Our plane didn't leave until 4:30 PM, so we got to spend most of the day at CoCo View. We stayed in the room until 11, then sat in the clubhouse until it was time to leave at 1PM. We got to watch the first group of new arrivals come in and fill out their paperwork, and think "Hey that was us a week ago!"
The airport was having problems printing out boarding passes, so it was a HUGE bonus that CoCo View took care of that for us. And being in First Class saved us from having to wait in an enormous line.
The flights were very nice and customs and immigration at Houston was very quick. Houston is a nice airport, new and logical. Flying First Class definitely has extra benefits that you don't think of right away: separate check-in avoiding long lines, as well as being first off the plane to go through immigration. Continental also tagged our bags so they were first off the plane. Very nice!
We spent the night at the Doubletree at IAH. Very nice hotel--very friendly staff and they helped print our boarding passes when the remote printing didn't work. I would definitely stay there again. We got a free buffet breakfast in the morning too.
I don't like the Denver airport as much. It is a LLLOOOONNGGGG walk from one end of the terminal to the other. Not a place to have a short connection!
It's good to be home though!
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
We had a great time on this trip. Liked CoCo View better than Anthony's Key. Food wasn't as good, but everything else was better, especially the ease of the diving.
Best thing topside: CoCo View. We definitely hope to come back here. It would be a great place to come for a group trip. We enjoyed the island tour, but probably wouldn't do it again.
Best dive: Probably Calvin's Crack. We had the best visibility of the week on this dive, the topography was very cool, and I lost count of how many seahorses we saw (at least six).
Worst thing: The sandfleas/mosquitos/no see ums were definitely better than last time. I found a new insect repellant (Picardin) that we plan on using from now on. We had 15% but it also comes in a 20%. It worked great, smelled pretty good, and didn't leave a nasty, disgusting film all over you like DEET. Plus it doesn't melt plastic either.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Day 7 August 27, 2010 Roatan, Honduras
The seas kicked up pretty well overnight, so I nixed the boat dive and we did a shore dive instead. It was a great last dive--very long something like over 1 hour 15 minutes. We got to explore the Prince Albert wreck some more, and had a spotted eagle ray come very close, probably 5 feet away.
We found out later when we talked to the people on our boat that we did the right thing skipping the boat dive. They said the current was terrible on their dive and no one enjoyed it.
But we had a fantastic last dive. Originally we were thinking of doing 2 tanks that morning, but after that mammoth long dive we decided we'd had enough and it was Salva Vita time :)
In the afternoon, we did an island tour. We went to the eastern tip of the island, then to an iguana preserve. There were igunas everywhere! They liked to be petted too. There were several other rescue animals too. Parrots and red mccaws. Also a couple of species of monkeys, and a Honduran critter that looked kind of like a raccoon.
Then we went to the Carambola Botanical Garden. Very peaceful, relaxing place. The proprietor has two little kittens that followed us around on our tour and were totally cute.
Then we spent an hour in West End. Neat funky, single dirt road town fronted by bars and dive shops or a combination of the two. The water was totally FLAT, but there was no breeze, so it was very hot.
Our last dinner tonight was steak and lobster. I thought it was excellent, but Jim didn't care for it much. Later that night we had the farewell party on the cay with free rum punch. They had a singer, and the fire dancers performed. It was the same troupe that we saw a couple of years ago at Anthony's Key, but now they have a little girl who does a routine with a hoola hoop, no fire of course. (she's very cute)
This has been a great trip, but we're ready to head home. The boat dives were starting to blend together, there is one site we can't remember the name of for the life of us.
We found out later when we talked to the people on our boat that we did the right thing skipping the boat dive. They said the current was terrible on their dive and no one enjoyed it.
But we had a fantastic last dive. Originally we were thinking of doing 2 tanks that morning, but after that mammoth long dive we decided we'd had enough and it was Salva Vita time :)
In the afternoon, we did an island tour. We went to the eastern tip of the island, then to an iguana preserve. There were igunas everywhere! They liked to be petted too. There were several other rescue animals too. Parrots and red mccaws. Also a couple of species of monkeys, and a Honduran critter that looked kind of like a raccoon.
