Boston - Hawaii and Back – the Easy Way

Author Message   Earl Senior Member Username: Myramstein Post Number: 706 Registered: 11-2007 Posted From: 108.114.189.208 Posted on Friday, March 19, 2010 - 12:12 am:    Great info Jim. Thanks   Jim H Member Username: Jhunt66 Post Number: 16 Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 66.31.169.240 Posted on Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 08:29 pm:    Lester - see https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Hawaii/About/VisitingPearlHarbor/TouristAttractions/in dex.htm Lockwood Hall is a traditional BOQ - but will take E-7/8/9 when referred by Arizona Hall main desk. Recently totally remodelled with really fine fixtures and very comfortable. $50/night with large NEX Mini-Mart right next door. Hickam is a dump by comparison. At Lockwood, it's not hard to imagine seeing John Wayne and Adm Halsey in the lobby. Very "art deco" -- at least that what the wife says.   Lester Green Advanced Member Username: Rtgreen5 Post Number: 280 Registered: 03-2007 Posted From: 69.143.222.224 Posted on Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 01:45 am:    Jim:You and your wife must be made out of iron. I know the distances well that you travelled as I live in the DC area and travel to Cape Cod in the summer.With the snow storm in your face and all of the false starts during the beginning of your trip, I think I would have put Hawaii on the backburner. But you got there doing your own thing and by being flexible; and things worked out for you after taking a tour of the East coast. Can you describe the rooms at Lockwood Hall and what they cost? I have never heard of this facility, and after being denied rooms at Hickam, this might be a good alternative the next time we travel to Hawaii. Thanks for your report and I hope that the recent rain storm in the Boston area did not cut off your power.   John R Garrison Senior Member Username: Majorg Post Number: 2449 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 208.81.157.86 Posted on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 01:05 pm:    Jim: Great report. Love your tenacity! Thanks for taking the time to write it up and to share it with us. Happy travels, John   Chaplaingil Member Username: Chaplaingil Post Number: 22 Registered: 08-2009 Posted From: 206.39.250.30 Posted on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 12:06 pm:    Jim, Sounds like you can "Spin-a-yarn" with the best of em' so that B-52 driver must be really good. Just remember the Worst day at sea is better than the best day on shore V/R and Blessings, Chaps   Carole G Member Username: Greengal Post Number: 25 Registered: 01-2010 Posted From: 209.164.190.31 Posted on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 06:34 am:    Jim, Loved that trip report. Yes, we all love space a. Many more happy travels   Jack Wanless Senior Member Username: Jack646 Post Number: 1714 Registered: 02-2007 Posted From: 99.194.219.236 Posted on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 06:31 am:    Jim, "Facetious" must be the word of the day. If that was the 'Easy Way' to Hawaii, I'd hate to see what you consider to be the 'Hard Way'.. I would probably have given up around day 7 and gone back home.. Sounds like you were flexible and did make the best of a bad situation though..   Jim H Member Username: Jhunt66 Post Number: 15 Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 66.31.169.240 Posted on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 02:27 am:    Boston - Hawaii and Back – the Easy Way. Day 1, left Boston by car to Westover ARB to catch the daily C-5 to Dover, with grand scheme to hop to Travis and eventually to Hickam. Except the C-5 to Dover was cancelled for a month or more as all aircraft were diverted to McGuire for Haiti relief duty. So continued by car to Willow Grove only to find all booked up. So on to McGuire, but nothing going west for several days. Spent nite in AF Inn, up early on Day 2 for drive to Dover, only to miss the last Travis flight by ten minutes; next one in about 48 hours. Camped out in “Eagles Rest” inn (very nice!), up early on Day 4 to catch one of two scheduled C-5’s to Travis. Called the terminal to confirm show times and young airman says “have you looked out the window?” --- raging snowstorm canceled everything. Bit the