Day trip from Boise- Hells Canyon and Dam , and Owyhee Reservoir

"Hells Canyon, North America's deepest rover gorge, encompasses a vastly remote region with dramatic changes in elevation, terrain, climate and vegetation. Carved by the great Snake River, Hells Canyon plunges more than a mile below Oregon's west rim, and 8000 feet below He Devil Peak of Idaho's Seven Devil Mountains. There are no roads across Hells Canyon's 10-mile wiade expanse, and only three roads that lead to the Snake River between Hells Canyon Dam and the Oregon-Washington boundary." (Copied from an informational sign at the Hells Canon Visitors Center) After what seemed to be the winter that would never end, then the Spring where it only rained on weekeneds, the weather gods finally smiled down upon us. We were just ITCHING for a nice road trip where we could drive for a few hours, get out in nature and enjoy each others company. We LOVE the wonderful spots all around Idaho, but wanted to try something new. We decided on Hells Canyon (more specifically the Dam and Reservoir), about 3 1/2 hours away from Boise. We heard the drive was spectacular, and everything we read said the same. The first 3 hours were pretty uneventful. We drove through Emmett, Fruitland, Weiser...getting further and further away from Boise, and into the small towns dotted along the snake river, straddling the Idaho-Oregon border. One of our favorite drives from Boise is up to Idaho City, through the Boise National Forest and the Ponderosa Scenic Byway. As we were driving...and driving...and driving I was starting to get worried. There was nothing here that was different or better than our beloved Idaho City. I couldnt really understand what all the fuss was about. Yeah, it's pretty...but 3 1/2 hours for this?? I was frustrated. Then about 20 miles from our destination we took a different road and headed into the Canyon. Everything changed! It was absolutely breathtaking. 

The roads are well paved, but VERY winding. You cannot drive too fast because of all the sharp turns. The hillsides gave way to tall cliffs and mountains, and the little winding road cutting through the gorge along the fast running snake river kept impelling us forward. Every corner brought new scenery and a new "pull over I need to take a picture" moment. We drove down to the Dam and then over to the visitors center. From what we could see there was a little hiking you could do . We saw people fishing and there were even scenic chartered boat trips.

We drove the sharp and winding roads down to the Visitors Center.

The canyon and gorge are really very striking with the coniferous trees and dark rock canyon.

You can hike, boat, fish and jetski in the recreation area.

Us at the Visitors Center. There is a boat trip going on behind us. (you can see the boat right on top of hubby head)

The Dam.

All said and done it was a great little trip. From Boise it does take 3.5 hours drive time to get to the visitors center. We thought if we did it again we would make it a weekend trip because there is a lot to do and see. Maybe get a hotel room or an air B&B an hour away then drive in.  It really is kind of a long drive just for scenery.  

But I will say it is VERY dry and can get quite hot down in the canyon.  Make sure you have good footwear, plenty of gas in your car and bring sunscreen and water!!!

Looking or more information on Hells Canyon?

HERE

SCOTLAND....Im coming for you!!

 

This is the year of Over the Hill.  The big one.  FIVE-OH.  THE BIG 5-0.  (Not me, Im still the trophy wife.  Of course, I am talking about Dear Hubby. He is the one dipping his big toe into the old pool.)

A few years ago I asked him "If you could travel anywhere for your 50th birthday, what would you say?   Dont worry about cost, or what you think I would like, this is YOUR trip.  Where would you like to go for the big 5-0?"

He thought about it for a little bit, had a few ideas but ultimately decided that he wanted to go on a tour of Scotland.  

SO I did what every good trip planner does- I went on Amazon and bought Rick Steves Scotland book and Map!    

I read blogs. 

I bought a notebook to keep all my ideas, scribbles and notes in.

 I have been  following every Scottish hasthag on Instagram, reading every Scottish itinerary, getting ideas from  friends and family who have been to Scotland etc etc etc. 

I have a notebook full of ideas and lists, revised and revised again itineraries. 

I spent months looking for airline tickets (daily!!), and figuring out multiple itineraries, based on which airport we will be flying into.   

We fly out of a home airport that isnt a major hub, so tickets can tend to be pricey, which is why when I found a great price, I jumped!

Now that tickets are booked, it is time to really get to the nitty gritty, and the heart of it all...THE ITINERARY!

 I started with a rough itinerary. The major cities we were seeing, and the 3 areas we were using as our "home base".  I mapped out every day with one of the cities we will be sleeping in.  I have  lists of our "MUST DO/ABSOLUTELY CANNOT MISS", a list of our "WOULD REALLY LIKE TO DO/TRY HARD TO GET TO IT",  and a "WOULD BE NICE,/BUT WONT HURT MY FEELINGS IF WE DONT GET TO IT".  

