3 March 2009, 0900 hrs
I get on the plane to Honolulu in about 2 hours. A lot of people have ooohed and awwwed over this trip and and sarcastically told how tough a job a had traveling to places like Austrailia, Hawaii, Japan, and so on; but they don't get it. I have one free day in Hawai
i, then it's working 12 hour shifts the next 5 days, until we leave port. At that point, it's nothing but open ocean for 58 days. I'd say the Hawaii trip is not worth it. I work for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. We operate a 471 foot research drill ship named the JOIDES Resolution. We call it the JR for short. We go to sea for two months at a time, with a collection of scientist, technicians, engineers, rough necks, drill crew and ships crew of many different nationalities. My time has come to embark on expedition 320.
To try and keep my sanity, I decided to try to take my guitar along, maybe write some new songs, or finish up some old ones that have been on the shelf for far to long. Then I looked into the excess size baggage fees. It would coast me about $150 dollars each way, plus the cost of a hard case at around $150 to carry my guitar along for the trip. I thought of buying a new guitar in Hawaii to leave on the ship, but I am scheduled to sail on our sister research ship, the Chikyu, later in the year. I can't afford to buy a guitar for every ship, so I searched the internet for travel guitars that would qualify as carry on items. I found the Travelers Escape MKII from Traveler Guitars and picked it up at Guitar Center in Houston. As described on the
Traveler web site:
I have to say I'm pretty pleased so far, it sounds good on the headphones, and is quiet so I can play it in my stateroom with out bothering the next door neighbor. We'll have to see if it passes security and boarding requirements as advertised.
We are running a little late as normal for us, so breakfast is aborted maybe we can grab something at the airport if we hurry.
3 March 2009, 1000 hrs
We arrived at the airport, security is open but I am waiting until the last minute to go through so I can spend more time with the family. The bar and grill place isn't open yet, so no breakfast here. I am a nervous flyer so I was thinking of have a few drinks, but I'll just have to tough it out. It looks like a jet instead of the Sabe turboprop I'm used to flying from College Station to Dallas, so it should be a little smoother ride than normal. I'm still nervous and still don't want to go away for two months.
3 March 2009, 1050 hrs
It was a smooth flight up to DFW, I deplaned right next to the airport train and the train drops us right next to my departure gate for Honolulu. A couple of co-works and I stopped into a bar and grill for lunch. Our waitress, Shannon was too happy not to be on some kind of medication and while I guess she was trying to get a good tip, it kind of put me into the other direction. It's not that I'm not happy so I don't want anyone else to be happy, but maybe it is and maybe she's just too over the top. Just think of the guy in "Office Space" with all the extra flair.
3 March 2009, 1215 hrs
We boarded the plane without incident, seems like this new guitar is exactly as advertised, I was able to place it in the overhead compartment. This is plane has a 2 -3-2 seat layout and it is almost 100% full. I have an aisle seat in the middle 3 section. There is a lady two rows up , who is upset about being seated next to a toddler and is being very rude about the matter. This is an eight hour flight coming and we discover that there are no complimentary snacks of any kind other soft drinks. I end up buying a $3 cookie along with what's left of my soggy club sandwich to tide me over to Hawaii. $6 beer/liquor means I will have a hefty tab at the end of the flight, but it helps me sleep.
3 March 2009, 1700 hrs, Hawaii Time
I arrive in Hawaii, straight to baggage claim and catch a ride with co-workers to the Hotel. I am crashing on my buddy Mitch's second bed, so I don't have to pay out of pocket for my extra nights stay. I saw an Irish Pub on the way in, about a block from the hotel that looks promising. I also read about a local place called "the Hide Away" that is supposed to be anything but touristy, which is exactly what I'm looking for. We start to bump into other IODP people mostly in the hotel bar, as Crawford describes, "the gathering has begun." I want to get out of the hotel as soon as possible, and away from the high prices. I think I'll take a walkabout and see what I can see. Next to the seven eleven, is the entry way to the "Irish Rose", the pub I saw on the way in. Through the door, I take a left, then up the stairs. On the inside the Irish Rose looks a little like Fitzwilly's back in College Station. Outside it looks like a rundown flop house. Wooden bar with some brass rails, flat screen TVs with different ESPNs and other sports channels playing. It's Tuesday and its movie night. "Hot Fuzz" is playing on two TVs by the bar. The bartenders are friendly from the start, it looks like most people are regulars here. There are some military folks at the bar and some long haired old surfer type guys, a group of about twenty military contractors are taking turns buying rounds and arguing over who's turn it is. There is a lady across the bar that looks an awful lot like a man. When she speaks up, my suspicions are confirmed. Nobody seems to mind anyone else, it's a laid back afternoon. The waitress asks me if I'll call her if anyone comes to the bar, while shes goes to the back. I feel welcomed as a regular from the get go. A few pints later, I need some food and I am directed to the "Smokehouse Bar and Grill" about a block further down the road. I take the stroll as a mist of rain begins. The Smokehouse is a small place, definately a locals place. It's not a hole in the wall, but not really up scale either, just simple. I order a beer and a burger and sit at the bar. Two locals are discussing some kind of medical procedure and both think they are experts in the field. It's back and forth across the bar until one of them storms out, forgetting to pay his tab. It's a great burger, then I'm off to the hotel to bed.
