Many times I am asked by people who are going to the islands for their first trip, “What should we do there?” It is one of my favorite questions to answer. Next to Deborah, Hawaii is my favorite topic of conversation. So, here are a few suggestions for your first trip to Hawaii, specifically your first day.

If you are like me you will have to save for this vacation, but you will not have to be wealthy to enjoy my suggestions. If by chance you are wealthy, read no further, charter a jet and hire a personal guide when you get to Hawaii. In fact, if you want to take along as a personal guide…wait, I better stay here and save for my next trip. That daytime job sure puts a damper on going to Hawaii when I want to go, but eating is nice so I guess I better keep working.

For those are planning a first trip to Hawaii I highly recommend the island of Oahu. All the things you read about are on that island. You can do day trips to other islands, but your best bet is to take subsequent vacations to all of the other islands. If you can see all of them, Oahu, Hawaii with is called The Big Island, Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kauai, you will understand how much different each one is from the others, yet how much of a part they all play in completing the paradise chain.

So, pick a flight from the United States mainland and try to arrive in Honolulu around mid-afternoon. Forget the rental car for a couple of days. Most hotels have rental car dealers in their lobbies, or at least within a very short walking distance of the hotel. Remember you are in Hawaii, a place where walking is something you will enjoy.

Most vacation packages include transportation from the airport to your hotel door. Some include transportation back to the airport, but many do not, so be sure you understand in advance if you have your return trip to the airport covered. Otherwise, make sure you save cab fare. It would not be a fun walk to the airport and the airlines will not hold the flight for you.

When you get settled in your room, make your first excursion down to the tour desk. Like the car rental counter, most hotels have a tour desk in the lobby. They normally close between 4 or 5 PM, so find that desk soon after you check in.

Book a tour for the next day; your first full day on the island and make a trip around the island. The best one is called the Grand Circle Island tour. It leaves around 5:30 in the morning and you will get back to the hotel around 4 or 5 in the afternoon. You will not spend very long at each stop, but you will learn where everything is located for later. Do not be concerned about the early morning departure.

After you travel from the mainland, the time difference will have your internal clock so confused that you will awake very early on your first morning in Hawaii. On my first trip I was sitting in Denny's at 3AM talking to everyone else who had arrived the day before and could not sleep.

The Grand Circle Island tour will pick you up from your hotel on Waikiki beach, take you through the park, past the zoo (yes Honolulu has a zoo) and out to Diamond Head. After a tour inside the crater you will travel on around to Hanauma Bay, the marine sanctuary. The view is spectacular, it is a great place to snorkel and you will see where Elvis filmed scenes from Blue Hawaii.

Continuing on around the island, you will pass by a lighthouse, feast your eyes on some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. Of course, you will see that all day long. The tour stops at the famous blow hole and while there you can gaze down at a very famous piece of beach. Calling it a stretch of beach would be “stretching” the truth. It is a tiny spot of beach known as the “From Here to Eternity” beach. If memory serves me correctly, Charlton Heston filmed a love scene on that beach.

On this side of the island you will see magnificent cliffs, dozens of waterfalls, perhaps an occasional whale or two playing offshore, pass by a beautiful temple, see where the waves are higher than thirty feet, known as the North Shore, Sunset Beach and The Pipe Line.

You will move on around the island, see the beautiful Waimea Falls where cliff divers entertain several times each day. That side of the island also hosts the trip through a rain forest and an almost biting cold drive to the top of a very famous cliff.

On your way back into the opposite end of Waikiki Beach from which you left you will see the famous Turtle Beach where you can pose for pictures with some of the oldest creatures on the island. The turtles are happy to pose with you, but do not ask them to smile. They have to draw the line somewhere.

You will also pass by Pearl Harbor which is home to the Battleship Missouri and The Arizona Memorial. You will also see Punchbowl National Cemetery, which is inside an extinct volcano. Your driver, time permitting, will also take you through the famous China Town district of Honolulu.

All in all, this makes a pretty good first full day on the island. Now sit over dinner and plan what you want to go back and see more of on your next day. Enjoy your time and remember while you are there; do not rush, you are on Hawaiian time!

I know they don't have the freshest seafood around. Nor do they have the lowest prices. What they do have however is a polite staff, great atmosphere, and wonderful, wonderful cheese biscuits. I just can't seem to get enough of those cheese biscuits. They are amazing.

I have never had a truly bad experience while eating there. The restaurant even at its busiest is not all that loud. I love the wooden railings and rustic naval scenery. It is very interesting to look at when you live in one of the most land locked places in the world. I have to drive 14 hours minimum just to see the Gulf of Mexico. Its 20 hours to make it to one of the coasts.