 

So now that I have a starting point, and I know where we will be sleeping every night, I start filling in our days with MUST DO's, then add  WOULD REALLY LIKE TO's, and then  WONT HURT MY FEELINGS.  That way once we get done with a MUST, and we have the time and energy, we can choose  something from our alternate lists.

To bus and Train, or to rent a car?? That is the question.

Although the bus and train system in Scotland is reputed to be wonderful,  we have decided to rent a car to make sure we can hit all those wonderful little towns that tend to be off the beaten path. 

With all the things that I wanted to be able to do, I didnt want to be beholden to a bus or train schedule, and I had read that in some of those smaller off the beaten trail towns, the busses may only run once or twice a day, leaving us a LOT of waiting time.  Plus with a car you have the freedom to go and see more.  And as it turns out,  10 days with a car is cheaper than buying 2 Scotland rail passes! 

I have already booked the tickets, I have booked the car, and I have gone in and booked the hotel rooms in our 3 major home base of operations (with the intention of looking around more and re-booking if needed). Really, the hardest part is done, now it is just finalizing our various lists and figuring out what we can realistically see and do.

I continue to look at blogs and recommendations, scour trip advisor  and have broken out the hiking boots to get them broken in and ready for an adventure.

Now we wait....impatiently.

THE BEST 20 BUCKS I HAVE SPENT IN A VERY LONG TIME!!

 It is no secret that I love animals.  I love them so much I have a whole house full of them.

2 cats; one old shorthaired guy who sheds like Pigpen from Peanuts, and one long haired gal who sheds really heavy twice a year.

2 dogs; 1 old cockapoo with the wavy no-shed coat, and 1 little sassy Sheltie who throws hair and sheds undercoat like it is her job.

2 Ball pythons. a biggie 8year old female Fancy ball and a 7 year old Ghost male. thank goodness they dont have hair and only shed about every 4-6 weeks-they are an easy clean up.

It really doesnt help that we live in a high desert area with lots of dust and wind and tumbleweed, my house was in constant state of fur and dust bunnies.  I sweep and vacuum regularly, but I noticed my stair and carpeted areas and rugs were getting ratty, worn down and dull.  I thought my vacuum was doing an OK job, but then I was up late one night scrolling through IG and saw an ad for a tool called UPROOT!

my stairs and rugs are like brand new!! There was so much hair trapped  that it was weighing them down and making them look old and worn out.  There was SO MUCH HAIR I was embarrassed!  

My son uses it on his bed spread, I have used it on carpets, rugs, upholstered chairs and more.  Depending on the angle you position the tool it can be used on clothing too! It doesnt damage the fibers either!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT

Now I use it once a week  and keep everything looking shiny and new!  And I truly believe it has cut down on the pet hair sniffles and allergies!

This is a product I use regularly and I LOVE!!

Im not saying your life will change if you get this product,,,,but your life will change!

*as an amazon affiliate I may receive a small commission from any purchases you make through links on my blog. 

2022 Oahu Adventure DAY 5 and 6...and then home

 The next 2 days of our trip was super jam packed FULL and crazy!   These were the days I REALLY was excited about.  Ever since I was a kid I dreamed of going to the POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER!!! (PCC) . We deliberately scheduled the tickets for one of our final days because we knew we wanted to go out with a bang!

The PCC is a living cultural exhibit and encompasses 6 simulated tropical villages.  Performers in each village demonstrate traditional songs, dancing, games, food and more. Hands on participation is a must!! 80% of the PCC employees are students at BYU-Hawaii, and their work pays for their college education. The Islands in PCC are Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, and New Zealand. They have a special Rapa Nui exhibit as well. 

We started our day fairly early, and went to breakfast (back again to Sweet E's...yes they were that good), then took the 45 minute trek up to Laie.

We started at the Laie Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  The beautiful grounds and visitors center are open to the public, and it was such a peaceful and amazing place! There are missionaries there to answer any questions etc.  Built in 1919, this temple is a sacred place for the LDS population , not only in Hawaii, but around the world. It is definitely a reverent atmosphere and the sheer beauty does cause quiet contemplation.

We stopped in at the visitors center for a quick look around and learned the amazing history of this area. 

STORYTIME:  When I was little I was in the Brownies.  One year each troop had to pick an area and at the large "jamboree" type thing, present a cultural display. Our troop was assigned Polynesia.  My mom, having lived in Hawaii years ago, taught our troop a song and dance called the Hukilau.(a fishing song)  We dressed up in Crepe paper hula skirts, put flowers behind our ears and wore leis and danced the Hukilau in front of all the other brownie troops in the region.  To this day almost 40 years later I STILL remember the song and dance. It is a core memory for sure.

