Update: Effective October 30, 2012, the Costco American Express will lose 0% Introductory APR for 6 months with flexibility to pay over time.
I have a love-hate relationship when it comes to Costco. I really like shopping at Costco but my problem is never getting out of the store spending less than a couple hundred dollars. Of course, that is exactly how Costco wants it, and it has even been documented in a CNBC documentary called The Costco Craze.
Even though we have been members for several years and spent countless dollars stocking up on essentials while trying to stay in the confines of the monthly coupon book, we had never purchased gas at a Costco before. However, when in Hawaii, we decided to try it out since it was cheaper than other locations. Turned out, the price of gas was about $0.40-0.50/gallon cheaper at the local Costco. So I started to see the merits of purchasing gas at a Costco station.
The Costco branded American Express is also making it a lot more intriguing to continue purchasing gasoline at a local Costco. Just this week I received a notice that the Costco American Express has increased the limit on gasoline purchases from $3,000 to $4,000/year, earning a nice 3% cash back. In addition, the Costco American Express card gives 2% cash back for restaurants and travel, and 1% Cash back at Costco and everywhere else.
I am actually surprised purchases at Costco only earn 1% cash back, but than again their margins are not that high considering they mark up everything 15% and make most of their income off the annual dues.
Regardless, while the Costco American Express may not always be the best card for gasoline rebates, it still sounds like a decent card to add to the wallet, especially considering there is no annual fee so long as you maintain your Costco membership.
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Our last destination on our adventure to scope out the waterfalls of the Big Island of Hawaii ended at ‘Akaka Falls. Billed as a 442 foot freefall among a lush jungle environment, we did not really fully know what we were getting into.
As mentioned in our earlier posts, the eastern side of the Big Island tends to be rather wet, at least during our visit in June. So when we arrived at the end of the road to enter into the ‘Akaka Falls parking lot, the gate was already locked for the day. However, we proceeded to walk down into the park like all the other people were doing. When we got to the pay station, the attendant was leaving for the day and it began to rain. At that point, we had to make a decision of do venturing down the trail in the rain to see the falls or do turning back?
Fortunately, Mrs. InACents talked me into making the trek. The walk was not very vigorous or difficult, except for trying to carry the boys in the rain. However, once we finally made it to the falls viewing area, despite being soaked, it was an extraordinary Hawaiian experience. Having returned home and never had seen it, we surely would have regretted our decision.
While the Mrs. and I took in the sights of the falls, the boys took the opportunity to connect with Mother Nature, just like they had raspberry picking, by finding the nice puddle created from the covered viewing area downspout.
So if you wonder why I decided to post two (2) videos of ‘Akaka Falls, just take a listen to the audio to understand why. It was one of those moments in life that make you laugh as a parent, especially when you are traveling and out exploring new opportunities.
On the way back, after already being soaked, we decided to share a moment and take in the beautiful rainforest and subsequent smaller waterfalls.
A New Experience at ‘Akaka Falls
We were the last people to visit ‘Akaka Falls State Park that day. When we were viewing the falls, there were two college-aged girls with backpacks taking a break and viewing the site. After we got back to the vehicle, loaded up the boys, and started to drive away, we noticed the two girls were proceeding to walk down the road just as it was beginning to rain again. For the first time in my life, I went against what my mom taught me (Mom, stop reading unless you want to be proud of us) when it came to hitchhikers.
As I have aged and become such a fan of traveling, I have begun to appreciate certain aspects of life, including understanding hitchhiking, which is prevalent on the islands. That day we stopped and picked up the girls to see if they needed a ride down the road and back towards civilization. Neither my wife nor I had ever picked up a hitchhiker before. After feeling so much angst earlier in the day from our stop at Rainbow Falls, a human compassion encompassed me, and after quickly asking my wife if she was ok with it, we were picking up hitchhikers.
The two girls had left their bikes back in town and were about to embark on the several mile hike in the rain. If it had not been for just briefly chatting with them back at the falls, I am not 100% certain I may have stopped. Our random act of kindness was quick and simple and we felt completely safe with our decision. The girls were kind and did not ask for anything other than to be dropped off at their bikes.
After dropping our hitchhiking souls off, we felt a sense of wanting to go back and help them by sharing a meal or something with them, but by that point we had a long drive ahead, and our welcoming might have been overextended. The girls were on a wanderlust adventure, backpacking and biking across the islands at will. It sounds magical yet stressful, and something I do not think I would ever contemplate with kids. Even in my single days, if I had a friend to go with, I still may have had trepidation for such an adventure, and gave our new friends a lot of credit and courage.
Why is the falls named ‘Akaka?(Taken from the State Park Information Board)
‘Akaka was the name of a chief whose full name was ‘Akaka-o-ka-ni’au-pi’o-i-ka-wao. He was the grandson of Kulanikapele and Kiakalohia. One of the stones at the top of the falls is named after the grandfather, Kulanikapele while the cliff is named for his grandmother, Kiajalohia.
The waters of ‘Akaka which reap downward, with mist flying upon the cliff of Kiakalohia.
In another mo’olelo or traditional account, ‘Akaka was the warrior chief who jumps over the falls and is turned into stone.
I have never had the opportunity to fly Allegiant Air, but if I lived near one of their hubs, I would be all over this sale like little boys in mud puddles. Allegiant is now offering $99 one-way fares from the west coast of the U.S. to Hawaii from now until early Spring in 2013.
$99 airfares are available from the following cities to/from Honolulu, Hawaii:
Bellingham, WA 11/14/2012 through 4/15/2013
Boise, ID 2/9/2013 through 4/15/2013
Eugene, OR 11/17/2012 through 4/15/2013
Fresno, CA 10/27/2012 through 4/15/2013
Las Vegas, NV 10/26/2012 through 4/15/2013
Phoenix / Mesa, AZ 2/7/2013 through 4/15/2013
Santa Maria, CA 11/17/2012 through 4/15/2013
Spokane, WA 2/8/2013 through 4/15/2013
Stockton, CA 11/18/2012 through 4/15/2013
In addition, guests can fly to/from Maui, Hawaii from:
Bellingham, WA 11/15/2012 through 4/15/2013
The great thing is that for $198, that includes all taxes; however, there are still additional fees for checked baggage, etc. Still for this price, I would jump all over it even if I had to sit with the luggage.
*Must be purchased by October 31, 2012. Travel dates are limited. All fares in US dollars. Fares are limited. Prices displayed include PFC, segment fees and September 11th security fee of up to $10.80 per segment. A segment is one take-off and one landing. Fares displayed include a carrier usage charge of $10 per passenger, per segment, which applies to all bookings made on the phone or online. A $14.99 per passenger, per segment fee applies to all bookings made through the Allegiant call center. Purchases made at any Allegiant Air Airport Ticket Office will not incur a carrier usage charge or call center fee. When purchased at time of booking, a checked bag fee of up to $35 per bag, per segment will apply for the first two (2) checked bags and up to $25 for a carry-on bag which must fit in the overhead bin. There is no fee to bring one personal item onboard which must fit underneath the seat in front of you. If purchased at flight check-in, a fee of $35 per checked bag, per person, per segment will apply for the first two bags checked and for a carry-on bag which must fit in the overhead bin. In all cases additional higher fees will apply for three or more checked bags. Fare rules, routes and schedules are subject to change without notice. Seats are limited and subject to availability. Restrictions apply.