4 March 2009, 0700 hrs
It hard not to wake up early, I'm still on Texas time. Mitch knows a place around the corner and offers to buy breakfast. The place is an Italian Restaurant at night, in the morning there is a lady on the sidewalk selling breads and pizza by the slice to construction workers on their way to the job. She calls inside on a cell phone to place our orders for the $4 breakfast. Two eggs, bacon or sausage, french toast and hash browns. We eat at a small table on the side walk, before heading our separate ways . Mitch to work and me to look around.
I decide my best time spent is a trip to the USS Arizona Memorial. The hotel vale, puts me on the list for a $12 shuttle to Pearl Harbor. I stop to shop for an Aloha shirt in one of the tourist shops because the shirt I'm wearing looks ridiculous with the shorts I have on. The fact that I notice this is testament to how truly bad it looks. There are racks and racks of $17 shirts. I ask about a red flowery one. She lets me know that the red flowerdy ones are quite a bit more expensive at $59. She have to explain as she points to a picture of Tom Selleck wearing a replica shirt above the rack. When we arrive at the Arizona Memorial visitors center, I am told that we cannot bring any bags into the facility due to security threats. I have to pay $3 to store my small camera bag, which is probably not even worth that much. I wonder why the camera is allowed, since it is as big as the bag and could hold explosives as well, but I dare not mention this, I know it can get you in trouble as silly as it sounds.
The visitors center holds a tiny museum, that you can go through in about 10 minutes, it also has a book store and snack shop, but it's true purpose is a place to hold you while you wait the hour for your turn to visit the memorial. When my group number is called, we all file into a movie theater for a 15 minute film on the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the history of the memorial. Then it's onto a boat to shuttle you to the memorial. It takes maybe 5 minutes to reach the site, and we are instructed to remain quite at all times and are reminded that this is a tomb. The
memorial is kind of a bridge from nowhere to nowhere that spans the wreck below. Only one round gun turret base is exposed above the water. I can see a small oil slick on the waters surface as it slowly seeps from the ship below. The mood reminds me of my first visit to the Alamo. I am awed by the sacrifice of these men and so proud to be an American.
4 March 2009, 1530 hrs
Back at the hotel, I find that we do not get ESPNU. So, I'm off to the Irish Rose again to watch the Aggie basketball game versus Colorado. The Aggies pretty much have to win the rest of their games to make it to the NCAA tournament. The waitress ate the Irish Rose tells me she sure they do have ESPNU , but isn't sure how to get it turned on one of the TVs. She embarks on a mission and after about 15 minutes of phone calls and trips to the back room, she has the game on a TV for me and even turns the volume up where I can hear it. Aggies look good for a while, then flounder, then pull the win off in the end. All is good and a cover band start at the Irish Rose.
5 March 2009, 1200 hrs
The bus is due at the Hotel to shuttle ongoing personnel to the JR. I start to feel that sick feeling in my stomach as we we wait in the lobby, the felling increases as I load my belongings into the storage at the bottom of the bus. 15 minutes later we are on the dock. 1 hour later we are still on the dock, I flash back to my military time and the hurry up and wait system. Customs has yet to release the off going crew. Some would be photographers are reprimanded by port security, on authorized photographers are allowed to take pictures due to security concerns. Those on the ship seem to be immune to this rule. A few of the crew are standing on the wrong side of a blue line and are order back across. I wish I had grabbed some lunch, the galley is closed by now and we are not even on board yet.
