1.19.2011
Day 10: Aloha Oe!
Well, we've actually been home for about 12 hours now, but I'm just getting around to this!
So to use up our last few hours in Kauai yesterday, we met for breakfast around 8:00am. Becky was unfortunately still incapacitated due to her foot, so she was pretty much stuck in the hotel room, but Doug ran to the post office to send their box home and to the pharmacy to get Becky's prescription. Mom, Baba and I went back up to Spouting Horn to peruse the booths again and of course get a few more photos.
We met back up for one more lunch at the hotel and we ended up eating at the same restaurant where we eat breakfast - Ilima Terrace. We all had the Tortilla Soup, except Mom who had a Caesar Salad.
Since our flight was due take off at 3:13, we just headed to the airport after lunch. Good thing too - because of all places the LIHUE AIRPORT has a backscatter scanner!! LAX doesn't have one, but the airport on an island that's only 23 miles across does!! Who would have thought!
I exercised my right to refuse the scan, so after the TSA agents all rolled their eyes at me, I was patted down and searched. Tons of fun, let me tell you. Becky also had to get patted down as she couldn't very well take off her shoes... or bootie.
Our flights went pretty smoothly, but I got very little sleep - so I took a nap when I got home and I'm taking an extra day off to sleep too.
It's nice to be home, but of course, the 3 degree weather and two feet of snow is a bit of a shock to the system.
Always looking forward to leaving again! :)
Aloha Oe!
1.18.2011
Day 9: Oh, so that's how you drink a Mai Tai...
Due to the storms the island saw yesterday, the Internet in the hotel was down last night - so I didn't get another chance to post anything more then mobile updates... So - I'll catch you up from last night first!
We had dinner reservations at Tidepools here at the hotel. Mom and I split the prime rib and I had the Kauai Corn and Vanilla soup sans the crab. For desert, we all split the molten chocolate cake... everything was to DIE for!
After dinner, we got to listen to more live music in the Seaview Terrace and hit up the hot tub again before turning in.
Today, we ALL (yes, Baba and Mom too!) met to watch the sunrise at about 7:00 am. Many picture-taking opportunities ensued...
Then, breakfast, followed by another trip to Hilo Hatties - well, we hadn't been there on this island yet! :)
After we spent more money then we had, we found Kilohana Plantation and their RUM TASTING!! This rum has only been around a few years, and has already won plenty of awards, so it was very cool to have the opportunity to see where it was made and to sample all three of their styles of rum. During the tasting, the guide gave us instructions on how to properly make and imbibe a Mai Tai... we've been doing it wrong for years! I have a video to upload later - so I won't spoil the surprise... you'll just have to wait to watch!
After the plantation, we made our way back to the hotel. Mom, Doug, Becky and I decided to go down to the beach and play in the sand and waves, and boy were those waves strong! Becky actually ended up getting knocked over by one and may have either broken or dislocated her toe in the process of regaining the shore... She and Doug are actually at Urgent Care right now trying to get that sorted out. I guess if there's any silver lining - at least it was our last day, not our first - I doubt Becky would be thrilled having to go through a second trip to Hawai'i unable to walk...
I spent the rest of the afternoon at the lagoon with Mom. We headed back up to the room around 5:00 to get ready for our 6:00 pm reservations at Dondero's. The food was very good, and clearly a step up from Olive Garden... says Baba :)
Picture got a little over-exposed... I promise, we're all more tan then that! :)
Now, we're back in the room, repacking and writing. One more half-day in paradise...
Hopefully I'll have a chance to post a few updates tomorrow, but if not, I'll see you soon Wisco!
1.17.2011
1.16.2011
Day 8: Holy Hanalei, Batman! Look at those waves!
Aloha `auinala!
We're not done with the day yet, but I had some time - so I thought I'd write now.
Becky, Doug and I met at about 7:00 am to watch the sunrise over the beach this morning again. It's funny how we watched the sunset from the hotel on the Big Island and the sunrise here!
Afterwards, I joined Baba for his morning constitutional. We walked all the way to the other end of the property before going back to the Ilima Terrace for breakfast again. You'd think with all this walking, I'd counter the all the food - but I still feel like I'm eating too much. Well you know what they say - eat, drink, and be merry for Tuesday we go back to Wisconsin! :)
After breakfast, Mom, Becky and I made shell jewelry in the lobby!
Next, we called for our cars and took a scenic drive up the Eastern Coast to the North Shore and Hanalei Bay. The area had been reporting 30-40 foot waves due to the storms off the coast, and we thought that would be something to see, so we went to see it!
Driving up the whole shoreline like that does take a while - the island may only be 23 miles across, but when you're only going an average speed of about 35 miles and hour, well you get the idea!