How is this relevant?

In the visitors center we watched a little movie about the influence of the church in Laie, and how the people came together for a church building and temple.  In 1940, the LDS church building of the congregation in Laie, burned to the ground.  At that time the members would be responsible for raising half of the money required to build a new building , which seemed a monumentally impossible task for the small fishing village of Laie. a good 45 minutes from Honolulu, this little city saw few visitors, and the good people of Laie just didnt know where they were going to get the 60,000 to put forth as their half. so in the late 40's, after World War II, the members of the congregation and city came together to help rebuild their church.  They  had a luau and started spreading the word. Over 1000 people came to the first luau. This became a monthly event that happened and was catered to tourists. Dancers and ukelele players would stand along the roads to let people know something was going on. 

They then came up with a great idea.  Have the tourists come down to the beach and pay to join in a Hukilau (fishing net pull).  The big nets would be swaying in the waters, full of fish, and the tourists would pay  ( I think it was 5$) to help pull the nets in!  Not only were the saints getting paid they were also having mainlanders do their heavy lifting!!  The Children of Laie would sell coconuts or dive for lobsters to help with the efforts.  

Then in 1948, popular songwriter Jack Owens visited the event and wanted to get in and help the cause. He wrote the popular Hukilau song and released it.  It was a success on the mainland and has been recorded by several notable artists since.  There was a dance made up to go along with the song as well....Long story short the saints in Laie were able to raise all the funds and more, so by the time their new building was constructed it was completely paid off. !  Talk about Divine providence.

Now...fast forward to the early 80s and my mother teaching our troop this song and dance.  She had no idea where it had come from, just that it was popular all over the island and the luaus etc.

So that was a fun little connection for me.

Next we head over to the PCC and had a reservation for lunch at POUNDERS.  This restaurant is on the grounds of PCC and (from their FB page) "Pounders restaurant is a Chef driven made from scratch restaurant on Oahu’s North Shore in the town of Laie. We are located at the entrance to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We feature the very finest in fresh, island-style dining. Our menu features Big Island Beef, local farm fresh produce, and fresh fish purchased daily. We also offer a wide variety of bakery items including: lilikoi and guava rolls, monster brownies, haupia bars, cookies, and a variety of cream pies and fresh cheesecakes all made fresh daily."

The current executive Chef of Pounders is none other than Graham Elliot, and if you are a huge Masterchef nerd like me, then you know that you definitely want to eat here!!

Can I just say I had the chef special, which was a sliced steak with fresh poke.  Seriously the best poke I have ever had IN MY LIFE!!!  Worth every stinking penny.  And that side salad with the passionfruit dressing (DROOL).  Dont have time for a meal?? Stop by their bakery and get one of their special GIANT brownies or cookies.

The PCC is open Mon, Tue, Thurs, Fri and Sat 1245-9pm.  You can get there early and shop in their Hukilau marketplace, they will happily take your money!  

Welcome to the PCC.  This statue is the first thing you see through the doors. It talks about Hamana Kailili, the grandfather of the Shaka.

Dont stop right now to take a picture when it first opens, everyone will be crowded around it and you wont get a good photo. Wait until you come back out.

Despite being there all day we only saw about 3 of the villages in depth and blew through the other 3.  We splurged on our tickets went to the Royal Luau that night as well and finished off with HA: Breath of Life Fire show.

The Luau was very well organized and included music and dancing. You get a pina colada smoothie and flower lei too!!

After the Luau we went over the the outdoor theater where HA was being performed. There was no photography allowed, but it was amazing!!  It follows the story of a young man and woman and it follows them throughout their courtship and birth of their son. Their son grows up and it is his journey throughout life as told through the various Polynesian cultures and song and dance.  The last 20 minutes is one of the most exciting and breathtaking things I have ever seen. 

NEXT DAY:

Back up to Laie.  Finn FINALLY got his Spam Musubi .  Thats all he talked about the entire trip.  It was the ONE THING he wanted. He finally found some at a little place called L&L Hawaiian Barbecue.  He was a happy boy. 

We head back over to the PCC. The great thing about the PCC is that the tickets are now good to revisit within 3 days of initial visit! We were able to go back and hit some of the presentations we missed the first go round, and revisit a favorite (New Zealand), play games, take a ride through the lagoon, take a ukelele lesson and more. It was a jam packed day. Finn also finally got to take this photo...because he is Finn.