5 March 2009, 1330 hrs
We are allowed to board and the crossover begins. I find my room and roommate. He is a little too elderly to climb up on the top bunk, so that's where I will sleep. His job requires him to work 6am to 6 pm shift, so I will need to work 6pm to 6 am, if we want privacy. I fight to keep a positive outlook. One trip up the flight of stairs to the operations office and I am needing oxygen. It feels like this is going to be a long expedition.
i, then it's working 12 hour shifts the next 5 days, until we leave port. At that point, it's nothing but open ocean for 58 days. I'd say the Hawaii trip is not worth it. I work for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. We operate a 471 foot research drill ship named the JOIDES Resolution. We call it the JR for short. We go to sea for two months at a time, with a collection of scientist, technicians, engineers, rough necks, drill crew and ships crew of many different nationalities. My time has come to embark on expedition 320.To try and keep my sanity, I decided to try to take my guitar along, maybe write some new songs, or finish up some old ones that have been on the shelf for far to long. Then I looked into the excess size baggage fees. It would coast me about $150 dollars each way, plus the cost of a hard case at around $150 to carry my guitar along for the trip. I thought of buying a new guitar in Hawaii to leave on the ship, but I am scheduled to sail on our sister research ship, the Chikyu, later in the year. I can't afford to buy a guitar for every ship, so I searched the internet for travel guitars that would qualify as carry on items. I found the Travelers Escape MKII from Traveler Guitars and picked it up at Guitar Center in Houston. As described on the
Traveler web site:"the new MK-II also boasts a custom Element-Hybrid pickup system from none other than the industry’s leading pickup innovator, L.R. Baggs. All three models come equipped with the system which has on board electronics with a 2-band EQ, a built in headphone amplifier, and like all Travelers, the ability to be plugged directly into a traditional amplifier for live applications."
I have to say I'm pretty pleased so far, it sounds good on the headphones, and is quiet so I can play it in my stateroom with out bothering the next door neighbor. We'll have to see if it passes security and boarding requirements as advertised.
We are running a little late as normal for us, so breakfast is aborted maybe we can grab something at the airport if we hurry.
3 March 2009, 1000 hrs
We arrived at the airport, security is open but I am waiting until the last minute to go through so I can spend more time with the family. The bar and grill place isn't open yet, so no breakfast here. I am a nervous flyer so I was thinking of have a few drinks, but I'll just have to tough it out. It looks like a jet instead of the Sabe turboprop I'm used to flying from College Station to Dallas, so it should be a little smoother ride than normal. I'm still nervous and still don't want to go away for two months.
3 March 2009, 1050 hrs
It was a smooth flight up to DFW, I deplaned right next to the airport train and the train drops us right next to my departure gate for Honolulu. A couple of co-works and I stopped into a bar and grill for lunch. Our waitress, Shannon was too happy not to be on some kind of medication and while I guess she was trying to get a good tip, it kind of put me into the other direction. It's not that I'm not happy so I don't want anyone else to be happy, but maybe it is and maybe she's just too over the top. Just think of the guy in "Office Space" with all the extra flair.
3 March 2009, 1215 hrs
We boarded the plane without incident, seems like this new guitar is exactly as advertised, I was able to place it in the overhead compartment. This is plane has a 2 -3-2 seat layout and it is almost 100% full. I have an aisle seat in the middle 3 section. There is a lady two rows up , who is upset about being seated next to a toddler and is being very rude about the matter. This is an eight hour flight coming and we discover that there are no complimentary snacks of any kind other soft drinks. I end up buying a $3 cookie along with what's left of my soggy club sandwich to tide me over to Hawaii. $6 beer/liquor means I will have a hefty tab at the end of the flight, but it helps me sleep.
3 March 2009, 1700 hrs, Hawaii Time
I arrive in Hawaii, straight to baggage claim and catch a ride with co-workers to the Hotel. I am crashing on my buddy Mitch's second bed, so I don't have to pay out of pocket for my extra nights stay. I saw an Irish Pub on the way in, about a block from the hotel that looks promising. I also read about a local place called "the Hide Away" that is supposed to be anything but touristy, which is exactly what I'm looking for. We start to bump into other IODP people mostly in the hotel bar, as Crawford describes, "the gathering has begun." I want to get out of the hotel as soon as possible, and away from the high prices. I think I'll take a walkabout and see what I can see. Next to the seven eleven, is the entry way to the "Irish Rose", the pub I saw on the way in. Through the door, I take a left, then up the stairs. On the inside the Irish Rose looks a little like Fitzwilly's back in College Station. Outside it looks like a rundown flop house. Wooden bar with some brass rails, flat screen TVs with different ESPNs and other sports channels playing. It's Tuesday and its movie night. "Hot Fuzz" is playing on two TVs by the bar. The bartenders are friendly from the start, it looks like most people are regulars here. There are some military folks at the bar and some long haired old surfer type guys, a group of about twenty military contractors are taking turns buying rounds and arguing over who's turn it is. There is a lady across the bar that looks an awful lot like a man. When she speaks up, my suspicions are confirmed. Nobody seems to mind anyone else, it's a laid back afternoon. The waitress asks me if I'll call her if anyone comes to the bar, while shes goes to the back. I feel welcomed as a regular from the get go. A few pints later, I need some food and I am directed to the "Smokehouse Bar and Grill" about a block further down the road. I take the stroll as a mist of rain begins. The Smokehouse is a small place, definately a locals place. It's not a hole in the wall, but not really up scale either, just simple. I order a beer and a burger and sit at the bar. Two locals are discussing some kind of medical procedure and both think they are experts in the field. It's back and forth across the bar until one of them storms out, forgetting to pay his tab. It's a great burger, then I'm off to the hotel to bed.