Their food is more than passable even if it is freeze dried and not fresh off the boat. The best thing is that it is exactly the same every time. I never have to worry about getting something that is different than the last time. The shrimp scampi always tastes like shrimp scampi, and the batters that they use don't change from month to month.

The service is always polite and professional looking. I have never had a bad waiter or waitress there although some are better than others. I guess the reason that I like Red Lobster so much is that it doesn't change. It always delivers exactly what I expect it to, and in this world of sleazy Waffle Houses, and smoky, greasy old Denny's, it is a breath of fresh air.

While their are probably scores of locations to float a river for 3 to 5 miles in the state, I will only outline a few here to give you some examples of good place to go. The first one is the Meramec River near Steelville and Cuba, Missouri. There are about a half dozen or so excellent resorts that specialize in helping people float this river. You can rent tubes, canoes, and 3 to 5 man inflatable boats for the ride. Most of these resorts offer two different lengths of floats. On weekends these resorts like most in the state in the summer become major hives of activity. You will find it much better to float during the week if you do not like the overcrowding, loud music and noise, and drinking.

The upper Black River near Lesterville, Missouri, is another excellent and well-used section of water. While not as many resorts and campground to help you with your float, there are still several to choose from. This venue draws a lot of younger late-teen floaters. The float prior to the dog-days of summer is better because the water level tends to be higher. This makes for fewer times that you have to portage your boat or tube. Lesterville is a small town, but still has a decent store and gas stations. It sits at the foot of Taum Sauk, the highest point in the state. There are a number of other areas like Elephant Rocks State Park in the vicinity to explore if you want to make it a multiple day outing.

In the south-central part of Missouri, you will find the town of Eminence. Near Eminence are the Current and Jack's Fork rivers. These are fast flowing cold streams. You can experience more intense rapids in these rivers. This area of the state is even less developed than the previous two mentioned. For the person looking for rustic and back woods areas, there are plenty to be found here. Like the other areas, the campgrounds here make it easy to float. They utilize the more well-know and safer areas of the rivers to insure the well-being of their guests.

No matter where you go to float, the resorts will guide you to enter the river and be waiting for you when you exit. Buses and vans transport floaters back to their campgrounds or to the floater's cars making the return trip very easy. Workers will attend to the boats and tubes once you pull ashore.

Always bring along food and drink for a float trip. Most will take from 2 1/2 to 5 hours to complete. They tend to be somewhat leisurely and relaxing in most areas. There are generous areas to pull ashore and explore or have a picnic meal. Some of the floating areas encourage a moderate amount of fishing if you like to do that.

Shade can be difficult to come by during parts of any float trip. Sunscreen with a 45+ Spf rating is recommended. Apply it often during the day. It will more than likely be hot also. Bring plenty of liquid to stay hydrated. Something besides copious amounts of alcohol are needed to keep your water loss covered.

If you have an older swimming suit, it is recommended. The water can become a little murky after it rains or if the crowd is dense. This can leave muddy stains on swim wear. Bringing your old suit keeps you from putting a new one at risk. Even cutoffs might be the best way to go. Plan on swimming along side your canoe or boat if you rent one. This helps cool you off and is a nice diversion from paddling through large pools. Swim shoes are better than being bare-footed. Some of these rivers have sharp rocks or debris left behind by inconsiderate floaters in the past. Protecting your feet is important. Wearing a good had may be necessary too. This will protect your head, nose, and ears from overexposure to sunlight.

Wrap your towels in plastic to keep them dry in case your boat tips. Leave anything you do not want to loose at home. It will be better there than lost at the bottom of the river. Bring a water proof camera. There are invariably some great photo opportunities on every float trip.

If you like history, don't forget to go to the underground museum right underneath the arch. It's a must see! Admission is free!

Don't miss the Budweiser brewery.It is awesome! Take a tour and get free beer at the end! They take you through the process of making beer and you'll see the horses that are in the beer commercials. Then, it ends with some beer in a very fancy lounge! Now you go back to the visitor center and buy merchandise!!!

The City Museum is the former national shoe building. It bills itself as an "eclectic mixture of children's playground, fun house, surrealistic pavilion, and architectural marvel." Visitors are encouraged to feel, touch, climb on, and play in the various exhibits. Over 600,000 visitors visited the museum in 2005.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louise is an amazing church that is so perfectly designed. It is truly a site to see.