At the end of the day we head up to North Shore and went to a restaurant on the beach called The Beach House to finish our trip with a fabulous meal and watched a sunset from our table.

We head back to the BnB ,cleaned, and then packed up for an early departure the next morning.

Again we used Aloha Shuttle for return to the airport.

Aloha means hello, goodbye and love.  This aloha was goodbye, but we know we will be saying aloha(hello) again !!

And always aloha (love) for the amazing trip we were able to have.

2022 Oahu Adventure DAY 4

 Today we kind of took it easy.  After the breakneck pace of Day 3 we wanted to just kind of take it easy, since we knew the next 2 days were going to be intense.

Today we went to the ALOHA STADIUM SWAPMEET & MARKETPLACE

 Every  Wednesday and Saturday from 8a,-3pm 

Every Sunday  from 630am-3pm

From their website:  Since 1979, the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet has become Hawaii’s premier outdoor market, featuring over 400 vendors, crafters, artists from all over the world, a true melting pot of Aloha.

At the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet & Marketplace, you can find discounts on a wide selection of high quality products from clothing, accessories, Hawaiian souvenirs, pre-packaged ethnic foods, fine jewelry and vintage antiques. Beautifully handcrafts products and exclusive art pieces are made and sold by the artist themselves, which truly make great gifts for yourself or that special someone.

Cost of Admission: 1$ per person

We head over to Aloha Stadium , ready to spend some money!!  I had a list of things I was looking for and Finn had it in his head he wanted some kind of tiki or totem mask (carved). We knew we had to get our Aloha Shirts and maybe see what else they had.

We made the mistake of thinking there would be more shade available than what there actually was, so I wasnt super vigilant about applying my sunscreen like I should have.   The tops of my feet are no longer speaking to me. 

We were able to get our aloha shirts, I  got some delicious fresh fruit and Finn FINALLY got his dragon mask.

After a few hours at the swap meet we had one of my favorite lunches of the trip in downtown Honolulu in Chinatown.

We went to a place called LAMS KITCHEN.    These next 2 photos are not mine, they are from trip advisor and other online sources.

It was so authentic (and not to worry, it even had pictures for us mainlanders who didnt really know what they were doing.)  But if you are looking for Generals Chicken and Sweet and Sour pork and other such "chinese food"...you will find NONE of that here.  This is the real deal and it was AMAZING!  The lady helping us was SO NICE!!  She knew we were fish out of water and kind of guided us in the right direction.   The restaurant was crowded and full of mostly locals, but I think they appreciated us trying new things and enjoying their hospitality and their freaking delicious food. I also think that they enjoyed us ordering whatever they told us to order.  Shumai?? bring it on. I should get beef with that? OK.  I need to add this on too?  Whatever you think.  Even with all the add ons and stuff it was STILL one of the cheapest meals in Hawaii. And it was wonderful!  If you have a chance, check it out, you wont be disappointed. And dont be scared to try new things, you will be glad you did.  

After lunch we decided to head down to Waikiki.  I am sorry if you love Waikiki, but I hate it.  It is SO CROWDED and just such a tourist spot.  It is like the Myrtle Beach of Oahu.  Seriously.  It is where most of the beach hotels are, the traffic is horrendous and it is so commercialized. The cost of everything is sky high in Waikiki.  I think it is the most famous because people know it from Hawaii 5-0 and Magnum PI and other "a very special Hawaii episode" from every sitcom ever made.  It is NOT the real Hawaii, and if thats all you do on your vacation then you are truly missing out. 

We went to the aquarium to kind of finish off the afternoon. The aquarium in Waikiki has an interesting history.  It has been there since 1904 and is nestled in right at the base of Diamondhead Crater.  It is the second oldest public aquarium in the United states.  Back then it was known as the Honolulu Aquarium. It was build partly as a way to get people to ride the newly built trolley line all the way to the end in Kapi'olani park.

The aquarium is small...dont expect to spend more than an hour here to be honest.  But that being said, a lot of the exhibits were closed due to their fairly restrictive Covid mandates.  They do however, take good care of their animals and what they did have available was cool.  It was 12$ per adult admission.

After a full day of sun and walking I was beat!  When we got back to the BnB it was dinner time.  I ended up staying home as I think I had gotten just a little too much sun.  Charles and Finn went out for hamburgers .

We went to bed fairly early because the next day was a LONG and jam packed day.

2022 Oahu Adventure Day 3

 Today was kind of an awesome day...probably one of my favorite days of the entire vacation.  It was jam packed from early morning to late evening.  It included everything from favorite foodie finds, the famous food trucks of the North shore, a gorgeous buddhist temple and some wild time at the beach!

