I went by one of the apartment buildings where he lived when he grew up and past the Baskin-Robbins where he worked as a teen. I stopped at Sandy, a favorite beach of his where he body-surfed. Then to the Blowhole – I didn’t see water blow through the hole, but I did see whales passing by, surfacing and waving their flippers. There are other Obama sites to see, but it was an Oahu exploration day, not an Obama exploration day; I did what fit in!



I drove around Diamond Head – interesting to see it from the side that’s not the postcard shot. Then I went to the Honolulu Academy of the Arts – a nice collection, and I especially enjoyed the art of Southeast Asia – that tied things together nicely! I’d have gone to Queen Emma’a summer palace, but it was closed due to the storm. When I got back to Waikiki, the rain had let up somewhat, so I went for a beach walk. Then on to California Pizza Kitchen, where I couldn’t finish the salad I had missed for so long. American portions are big!

Aloha, Further Adventures!

Now it’s time to set the Wayback Machine – I will scroll all the way back to my return to the United States in January 2009!

I thought that the Drive Across America might be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and even though it came after five weeks in Southeast Asia and a week in Hawaii it was a no-less-significant part of my journey home from Morocco and my big birthday celebration. The fact that the potential once-in-a-lifetime was more or less repeated the very next year (albeit on a train) makes it no less noteworthy. I’ll talk about the Hawaii and the Drive, and then my post-Philippines trip (more of Southeast Asia!) and then Amtrak Across America, and I am sure by then (or even interspersed) there will be still further adventures and tales to tell. Thanks for your patience and for your interest!

If you’re going to land in the United States after being abroad for a while, there might be no better place to land than Hawaii. It’s paradise, after all! The Aloha State was more than welcoming, starting with the hunky Hawaiian immigration officer. He asked where I had been on my travels before returning to the United States and I rattled it off – Morocco, Spain, Germany (the airport – ha! Thought I might forget that one! Now that I think of it, I forgot Gibraltar though), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan – and then (even though he didn’t ask) I mentioned that I had just returned from the Peace Corps. The officer listened to me rattle on, welcoming me back with a smile. It helped that most of the people on my flight were Japanese, meaning that there wasn’t a long line of people with U.S. passports waiting for me to move along already.

I rented a car – a car! Peace Corps volunteers are not allowed to drive a car in-country, and I didn’t rent one in Asia, so it had been a while. Drove to my hotel (it was like riding a bicycle…), an Outrigger in Waikiki. It wasn’t the same Outrigger I’d stayed in ten years ago, but it seemed right to be in one. Then – uncharacteristically, but in some sort of recognition that I had just been on two overnight flights and had crossed the date line (this was January 15th, the second!) and several time zones, I sat on the bed and rested for a bit. As I was resting I flipped through my passport and I realized that the officer hadn’t stamped me back in. I guess that in my eagerness to declare myself back, I hadn’t been paying enough attention!



There were things that were next on the list from my trip ten years ago. I really didn’t spend much time in Honolulu then – Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and that was about it. This time, I wanted to see the historic part of the capital city – what had been the capital of a sovereign nation before the U.S. toppled it. Turns out that January 17 was the anniversary of the day the Americans overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy. Another part of American history not to be particularly proud of…. On the other hand, it’s a part of what makes the history of Hawaii so fascinating and unique. I went to Iolani Palace, where I learned more about the royal family (very interesting) and how they were treated (not well, after the toppling). Hawaii has such an interesting blend of cultures! On to the State Capitol - kind of blocky, with a big open plaza, through which rain fell. That’s okay – I was in Hawaii! I then went on to a church made out of coral – the history of the missionaries is a big part of the history of Hawaii, and in spreading religion they also did things to preserve the culture, such as writing down the alphabet and language. That doesn’t mean I approve. As I was walking, someone came up to me – he said “Peace Corps, Morocco, Thailand…” I looked at him in confusion and then realized he was the immigration officer! I told him that he didn’t stamp my passport and he said, “that’s okay; we know you’re back.” He then offered to stamp it when I next went to the airport and gave me his number. Another person might have let it go, but I called him when I left Oahu and had him come out and back-date it! Then I wrote a nice letter to his supervisor, not going into specifics but telling him how nice my welcome back was.


I then sat on the beach for a while, and waited for a sunset that never quite materialized. When my sister suggested I go to Hawaii and I told her I was going to Bali, and she said it’s not the same. She was right! The beach in Bali was such a disappointment. Waikiki was not! I later walked along the main retail/restaurant drag of Waikiki – it kind of reminded me of the Las Vegas strip (again, that doesn’t mean I approve). Overwhelming return to American culture – stores, restaurants, crowds, everything expensive, everything clean and shiny and somewhat artificial. But a good way to ease back in, especially when in so many other parts of the U.S. it was the middle of winter!

