Alas, all good things must come to an end, and it was time to go home. I got up early - 4 AM! - to try to do some packing before it got too hot. It didn't work. I haven't mentioned it before, but the weather was extremely hot and humid the whole time we were there. Ron and Mindy claimed that the humididty was, in fact, considerably above average. We sweated a lot.
But when I got up that morning, the first thing I noticed was that the sky was totally clear. No clouds! Which meant that I might finally have a chance of seeing Mt. Wai'ale'ale! But it was still dark, so I would have to wait a little while longer.
After we got all packed up, we went to breakfast at the Oki Diner, the same place we went for dinner on our first night. By this time, it was light, but I still couldn't see the mountain from where we were. So I drove out of town to a good vantage point, and there it was...Mt. Wai'ale'ale!
But you'll have to take my word for it. I know I took pictures of it, but I can't find them. But it was there... trust me.
Anyway, we then went to church again. After the service, I spent a little time talking to D'Lissa, the pastor's wife, and learning a couple of the songs that they sang when we were there. At the time, I was the worship leader at a church group that we were attending on Wednesday nights, and I wanted to bring back some songs from our trip.
And then we went back to the house, finished packing, and called a cab. There was a refrigerator magnet on the refrigerator (good place for it) with an 800 number for a cab company. So I called the number, but when the dispatcher appeared totally baffled by the address I was giving, I started to realize something was wrong. It turned out that I was calling a cab company in Los Angeles!
So I proceeded to call a LOCAL cab company, and we got to the airport.
The flight home was mostly uneventful, except for one thing. The guidebook advises you to sit on the right side of the plane when flying to the mainland, and I found out why.
The thing is, when you're flying to one of the islands, by the time the island comes into view, you're too low to the ground to see the whole island. So I never got a good look at either Kaua'i or Oahu from the air. And on the flight from L.A. to Honolulu, it was night, so I couldn't see any of the other islands.
But on the flight home, I got a good view of the other islands. Lana'i and Koho'olawe are smaller, and not all that impressive. I got a good look at Maui, though, and away in the distance I was able to glimpse the northeastern tip of the big island, and the peak of either Mauna Loa or Mauna Kea peeking up above the clouds.
But the best part was an absolutely KILLER view of Moloka'i! The island is roughly rectangular, and it runs almost exactly east to west, and the planes' flight path goes just north of the island for its full length, making for a spectacular viewing experience. The west end of the island is flat, but the eastern half rises in a series of knife-edged ridges, with a volcanic crater at the east end. I could see right down into the mouth of the crater. Totally awesome. I was thrilled.
And that was it. We came home and returned to our normal lives. All in all, a very enjoyable vacation. It's a small island, but there's a lot to see and do. I hope to go back and see and do more someday.