On our way home we stopped at a "Farmer's Market" and also the Po'ipu Shopping Center again, just to make sure nothing had 'gone on sale...'
Upon returning to our hotel, we parted ways until dinner. More on dinner later! :)
Day 7: Hi. I'm Erin, and this is my job...
Good evening. Tonight I write to you from the Stevenson's Library; martini-n-sushi bar and Oxford-Lounge-esq venue at the Grand Hyatt Kaua'i. There is a Jazz band playing, folks laughing and talking story, glasses clinking and (if Hawaii allowed smoking in-doors I imagine) smoke curling in the soft light. The notes of the sax drift slowly through my mind, sonorous sounds sink deep into my soul.
Okay, enough of that! :) Today we had a relaxed start, meeting for breakfast at 9:00 am. I had been up since about 6:30, though, partly because I'd forgotten to update my alarm clock, but mostly because I wanted to (finally) talk with Andrew for awhile. Which I did! It was nice! :)
So, after breakfast, we left the hotel with the intent of finding the Original Red Dirt Shirt Factory in Ele'ele. The factory is about a 30 minute drive from the hotel and we found it with no problem. Unfortunately, the do not run their tours on the weekends, but we were able to look through the store where - of course - they have the episode of Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe playing on continuous loop next to a large cardboard cut out of Mike Rowe himself!
(I would love to insert a picture here, but the Internet is not allowing me to do so... so.... you'll see them later... maybe... if you come back to my blog after reading the post for the first time... :) )
The Factory Store sells the "Mike Rowe Works" products as well, and it was cool to see those! Baba got a shirt that says "Older than Dirt" :) and Doug got a shirt with the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a featured. They also sold the "lava dyed" shirts like Andrew got on last year's trip.
After getting dirty (and, seriously, you do - just picking up the shirts! Until you get home to wash them...) we went to Spouting Horn on Po'ipu Beach. The Flea Market is still there as well, so of course we had to pick though all the rough to find a few diamonds there - both times you have to walk through it to get to Spouting Horn... :-/
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped for Shave Ice, but instead had Puka Dog for a late lunch. Gotta say, it's always fun to eat at places featured on the shows I watch at home! :) And, the hot dogs are fantastic! I had the Polish Sausage, with the Jalapeno sauce and mango relish. Very tasty!
We made it home in time to hit the pool for a few minutes in the sun before the Packer Game started... and I know I don't need to say it but - WE WON!!! Second Round of the playoffs have been successful, now depending on the outcome of the game tomorrow, we'll either play the Seahawks or Da Bears next week.
The game completed and the victory secured, Becky, Doug, Mom and I met Baba for dinner at the Seaview Terrace. Becky and I split an "Ali'i Pie" - pizza, with grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, bacon and garlic sauce - Mom had some sort of sweetly marinated beef kabobs; Doug had Coconut Chicken Wings and Baba had a Black Angus Burger.
Becky, Mom and I hit the hot tub after dinner, and that brings you up to speed on our day.
Now, it is time for sleep - the sun has gone to bed and so must I! We plan to catch the sunrise tomorrow - so I'll be sure to say 'Hello!' :)
Aloha!
1.15.2011
Day 6: Look Mom, a Dinosaur!
Our first full day in Kaua'i was nothing short of amazing, to be honest! This morning, after I rose early at 6 to 'watch the sunrise with Andrew,' we all met for breakfast in the Ilima Terrace restaurant. This breakfast buffet has and omelet bar too (not sure if I mentioned the one on the Big Island) and I thought I'd take my chances and ask for an egg over easy with cheese on top just like my lovely Andrew makes for me at home.
Well, it isn't Andrew's, but it made me feel very close to him today!
After breakfast, we had a few hours to kill before we needed to leave for our helicopter ride (!) so we went to the beach. It was a bit chilly, and the shore is lined with rocks, so we didn't do any swimming there, but we did see a couple of surfers out on the waves.
We were due at Island Helicopters at 11:15, and it took us about a half hour to get back to the airport where their pad was located. The helicopter held six passengers all together, so it was the four of us - Mom, Becky, Doug and me - and another couple here on their honeymoon. Our pilot's name was Isaac and he was fantastic! He seemed to gauge our responses to what we were seeing and allow us more time at certain places because he knew we'd liked them. He also created his own playlist for the ride and the music was great! I even found a new song I liked so much, I may have to buy it.
The sites were fantastic too. We flew up the Na Pali Coast, which is only accessible via helicopter... or 12 mile hike - take your pick. We flew over many of the vistas that were used in movies like James Bond, Jurassic Park and Tropic Thunder and they were amazing! The pilot must get sort of sick of it, but when he named Jurassic Park (we saw both the cliff that everyone recognizes as the island from the first one and the beach where the opening of the second movie was filmed, he's like "ooooh yeah - JUUUUUURASSIC PAAAARK!!!" :)
We even saw a few whales from the air!
