Hawaii Travel Log, Part 2
(continued from last month)

By Jenine Stanley

Monday, August 31, 1998 (continued)

After the trial, we went with the DOJ representative and lawyers from the State, to Mike Lilly's office where we had a debriefing about the case. We discussed GDUI's role in the settlement. More details will be available in PAWTRACKS as things develop.

Mike escorted Sheila (from DOJ) and I from his office to the battleship USS Missouri. We drove over a brand new bridge to Ford Island, a military base in Pearl Harbor. Ford Island is being expanded and the association that rebuilt the Missouri is going to build a museum complex on the island with a 1940's theme to spotlight the historic significance of the Missouri.

The ship itself will be turned into an interactive museum. Mike said that several different tours would be made available covering different aspects of the ship. We had a private tour as they were still working to clean the ship for the 53rd anniversary, September 3rd, of the surrender of World War II.

This was an invitation only ceremony and though we would have loved to go, it just wasn't possible. It was a lot more interesting exploring the decks with Don, our guide, and Mike. Sheila and I were still in our court clothes, skirts and heels, and that made for some interesting exploring. <grin>

Kent was like a kid at Christmas time. He'd made models of the Missouri when he was a kid and getting to go over the real thing was just too exciting for him. They were shining up everything as we walked over the ship.

We did go up one very steep set of stairs to the upper deck. Drummer made it up these stairs but Toby only got half way up before falling. He was OK and stayed below with Mike, worrying about me all the time. The upper deck was where the surrender was signed. We stood on the very spot where a plaque is now resting at the table height.

Again, for a history buff and anyone who's read about or lived through World War II, this was incredible. Mike told us stories of his family members who were in the Navy during this ceremony, one uncle being a lawyer as well. Fascinating stuff....

The Missouri is anchored near the Arizona Memorial and you can get some spectacular pictures of both places from several angles. If you want to know more about the USS Missouri, the association does have a web site that is very accessible with Lynx. The URL is: http://www.ussmissouri.com.

After this tour, we went back to our hotel to get ready for the luau! We treated Pat Blum on behalf of ACB and GDUI for all her hard work these many years on the case. She and Sultan were our guests at a luau at Paradise Cove. This is just one of those things you've got to do when in Hawaii. <grin>

Oh, I almost forgot this bit. Sunday morning at breakfast, the staff gave Kent a nickname. Since he was being his usual charming and mischievous self, they called him Kalohe (pronounced kuh-low-hay) which means "rascal", in Hawaiian. This name began to stick later in the trip.

They tried to come up with a name for Drummer, who really took to Hawaii. His hips were doing better on the Cosequin and so were his allergies. I think he's planning a way to go back. <grin>

OK, call me weird, but I had this notion that somewhere deep in my primordial past, I'd eaten poi and liked it. Poi is like a mashed potato crossed with really nasty yogurt. The commercial stuff does indeed taste like wallpaper paste. We got little cups of it at the luau. I was all psyched to try it and wow is it hideous! Blach! The dogs loved it though. The stuff is absolutely non-allergenic, is used in baby food and makes a great stool thickener. Go figure... So, I'm just waiting for the fish and poidog food to come out. The pork was delicious though at the luau. Fish, as always, was great as well.

Tuesday, September 1, 1998

This was our touring day. We hadn't realized how stressful Monday had been for all of us, dogs included. At 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, we were on a bus to the airport for a day trip to the big island of Hawaii where we were scheduled for the volcano tour. This involved taking a plane for about a 40-minute trip to the island. Aloha Airlines did a great job. They always, or so I'm told, give guide dogs the bulkhead seats, and in these planes, that means lots of space. They also save the seat next to you whenever possible.

We went for most of our tours with Polynesian Adventure Tours Company. They did an outstanding job overall with every tour we took, but they really out did themselves on the volcano tour. First, after arriving at Hilo we met our tour guide. We were the first guide dog handlers ever to take this tour.

The bus took us through Hilo with our driver and guide, Peter, describing everything in amazing detail. Hilo is very rainy and doesn't get the tourist traffic that the Kona side of the island, the leewardside, gets. He explained that there are eleven different climates to be found on the island and we experienced most of them that day, with rain (sometimes heavy, but nothing like we have back here), heat, cool dampness and desert conditions.