What foods did I miss? I set out on my walk, looking for a California Pizza Kitchen. I didn’t get very far before I found a P.F. Chang’s, and that’s where I ate! Sad, maybe, but you really miss the mundane. Then – somehow sill awake – I went back to the room and reorganized my stuff, some to mail to my friend Howie for what’s turned out to be very-long-term storage and some for more immediate dispersal as gifts. Ready for the U.S. mail!

Goings on Around Here

I have talked in other blogs about paperwork and visits to government offices; well, I had to do that here recently and it’s always an adventure! My driver’s license is due to expire in January. Registering to vote in New York was fairly simple – I think I did it on-line, and I received my voter registration card in the mail – though I forgot that in order to vote in the primary in this state you have to affiliate with a party, so I missed that opportunity. Getting a new driver’s license in New York is slightly more complicated, but in part that was because I made it into a monumental event – after all, I’ve had an Illinois driver’s license for decades. In New York, you need to show your social security card. Mine is in storage, so I had to go to the SSA and get a duplicate. I have started driving around town a bit more, and even a little bit further east, but somehow driving west made me anxious; again, I might have made this into a bigger deal than it was. Riverhead seems the slightest bit depressing, too – kind of run-down. At the SSA, things were surprisingly smooth – short wait, forms in order. But they don’t just give you a new card – you have to wait a couple of weeks for it to arrive in the mail.


So I had to go back to Riverhead again a couple of weeks later, this time to the DMV. Gotta love the Big Duck you see along the way! The last time I had a New York State license was before they put pictures on them – long ago, in other words. Again, things were surprisingly smooth – I barely waited, in two different queues, before my number was called. Some surprises, though – one, it costs $62 to transfer from another state (it would be even more had it been a regular renewal). I don’t remember how much it cost in Illinois, but I think it was less! Two, you don’t get your license right away – I have to wait for it to come in the mail in a couple of weeks. Back in Illinois, several times I had gone to the mobile driver’s license renewal trailer at Taste of Chicago and gotten it on the spot! Still, it went well, which made it less traumatic. I had thought I might go to the nearby Tanger outlets and/or Target for some needs, but I couldn’t quite steel myself up for that adventure. Someone suggested that I go to Bridgehampton Commons – much more low-key – and I’ve been there a couple of times recently, in and out with needs met.


I’ve had a couple of New York adventures lately, including seeing several friends for breakfast (Alison), lunch (Doris, and Mary and Mercedes – a Peace Corps Response reunion!), drinks (Gary) and cards (Howie). During one visit, I went down to the Village to see an exhibit of Moroccan rugs curated by Alia, who had visited while I was there. Many of the rugs were from Ain Leuh, and it was great to see them again! I love those rugs – I look forward to seeing the ones I bought, someday! I also went to the Park Avenue Armory for a spectacle – Peter Greenaway’s “The Last Supper.” I have never seen anything like it. First, a beautiful travelogue of Italy that makes me glad I went and makes me want to go back, but is also a taste that will tide me over for a while. Then, a dramatic portrayal of the da Vinci painting, with lighting and music. Finally, an add-on mini-lecture about a Veronese painting in Venice. Very interesting!





I also decided to go on a couple of East End hikes – and I decided just in time, because after going on a couple of short ones, the weather got much colder. Not that I won’t still go, but it was nice to go on a couple of nature walks while there were still some leaves on the trees. It’s so beautiful around here! Indoors, I went to the Parrish Art Museum for a simulcast of Opening Night at La Scala – Die Walkure. What a treat! It was nice to see conductor Daniel Barenboim, who I was privileged to see often in Chicago. I am still humming the music, and I would do something like that again! I thought about dressing up for it but didn’t. It was nice to go out for lunch and then for coffee during the intermissions – and nice to see opera during the afternoon! I also went holiday caroling around town with a group from the library. Both the library and the hospital’s wellness center have so many programs – I’m glad I’ve taken advantage of a few of them.

A recent highlight was the Polar Bear Plunge, on nearby Coopers Beach. I decided to observe this year and think about it for the future. Apparently this was a good year to do it – sunny, warm (that is, 37 F air, 42 F water) and with flat surf. But I still wanted to watch one first! It might have been the fastest event I have ever witnessed – glad I got there early to mill and mingle a bit. A cannon went off (by the same revolutionary-era-dressed men I saw on July 4th – I guess this is another chance for them to dress up!) and hundreds of people ran towards the ocean – and in an instant, everyone was running back towards their towels and clothes! Blink and you’d have missed it! Very fun. I hear the key is keeping your feet warm beforehand, that standing on the sand is like standing on ice. I will keep that in mind….you never know; I may do it next year!



And a final note – the last Congressional race in the country, NY1, was decided, in favor of incumbent D Tim Bishop, the person I for whom I had campaigned. Hooray!