Welcome back dakinetalk's good friend 'Harmony' for another adventurous 'HarmonicWednesday.' Harmony is currently working on her Masters degree in counseling, this semester she's studying drug abuse counseling. Harmony resides in Kapolei, Hawaii on the island of Oahu...
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| Harmony is a true free spirit as seen here swimming with dolphins on the island of Oahu... |
I was traveling from Hawaii to Pittsburgh, PA for my 40Th high school reunion. I had never attended a high school reunion before because Hawaii was too far away. 40 seemed like a worthwhile number, and I could visit other places to get my money’s worth out of the airfare. Speaking of economics, I learned the more places you transfer, the cheaper your flight. I had to fly from Honolulu to Los Angeles to Phoenix to Newark to Pittsburgh to get the cheapest fare! I landed in Pittsburgh, but the reunion wouldn’t happen until the end of my three week trip.
The first thing I did was rent a car. I prefer traveling by bus, but there are certain rural places a bus won’t go. My first destination was Shanksville, PA to visit the Flight 93 Memorial. This was only a few days after the 10 year anniversary of Sept. 11, and the new, national park had just opened. I encountered a major problem while driving there along the PA turnpike. I knew this was a toll road, but I was unfamiliar with the method of payment. I didn't realize I was supposed to take a ticket at the turnpike entrance. I never saw the ticket dispenser. I thought a real person would be there to take my money, but there was no such person. I did notice a red light at the entrance, but I thought if that were meant to stop me, there would be a bar blocking my path. I gingerly drove onto the turnpike expecting a police siren to chase after me. Nothing happened until it was time to exit. Then a real person informed me that because I had neglected to take a ticket, it would cost me $27 to exit as opposed to $4 otherwise.
The Flight 93 Memorial was both sad and awe inspiring to think how the passengers’ actions had saved other lives at the cost of their own. My next stop was Falling Water, the famous home built by architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. I had grown up close by but had never visited and thought now would be my only chance. I had previously booked and paid for my tour. The problem was I had underestimated the distance driving from the Flight 93 Memorial to Falling Water; and I didn't have the right maps because the Memorial had been a last minute decision. Next, I found myself driving while having an anxiety attack about missing my prepaid, nonrefundable tour. Luckily, I was only a little late and able to catch up with the group. Seeing the beauty of this home built over a waterfall helped me to forget my earlier panic.
After returning my car to the Pittsburgh airport, I hopped on a city bus to take me to the Greyhound bus station. (I saved a lot of money riding city buses instead of taxi cabs. I am fortunate they allowed me to carry my large suitcase on the city bus. Honolulu buses forbid large suitcases.) At the Greyhound station, I purchased a two week pass that allowed me to travel anywhere that Greyhound went. I arrived at the bus station in the early evening with plans to go to Universal’s Harry Potter Park in Orlando, FL. I was told there was no bus until the next morning. I had to sleep in the bus station, on a hard, metal bench, with arm rests that prohibited me from lying down. I was told to get in line at gate 8 by 6am the next morning. I was there early, but then I discovered everyone else in line was heading west when I was going south! I complained about the misinformation and was told the bus going south leaves from a different gate at 8. They handed me coupons for free food, to placate my upset mood. The clerk said I could use them at any Greyhound station, but the next station refused to accept them!
After a 30 hour bus trip, I finally made it to the Harry Potter Park at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. I toured Hogwarts Castle and rode a simulated ride that offered the illusion I was riding a broomstick along with Harry and Ron while we played a quid-ditch match. The most interesting thing about this park was the souvenirs. I bought Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, and when they say every flavor, that includes boogers, vomit, rotten eggs, and ear wax! Amazingly those flavors tasted like you would expect, but at the same time, they tasted good!
The next day, I visited the other park, Universal Studios. My favorite attraction here was a performance of animal actors. There was one pig who stole the show. He strutted across the stage wearing a sign that read, “Pigs rule!” He was quite a ham!!!
After Florida, I bussed to see relatives in Baltimore. I attended a high school football game because that would be the only opportunity to visit my cousin, Joann. I’m not much of a football fan, but we had a fun visit, and I almost understood the game.
Next stop was South Bend, Indiana to visit my parents and sister. My mom is overly obsessed about what I’m wearing, but the upside of that is she took me shopping for clothes almost every day!
Finally, I bussed to Pittsburgh for my reunion. I didn't know what to expect. I hadn't been part of the in-crowd in high school, but I learned 40 years levels the playing field! People who never spoke to me 40 years ago now showed genuine interest! It helped that I had a few interesting tidbits to tell them. For one thing, I had changed my first name since high school. Now, I told them, “My name used to be Susan, but I changed it to Harmony, and I have been living in Hawaii for the last 30 years!” That got their attention. (I also won the prize for traveling the farthest.) Then the dancing began. I’m the type of person that if I like the music, you can’t keep me in my chair! And I wasn't like that in high school. I’m not sure if revenge is the right word, but it was definitely sweet! Now, I can’t wait for my 50Th reunion!
I flew home from Pittsburgh to Chicago to Phoenix to Los Angeles to Honolulu to get those cheaper rates. I arrived home on Sun. but was so busy with school and work that I couldn’t unpack until Wed. It was an exciting trip, but Dorothy said it best in her famous line, “There’s no place like home!”
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