Our first stop was at a waterfall, which I can't remember the name of. It's actually two falls that form a canyon and you can walk down inside on a circular path. There's no way to get lost, but the path is a little rough with irregular steps. The sound shadows (areas in which sound is distorted and/or muted due to environmental factors such as heavy foliage, cars and buildings) created by huge plants and the water falls are well worth the trip though. We walked it and stopped along the way to touch what Kent called houseplants on steroids.

Once back up at the bus, Peter showed us the different kinds of ginger plants and how to eat them. He had all sorts of plants and things on the bus and passed them out to people. He did a very good job of describing and making sure we got to feel everything without being pushy like some tour folks can get about blind people "seeing everything".

He was amazed that we could walk the waterfall track, but then we explained that it was circular and you couldn't get lost. That made perfect sense to him and after that he just let us go, figuring that if we needed help, we'd ask for it.

The most interesting thing about this waterfall place was a spot in the trail where the trail made a bridge over these two falls. As you walked up toward it, there was rushing water, echoes of which bounced off plants on either side of you. There was a split second when you weren't sure, not being able to see anything, if you were walking right into the falls. The sound was really fascinating. Then you walked through and a waterfall was on either side of you. The only bad part was that there weren't many birds down in this area at mid morning.

We stopped at the Big Island Coffee Company where we bought the place out. It's probably no secret what many of my relatives will be getting for Christmas. <grin> Then it was on to a macadamia nut farm where we got a nature tour from Peter. People had time to do whatever they wanted, including chocolate factory tours. We chose the nature tour and saw pineapple plants, guava trees and other native flowers and trees.

Peter was very good at finding things we could feel and eat, including guavas, which taste much better in Hawaii than they do in Florida (sorry, Floridians, but my guava experiences in the sunshine state leave something to be desired). <grin>

After again buying out this place, we were off to the volcanoes. This is about a 20-minute drive and takes you up from sea level to about 4000 feet. You can feel the difference. We stopped at an orchid farm where we looked at all sorts of plants before entering the Volcano National Park. Kent didn't buy anything, which surprised me. I thought for sure we were going to have half the place shipped home, but sadly, most of it won't survive here, even in our well-lit warm living room.

The women each got an orchid for our hair, which we all wore back on the bus. It is cold at Volcano National Park, in the mid-to-low 60's. I had on shorts, of course. We visited the rangers' station and visitors center where we had lunch. One of the rangers was telling us about all the different hikes you can arrange down through the volcano craters. We want to come back and do nothing but that for one trip.

He also mentioned conditioning the dogs for such work, as it is high altitude and somewhat rougher terrain than they're used to. He talked about his dogs also. He has 15 of them that he uses to hunt wild pigs, which are a problem in the park. Hunting them is legal at certain times. He didn't say what type of dogs he used for this, but he said that once the dogs get used to the place, they do well.

The forests we walked through just below the volcano looked like something out of Jurassic Park. I kept asking the kids on the bus if they'd seen the dinosaur. The bus stopped at the crater of a smaller mountain near Kilowea. This crater had steam vents that puffed out sulfurous air. Great for the sinuses...

We left the dogs on the bus because we didn't know how sharp the lava would be. There are two kinds of lava. One is the stuff that's up at the top of the volcano. It's fairly smooth. The lighter lava down on the lava flows, called aa (pronounced ah-ah) lava is very sharp and brittle, definitely not good for dogs without some serious boots. By this time also, the dogs were tired of being on tour. They enjoyed their sleep while we poked around for about 30 minutes on the crater.

I bent down near steam vents, felt the steam almost breathing and knocked on the rocks. The best way I can describe it was that it felt like being on that crispy bubbly cheese that is on pizza crust. You knock on the rock and it feels hollow. It will not cave in under you in this area, but in some spots further down the trail, it will and you go right into hot magma. Not good...

Well, everyone knows that you don't take lava from Hawaii. It's bad luck. Kent's niece took some home and broke her arm two weeks later. She sent the lava back. Lots of people send it back to the national park. We, of course, did not take any lava. I only bought olivine glass, a green glass made from that volcano. The glass comes out when a new eruption begins. It is the lightest silicate and this particular glass from these volcanoes is green.

There is a beach on the island that has lots of green glass, They look like little green beads in the sand when you look at it in the sun. We didn't get to see it, but I won't rest until I see that beach. I'm also fascinated by geology. I've read about volcanic formations ever since I can remember and on this trip I got to feel them! Wow! If Kent was in heaven on the Missouri, I was close in that volcano crater.