Then we went to the Carambola Botanical Garden. Very peaceful, relaxing place. The proprietor has two little kittens that followed us around on our tour and were totally cute.
Then we spent an hour in West End. Neat funky, single dirt road town fronted by bars and dive shops or a combination of the two. The water was totally FLAT, but there was no breeze, so it was very hot.
Our last dinner tonight was steak and lobster. I thought it was excellent, but Jim didn't care for it much. Later that night we had the farewell party on the cay with free rum punch. They had a singer, and the fire dancers performed. It was the same troupe that we saw a couple of years ago at Anthony's Key, but now they have a little girl who does a routine with a hoola hoop, no fire of course. (she's very cute)
This has been a great trip, but we're ready to head home. The boat dives were starting to blend together, there is one site we can't remember the name of for the life of us.
Day 6 August 26, 2010 Roatan, Honduras
Seas picked up a little today, but not too bad. Dove a site called Neverstain Bight. All the dives here have been wall dives where we went along the wall for the first half of the dive, then ascending to the top of the reef to go back to the boat.
The walls are dramatic, but there's a lot more fish on top.
The food here is pretty decent, but not wonderful. More home cooking buffet-style. I wish they had more fresh fish selections. But they do a good job with what they have.
We had every intention of doing a night dive tonight (since this is the last chance to do one), but we lost our motivation after the afternoon dive. I feel kind of guilty not doing one; I don't think there is anywhere else where it is as easy to do a night dive as here.
The walls are dramatic, but there's a lot more fish on top.
The food here is pretty decent, but not wonderful. More home cooking buffet-style. I wish they had more fresh fish selections. But they do a good job with what they have.
We had every intention of doing a night dive tonight (since this is the last chance to do one), but we lost our motivation after the afternoon dive. I feel kind of guilty not doing one; I don't think there is anywhere else where it is as easy to do a night dive as here.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Day 5 August 25, 2010 Roatan, Honduras
Jim's first words this morning were "oh crap, another day of sunny skies and flat seas." :))))
Today we dove Calvin's Crack, a great dive. Just what it sounds like: a giant crack under the sea. Lots of light in it though. It was quite long then we went along a wall and finished up on top of the reef. LOTS of seahorses on this dive
We did the drop off dive at Newman's Wall. They drop you off on a flat area so it's a little misleading--you're wondering "where's the wall"????? But you keep heading in the correct direction and there it is. FANTASTIC visibility today. Really nice.
After lunch we got back on the boat to do Golden Chain. AWESOME AWESOME dive. Great wall, with overhangs, and draping sea fans, sponges, etc. then areas of staghorn coral and cabbage leaf coral. Fascinating topography. Never seen anything like it. We saw 3 lionfish on this dive--the most so far. We skipped the drop off dive. My ears were getting sore after this dive.
Most of our dives have been over one hour. We're diving nitrox, it is definitely lenghthening our bottom time. I also am not feeling tired and fatigued as much after the dives. (later after dinner and a couple of drinks is another story :) )
We're sitting in the club house right now at happy hour listening to a live band. They're actually pretty good. We're thinking about getting their cd.
This has been a GREAT trip so far!
Today we dove Calvin's Crack, a great dive. Just what it sounds like: a giant crack under the sea. Lots of light in it though. It was quite long then we went along a wall and finished up on top of the reef. LOTS of seahorses on this dive
We did the drop off dive at Newman's Wall. They drop you off on a flat area so it's a little misleading--you're wondering "where's the wall"????? But you keep heading in the correct direction and there it is. FANTASTIC visibility today. Really nice.
After lunch we got back on the boat to do Golden Chain. AWESOME AWESOME dive. Great wall, with overhangs, and draping sea fans, sponges, etc. then areas of staghorn coral and cabbage leaf coral. Fascinating topography. Never seen anything like it. We saw 3 lionfish on this dive--the most so far. We skipped the drop off dive. My ears were getting sore after this dive.
Most of our dives have been over one hour. We're diving nitrox, it is definitely lenghthening our bottom time. I also am not feeling tired and fatigued as much after the dives. (later after dinner and a couple of drinks is another story :) )
We're sitting in the club house right now at happy hour listening to a live band. They're actually pretty good. We're thinking about getting their cd.
This has been a GREAT trip so far!