After we were back on solid ground, we had a short wait until we needed to leave for the Smith's Kaua'i Family Luau this evening.
The Luau is located in Kapaa which is about a 35-40 minute drive from Koloa, where our hotel is located. They start you out with a tram tour of their botanical gardens, which also have many fruits, vegetables, and animals native to Hawai'i and the Islands of Polynesia. It seems, in fact, that they are pretty self-sustaining, but I'm not sure about that.
Next is the Imu Ceremony, where the Pua'a Kalua (a pig, cooked with the Kalua method of wrapping in banana leaves and roasting with hot rocks) is extracted from the underground oven.
Dinner was great, lots of traditional and modern Hawaiian classic cuisine including Poi, mac salad, sweet bread, the pork of course, beef teriyaki and really good "Guava Lava" dressing for the salad. There was also and open bar with Mai Tais and any other drink you'd like!
After dinner, we went to a show which traveled around the Islands of Polynesia in the same way the show at PCC does, however it seemed they focused on their family's heritage rather then covering all the islands. Though, this was cool because we saw dances from China and Japan as well as the ones you'd expect and that was something new. Overall, the Luau was very well done and we all enjoyed it.
We made it back to the hotel around 9:30 and I actually fell asleep while typing this post (I'm finishing this Saturday morning...) Today is going to be a fun day too - so I'd better go get ready! :)
Aloha!
1.14.2011
Day 5: Just keep swimming...
Aloha! Here I am sitting on my king sized bed in my absolutely FAB room in the Grand Hyatt Kaua'i Resort and Spa on the island of Kaua'i. Pictures to follow... :) Not sure what the view looks like yet, as we arrived after sundown, but it's partial ocean view, so it can't be all bad!
Today was our travel day between the Big Island of Hawai'i and the island of Kaua'i, but before we left the Hilton Waikoloa we had the opportunity to get a few more things checked off the list.
First thing this morning after breakfast, Mom and I FINALLY made it to the lagoon for some peddle-boating. Last year, Andrew and I did some kayaking - but since he wasn't here to steer while I enjoyed the view, we decided to do something a bit less, um, physical. :) I took an underwater camera with me, but I didn't have a lot of film left on it, so I also took pictures and video with my 'real' camera.
After the lagoon, Mom and I walked up to Buddha Point.
And then we met back up with Baba, Becky and Doug and sent our bags down to the lobby in time for our 11:00 am check out. We loaded the cars, then headed to Nana's memorial site to tidy up and add her birthday to the rock writing Baba, Becky, Doug and Dad did the summer after she passed away. Baba also added his own touch - a 'rainbow' over the top.
We also made it to the Petroglyph fields, which I was really happy about as that was one of the coolest things we saw last year. Prior to that, I had never seen them, and you know I love historical stuff... :)
Our flight to Kaua'i was due to leave Kona at 3:25, and arrive in Lihue Airport at about 5:20 with one stop in Maui. Everything went off without a hitch, and after about an hour to retrieve our checked bags and acquire a car - PT Cruiser for me, Dodge Charger for Doug - we were on our way to the hotel. As you have seen, our hotel is pretty much amazing and I can't wait to see it in the daylight!!
Tomorrow is our helicopter ride courtesy of Doug and Becky and the Luau at Smith's Kauai tomorrow night, but I plan to get up early-ish and do some exploring!
So: good night unto you all if we be friends, and let Puea restore amends! :)
1.13.2011
But today, the goddess smiled!
Today, our last full day on the Big Island, we took the trek to the other side of the island. We started out in Hilo at the Farmer's Market, where, if nothing else we found many fantastic photo opportunities!
Next, we headed to Volcano National Park and took a self-guided, or rather, DOUG-GUIDED tour of the steam vents, and the crater.
The steam vents and caldera/crater area was something I was really looking forward to, as I haven't been to the volcano for a very long time. One thing I remember very vividly was the smell of the sulfur. Perhaps due to wind or the threatening rain, I did not sense that as strongly this year - though time often exaggerates our memories as well...
Pele, the Goddess of Fire, must have been happy with us today, though, because the weather we expected - 70's (barely) and rain - never showed up, and the day was basically perfect. There were many such comments on the way through the hotel that indicated many people expected to get rained out today, whatever their plans, so I'm glad it turned out so well for everyone! Not to jinx us but... it's been raining a lot on Kauai... so I hope our good fortune follows us there as well!