If taking things is bad luck, leaving offerings for Pele is good luck. A gust of wind caught my orchid and broke it off at the stem. We caught it before it blew away and I put it down one of the steam vents as my sacrifice. Believe it or not, I've had great luck ever since. <grin>

Kent and I have decided to redo our marriage vows on our fifth anniversary in that volcano crater. From that height, we traveled back down to sea level to walk on a younger lava flow. The newer lava is rough and very sharp. It has some interesting geologic formations, like ripples, but it's not something you want to run your fingers over for long. Brand new cooled lava is extremely sharp and can break off and stay lodged in your skin for months. It is not something you want your dog near.

I actually thought the lower lava flows were a bit eerie. It was certainly a lot hotter on that stretch going to the beach. The final ride of the trip took us back up into the mountains to walk through a lava tube. This tube is literally what its name says, a hollowed out tube in the rock where hot lava has come down. Again, there was the thick Jurassic Park foliage all around the tube and it really did feel prehistoric.

The flight back and remainder of Tuesday was uneventful. The following article did appear in the afternoon newspaper though. This meant that we'd been on TV or in the newspaper every day since we'd been there. I did educate the media about the correct terminology, or at least tried to, but well, I think I now qualify for honorary Seeing Eye graduate status. <grin>

From the Honolulu Star Bulletin, Tuesday, September 1, 1998
Blind Couple "Sees" Hawaii Through Guide Dogs
By Lori Tighe
Star-Bulletin
Tapa

Two years ago, Jenine and Kent Stanley wanted their honeymoon in Hawaii but couldn't. The state's four-month quarantine law restricted them from bringing their two guide dogs. They're here today -- with their golden retrievers Toby and PW Drummer. Soon other blind people will experience Hawaii too. Stanley, president of the Guide Dog Users Inc., helped open Hawaii's doors to all blind people who couldn't visit because of the four-month quarantine law for guide dogs.

Judge David Ezra approved the final settlement agreement yesterday at a hearing in U.S. District Court. "I literally just ran around my hotel room yelling for joy," said Jenine Stanley, who has worked on the case since 1993. "We're going to a luau tonight to celebrate."

The settlement, which recovered about $165,000 in attorney's fees, waives the quarantine requirements for seeing-eye dogs. But the dog needs two rabies tests; to come from a recognized guide-dog school; a microchip ID implanted; a valid health certificate and a rabies certificate. The owner must also notify the state 24 hours in advance of their arrival and tell officials their flight times and where they plan to stay in Hawaii.

The judge expressed concerns about keeping rabies out of Hawaii, which has never had a case. "Some people have felt the rules are too restrictive," Stanley said. "But I can understand the health concern, and also the fear this may open the door for greater access in the future."

Since guide dogs are monitored more closely than pets because of their blind owner's dependence on them, "It's virtually impossible for a guide dog to have rabies," Stanley said. "The country has never had a case of rabies in a guide dog," she added.

"It's been very frustrating for many of these people to be denied access to Hawaii because of the quarantine," she said. "I've had at least 10 members (of Guide Dog Users) say to me recently, 'I want to go to Hawaii,' and now they can."

She and her husband have divided the trip into half business to testify and half honeymoon at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. "It's the perfect climate," Stanley said. I can't believe how big the plants are, they feel so green and lush."

The Stanleys toured the Missouri and felt the guns on the historic battleship. They will fly to Kona "to feel the volcanoes" she said. <end of article>

Well, considering that I spent almost 30 minutes on the phone with this young lady from the Star-Bulletin, I'm surprised that article came out that well. <grin>

Wednesday, September 2, 1998

This day began with another marathon breakfast. We found ourselves eating lots of fresh fruit. The final tourist stop on our visit was the Polynesian cultural center. We'd spoken with the United Travel Desk who arranged that trip as a bonus for us and they set up a guide for our visit. It seems that the PCC has recently been in court over access issues and to say that they bent over backward to serve us was an understatement.

The PCC is a 42 acre complex of villages showing all of the Polynesian cultures from New Zealand to Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Tahiti and Hawaii. The PCC is run by the Hawaii campus of Brigham Young University. Most of the people who work there are students working to pay off their tuition.

Now here comes the weird part. Our guide, Ivana, was from Croatia. She'd been a guide at the PCC for 3 years. We also found out later in the day that her father is blind and her mother is just above being legally blind. This had nothing to do with why she was chosen as our guide. She did a very good job for someone with no training. She said that she never really assisted her father, who works for the Croatian telephone company, because he never really asked her to, so she just didn't think anything about blindness.

