40 = 50!

Hello loyal followers:

It has been awhile since my last post...one reason...I was planning for my trip to Hawaii. And guess what? I did it! All 50 states, my last in celebration of birthday number 40!

I just arrived back home yesterday, July 11, at around 6:30 P. M., after leaving Hawaii at 10:00 P. M. local time on July 10. Having awoken early on the 10th to make full use of my final day, and having gotten only minimal sleep on the plane, I was exceptionally tired when I arrived home. I will get to blogging about this trip shortly, but, for several reasons, I am giving myself some time to process it.

Truth be told, Hawaii "kicked" my behind, both literally and figuratively. It was not my favorite state, not by a long shot, and some of the activities I had planned were far more strenuous than either I had read about or been told about. I had some experiences that were very disappointing. As for the literal part, I fell on my behind during a tricky hike, and I am still feeling it. The negatives are kind of depressing, and overshadow a number of wonderful things that happened on the trip, including things related to maintaining my food abstinence (in an essential, if not perfect, manner), and experiencing only minimal weight gain after the 11 days.

I want to present a balanced point of view on the trip. I have dedicated myself to providing only positive feedback on this site. After my trip to Hawaii, I am not sure I can do that. Some experiences were so negative, I think potential travelers need to be aware of them. Right now, with my final experience on the trip being one of the negatives, I am depressed, and see only negatives of my trip. Whether or not I chose to discuss the negative experiences I have had, seeing only negatives is not balanced. Much of what I did not enjoy is personal, and no reflection on Hawaii. Some parts of the trip are reflections on the experiences, and not about me. I have to tease all of this out.

But the most important thing to mention here is that I'm back, and I did it! I accomplished my 40th birthday goal. I am proud of that, and will do my best to present information to allow those who travel where I went to avoid the pitfalls I experienced, while taking advantages of the highlights I did enjoy.