bullet, laughed at the blizzard and set out once again by car for Norfolk to try to catch late PM flight to Jacksonville, thinking maybe Navy system would be kinder to these old bones. Drove out of snow OK, but JAX flight cancelled as we were about to board. Spent two days touring some old stomping grounds (Granby Street NOT being one of them!) and decided to drive back up to Andrews, as they had a scheduled Travis flight on Day 6, and the blizzard had blown out to sea. Andrews PAX crew were great – said they would call us on cell if anything changed so we could grab a few winks in the car – and indeed they did! Free long-term parking within a block of the terminal and C-17 went right on time – in fact they had a VIP seat kit on board and thanking the Space-A Gods, we settled in for 6 hour luxury trip to Travis. Except that just before takeoff, the Loadmaster mentions that we have to stop in Charleston to offload the seats – seems they had just finished a VIP mission (flag officer inspection tour of some very sandy far-off place) and the seats had to be returned. Good while it lasted! In and out of CHASN with no problems, nice flight to Travis with air mattress and blankets for sleeping. Travis in late February is not exactly warm (but no snow) – also no flights to Hickam for another 24 hours. So off to Westwind Inn (another $39/day bargain). Day 7’s C-17 flight took 3 PAX total – and day after that a grand total of 10 seats, all CAT III. About 30 CAT VI’s retreated back to the Inn, some making plans to take advantage of Hawaiian Air’s month-end good-deal airfare of $144 one way to HNL. Terminal posted a 48-hour void on westbound flights, so we rented from Enterprise at BX and toured Napa Valley, statehouse in Sacramento and Ghirardelli Sq in SF. Went with a couple we had met along the way and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Three day mini-vacation – great! Day 11 had two C-17’s to Travis, with first roll-call sched for 0740, which actually was called at 0530 – talk about a shock when we walked in at 0600 only to find roll-call closed! That flight left with a dozen empty seats, including ours. We sat around till late PM for second C-17, which took all who were left. Arriving mid-afternoon on Day 12, we were more than ready for some sun and a Mai-Tai or two or three. Lodging at Lockwood Hall at Subase Pearl Harbor took us in and it was like being back in the early-70’s – deja vu all over again. Got up at dawn on Day 12 to watch two fast-attack boats get underway – almost wishing I could go with them . Days 12-19 were spent doing what all old soldiers/sailors do in Hawaii – ‘nuff said. Lots of pride in the new generation, lots of memories of the one just past. Destroyers at Bravo Pier don’t look the same, but sailors are sailors, after all. Day 20 up early and off to Hickam to compete for a mid-day C-17 flight to McGuire. Only 8 PAX wanted to go and we delighted in our good fortune. Spread out the air mattress and was just dozing off when the Loadmaster announced an engine problem that requires a return to Hickam with unknown ETR. Suspecting that the McGuire-based crew would parlay the “mechanical” for an extra day or two in paradise (shocked at the thought!), we opted for a later flight to CHASN which went with 10 pallets of cargo and all 53 seats occupied – no room to sleep, but still beats a 10 hour commercial flight in an aluminum tube with no leg-room and “complimentary” peanuts. Give me a flight-kitchen $4.25 box lunch anytime. Mid-day arrival in CHASN only to find a sched late pm flight to Dover which is close enough to Andrews where the car awaits. Another C-17 with grand total of 16 PAX. Back at Eagle’s Rest in Dover for the night (don’cha love those $39/night Air Force Inns?). As we’re checking in, an ex-B-52 pilot says he’s heading to Andrews in the morning on his way home to North Carolina and he’d be happy to drop us off on his way. So after a good night’s sleep, off we go on Day 21, swapping Navy vs. Air Force tales (lies) all the way. Wife says that she thinks the B-52 stories top the destroyer sea-stories any day. I am forced to agree. We find the car at Andrews where we left it 3 weeks ago and prepare for the most dangerous and unpredictable part of the entire trip – Washington DC beltway to Boston on I-95! Gotta love Space-A – the only way to travel!