I got up fairly late, caught the shuttle to the airport, checked my one bag and got on without incident. I had Wesnoth and some New Yorkers to entertain me.
When I got off at LAX there wasn't an obvious person to ask where to go for my next flight (on a different airline), nor where there any signs, and the only map I found (eventually, after quite a bit of searching around) was a photocopy taped to the side of one of the baggage inspection areas. After asking 3 people, walking across random parking lots, and backtracking a fair amount, I eventually found the right terminal and got checked in for my next flight.
So now LAX is by far my least favorite airport. I understand that it's very large, but maps and signs aren't exactly rocket
science. Every other airport I know of manages to make itself easily navigable by even the most jet-lagged passenger. And it was ugly to boot.
I had some pretty good Nachos as lunch in the terminal before boarding.
I played some more Wesnoth and read a bit more on the next flight, and also managed to get some sleep.
You know you're in Hawaii the moment you get off the plane at KOA--there's no jetway, just stairs, so the humid tropical air hits you immediately; and the terminal and baggage claim are all open-air.
So I picked up my one bag, took the shuttle to the car rental place, and drove off down the highway. I was a little unhappy about having to find a strange place driving at night while jet lagged, and not having driven at all in months. But it all went fine and I was knocking on Sara's door before nine.
This was the last day of Sara's conference, and her last day at the resort, which she was full of enthusiasm for.
She showed me the beach and the resort's local shark pond. The fish weren't large, but were easily identifiable as sharks, thanks especially to their amusing habit of swimming with their triangular dorsal fin slicing through the surface.
We talked to Nate and Kirk a bit, then I took a shower and collapsed into bed in Sara and Patty's hotel room.