On our (long) drive back to the Kohala Coast, we found a black sand beach! "Maggie" (Becky and Doug's GPS pretty much knows where everything is, which is very useful on long drives through the rolling countryside, like the one we took today :)
Maggie also found us a Kona Coffee Plantation and processing site. There was even a lava tunnel there, which we had the opportunity to walk through. I took a video of that event, but there's no saying if I'll convince Blogger it wants to let me upload that... I'll try though! :)
Later...
Tomorrow we'll have the morning before our flight, and it should be a busy one. I'd still like to go to the lagoon (not crossing my fingers there...) and the petroglyphs (there may be a chance) and we still haven't visited my grandmother's "memorial"... more on that later!
Aloha ahiahi ia oukou.
Good night!
1.12.2011
Day 3: OMG Whales! ... or, not tonight honey, I have a headache
Wow the Internet is moving at a pace with which Doug's horse Tiny would sympathize ... Anyway - now that I finally have Blogger open - on to the day's events!
This morning we went on Capt. Dan McSweeney's Whale Watch Learning Adventure.
This is the same tour Andrew and I went on last year, and it did nothing but impress me again. This time, I let my camera do all the thinking and I got some amazing shots.
We got to witness a female whale basically telling a male to buzz off, or as Capt. Dan said, it was like she was saying, "Sorry, not tonight, I have a headache!!"
I am so glad we got the opportunity to go on the tour with Capt. Dan again, he's so very knowledgeable and really shows how much he cares about these animals - not just about the quick buck he can make running tours. I have seen tours that are a lot less - but I'd pay twice what we did to have Capt. Dan's expertise at our disposal.
The tour ran about three hours - just like last year - so afterwards, Becky, Doug, Mom and I drove back to Kailua-Kona to use Becky's Christmas gift certificate at Pikake Beads. We had the chance to walk up and down the coastline streets a bit as well, and found an ABC Store as well as some other places I remember from my trips as a child. I had forgotten they were all down there, so last year we missed much of them.
After shopping, we headed back to the hotel and met Baba for dinner at the Kamuela Provision Company. This was our first "real" dinner of the trip, since we've been mostly hitting up the sandwich/bar and grill type places and it was really nice to have the quality sit-down time. We didn't see any more whales off the coast this time, but we did see a lot of the cats that have taken up residence on the property. One, the same one hanging around KPC last year, named Marshmallow now has an unnamed friend, so I named him Sherbet because he was orange. The waiter said he liked the name and "will see if it sticks." Next year, I fully intend to see both Marshmallow and Sherbet at KPC!! :)
Mom and I decided to go hot tubbing to relax after dinner, so we rounded out the night with about an hour soaking in the heat and steam.
Tomorrow we're heading to the other side of the island and up to the volcanoes. Sweet dreams, Pele, we'll be seeing you soon!
1.11.2011
Day 2: A Horse is a horse - of course, of course - unless it crashes a wedding
Happy Aloha Monday, everyone!
This morning started very early, with a 5:30 wake up call and breakfast (at the Big Island Breakfast, of course) at 6:30. We were due at the Cowboys of Hawaii Riding Stables on Parker Ranch at 8:15, so we needed to leave the hotel around 7:30 at latest. The Parker Ranch, for those of you who didn't follow the blog last year, is among the largest cattle ranches in the United States and has been here for more then 160 years. Here is a little more history for you.
Our guide's name was Rachel and she was fantastic! It was only the four of us (Becky, Doug, Mom and myself) on the tour so she basically let us do whatever we wanted. And, believe me, you can do a lot of whatever you want on a two-hour tour! I hadn't ridden for about 10 years I'll bet, but horses are a bit like bicycles... though I couldn't get PJ (my horse) to go faster then a canter (and boy, does my bottom wish I'd gotten my horse into a full gallop :-/ ) but it was a ton of fun! Since we'd all identified as "beginner," I'll bet Rachel was surprised at us though! :)
After our amazing morning, we drove back to the hotel to collect Baba - who has a few bad memories of the last horse he knew, so opted out of the tour - and then headed back to Kamuela for lunch. The gentleman who arranged our cars at Dollar when we arrived recommended a pizza/pasta/sandwich place that we decided to try. It was called Pau, and the recommendation was well deserved. We did a half-and-half pizza - split between Royal Hawaiian and the Classico, and it EASILY served all 5 of us and could have probably satisfied more! Our pizza was made by a recent Chicago transplant who also provided good conversation and so we 'talked story' with him for a long while.
Lunch having been finished, no trip to Kamuela would be complete without a stop at the Gallery of Great Things. I got a beautiful print of a piece called "The Journey Home" by a local artist.
Becky had a chance to hit up her bead and book shop - Andrew will remember the hippie owner well - before we came back down the mountain.