Day 4 August 24, 2010 Roatan, Honduras
Woke this AM to sunny skies and absolutely FLAT seas. Best of all. . . . . today we dove Mary's Place! Roatan's "signature dive" and I can't imagine better conditions than we had today. 2 crevices to swim through and a wall. Very cool dive. Great visibility. Skipped the drop off dive.
The afternoon dive was the Mr Bud wreck. A VERY deep wall (gave me the heebie jeebies!) Lots of life and stuff to look at. We did a drop off on the Coco View wall and had a little misunderstanding. Jim said to go straight back to the shore, and I was leading so I took off. We were fighting the current so I felt like I was working really hard to go nowhere. Then we stopped for a minute and he led the rest of the way. I was really tired when we got back. He said he was very surprised and how fast I started out. Oh well, there are worse problems to have :)
Dinner tonight was a bar-b-que on the little key they have. They had some student folklorico dancers who performed. Little kids to teenagers. They were good. I was impressed that they have something like that on Roatan to keep old traditions alive.
Another night to collapse in bed!
The afternoon dive was the Mr Bud wreck. A VERY deep wall (gave me the heebie jeebies!) Lots of life and stuff to look at. We did a drop off on the Coco View wall and had a little misunderstanding. Jim said to go straight back to the shore, and I was leading so I took off. We were fighting the current so I felt like I was working really hard to go nowhere. Then we stopped for a minute and he led the rest of the way. I was really tired when we got back. He said he was very surprised and how fast I started out. Oh well, there are worse problems to have :)
Dinner tonight was a bar-b-que on the little key they have. They had some student folklorico dancers who performed. Little kids to teenagers. They were good. I was impressed that they have something like that on Roatan to keep old traditions alive.
Another night to collapse in bed!
Day 3 August 23, 2010 Roatan, Honduras
I think we're going to be waking up early this whole trip, which works well. The cabana gets light as soon as dawn breaks (5AM to 5:30).
Today the seas were calmer and we took the morning boat trip to Pirate's Point. Wall dive.
We did the drop off dive at Coco View Wall.
Patty, the owner of the dive shop, gave a buoyancy clinic, which was interesting. Especially since she gave a buoyancy test to see if your overweighted. At the end of your dive (800-1000 psi ideal), expel all air out of your bcd. If you sink, you are overweighted, if you rise you are underweighted. After practicing, Jim and I were both able to drop a couple of pounds.
After lunch we did a shore dive. I didn't want to go out on the boat because the seas were kicking up again. We found the airplane that is wrecked next to the Prince Albert. Not much reason to stay there once you've found it though. There isn't much growth on the wreck, it's in a very sandy area and there is a LOT of sediment in the water. The coral is wrecked all around (because of the sand and the sediment I presume). The phrase I thought of to describe it (and I'm not kidding) is nuclear winter. It's utter devastation. Then you break through all the crud to Newman's Wall with MUCH better visibility.
Before dinner, Doc the local guru who's been here since the early 1970's, gave a lecture on the history and geography of Roatan. That was interesting. He came down here on what was essentially a disguised treasure hunt, and liked it so much he's been here ever since.
After dinner, we read for while and then totally conked out. :)
Today the seas were calmer and we took the morning boat trip to Pirate's Point. Wall dive.
We did the drop off dive at Coco View Wall.
Patty, the owner of the dive shop, gave a buoyancy clinic, which was interesting. Especially since she gave a buoyancy test to see if your overweighted. At the end of your dive (800-1000 psi ideal), expel all air out of your bcd. If you sink, you are overweighted, if you rise you are underweighted. After practicing, Jim and I were both able to drop a couple of pounds.
After lunch we did a shore dive. I didn't want to go out on the boat because the seas were kicking up again. We found the airplane that is wrecked next to the Prince Albert. Not much reason to stay there once you've found it though. There isn't much growth on the wreck, it's in a very sandy area and there is a LOT of sediment in the water. The coral is wrecked all around (because of the sand and the sediment I presume). The phrase I thought of to describe it (and I'm not kidding) is nuclear winter. It's utter devastation. Then you break through all the crud to Newman's Wall with MUCH better visibility.