We started out fairly early, and drove over to Kailua.  Our first stop was a restaurant called CINNAMONS . (Make sure you get there early, because they get CROWDED!!)

 I had read about their world famous Guava Chiffon pancakes, and they were features on numerous lists for "must try".   I will also put in my recommendation that if you are in Oahu and are looking for something that will knock your socks off, then the Guava Chiffon pancakes at Cinnamons are a MUST MUST MUST!!  When I say that these were some of the best pancakes I have EVER eaten, I am not joking.  The pancakes themselves were a fluffy buttermilk , and they were soft,  smooth an velvety.  The guava syrup was sweet and tangy and mellow yet intense...all at the same time. Like, how is this even possible?  I am not a huge fan of guava in general, but honestly I could  eat these all day every day for the rest of my life and be happy.

Hubby got the Red velvet pancakes, which were dense and moist like a real cake and they send out a sweetened condensed milk/powdered sugar type "syrup", which soaks up into the food and almost makes it a better than sex cake consistency.  but you need a BIG glass of milk for these bad boys.  PRO TIP:  ask for extra topping.  take home and eat leftovers as dessert. You're welcome.

After we stuffed ourselves silly at Cinnamons, we drover to Kanehoe and went to one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen.

BYODO-IN temple.  (taken from their site): "The Byodo-In Temple is located at the foot of the Ko'olau Mountains in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. It was established on June 7, 1968, to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. The Byodo-In Temple in O'ahu is a smaller-scale replica of the over 950-year-old Byodo-in Temple, a United Nations World Heritage Site in Uji, Japan.The Byodo-In Temple is a non-practicing Buddhist temple which welcomes people of all faiths to worship, meditate or simply appreciate its beauty."

From Go Hawaii.com " The deep drone of the sacred bell (bon-sho) fills the tranquil temple grounds, as it is customary for visitors to ring the bell before entering the temple for happiness and longevity. To sound the five-foot, three-ton brass bell, you must pull and release a wooden log called a shu-moku. Inside the Byodo-in sits an 18-foot gold leaf-covered Buddha where visitors are welcomed to light incense and offer a prayer. Outside, peacocks and black swans roam the garden grounds and turtles lounge beside the pond. The temple’s pond is also filled with koi, a Japanese decorative fish that is a symbol of love and friendship."

The cost for admission is 5$ a person. You can also buy containers of pellets for the koi fish for 2$ each.   (The little birds also like the pellets and will sit in your hand while you feed them.  The black swan they have in one of the ponds is kind of cranky, so I would avoid him..)

All in all we spent about 90 minutes at Byodo-In, just walking around the grounds, feeding the birds and fish, ringing the bell and taking photos.   This is one of the stops on  lot of the bus tours/senior trips etc,  but they didnt seem to spend very long, and it never felt too crowded. 

After Byodo-In, we continued our drive around the Island on the Kamehameha Highway, and hit a bunch of the little beach stops and beach parks on our way to the North Shore.

Once we hit the North Shore we found the FOOD TRUCKS!!!  One of the most famous is Giovannis Shrimp Truck.  There was a wait. It is Cash only. It is messy.  But were those Garlic shrimp worth it?? Yep.   I could have kept vampires at bay the rest of the day!

After a delicious lunch, we went to WAIMEA BAY BEACH PARK

Waimea bay is famous for the largest surfing waves in the North Shore. And I mean LARGEST!!

This is not my picture, It was taken from worldbeachguide.com  

Unfortunately I had forgotten to bring my phone with me on the beach and I was too lazy to hike all the way back to the parking lot to go get it. I wish I had though, this was one of the funnest beach days I have ever had.

The day we were there the waves were BIG and powerful. The current was crazy strong. It was so intense, and we spent the afternoon playing in the water and trying to body surf  with these waves just HAMMERING us . We found sand in places we didnt know we could get sand.  In face I am STILL finding sand a month later LOL.

Those lifeguards dont play though, and they are BRUTALLY funny about some of the people in the water and taking selfies and putting themselves in danger for the insta.  

After a glorious day in Waimea,  we ended our day in  Haleiwa, a quaint and historic old North Shore surf town with lots of great little shops and of course the famous  Matsumoto Save Ice!! I had Strawberry/Pineapple/Coconut with vanilla ice cream.  Charles chose Strawberry/Lemonade/Guava with vanilla ice cream and Finn went ALL OUT with  White Cake/Coconut Cream with vanilla ice cream AND sweetened condensed milk.  We sat outside at a picnic table, enjoying the warm air and gentle breeze, eating our "dinner" before making the trek back into Honolulu. 

Seriously one of the most perfect vacation days in my life.