Hawaii ~ Oahu ~ Pearl Harbor

 

We spent the entire day at Pearl Harbor. Here is the Arizona Memorial. The harbor was so peaceful that it was hard to imagine the fiery scene on that fateful day.

 

 

Outside the memorial.

 

Inside are the names of all those who perished in the attack, and also those who have chosen to rest here posthumously.

 

Do you see the rainbow colors in the water? This is a result of fuel still seeping from the vessel.

 

 

Part of the Arizona.

 

We had the opportunity to tour a submarine. This is on deck.

 

 

The kitchen is large enough for one cook.

 

Some of the bunks are up, but if they were down, there would be only a narrow passage way.

 

The mess hall.

 

 

We also had the privilege of touring the Missouri, a retired battleship.

 

It was on this ship that the Japanese surrendered, precisely at this spot.

 

On deck of the Missouri, the guns pointed to the Arizona Memorial, standing guard.

 

Some of the bunks

 

The kitchen, still equipped with huge mixers and all equipment.

 

The mess hall.

 

Notice all the ovens lined up. I wanted to take one home! Lots of stainless steel tables and all the sheet pans, etc. used in a place intended to feed multitudes!

 

The mailroom.

 

After that we went to an aviation museum, but I didn't take any pictures there. It was a very interesting day.

Hawaii ~ The Big Island ~ Volcanoes National Park

 

We docked in Hilo, Hawaii, in time to see the sunrise, and, to our west, a beautiful full moon hung over the mountain. It was an amazing scene, especially appreciated after our captain announced over the speaker that the top of this mountain is visible only six or seven times a year.

 

 

On top of the mountain are four huge telescopes used by various universities and companies. (Not visible on this photo.)

 

We went on an excursion to Volcanoes National Park. This was taken from the rim of the crater.

 

The crater from a different angle.

 

We hiked around the side of the crater and then down into it. Some of the terrain was very uneven, and we had to watch carefully where we put our feet!

 

You can see the path worn down by many hikers. We are heading for the back side of the crater.

 

It was warm in there, with the sun shining on the volcanic rock.

 

This volcano had erupted back in the 1960's, and vegetation is starting to come back.

 

It reminds me of a saying I had on a poster years ago, "God's love can break the hardest hearts, so faith can grow."

 

More foliage.

 

There is still steam rising from this crater at several places.

 

This hike totaled approximately four miles, and with the hike back up to the top, we were fairly winded!

 

After we came up to the top of the crater, we went through a large lava tube. This is the opening to it.

 

 

Here is another crater in the distance. Tourists are not allowed closer because it is more active. There is currently a lava flow not far from Hilo, but, of course, we were not allowed to see that..

 

On the way back to the ship we stopped at a macadamia nut factory. There was a little snack shop there where we all got ice cream. It was delish!

 

Some lovely flowers there.

 

The macadamia store.

 

Macadamia nut trees lined the road. I wished we could have stopped for a decent photo, but this was taken through the window as we were driving, so it's the best I could do.

Hawaii ~ Maui~ The Road to Hana

To celebrate two milestones: Noah's 60th birthday and our 35th anniversary, we decided to go to Hawaii. In order to get to more than one island, we flew to Honolulu and then boarded a cruise ship that would take us to visit four islands in seven days. We have never cruised before, so that was exciting! We didn't have any trouble with sea sickness at all. Sometimes we would barely know we were moving. We cruised at night and were in port during the day where we could go ashore and explore the islands or go on excursions. We went on excursions every day except one.

 

This was coming into port on Maui.

 

Getting closer to the dock.

 

Do you see the faint rainbow in the clouds?

 

The first day we went on the Road to Hana. The road is narrow and curvy and follows the beach. There are a lot of old bridges which were only one lane. So if there was oncoming traffic, we would wait or they would wait. The trees above have various colors in the bark. I forget what they are called. We saw these several times along the way.

 

That is the ocean in the background.

 

You can see the top of the ancient bridge that spans this stream.

 

Gorgeous scenery.

 

We stopped by this beach. The black stones are from volcanic lava many years ago.

 

Some years ago this area had a tsunami, and when it was over, this church was the only remaining building. I wanted a picture from the front, but there were worshipers inside whom I did not want to disturb. Enjoyed listening to their praises.

 

More from the same beach.

 

The view behind the beach.

 

Again the ocean in the background.

 

We saw lots of waterfalls along the way.

 

 

 

Here is a black sand beach.

 

Noah gets his feet wet in the Pacific.

 

This is a lava tube. Like a tunnel in the rocks to the beach.

 

Another waterfall.

 

Do you see the philodendron climbing up these trees?

 

And over the rock?

 

Another beach we visited.

 

The view to our backs. Notice the bridge spanning the falls.

 

This is part of the narrow road, following the coastline.

 

A storm two days earlier had sent rocks off the nearby mountain and washed out a portion of the road. Fortunately we could go around, albeit slowly. Noah was afraid we would have to retrace our route, and given that this was close to the end of our excursion, it was nice to not have to go back!

 

You can see that the coastline is rugged.

And that is all for today.