I dumped Chase years ago. They charged me a foreign exchange fee for a number of purchases made in the UK and when I called to ask about them, they were nasty. I found a web site (this was in 2001) called "ChaseBankSucks.org". Yes, there were a number of people complaining about them, but there was good information, as well. I got the address of the head of the bank. Wrote him a letter (cc'ed the Comptroller of the Currency, state AG and BBB) telling him what had happened and that I wanted to cancel the card, the oldest card in my wallet. I had the issue resolved to my satisfaction, cancelled the account and haven't done business with them since. Banks need you more than you need them, there's plenty of competition out there.

NOMOROBO is far less effective than it used to be. As in, it hasn't stopped a single call to my phone recently. And, while the OP's caller ID said area code 360, it could have been from anywhere. These nuisance calls are all coming from different numbers. When I get the same call more than once, each time the caller ID says it's from a different number. Even ones that turn out to be legitimate. The suggestion of not answering is the best. Unfortunately, we're not allowed to find out where they are, go there, and shoot them.

Oregon has an income tax. If I were going to more there I would have done so 3 1/2 years ago when my employer at the time wanted me to move. I retired, instead. Now, I haven't bought anything from the vendor in question in a while, so this situation may have changed. Washington has always wanted a person to pay their tax if they bought something in Oregon, but has had no realistic way to enforce the law. SCOTUS has changed this, perhaps?

I know a store that will not have a physical presense in Washington, but has a store in Oregon, so they can sell you stuff, ship it to Washington and not charge sales tax. I hope that doesn't change.

I had a problem with them a bit over a year ago. Ordered a laptop for our son for Christmas. They cancelled the order and we re-ordered. Should have gone through, but they claim they told us it didn't and canceled the order. Wound up buying from someone else because once we caught their problem again they wouldn't honor the original price. Not sure whose fault it really was, but they lost a long time customer over this. Their problem, not mine.

The last time we were on San Juan island we flew into the Friday Harbor airport, tied down the plane and walked into town. Had lunch at the Downrigger. Outdoor seating, watched the ferry boats come in. Of course, this was in June and the weather was much nicer than it will be this time of year. I would recommend that you go to this area and enjoy the sights.

The hardest part of having a pet is saying goodbye.

Which is why multiple backups are critical. I also use an off-site backup service (Carbonite, for those who care) as multiple backups are great, until your house burns down with all your backups.

Remember that recovery from an old spinning media drive is possible (but typically expensive) depending on the failure mode, but when an SSD dies, it is dead with no recovery path. You must have your files backed up elsewhere.

I haven't purchased anything from JC Whitney in decades. Your post made me look to see if they are still in business. They are.

Another option on Kauai is in an open cockpit Waco biplane. Look at the option on this web page - https://kauaiairtour.com/. I've ridden with them twice, once with my wife and once with my brother. As the pilot told us the first time, "I fly slower than the helicopters do." Tremendous views and the plane is a unique way to see the island. Riding with my brother was great, I got much more information on the geology of the island from him that I had received on a number of previous visits. Of course, the fact that he's a geologist didn't hurt. :-)

He's going to the big island. I agree about Honolulu. Waikiki beach is great, because it is a great beach. Unfortunately, way too crowded.

We usually go to Kauai. Very laid back and relaxing.

The road to Hana is on Maui, yet a different island. BTW, that 15 mph speed limit is there for a reason.

I'll have to look into a converter, but for my purposes 1.5x wouldn't be enough to bother with.

We've been to Hawaii 22 times (23 coming in January) over the years. I use the 18-135 mm lens for my Canon T5i the vast majority of the time. The only time I get anything longer out of the backpack is when I'm trying to take pictures of whales, and then the 250 mm max on that lens isn't long enough. You really don't need a bunch of lenses, but do add a CP filter to your kit. You will quickly find that you do want that.

The suggestion of a waterproof camera for underwater pictures is a good one. I use my GoPro for that. Works great. Keep in mind that you do need a way to keep your camera dry. There is a wet side to the big island, as well. No where near the 480 inches a year that the north shore of Kauai gets, but it is much wetter than the dry side (Kona, etc.).

BTW, I hope that part of Hawaii Volcanoes NP is open by the time you get there. It is well worth the time to visit. I've seen it from the ground and from the air (as PIC of a light plane) several times over the years. It would be great to see how it has changed due to the recent eruptions.

I used small claims court in California around 25 years ago. No lawyers allowed. I won, both on the original claim and on appeal by the person I sued. I recovered the original amount and all expenses. It worked for me. If a letter to the person who gave you the bad check doesn't work, give it a try. And talk to your local prosecutor. This may also be a criminal case. But you won't recover a dime from a criminal case, so you still need the civil action.

Best of luck.

We haven't taken a Wrangler around the island, that was a bus tour. But, if a tour bus (not a big one) can make it, a Jeep should have no problem. We had the Jeep earlier this month on Kauai.

We've driven to Hana a couple of times, flown out there once (I rented a plane and it was one of the touch and goes on the trip) and we took a bus tour the last time we were in Maui (and the bus went all the way around the island). A few thoughts...

1. The Road to Hana is posted as 15 mph. There's a reason for that. Don't be in a hurry, it won't do you any good. Kick back and enjoy the scenery.

2. The south side of the island is taboo for rental cars because there is a long stretch were tow trucks will not go to pick you up. Or so claimed the bus driver. The road itself was fine, I wouldn't hesitate to drive a car on it, much less a Jeep. And I have a Jeep Wrangler, so I'm quite familiar with what they can and can't do.

3. You won't need the ground clearance of the Jeep for the road around the island, but there may be some parking areas at some beaches where you will appreciate it. We did earlier this month on Kauai. Never did need 4WD, but the ground clearance was nice.

4. As others have suggested, leave for the drive early to enjoy the sunrise.

5. Go to the top of Haleakala and enjoy the view. At lease, if there is one. We've been up when it was clear and we've been up when you had a great view of the inside of a cloud. Choose wisely.

6. There is also a distillery on Maui. If you like vodka or rum, they make "Organic" versions. Interesting tour and the vodka is in a unique shaped bottle.

Most importantly, kick back, relax and have a great time. We've been to Hawaii over 20 times over the years and now do as little as we can get away with each time we are there. It is a vacation (yeah, I know, we're retired and every day is a vacation) and the whole idea is to recharge.