We had about an hour to kill before dinner at this point, so Mom and Becky and I walked the grounds a bit with the intent of going to the Lagoon and (finally) getting into the ocean! Mission accomplished, and moreover - we saw two Honu!!
We ate dinner at the Boat Landing Pavilion again, myself opting out due to fantastic pizza still lingering in my tummy.
After dinner, we'd planned on driving to the Kona Village Hotel to see John Keawe perform, and we did - but through a veil of rain that kept us from the full experience. We did, however, get his autograph and Becky and Doug had the opportunity to chat with him a bit as well.
Due to the rain, a wedding that was being held at the Kona Village Hotel was forced to share the small bar area with those there to see John Keawe perform, so we felt a bit like interlopers, but oh well! They didn't seem to mind...
Around 9:00 we made the trek back to the hotel and are now about ready for bed. Slower start to the day tomorrow, as our WHALE WATCHING TOUR (!!!!!!!!) doesn't depart from the Marina until 11:00 am. You know I was excited about this last year, and well - that hasn't changed!
Aloha!
1.10.2011
Day 2: Shopping in Kona and Hawi
After breakfast this morning, we headed into Kailua-Kona to find the Store of Hawaii - Hilo Hattie! I had had two pink pearls "left over" from my last trip here that I had not set yet, and I knew I wanted to find something to put them in before I left this time. I found a beautiful setting for them and then they let me pick another oyster - which had the most gorgeous deep purple colored pearl inside! I had never seen one this color, and I had found more then one setting I liked, so I put the single pearl into a meilei leaf themed setting. I knew I needed to stop there, no whammies, right? but, I did pick one more oyster because it was my "gift of aloha" from the woman who was helping me... right... This last one yielded a white pearl, the most common, but still the most beautiful - White pearls stand for honor, I believe. I did not put it into a setting because I do already have one white pearl necklace from Hawai'i - and this way I figure I just HAVE to come back next year so I can set it! :)
After Kona, we drove to Hawi, which has a lot of local artist's shops. There, I finally got myself a piece by the glass artist (can't remember her name at the moment) that Becky had gotten that plate from last year. I got myself more "wearable art" in the form of a pendant there.
Now, I really need to go to sleep - it's going to be an early morning tomorrow. We're going horseback riding at Parker Ranch!
1.09.2011
Day 2: morning report
Here I am sitting on the lanai looking out over the beautiful Pacific ocean... in my Packer shirt.
Our final room arrangements last night didn't affect my sleep at all... though the mai-tai may have had something to do with that!
In a little while, we're planning to meet for breakfast at the Big Island Buffet in the Water's Edge Ballroom and figure out what we want to do today. I think we'll probably have some time to wander around the hotel, maybe soak up some rays and maybe go to Hawi for some shopping.
Lovely start! More to come later.
Aloha!
Views of Paradise - Day 1
Gooooood evening Kona! :)
I got up at 3:00 am this morning and got ready, then Andrew took Mom and Baba and me to the airport at 4:30. Becky and Doug met us at the airport, as they took a taxi from Cottage Grove. Our flight out of Madison was at 6:55 am, and that began one of the most easy going travel days of my life!
All of our flights were on time, and even the 9 hour flight from Chicago to Maui (continuing on to Kona) went faster then I thought. I began the journey with two episodes of True Blood, then I watched Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps on the plane, then Mom and I watched The Sorcerers's Apprentice on my laptop...
We arrived into Kailua/Kona round 4:50pm (Hawaii time) this evening and went right to Dollar rent-a-car. I have a Dodge Caliber - not my idea of a "compact car" but... well whatever. Doug's driving a Chrysler M 300... decent :)
Any "issues" that may have arisen in our travels occurred at the hotel. Baba's hotel room was literally miles from the nearest elevator so he needed to rearrange and Mom and I ended up on a non-smoking floor so we ended up on the 6th floor - not too shabby ... but we got that all straightened out and we're all passably happy now :)
And... VERY TIRED.... talk to you all tomorrow! :) It's only 1:30 am in Madison right now, which means I've been up for 22 hours... I think I should probably sleep now. Especially since I had a Mai-Tai (on the Aloha passport of course :) ) for dinner...
Aloha!
1.03.2011
Four days and a wake-up!
Now that Baba and I (and Dad, of course) have made it home from the Rose Bowl, we can look shortly into the future to the trip to Hawai'i!! It's going to be a busy week between now and then, I work every day and I still need to (re)pack my suitcase!
Aloha
Rose Bowl Trip Log - Originally written 11.30.10-1.3.11
11.30.10 - It's not official yet, but true fans know - the University of Wisconsin Badgers are going to play in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day in Pasadena, California!