4 March 2009, 0700 hrs
It hard not to wake up early, I'm still on Texas time. Mitch knows a place around the corner and offers to buy breakfast. The place is an Italian Restaurant at night, in the morning there is a lady on the sidewalk selling breads and pizza by the slice to construction workers on their way to the job. She calls inside on a cell phone to place our orders for the $4 breakfast. Two eggs, bacon or sausage, french toast and hash browns. We eat at a small table on the side walk, before heading our separate ways . Mitch to work and me to look around.
I decide my best time spent is a trip to the USS Arizona Memorial. The hotel vale, puts me on the list for a $12 shuttle to Pearl Harbor. I stop to shop for an Aloha shirt in one of the tourist shops because the shirt I'm wearing looks ridiculous with the shorts I have on. The fact that I notice this is testament to how truly bad it looks. There are racks and racks of $17 shirts. I ask about a red flowery one. She lets me know that the red flowerdy ones are quite a bit more expensive at $59. She have to explain as she points to a picture of Tom Selleck wearing a replica shirt above the rack. When we arrive at the Arizona Memorial visitors center, I am told that we cannot bring any bags into the facility due to security threats. I have to pay $3 to store my small camera bag, which is probably not even worth that much. I wonder why the camera is allowed, since it is as big as the bag and could hold explosives as well, but I dare not mention this, I know it can get you in trouble as silly as it sounds.
The visitors center holds a tiny museum, that you can go through in about 10 minutes, it also has a book store and snack shop, but it's true purpose is a place to hold you while you wait the hour for your turn to visit the memorial. When my group number is called, we all file into a movie theater for a 15 minute film on the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the history of the memorial. Then it's onto a boat to shuttle you to the memorial. It takes maybe 5 minutes to reach the site, and we are instructed to remain quite at all times and are reminded that this is a tomb. The
memorial is kind of a bridge from nowhere to nowhere that spans the wreck below. Only one round gun turret base is exposed above the water. I can see a small oil slick on the waters surface as it slowly seeps from the ship below. The mood reminds me of my first visit to the Alamo. I am awed by the sacrifice of these men and so proud to be an American.4 March 2009, 1530 hrs
Back at the hotel, I find that we do not get ESPNU. So, I'm off to the Irish Rose again to watch the Aggie basketball game versus Colorado. The Aggies pretty much have to win the rest of their games to make it to the NCAA tournament. The waitress ate the Irish Rose tells me she sure they do have ESPNU , but isn't sure how to get it turned on one of the TVs. She embarks on a mission and after about 15 minutes of phone calls and trips to the back room, she has the game on a TV for me and even turns the volume up where I can hear it. Aggies look good for a while, then flounder, then pull the win off in the end. All is good and a cover band start at the Irish Rose.
5 March 2009, 1200 hrs
The bus is due at the Hotel to shuttle ongoing personnel to the JR. I start to feel that sick feeling in my stomach as we we wait in the lobby, the felling increases as I load my belongings into the storage at the bottom of the bus. 15 minutes later we are on the dock. 1 hour later we are still on the dock, I flash back to my military time and the hurry up and wait system. Customs has yet to release the off going crew. Some would be photographers are reprimanded by port security, on authorized photographers are allowed to take pictures due to security concerns. Those on the ship seem to be immune to this rule. A few of the crew are standing on the wrong side of a blue line and are order back across. I wish I had grabbed some lunch, the galley is closed by now and we are not even on board yet.
5 March 2009, 1330 hrs
We are allowed to board and the crossover begins. I find my room and roommate. He is a little too elderly to climb up on the top bunk, so that's where I will sleep. His job requires him to work 6am to 6 pm shift, so I will need to work 6pm to 6 am, if we want privacy. I fight to keep a positive outlook. One trip up the flight of stairs to the operations office and I am needing oxygen. It feels like this is going to be a long expedition.
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