This is what home looks like right now……
In February, we escaped to Hawaii. When one lives in Central Oregon and it is winter, escaping takes some extra planning. Our trip to Hawaii was booked in August for travel in February, high season to view the humpback whales in Maui. So far in advance, how can one predict the weather? Or I should say, one can never predict the weather.
Since we planned to drive to Portland, Oregon, our departure airport, we built in the flexibility to leave home early if a winter storm moved into Oregon. Leaving early was necessary since after we drove over the mountain pass, the Cascade Range and Portland were hit with lots of snow. Happily, we flew Alaska Airlines, a line that knows dicey weather, and made it out of Portland easily and to Hawaii happily.
Beautiful Maui. I wish we were still there….
What is our winter travel tip and what have we learned?
No one can predict the weather! Duh! One can use previous data to plan but nature does what it wants and with climate change what nature’s does is increasingly unpredictable.
While in Maui and Kauai, we frequently abandoned “Plan A” because of the weather. Snow and ice (in Hawaii!!) closed Haleakala National Park while we were on the island, eliminating some of our planned adventures. During our visit, Maui and Kauai were hit with monsoon-like rains that resulted in flash floods and brown water which eliminated other activities.
A mama humpback with her calf, viewed on one of our whale watching excursions. Rain doesn’t bother whales.
Scenic Kauai…….ahhhhhh.
Those who travel know they must be flexible. Things happen, flights are cancelled, activities are cancelled, accidents happen and on and on. Be flexible, have lots of backup plans, and enjoy the moment, really enjoy the moment, especially if it involves 75 degree temperatures, blue sky, and ocean because you might come home to something like this.
Anyone want to shovel some snow?
RetireTravelCeliacGo 