Before dinner, Doc the local guru who's been here since the early 1970's, gave a lecture on the history and geography of Roatan. That was interesting. He came down here on what was essentially a disguised treasure hunt, and liked it so much he's been here ever since.
After dinner, we read for while and then totally conked out. :)
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Day 2 August 22, 2010 Roatan, Honduras
We both slept very well, but woke up early. We had 3 power outages between 5AM and 530 (I woke up before then even). The power came on nearly immediately though. The sea calmed down a lot overnight. Still higher than usual, but we don't have to do boat dives if we don't want to (I LOVE that!)
We had breakfast and then had the resort and dive op briefing. CoCo View was started something like 25 years ago, and designed to be a liveaboard on land. And that very much what it's like. The only thing that limits your diving is your nitrogen loading and your body.
After we got the logistics on how the dive shop works, we went on an orientation dive with a buoyancy check, skills presentation (basic mask clearing), and then a divemaster led dive of the two walls accessible from the resort plus and good sized wreck. The coral right in front of the resort is pretty beat up, but further away it's in good condition.
After lunch, Jim and I went on our own shore dive (I decided not to do the boat dive after two women who had been on the AM trip said it was really rough). Jim and I had a great time too. Our dive was over and hour. Water temp was in the mid-80s.
A great first day! Right now we're sitting in the club house during happy hour drinking Monkey La La's and listening to the parrot say "hello, hello, hello,", then he SCREAMS "HI!!!" It's pretty funny, but I imagine you have to be here to appreciate it.
The resort has several animals running around. 3 dogs, 2 parrots, a gorgeous scarlet mccaw, and I've heard there's a bunny too, but we haven't seen it.
The seas haven't built up as much this afternoon, so we signed up to go on the 2 tank AM dive tomorrow. Looking forward to it!
We had breakfast and then had the resort and dive op briefing. CoCo View was started something like 25 years ago, and designed to be a liveaboard on land. And that very much what it's like. The only thing that limits your diving is your nitrogen loading and your body.
After we got the logistics on how the dive shop works, we went on an orientation dive with a buoyancy check, skills presentation (basic mask clearing), and then a divemaster led dive of the two walls accessible from the resort plus and good sized wreck. The coral right in front of the resort is pretty beat up, but further away it's in good condition.
After lunch, Jim and I went on our own shore dive (I decided not to do the boat dive after two women who had been on the AM trip said it was really rough). Jim and I had a great time too. Our dive was over and hour. Water temp was in the mid-80s.
A great first day! Right now we're sitting in the club house during happy hour drinking Monkey La La's and listening to the parrot say "hello, hello, hello,", then he SCREAMS "HI!!!" It's pretty funny, but I imagine you have to be here to appreciate it.
The resort has several animals running around. 3 dogs, 2 parrots, a gorgeous scarlet mccaw, and I've heard there's a bunny too, but we haven't seen it.
The seas haven't built up as much this afternoon, so we signed up to go on the 2 tank AM dive tomorrow. Looking forward to it!
Day 1 August 21, 2010 Roatan, Honduras
We arrived pretty uneventfully and got checked in to CoCo View. We flew from Pasco-Denver on Friday and stayed overnight in a hotel on Friday. Then, the two last flights to Roatan
CoCo View seems really nice so far. We have a really nice over the water cabana (but it's not like the overwater bungalows in Tahiti or the Maldives). There are four units in each building and we got an end unit which is nice. They are very spacious with a large deck and unobstructed view of the ocean. Hopefully the sand flies don't eat us alive so we can actually enjoy the balcony!
A storm blew in this afternoon and the seas are very rough. None of the boats went out (only the 3rd day this year that has happened). Hopefully tomorrow it will calm down. We have the orientation and checkout dive in the morning and our first boat ride in the afternoon. The nice thing about here though is you always have the option of shore diving if the boat rides are going to be rough.
We had a buffet dinner that was very good (garlic shrimp). The house wine is out of a box though :)
I'm pretty sure we are going to sleep well tonight!
CoCo View seems really nice so far. We have a really nice over the water cabana (but it's not like the overwater bungalows in Tahiti or the Maldives). There are four units in each building and we got an end unit which is nice. They are very spacious with a large deck and unobstructed view of the ocean. Hopefully the sand flies don't eat us alive so we can actually enjoy the balcony!