Baba and I had discussed going to the Rose Bowl as soon as it became a possibility for the Badgers, and after clinching part of a three-way tie for Big Ten Champions, we decided our chances looked good enough to start booking tickets. So it goes, my father, Baba and I will be joining the Badgers in sunny CA!
Brenda was inundated yesterday with requests for information and with bookings, and we confirmed our tour today! Being that this trip is (literally) just days before our trip to Hawai'i, Baba plans on taking it easy, but wanted to make sure Dad and I had the opportunity to really experience the trip to the fullest.
I didn't want to take the focus of the blog away from the Hawai'i trip, since I know my whole family is diligently checking it for updates (yeah, right...) so I'll just update this page with the posts that pertain to the Rose Bowl. Once we get our itinerary later today, I'll post it here as well!
12.2.10 - No official itinerary yet, but everything is booked! BCS announces things officially this Sunday, then we'll see who we're going to play in Pasadena. Can't wait - this 18 degree weather is already wearing on me!
12.3.10 - Here's the Itinerary from the Cartan Tours Website:
Rose Parade Tour - DoubleTree Hotel Torrance
Tour Highlights - 5 days & 4 nights
* Arrival transfer from Los Angeles International Airport to the DoubleTree Hotel Torrance (transfers provided between 9am & 4:30pm. After 4:30 transfers will be by Super Shuttle)
* Four night’s hotel accommodations at the DoubleTree Hotel Torrance
* Breakfast daily
* Welcome reception
* Visit to the float barns to see select floats as they are being constructed
* A wonderful tour of greater Los Angeles – Including: Santa Monica, Bel-Air/Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Sunset Strip, Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Farmers Market
* The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies Show
* Top category grandstand seats on West Colorado (with the sun at your back!)
* Official Rose Parade Program
* Souvenir stadium seat cushion
* Optional tour “Post Parade-Showcase of Floats”
* Boxed Lunch on Rose Parade Day
* Transportation to and from all included activities: On Jan 2, Cartan Tours will be providing transfers from the DoubleTree Hotel Torrance between the hours of 6:00am and 2:30pm
* Service of a Cartan Tours Staff Member
* Hotel taxes, entrance fees on all included services
Rose Bowl Option Highlights
* Transportation from the parade to the Rose Bowl game
* Corner end zone reserved seating at the Rose Bowl
* Transportation from the Rose Bowl game to the hotel
12.6.10 - BCS Countdown announced it last night - The Badgers are Rose Bowl Bound!! They'll face TCU on January 1st, 2011!! And I'll be there watching!! http://www.uwbadgers.com/
12.22.10 - 10 days from now, the Badgers will paint Pasadena RED! Baba and I are going to pick up our tickets and tour information from Brenda tomorrow!! Merry Christmas and HAPPY NEW YEAR! http://rosebowl.wisc.edu/news/scott-tolzien%E2%80%99s-elementary-school-produces-rap-video/
12.29.10 8:46pm Madison time -
We’re finally on the plane to Los Angeles. I have to say finally because there were a few times today that I didn’t think we’d ever make it this far. Everything started out fine – I worked this morning from 8-12 and made it home by about 12:30. Time enough to even make a quick stop at Wisconsin Active Sportswear to get an official University of Wisconsin Badgers Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA January 1, 2011 t-shirt! J After that, I went home to spend a few minutes with Andrew (and of course, Atlas) before we left at about 1:30 to pick up Dad and Baba and head to the airport.
Great.
Now, we’re at the airport… two hours before our 4:18 flight was due to take off. “God” (aka guy on a serious power trip working the desk) comes on the PA and lets us know there will be a “slight” delay due to weather in Chicago and we’ll now be taking off around 5:45… but don’t worry! We’ll get into Chicago around 6:15 – PLENTY of time to make our 6:30 flight to LA…
Sure.
So, now we’re sitting there until about 5:30 and then “God” lets us know there will be an additional delay and we will probably need to stay over night in the Chicago airport because there’s now no way in Hell (or Heaven) that we’ll make our flight to LA…
Fantastic.
Then, we finally get on the plane – two hours after it was supposed to take off originally – and the “Demigod” (aka pilot) comes on to say that we have been told by the FAA - aka God’s father… I guess… that we need to wait an additional 25 minutes before we can take off.
So we taxi.
And taxi.
And taxi.
And FINALLY get in the air. Now by this point – being the clever librarian that I am – I have found out that a) there is NO “weather” in Chicago and b) the ONLY other flight from United to LA from Chicago tonight is not only completely FULL – it will probably leave before we get there.
Awesome.
So, then we get to Chicago… well – Chicago’s airspace at any rate.
And we circle.
And circle.
And circle.
Now, the “demigod” tells us we may have to divert to another airport to refuel… so we can reenter Chicago’s airspace and
Circle some more.
