There was a $61.00 flight special to any island with Island Air. I've always said I wouldn't fly in a small airplane again, but as they say... "Never say never again." The price was too good to pass up.
We'd always said we needed to take Mom back to Molokai to see where she lived for the first six years of her life while her father ministered to the victims of Hansen's Disease at Kalaupapa. This was a good opportunity so we scheduled it for November.
In order to get to the Kalaupapa peninsula you have to either fly in another small airplane, hike or ride a mule down. When I called and asked about the mule ride, they said it would be difficult for an 80 year old woman. Art says he would prefer hiking (no matter how brutal or poopy) because you can't easily take a photo from a bouncing mule. My brother, Dennis will come with us and he'll fly in with Mom on that teeny 9 passenger airplane.
I rode a donkey in Egypt. It was only 45 minutes, but it was the longest 45 minutes I've ever had.
It was OK when I first got on and he wasn't moving.
Unfortunately, once he did start moving, I was bouncing all over the place. I named him Lefty because he kept insisting on swerving to the left onto traffic.
One donkey even galloped off with one of the members of our Intrepid Tour group.
The mule ride down into Kalaupapa is an hour and a half. That's twice as long as getting to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt!
But then there's the ride back up! However, maybe a mule is more comfortable than a donkey?
Art says I need to do it because...
you guessed it! It's something to blog about.
It really is amazing what I'll do for a blog post!
Heeeey.... I still have those padded bike shorts from that biking trip to the Netherlands. Would it help with the mule??
We'd always said we needed to take Mom back to Molokai to see where she lived for the first six years of her life while her father ministered to the victims of Hansen's Disease at Kalaupapa. This was a good opportunity so we scheduled it for November.
In order to get to the Kalaupapa peninsula you have to either fly in another small airplane, hike or ride a mule down. When I called and asked about the mule ride, they said it would be difficult for an 80 year old woman. Art says he would prefer hiking (no matter how brutal or poopy) because you can't easily take a photo from a bouncing mule. My brother, Dennis will come with us and he'll fly in with Mom on that teeny 9 passenger airplane.
I rode a donkey in Egypt. It was only 45 minutes, but it was the longest 45 minutes I've ever had.
It was OK when I first got on and he wasn't moving.
One donkey even galloped off with one of the members of our Intrepid Tour group.
The mule ride down into Kalaupapa is an hour and a half. That's twice as long as getting to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt!
But then there's the ride back up! However, maybe a mule is more comfortable than a donkey?
Art says I need to do it because...
you guessed it! It's something to blog about.
It really is amazing what I'll do for a blog post!
Heeeey.... I still have those padded bike shorts from that biking trip to the Netherlands. Would it help with the mule??
It is all astounding and not one mode of transportation is acceptable as far as I'm concerned. Your tombstone will read "She did it for her blog".
ReplyDeleteToo funny!
Deleteall I know is the mule is higher than the donkey so hold on you brave woman, hold on!!!
ReplyDeleteMule is taller than a donkey and also runs faster..so u might not face the same problems you faced while riding a donkey for sure..
ReplyDeleteThe donkey ride was 45 minutes in Egypt. (We rode a bus back.) The mule ride at Kalaupapa is 1.5 hours one way and we have to ride down and up the valley. Sigh. The mule being faster won't help I'm afraid. I'm hoping it doesn't run. I'm quite gutless.
Deletewhat an adventure, a mule ride! Staying tuned for the November trip. I had to laugh when you asked about a donkey ride for an 80 year old!
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny! Of course you will do it, because it will make for a good story! I love those pictures of you on the donkey... :-)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, you'll certainly need the padded shorts!
ReplyDeleteOK! That it! I'm bringing those shorts to wear under my jeans.
DeleteI'm not sure bike shorts would help too much for an hour and a half mule trip.....maybe a big pillow? :) It will be an adventure for sure!
ReplyDeleteI would LOVE a pillow!
Deleteyes wear shorts-I rode a small horse in Iceland for 1.5 hour and it hurt all the time. Thought I'd never walk again but I recovered. I would walk down!
ReplyDeleteSigh... It's not a walk, it's a hike down into the valley and hike back UP the valley. You have to be very fit to do it and dodge the mule poop.
DeleteYou are braver than I am Kay, but I have always admired your get-up-and-go. I don't think I would ride a mule even for a blog post ;) How wonderful that you will be heading over here to see your son some time. I do hope we can meet up.
ReplyDeleteIt's been such a long time since we've been to D.C. My son and his Sarah really love living there while they do their graduate work. There's so much to see and do.
DeleteYou look great on a donkey! Both photos are beautiful! Thanks for the funny comment aboutthe high toilets in my country due to the tall Dutch people. I used to be 1.72 cm, but now I have shrunk and I am 1.69 cm.
ReplyDeleteArt says it was very helpful when the Dutch men's bathrooms had urinals for children because then they could ALL reach it. LOL
DeleteYou look great on a mule. You must be a natural. Dianne
ReplyDeleteActually, those were donkeys. I'm finding out now that mules are larger. Is that good or bad? I don't know.
DeleteWe rode the mules down on Molokai - a bit bumpy but fun. On the way back up, I felt so sorry for the mule - I got off and walked with him
ReplyDeleteArt will be hiking behind us. No way I can hike a distance that takes a mule an hour and a half to get to.