A storm blew in this afternoon and the seas are very rough. None of the boats went out (only the 3rd day this year that has happened). Hopefully tomorrow it will calm down. We have the orientation and checkout dive in the morning and our first boat ride in the afternoon. The nice thing about here though is you always have the option of shore diving if the boat rides are going to be rough.
We had a buffet dinner that was very good (garlic shrimp). The house wine is out of a box though :)
I'm pretty sure we are going to sleep well tonight!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Kona, HI Day 8 6/10/10
Back to reality. Our flight left at 1PM, so we just lazed around the condo all morning. Jim and I had coffee on the lanai, and cut up some left over chicken to feed to our resident feral cats and 3 mongooses (mongeese??) Then we had to do the luggage shuffle. Traveling with a bike definitely complicates things! But it all went pretty smoothly.
The flight from Kona to Seattle was very nice, and passed quickly. That direct flight makes a Hawaii vacation very easy! Definitely the way to go!
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
Best thing topside: Hard to say. We didn't do much "touristy". The condo was great. Very quiet and beautifully decorated.
Best dive: The first dive on the last day (Manta Ray Bay), by a slim margin over the night dive. A tiger shark, big pod of dolphins, and a manta are hard to beat!
Worst thing: Was a great trip. Nothing bad happened. I would say the worst was staying in Keauhou the first two days, instead of at the Fairmont. That made for LONG days.
Next trip. . . . Roatan in August.
The flight from Kona to Seattle was very nice, and passed quickly. That direct flight makes a Hawaii vacation very easy! Definitely the way to go!
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
Best thing topside: Hard to say. We didn't do much "touristy". The condo was great. Very quiet and beautifully decorated.
Best dive: The first dive on the last day (Manta Ray Bay), by a slim margin over the night dive. A tiger shark, big pod of dolphins, and a manta are hard to beat!
Worst thing: Was a great trip. Nothing bad happened. I would say the worst was staying in Keauhou the first two days, instead of at the Fairmont. That made for LONG days.
Next trip. . . . Roatan in August.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Kona, HI Day 7 6/9/10
Fantastic last day diving!! We did two reef dives, but talk about animal sightings. On the first dive we saw a 12 foot tiger shark, a pod of around 30 dolphins, AND a manta ray. Just a fantastic dive. I had on my 5ml wetsuit + hood so I was toasty warm. My bottom time was about 1:10.
On the second dive, we saw another manta ray, and reappeared several times. Very nice reef at both sites, lots of hard coral and plenty of fish. We've been reading that diving in Kona has deteriorated in the past few years, but what we saw was great.
After we got back to the condo and got showered, we went out for lunch/dinner at Jameson's, which is a seafood restaurant on Alii Drive that is right over the water. They were serving an "in between" menu because we were too late for lunch, but too early for dinner. But they had great fresh fish sandwiches!
Then in the early evening we had to take Erin back to the airport for her flight back tonight. Then the rest of the evening was spent packing up to head back ourselves tomorrow.
On the second dive, we saw another manta ray, and reappeared several times. Very nice reef at both sites, lots of hard coral and plenty of fish. We've been reading that diving in Kona has deteriorated in the past few years, but what we saw was great.
After we got back to the condo and got showered, we went out for lunch/dinner at Jameson's, which is a seafood restaurant on Alii Drive that is right over the water. They were serving an "in between" menu because we were too late for lunch, but too early for dinner. But they had great fresh fish sandwiches!
Then in the early evening we had to take Erin back to the airport for her flight back tonight. Then the rest of the evening was spent packing up to head back ourselves tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Kona, HI Day 6 6/8/10
Today was our off day. Originally, we were going to spend the day exploring Kiluaea, but we decided that would be too much time spent driving around in the car so we just decided to go to the beach instead.
We were originally going to go to Mauna Kea Beach, but their parking lot was full, so we went back to Hapuna Beach instead. The water was much calmer than last weekend. Beautiful beach, the only problem is when it's windy (which it has been everyt ime we've been there), if you're lying on the sand, you get brutally sand blasted.