Sure.
LA is looking doubtful.
Then the “gods” convene and we’re allowed to land! In CHICAGO! Wahoo!
To bad its 6:35 when we finally land… remember – our flight to LA was due to take off at 6:30? Yeah…
Angels of mercy often come in odd forms though. Ours came in the form of a airport wheelchair attendant with barely-intelligible English who knew an awful lot about the best sandwich shops in the C Concourse of the Chicago O’Hare Airport. In Madison, we’d arranged for a wheelchair to meet Baba at our gate to expedite the process of getting from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2. At the time – we’d thought we’d have about 30 minutes to get there, a monumental accomplishment for the most nimble and fittest of any group. Lucky for us – as well as knowing about sandwiches she also knew that our flight from Chicago to LA had been delayed, due to everyone’s favorite – mechanical issues. It was then slated to take off around 7:30.
Perfect!
So we are finally on the plane to Los Angeles. We will only arrive two hours later then we’d originally planned and should be able to get a shuttle to the hotel with no problem.
I’ll let you know later how THAT goes…
12.30.10, 12:23 am "Badger Time" (California time :) ) - We're in our hotel! More tomorrow... it's a FULL day!
12.31.10, 12:32 am "Badger Time" - Yes, it was... :) Okay - here's a quick run down, I promise to flesh this out... probably tomorrow evening. (Italics added 12.31.10 5:09pm "Badger Time")
6 am - wake up
I doubt there is much more I can add here... :)
7 am - breakfast
OMG Breakfast potatoes! And bacon, and sausage. Orange juice and fruit!
7:45 - buses leave for float barns
Our bus, number 9, is being driven by Matthew and our tour guide is Debra. They're both very knowledgeable. And it takes "45 minutes" to get everywhere.... of course, 45 minutes is often 2 hours... but yeah...
8:45 til 12pm - float barns, food: Garlic fries!
We went to see the barns where the Rose Parade floats are constructed. It's amazing to think that each piece of natural material that covers the float is placed there by hand, one at a time.
12 pm til 1 pm - drive towards Palm Springs
Yup.
1 pm til 2 pm - "quick" stop at Ontario Mills Mall... yes... MALL...
... Oh boy! An H&M!
2 pm til 3:30ish - continue on the way to Palm Springs
3:30ish - arrive, drive in circles around casino 47 times to "find" the front. All while wearing invisibility cloak, apparently.
Oh here's a story... So, the guy handing out the tickets for dinner was walking up the aisle, row by row, and talking -- and he skipped me! I had to flag him down and ask for a ticket. Then the next guy gets on and starts handing out buttons to get us faster service or something... and THIS guy skips me too!! :(
4 pm - go inside, get carded to enter (yes, only me), receive $10 in unusable credits for the slot machines.
So the back of our ticket to the Follies there was a coupon to get $10 in free play... but I couldn't get the card to recognize I had that credit on my player's card... Oh well...
4:40 - get sick of trying to figure out how to gamble in Palm Springs, find buffet dinner provided by tour company in casino.
4:45 til 6ish - PIG OUT! PASTA BAR!! Play cards with "house" deck
When we signed up for the player's club, they gave us a deck of cards that had been used at a table in the casino!
6 ish til 6:30 - wander towards theater, stopping numerous times for street musicians and photo ops.
6:30 - arrive at theater, find seats, no elevator
7 pm - Palm Springs Follies Show starts!
7:15 pm - begin feeling embarrassed and very worried that a 75 year old woman has a better body then me...
Just look these women up! (http://www.psfollies.com/follies-video/)
7:16-9:40 - feelings continue, interspersed by hilarity and general feelings of being very entertained! (juggler = amazing)
9:45 - board buses to head back to Los Angeles
12:40 - finish writing up very concise version of day's events, fall asleep immediately!
12.31.10, 8:07 pm "Badger Time" - Hello! Today was a more relaxing start, got to sleep in until the late, late hour of 7:00 am. We met for breakfast at about 8, and then headed to the buses at 8:30. The main event of today's agenda was a Los Angeles City Tour, with a step-on tour guide. We started the morning by visiting Olvera Street, which is where the city of LA was founded. It is also a world renowned Mexican marketplace. The oldest house (Adobe Avila) in LA is located on Olvera Street and we had a chance to tour it as well. We also saw the oldest firehouse in Los Angeles, the Plaza Firehouse.
After Olvera Street, we headed to the Farmer's Market for lunch. We ate lunch right away at Johnny Rocket's, which is a fun 50's style diner - complete with a mini-juke box on each table! We had two hours there, which was enough to try to go over to CBS and get myself a The Price is Right t-shirt, but they were closed! :( I did see the Sur La Table to which Gordon Ramsey sends contestants of Hell's Kitchen, so that was cool.
