Hawaii- day 5- June 15th

Feels like we have been here in Oahu for so long- all of the cares of home have melted away and we are fully in that vacation mojo!  Today we had heavy use of both our legs and our hearts. Our hearts were heavy as we visited Pearl Harbor but first we started off tiring out our legs at diamond head national monument. We started off the day early again (Poor Noah) and drove to the crater called diamond head on the west end of Waikiki. The parking lot is actually in the middle of the crater!  We started our hike to the summit- which is a little less than a mile but a 600 foot ascent. Diamond head trail was built in the early 1900's to fortify Oahu and has some bunkers on it. The trail is steep and at the end has you walking up stairs, through a tunnel and finally up a spiral staircase. All worth it because the views from the top are amazing!  

 

We ended our time there with an early picnic lunch- in the middle of a crater- very cool. 

We then headed straight to Pearl Harbor. It's so amazing to be there after all of the reading and history lessons- to imagine what happened there 75 years ago. We got right on a shuttle to visit the U.S. Missouri. It is a huge battleship that spent some time in WWII towards the end and it is where the treaty with Japan was signed. The ship was HUGE and we toured it from top to bottom- starting with a tour guide who was full of information. When we were done with the Missouri, we went back to the visitors center and looked at some of he monuments and visitors information. We were so impressed with the information presented and the displays- we learned a lot. We then went on the 2pm tour of the Arizona. You first watch an incredible movie about the war and Pearl Harbor attack- which was fascinating. Then the ferry took us to the memorial- which was literally a huge battleship just underneath the water- where over 900 bodies are entombed. The water was oily as it is still leaking oil because there was so much on board. We walked away thankful for our servicemen and grateful for our freedom and country. We definitely ended our day with heavy hearts and tired legs- grateful for our blessings. 

We promised Leah sushi when we returned the rental car as the place was next door and boy was she in heaven!

Back at the hotel we needed some rest then we decided to check out the pool. 

Finally we capped off our day with a long walk down Waikiki and dinner at PF Changs. An amazing day!

Hawaii- day 4- June 14

Today was about exploring the east side of Oahu and its beaches. We were up early as we were making our way to hanuama bay preserve and we heard the parking lot fills quickly.  It is perfect beach weather today- actually every day so far has been lows in the 70's and highs in the mid 80's. A little more humid then home which was hard to adjust to at first.  We made the 30 minute drive to hanuama bay with our snorkeling gear in hand as this bay has the best snorkeling on the island. We arrived at 8:30 and had plenty of parking to choose from. Then there was the huge line to pay for tickets and watching of the mandatory safety video. Then we took the 1/4 mile hike downhill to the bay. Crystal clear, turquoise waters and white sand were the first thing you see. But when you put on that snorkeling gear and get in the water- the colors came alive with all kinds of beautifu tropical fish, sea urchins and even eels. 

After hanuama bay we set off on a road trip to the east coast along the ocean. Gorgeous views of blue water on one side and green mountains on the other. We stopped to get a picnic lunch and then headed to Kailua beach park where we had a picnic and the girls swam for a bit. This beach may have been busier than Waikiki and the parking was terrible but it was really pretty- clearer water and whiter sand than Waikiki. 

Finally we ended our day with something my family cajoled, bribed and finally convinced me to do. The only reason I went to see the movie Jurassic world on my HAWAIIN vacation is because my family said it was filmed in Kauai and it was the only thing noah requested to do.  I agreed on the condition we went during the hottest part of the day and that I was home by sunset on my patio. Done- a waste of 3 hours of my life. 

I did make it to our patio for sunset and happy hour topped off with a frozen pizza made by Megan. Nothing like seeing a Hawaiin sunset with a glass of wine and my family around me- true paradise!

Hawaii day 3- June 13

Whew!  How do you put a 14 hour day into a few paragraphs?  We ventured away from Waikiki today as we rented a car this morning and you can do much more with wheels. We began with a trip to the Dole pineapple plantation in central Oahu. This was Noah's request as he has been drinking Dole juice his entire life and wanted to pay homage to Mr. Dole. Beautiful plantation with acres and acres of pineapples, bananas and even chocolate. We took a cute little train tour and the kids ran through a big pineapple maze. Then some delicious pineapple whip. We then headed to a north shore beach called Waimea bay. The water was turquoise and the sand almost white- so pretty!  The girls went right into snorkeling mode and spent the rest of the time with their new friend the sea turtle. Noah spent time with the turtle too but was quickly lured to the cliff diving happening where masses of teen boys gathered and egged each other on to jump. He fell for the peer pressure and jumped- probably 40 feet or so. 