We spent a couple of hours there, then went back to Kona for lunch at Huggo's again. In the afternoon after we went back to the condo, the other 3 went to the condo pool so Erin could help Jim with his swimming, and I stayed here to catch up on stuff.
We're just going to barbecue chicken for dinner tonight. Then tomorrow is our last day of diving.
We were originally going to go to Mauna Kea Beach, but their parking lot was full, so we went back to Hapuna Beach instead. The water was much calmer than last weekend. Beautiful beach, the only problem is when it's windy (which it has been everyt ime we've been there), if you're lying on the sand, you get brutally sand blasted.
We spent a couple of hours there, then went back to Kona for lunch at Huggo's again. In the afternoon after we went back to the condo, the other 3 went to the condo pool so Erin could help Jim with his swimming, and I stayed here to catch up on stuff.
We're just going to barbecue chicken for dinner tonight. Then tomorrow is our last day of diving.
Kona, HI Day 5 6/7/10
Jim and I got up and went for a run in the early morning along Alii Drive. That was fun. It wasn't too hot out yet.
Then the four of us piled in the van and went to tour Greenwell Coffee Farm. I had decided that I wanted to buy some real Kona coffee, but I figured that if I was going to do that (and pay the $$$$$ for it), I'd really like to buy it from the source. It was an interesting tour. We got to taste the raw beans right off the tree, and saw how they dry and process the beans. Jim and I bought two pounds, one of chocolate macadamia nut, and one of their private reserve.
Then we continued south to tour the Place of Refuge, where ancient Hawaiians who broke societal laws were spared execution if they could make it there. Talk about a photo opportunity!! Beautiful, very peaceful place.
We have had very good weather so far. Typical pattern: Kona is clear in the morning and then clouds up in the afternoon, maybe some light showers. The Kohala coast has been sunny, warm, and breezy everytime we've been there.
We had lunch at Bubba Gumps' in Kona. It's definitely a tourist trap, but it's a fantastic location right on the water!
Later we had the main event of the day (trip?): the Manta Ray Night Dive. It was awesome as always. 2 tanks. The first tank, twilight dive was in a lava cavern that was shaped like a carousel, and we saw a rare, shy flame angel fish. Very pretty!
For the night dive, we had 3 mantas show up, and they put on the usual terrific show for us. During our "tour" of the reef afterwards, we saw 2 eels out hunting. It was a great dive, but boy were we exhausted when we got back to the condo at nearly 10PM. Slept GREAT!
Kona, HI Day 4 6/6/10
Today was our first day of diving. Great day! Just perfect conditions. Nice flat calm seas, good visibility, a great outfit with Jack's Diving Locker, and easy clear diving! Just what I needed after not being terribly enamored with Cozumel.
Both dives were reef dives, with the second one being a lava structure, with swim thrus. It was very cool. Saw lots of my Moorish Idols!
We didn't get back to the condo until nearly 3, so we had a late lunch/early dinner at Huggo's again. I had a hamburger that was really, really good!
Both dives were reef dives, with the second one being a lava structure, with swim thrus. It was very cool. Saw lots of my Moorish Idols!
We didn't get back to the condo until nearly 3, so we had a late lunch/early dinner at Huggo's again. I had a hamburger that was really, really good!
Kona, HI Day 3 6/5/10 Ironman 70.3
We left the condo at 4AM (ouch!), and caught the shuttle to Hapuna Beach and got there around 5AM. The wind was really blowing! Not a good sign, but at least the sea seemed pretty calm.
The wind died down a little, but it was still a very windy, hot race. JM did very well, finishing in less than 5:30. Jim got a flat tire on the bike that cost him at least 30 minutes, so that threw off his race and he decided to slow down and enjoy the rest of it, and not worry about qualifying.
There were a total of about 1300 athletes who did the race. The host hotel, the Fairmont Orchid, was just gorgeous! Erin and I had a good time cheering everyone on and I was really glad she was able to join our trip and I had someone to hang out with.
Neither man felt it was worth hanging around til 4PM for the qualifying rolldown so we left the race in the early afternoon.
This race was very well organized. It certainly showed that they know how to run a triathlon on the Big Island!
After we got back to Keauhou, we went and had pizza and then basically collapsed from exhaustion. But tomorrow we go diving. As Jim said, "NOW I'm on vacation!"