Finally, after a drive-by view of Rodeo Drive, we had all of 20 minutes to enjoy Santa Monica Pier and FINALLY got to see and touch the OCEAN!
After that, we headed back to the hotel and chill out for awhile. Dad and I watched Men in Black on TV and then we met Baba in the hotel's restaurant for dinner at about 7:00pm.
Now, we're going to have to go to bed early as possible because we have to be on the bus at 5:00am to get to the Rose Parade and later the game! I hope to update you all with VICTORY the next time I write!!!
Happy New Year's and GOOOOOOOOOOO BADGERS!
1.3.11, 10:19 am Madison time - Well, to get the obvious bad news out of the way - the Badgers lost 21-19 to the TCU Horned Frogs. But, you all knew that already! Now, to recap the last two days of our trip. On New Year's Day, we got up at 3:30 am, had breakfast (or would that be more of a midnight snack? :) ) at 4:30 and then headed to the buses. It took much longer then usual to get to Pasadena because of all the traffic due to the Rose Parade, but we still made pretty good time. We had bleacher seats right on the first turn of the parade route, which was prime viewing location! I think we may have even been on TV a few times! (Let me know if you saw us!)
The parade started promptly at 8:00 am. Even though I've been to the Rose Bowl three times, we've never made it to the parade - and believe me, we were missing out! There were something like 47 floats and maybe 30 other groups from marching bands to show ponies and everything in between! In our tour package, we received a parade program that had pictures and descriptions of each entrant and it was a lot of fun to read about each of the groups as they came by.
After the parade, we made our way back to the bus. The tour company provided us with boxed lunches from Panera, which were fantastic. I had a Mediterranean Veggie sandwich, Baba had the Ham and Cheese and Dad had a Turkey sandwich.
From there, our bus split up as not everyone on the tour was headed to the game.
I don't remember it being so congested getting to the stadium, but I suppose it was. We had to take a shuttle bus from our bus, and (although we skipped it on virtue of Baba's age) I heard the line was about two hours long.
Everything was going swimmingly until we hit the stadium security line. Apparently, the powers that be do not want meer spectators getting good pictures during the game and so Dad was not going to be allowed to bring his "too professional" cameras in to the game. They had a "secure tent" (yeah right) where he could leave his stuff, but of course he'd have none of that. We had finally met up with Taylor right before the game and we asked him to take Dad's stuff back to his hotel, but while he was making his way back over to us - a sympathetic gate guard who apparently didn't mind bending a few rules, let Dad sneak in behind an old lady in a wheel chair. SCORE!
Our seats were 67 rows up in the corner of the end zone, which gave us an excellent vantage point. It was hell getting up there though :) And, it's a good thing Dad had his telephoto and I had my 14x optical zoom!
I won't recap the game for you, I am sure all of you who care don't care to hear it all again - but it was a doozy. At least we fared significantly better then most of the rest of the Big Ten schools!!
After the game, we had been told to take the shuttles back and meet the bus at Beckham's Grill (owned at one point by David Beckham). Apparently there had been a break in the communication chain because this was actually not what we were supposed to do - but it's what we did. Eventually, I ended up calling our tour manager and having them come pick us up there. Thank goodness for cell phones! I think we'd still be in LA if it weren't for that!
We arrived back at the hotel in time for one last dinner in the restaurant downstairs. Baba and I split a plate of calamari with chipotle dipping sauce and all three of us had a bowl of soup as well.
After dinner, we had to repack and get ready for our flight on the 2nd.
The next morning, we got up around 6:30 and headed down for one last complimentary breakfast. The shuttle to the hotel left on the half hour - so to make our 11:35 flight to Denver, it was suggested we be on the 8:00 am shuttle. I have to say, the security at LAX wasn't nearly as much of a pain as I expected, there wasn't even a full body scanner to contend with! It did take about an hour to get through the check points, though, so it was good that we had the extra time.
Our flight from LAX to Denver went off without a hitch, but the flight from Denver to Madison was delayed about an hour and a half. This ended up being to our advantage, because yours truly forgot to arrange a wheelchair to meet us in Denver. We ended up needing that extra time! Denver is a VERY big place!
One benefit of the delayed flight was we got to follow the Packers/Bears game on my phone. I'm sure I don't have to tell you all this either - but the Packers beat the Bears 10-3 and now have a wildcard slot in the playoffs!!! It will be fun to do a repeat of last year and watch the Packers game in Hawai'i - maybe we can actually win it this time! :)
Andrew met us at the airport in Madison when our plane finally made it in at about 8:15 last night.
Thanks for following along on the trip to Pasadena. Now, I need to get ready for the next trip!!
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