Next we went to the Polynesian cultural center. We wandered around trying to get our berrings as it is much bigger than imagined. We caught a move about Hawaii and saw a couple of villages and then headed to our luau dinner. We did a luau in Maui and this felt different as it wasn't on the beach but still fun. We dined on roasted pig from the pit and other delicacies while being entertained with hula and fire dancers. They called all the couples up having anniversaries so Tim and I went up on stage then they played a song while all the couples danced- I just loved that!  Finally it was the big breath of life show with tons of fire dancing, music and hula girls. It was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed it. An hour drive back to Waikiki and then off to bed. A fun filled day!

Hawaii- day 2- June 12th, 2015

First full day on Oahu and we are settling in. Getting used to the masses of people and trying to find quiet spaces in nature for some solitude and peace. Tim and I started off our day with an early morning jog through Ali moana beach park which had beautiful views of the ocean. Then we went back up to the room for breakfast and getting ready for our beach day. 

We left for the beach at 8:45 in the morning!  Not to much to do sitting around the hotel. We claimed our spot on Waikiki beach and enjoyed sand and surf. The waves were calm and the water warm.   The kids snorkeled and we had a delicious picnic from a shrimp food truck. Yummy coconut and garlic shrimp we won't forget!  After sufficient sun tans and a few sunburns we went up to our room to rest and hang. We had dinner in the room and went down to the lagoon and set up on the grass for the fireworks show. A perfect end to our day was some Hawaiian shaved ice and a gorgeous fireworks show!  A great first full day in paradise!

Hawaii- day 1- June 11, 2015

We traded in the RV this summer for a family Hawaiian vacation!  The first part of our trip is 6 nights in Oahu then we will do 5 nights in Kauai. 

Our morning started off early- up at 3am and at the airport by 6. We had a connecting flight to LA and then onto Oahu. As we were waiting, Tim's phone rang and it was the airline letting us know our flight out was delayed which meant we would miss our connecting. So...off to customer service where they were able to get us on a direct flight- whew!  That was scary and what Tim and I had worried about for months. 

We had a smooth 6 hour flight and we took a taxi to our hotel. It is called the ilikai hotel and is decent. We are on the 17th floor overlooking the harbor. We quickly unpacked and then walked along Waikiki beach. Of course the girls had to go in the ocean. Tim and I took a very long walk to Walmart for groceries while the kids swam n the lagoon by our hotel. Then it was another walk to the other side of Waikiki for dinner. Ended our night with fireworks!  First impression is whoa- this is one of the busiest places we have ever been!  The beach is gorgeous and we look forward to an entire beach day tomorrow! 

Day 6- Zion national park- 6/26/14

We left early this morning for the 2 1/2 hour drive to Zion national park. One fun thing is the 1 mile tunnel you have to go through to get here. It's scary and fun at the same time. We entered Zion and set up camp at watchman campground. This is our third time here so it was all familiar territory. After setting up we headed to the river at our campground. The girls discovered the best thing ever in the river- it provided hours of free entertainment and peace and quiet for mom...tadpoles!  They caught tadpoles for hours and then I had to drag them away for our first hike. We got on the Zion shuttle and headed for the emerald pools hike which is about 3 miles round trip. There are 3 pools and we made it to the upper pools.  The pools are so pretty and the water is seaping from the high canyon walls which have ferns and greens growing out of them. The lower pool has water dripping down onto the trail which is refreshing. Although we hit a cold spell today and it is only in the 80s and overcast. We got separated from noah for a short time on our hike as he accidentally took another trail and didn't hear us call him back. Thankfully he showed up just as we made it to the upper pool!  After our hike we had delicious soft serve ice cream at the lodge. Then back at the campsite it was back to the river for the girls while the boys made dinner. After dinner the boys went to see a movie at the Zion theatre (only shows 1 movie!) and the girls worked on their jr ranger books. We met up at a late evening ranger program about the stars. Whew- that was a lot today!

Day 5- lake Powell- 6/25/14

We decided to spend our last full day at lake Powell where we began- on the lake. We took the SUPs down to the lake and just paddle boarded around the whole afternoon. Tim and Noah took a long trek to the shore on the other side of the lake while us girls floated in our tubes. It was a relaxing last day and the girls just love their time in the lake. We had a nice picnic and mom read her book too. It was a nice way to end our trip. The rest of the evening was cleaning and packing up. Tomorrow we leave for Zion!