She did look for all sorts of things for us to touch and taste though. I must say that real, fresh poi tastes 100 percent better than the commercial stuff. I actually liked it. The dogs absolutely loved the fresh poi as well. The taste of freshly made poi is kind of like sweet potatoes mashed up with a little milk. Delicious! It spoils fast though, or so they say, and the wallpaper paste flavor comes as it ages.

The PCC has two shows, which Ivana described. They could probably use some audio description or tapes to help with this part, but she did a good job. We learned that the PCC will provide this type of guide if you call in advance of your tour. There is, of course, no extra charge for this service.

I would highly recommend this tour with a guide as it gives you a good feel for the different cultures of the Pacific. There's also a lot of tactile experience to be had with a good guide.

Getting back that evening and packing, the reality that this was our last night started to set in. I haven't gone on many trips where I just don't want to leave. Most trips you hit that point where you are ready to go home. Not this one. I didn't want to go. Kent warned me that I'd feel this way, as he does every time he goes to Hawaii.

Thursday, September 3, 1998

This was "going home" day. Our last trip was a personal tour of the hotel grounds for Kent from the head grounds keeper. Kent loves plants and landscaping and he got the grand tour. The Hilton Hawaiian Village grounds are pretty spectacular!

We finished off with our last breakfast with our friends at the second floor buffet. By this time, I was really dragging my feet about leaving. With one last dip in the ocean and a quick check of luggage, we were off to the airport with the same driver who had picked us up a week ago.

He had a lot of questions about the dogs, which we were happy to answer. Nothing smacks of reality more than going back to the airport. You don't need to do anything when you leave Hawaii but wave goodbye. The Department of Agriculture does check your bags for plants and things, but this goes quickly and no references were made to the dogs. We were just regular people again.

Our flight was full. Our first class upgrade tickets were the only space available, so we ended up in the bulkhead section of coach. Warning: Do not sit in this section if you have a dog over, say 60 pounds, even if he/she does curl up. There is no space for your feet.
We rode back on a DC10, probably my least favorite plane ever. The coach seats are about three inches too high for people 5' 2" or shorter. It was an uncomfortable ride for me, to say the least. Yep, we were back to reality.

The dogs were extremely tired by this time and slept quite comfortably at our feet. The crew moved one man to give the dogs more room and Drummer was sleeping so soundly that he even started kicking in his dreams and banging against the wall in front of us. It woke everyone up. <grin>

I knew we were back to reality too when I actually got annoyed with an older flight attendant over her patronizing nature. All week I'd been completely unaware of my patronizing button but now she was pushing it.

One funny thing on the flight: the movie was "Doctor Doolittle." We wondered if they'd planned that one. <grin>

We landed in Chicago to be accompanied by our flight's copilot who walked with us out to relieve the dogs. She was really interested in how they worked. Our flight left Honolulu at 4:00 p.m. and got into Chicago around 5:00 a.m. Friday morning. The time in the air was only about seven and one-half hours though. Not too bad...but bad enough.

Reality really struck when we ended up arguing with the gate person over changing our seats for the flight back to Columbus. All worked out in the end, but, yep, we were back home. I'm still getting caught up on sleep, readjusting to Ohio time and recovering from a cold that we both caught on the flight home.

When I read this travel log, it sounds like everything was just incredible. Well, it was. We often said we wished we had something to complain about. Everything worked. Part of my philosophy about travel though is that you take things in stride and try to relate to the people who are serving you. We learned a lot and made some friends by asking the bus drivers, waitresses and tour people about their lives. We told them we were just ordinary people, too, who just got thrown into some extraordinary circumstances.

Our blindness wasn't an issue for people, or at least it didn't seem to be. People just assumed we knew what we were doing and let us go. They watched, observed, and seemed to learn from what they saw...that we could handle ourselves. I really do hope that others who visit Hawaii and enjoy it have respect for the people and handle their dogs responsibly. In return, from what I experienced, you'll get that respect back.

Well, only 10 days and we're off to Australia for work. If you think getting into Hawaii is bad, don't go to Australia. <grin> I got Toby in though and away we go!

Jeanine's trip to Hawaii was a result of much hard work from Guide Dog Users Inc. (GDUI) to allow an exemption for guide dogs from the state's quarantine laws. For more info about GDUI, call them at 1-888-858-1008 for a free guide dog disk, or send e-mail to: jcsheehan@smart.net.

You can also reach Jenine Stanley at jeninems@infinet.com.