DeleteOk Kay -- what all can we talk you in to for blog reports? You could go skydiving with DJan, is it?
ReplyDeleteI chose Island Air intentionally when there last year for 3 weeks. My son and his bride did also during their June trip. They have two-engine prop planes instead of jets, so they fly lower. I think it had about 30 seats. Their flight time is maybe 5 minutes slower than the jet's schedule. I believe all of the flight attendants were of Asian heritage, and told us personal stories of their reasons for being in Hawaii.
If you ask them before you board, you can sit on the side of the plane where you will see the most islands. Each of their flights are a little different in how they curve north or south of the islands to their destination, so be sure and ask. That's the other reason we chose them: to get a "free" view of the different islands, during the lower altitude flight. Former skydivers have no problem flying prop planes.
I'd opt for the 9-seater plane ride over a mule. Didn't know there was a difference between mules and donkeys. Have fun!
DrumMajor
I draw the line at sky diving. I have a fear of heights (and spiders). I'll tell my brother to try asking for the side with the good views.
DeleteThat's funny about doing it for a blog post At least you're honest....in that vein, I could never write a blog because I have no life lol I live vicariously thru reading your blog, so thanks!
ReplyDeleteL. from W.
You have a wonderful life with terrific grandchildren and a fabulous husband. You also have so much knowledge and information that you can share. I really appreciate all your advice!
DeleteMaybe you could read a book. I think a mule's back is broader; may even have more saddle.
ReplyDeleteHey, Kay. Mom and Peter did the Kalaupapa mule ride maybe 15 years ago. She apparently enjoyed it. A mule is a hybrid animal (half donkey, half horse), so it's much larger than the little donkey, and quite sure-footed (unlike my mare Bamboo, who's a total klutz). I've been a horse-back rider (my 2 horses are geriatric now; as a friend says, they are now "pasture monuments"), and unless trotting, never thought of the ride as "bumpy". Have seen photos only of the Kalaupapa peninsula, and it looks absolutely beautiful. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteNo kidding? That is just so cool! OK... so if Auntie did it 15 years ago, maybe I'll be OK. And I guess she wasn't wearing a padded bike seat, hunh? MUCH larger than a donkey? Hmmmm... farther from the ground, hunh? Chicken? Me? Dennis wanted to do the ride too, but he's got bad knees and trigger thumbs which he thought might make it difficult to grasp the reins. Someone also has to go on that teeny weenie plane ride with mom and it has to be someone who can drive Art and me to the donkey and hiking area, so he was drafted.
DeleteBy the way, Kauai is on hold since our friends cancelled out on the trip in November. I guess that's why we're doing Molokai. We'll do Kauai again someday though. You have TWO horses? Wow!
Tell Dennis he doesn't need his thumbs for the reins. Actually, the thumb and index finger aren't that important for holding the reins. The knees, though, that might be important IF the mules are trotting (I think they simply plod along as in ho-hum, boooooring except when they're headed back up the trail). Plus, I love the smell of horses and mules, so if Dennis is into those earthy smells, he'll have a blast.
DeleteThat plane from topside goes SW-O-O-O-O-O-P and then lands one minute later. It's hilarious.
DeleteLorna, Actually it's too late because we've already bought the tickets for him to fly with mom to Kalaupapa. Somebody needs to fly with her because she could get lost and it scares her to travel alone. Also, we need a driver to drop us off at the mule/hiking place and then go with mom to the airport a little later. I'm too chicken to drive. Sigh... Sad, but true. So Dennis is the designated driver. Now that I'm getting more information, Dennis would probably have been OK on the ride... maybe. His knees are iffy.
DeleteHank, SWOOOP???? Hoo boy!
DeleteDavid and I took the plane to Kalaupapa and had no regrets doing so. Of course, since there was only one pilot, our plane would have crashed if the pilot had died of a heart attack! Good luck with the mule ride. Don't like the odor, though.
ReplyDeleteHeart attack? Aaack!
DeleteI relay this story for what it's worth: A friend of mine, the thrill-seeking type that jumps out of airplanes and goes scuba diving even if he has an aneuerism, gave his wife a birthday present of a mule ride down to Kalaupapa. She told me in no uncertain terms she was scared to death, and I quote, "IT WAS THE WORST PRESENT I EVER RECEIVED IN MY LIFE."
ReplyDeleteI've read the Kalaupapa Mule reviews and it's either the best or WORST experience ever. I guess I won't know until I do it.
DeleteInteresting that you call a 9 passenger aircraft "small". Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteMules are known for many things, one of which is they don't stumble or fall. There is a reason they are known as "sure-footed".
Donkeys are easy to ride. Just tuck your feet underneath them, between their front legs, what you'd call the chest in humans.
After that you not only ride smoother than glass, even the wildest of donkeys cannot remove you.
They are way easier to ride than a horse.
Can't speak about riding a mule, as I've never been on one.
I have one word for you: FLY!
ReplyDeletewow!
ReplyDeleteKay, your post(s)bring out the best of us. Only wish we could be as good as you.
ReplyDeleteMom will be happy having her fmily revisting her childhood place with her. And it self is so good just thinking about it...
Thank you for sharing.
Mary L
Hello Mary, thank you very much for your kind comment. It really brightened up my morning. I don't think I'm any better than anybody else though. We all try to do the best with our abilities, I think. My mom had such a difficult young life, that we try to make the best of it in her autumn years.
Delete