The wind died down a little, but it was still a very windy, hot race. JM did very well, finishing in less than 5:30. Jim got a flat tire on the bike that cost him at least 30 minutes, so that threw off his race and he decided to slow down and enjoy the rest of it, and not worry about qualifying.
There were a total of about 1300 athletes who did the race. The host hotel, the Fairmont Orchid, was just gorgeous! Erin and I had a good time cheering everyone on and I was really glad she was able to join our trip and I had someone to hang out with.
Neither man felt it was worth hanging around til 4PM for the qualifying rolldown so we left the race in the early afternoon.
This race was very well organized. It certainly showed that they know how to run a triathlon on the Big Island!
After we got back to Keauhou, we went and had pizza and then basically collapsed from exhaustion. But tomorrow we go diving. As Jim said, "NOW I'm on vacation!"
Kona, HI Day 2 6/4/10
Well, it's a good thing that Jim and I planned things out well or today really could have been a series of frustrations. Instead it was a long day where everything went pretty smoothly.
We are staying down in Keauhou, near where the dive shop is located. However, the triathlon is located up in the Kohala area, 45 minutes drive away. So we had to decide whether to be inconvenienced for two days by staying in Keauhou, or 5 days by staying at the host hotel the Fairmont. So we picked Keauhou (which has the added bonus of being MUCH cheaper).
We had to coordinate race check in, bike check in, and mandatory athlete meeting, some of which were in different areas (the swim was at Hapuna Beach). They had a remote parking lot with shuttle buses that shuttled you to the resort and Hapuna Beach. It worked out great.
We left the condo at 8:30 AM and got back to it about 4:30, but everything went well, and they are all ready to go!
We had a pasta dinner at the condo and early bedtime to get ready for the big day tomorrow!
We are staying down in Keauhou, near where the dive shop is located. However, the triathlon is located up in the Kohala area, 45 minutes drive away. So we had to decide whether to be inconvenienced for two days by staying in Keauhou, or 5 days by staying at the host hotel the Fairmont. So we picked Keauhou (which has the added bonus of being MUCH cheaper).
We had to coordinate race check in, bike check in, and mandatory athlete meeting, some of which were in different areas (the swim was at Hapuna Beach). They had a remote parking lot with shuttle buses that shuttled you to the resort and Hapuna Beach. It worked out great.
We left the condo at 8:30 AM and got back to it about 4:30, but everything went well, and they are all ready to go!
We had a pasta dinner at the condo and early bedtime to get ready for the big day tomorrow!
Kona, HI Day 1 6/3/10
We had a terrific flight to Kona. We flew Alaska Air First Class. We had yummy macadamia nut/pineapple pancakes with fresh fruit, and eggs, and sausage. Hardly a bump the whole way. I watched a movie and the 6 hours passed very quickly.
We retrieved our luggage (everything arrived sucessfully!) and Jim and I went to get the minivan while JM and Erin watched the luggage. We were able to get the van via the kiosk, bypassing the line for the counter, and were in and out in just a few minutes. It worked great.
The condo is gorgeous! It's a new complex: Na Hale o' Keauhou. Very nice two story townhome.
We went out to lunch as soon as we got checked in to Huggo's, a nice bar and grill right on the ocean, where you can put your feet in the sand. We just ate a light snack/dinner at the condo since we ate lunch so late.
A wonderful start to our trip! Tomorrow is the prep/check in day for the Honu Kona Ironman 70.3 that Jim and JM are doing. Going to be a long couple of days coming up.. . .
We retrieved our luggage (everything arrived sucessfully!) and Jim and I went to get the minivan while JM and Erin watched the luggage. We were able to get the van via the kiosk, bypassing the line for the counter, and were in and out in just a few minutes. It worked great.
The condo is gorgeous! It's a new complex: Na Hale o' Keauhou. Very nice two story townhome.
We went out to lunch as soon as we got checked in to Huggo's, a nice bar and grill right on the ocean, where you can put your feet in the sand. We just ate a light snack/dinner at the condo since we ate lunch so late.
A wonderful start to our trip! Tomorrow is the prep/check in day for the Honu Kona Ironman 70.3 that Jim and JM are doing. Going to be a long couple of days coming up.. . .
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