From Sea to Crater Top

The day started a bit rough as the place we went snorkeling, Holokai Kayak & Snorkel adventure, did not have a prescription mask for Kasey. Then we discovered that Theresa had left her contacts back at the condo. So two people were going to have a rough time under water. No worries though. Amanda came through with some wonderful photos. Kendal and her assistant gave us a route break down, quick kayak refresher, then hooked us to the boat. It was very windy and started to rain so they pulled us out a bit father than planned. Then they cut us loose and we kayaked to our first spot to snorkel. There were a few fish fish and a very large Sea Turtle. We then retired back to the boat and went to a second area.
From there we kayaked to the shore and had a nice BBQ lunch.

On the way back the entire van decided it was a good idea to stop at Leonard's Bakery. Good decision. The pastries were tasty.

After a few moments back to Condo and Vince decided to head to Diamond Head. Mary, Kasey, Theresa and Vince took public transportation from the condo to Diamond Head. We hiked to the top and enjoyed a wonderful view.

After the hike everyone chilled out at the condo. Vince had a craving for a Gyro so he headed off to the International Market.
Tomorrow we pack and head to the next island.

Day 2 - Pearl Harbor

Theresa's plan to get tickets worked well and with the help of a fun, energetic guide we had  a very full day at Pearl Harbor.  Between the two families and using all the digital cameras over 500 photos were taken.  So please bear with me as I hope to give some highlights of the day.

The ride out gave us a view of a few of the areas of the island.  Unfortunately since the bus windows were less than clean nothing came out worth showing.  We drove by a lot of sites: the capital, Punch Bowl, old churches, schools, and a lot more.

We got to the site with enough time to do a quick tour of the USS Blowfish.  A submarine that saw a lot of action in WWII.  It was a self guided tour and you just punched the numbers that you saw onto this little box and it told you what you were looking at as well as a bit of history.  The entire family went through this tour.

We then headed over to the theater to see a short film about Dec 7, 1941.  From it we hopped on a shuttle boat and went over to the memorial.  Now don't get me wrong but the memorial was good but it could have been better.  The guides the entire time said the memorial is a place to reflect and ponder.  Well, you didn't have too much time for reflection or thought for within 15 minutes they were getting you ready to board for the trip back.  It was humbling to see not only the list of names of the people that perished but to see the ship still sticking up out of the water.

The afternoon split us in to 2 groups.  Terry and Vince took the shuttle to Ford Island to go see the USS Missouri and the Pacific Aviation Museum. We headed over after checking out some of the static displays

The MO is HUGE and impressive and in great shape.  We took self guided tours again using an iPod app which not only told you about what you were looking at but gave a bit of history and interviews via video clips.  I would highly recommend doing either a small group OR iPod tour.

From there we took a shuttle over to the PAM.  It is a working museum where they get donated aircraft and attempt to restore it.  There were aircraft in all different stages of repair.  Each craft also had a plaque talking about the specific craft you were viewing.  It was a good experience if you like planes and/or history.

We ended the day with dinner at the condo and unloading all the photos of the day. Though it ws a longish day AND a lot of history and reading and learning, a good time was had by all. In the photo with Mary the lady behind her in the blue top and the gentleman she is talking to were from St Charles. Small world!

First day - first change of plans

We had planned on heading to Pearl Harbor today but found out there were no tickets available to get to visit the Arizona Memorial.  We decided to bump it to tomorrow - we found an inexpensive tour company that had tickets.  So today we rented a van and snorkeling gear and hit the north side of Oahu.  It was such a full day I am sure I am going to leave out something.

Our first stop was Laie Point.  It was carved out after a tsunami hit the area many years ago.  Lots of sharp rock formations and a good 1st break after an hour on the road.

We found a place for lunch, Hukilau Cafe.  Was on Man vs food.

From there we went to Malaekahanna State Recreation Area.  What was neat about it there was a way to walk out to a nearby island.  Vince, Theresa, Amanda, Kasey, and Mary made the trek.  John stayed on the main island guarding the gear AND holding on to the rental keys.

We stopped at the Banzai Pipeline but the water was flat.  Maybe a half a dozen folks splashing in the surf.

Ted's Bakery was our next stop.  Had to stop for some wonderful pastries and pies.  Thanks to Glenn, our rental guy, for suggesting the stop!

The majority of the rest of the day was spent snorkeling at Shark's Cove.  Though it wasn't sunny and visibility was slightly down we had some awesome encounters.  Amanda took the best underwater photos.  We saw many types of fish, a sea turtle, sea cucumbers, and a variety of sea urchins.  There were so many good photos taken it was hard to pick the few for this.

Our last stop of the day was Turtle Beach.  It lived up to it`s name.  There were turtles all over the place.  We were already dry and too worn out to get back in the water so we had to be satisfied with watching from the shore.

We ended the day with a nice spaghetti dinner and a slide show of the photos of the day.