Nate and I went to Pearl Harbor when we visited Hawaii on our honeymoon, but I knew I had to bring the kids.
Such an important part of American history!
The grounds are very pretty, but you can't help but notice that somber feeling spread over every square inch.
So many good people died right here on these very grounds and in this very water I'm seeing in front of me.
USS Battleship Missouri and the Arizona memorial.
USNS Henry J Kaiser was parked alongside our ferry shuttle route out to the Arizona. It is a replenishment oiler that refuels other ships.
Looking down through the floor of the memorial building to the sunken Arizona.
:(
That's all I can really say.
The park ranger said that just about a month ago, they were able to exhume a body of an unknown soldier that died on that day and was buried in the local cemetery. With modern advancements, they were able to identify the body with DNA and ship the remains back to the family!
Flags were being flown at half mast due to the recent bombings in Brussels. When I travelled to Ireland, Paris was attacked and now Brussels. Maybe I shouldn't travel. Boo.
It is estimated that the Arizona continues to leak two gallons of oil into the water per day. There was 1.5 million gallons of oil on board the day it was hit, as it had been refueled the day before. There are approximately a half million gallons left in it today.
The USS Bowfin Submarine is open for tours as a memorial for the submarines lost during WWII also.
Torpedoes on display...
Kaiten which is a human torpedo also on display. I cannot imagine the person that would give up their life, sit inside of this vessel in the pitch black, and destroy something/someone in the name of war. Unimaginable.
After a sombering morning, we headed north to visit the Dole Plantation and have some Dole Whip. Oh my yum.
She opted for some fresh pineapple instead, and I guess I can't blame her, but I think I'm happy with my choice of the other.
Eucalyptus trees line the parking lot, but we didn't see any koalas. Hehe.
A little further north and we hit the North Shore! We were looking for Jack, Kate, and the rest of the Lost crew since this is where they filmed, but no luck.
Really stunning. A bit different than the North Shore back home that I'm used to though.
I can't get over the color of the ocean. I love it.
This is known as Chinaman's Hat Island. Fitting name, I'd say.
Stunning mountains.
Really beautiful scenery.
Back at the resort we had a little downtime for my dorky son to pose for a picture while playing skipbo... Hey, if you are gonna pose like that for me, you should expect the picture to make the blog.
And then we hit Monkeypod for dinner, also at the recommendation of Missy and her daughter Katie.
Good thing we don't have such yummy restaurants at home. Or maybe I should say it's a good thing we don't eat out so much at home. I found out that pork tacos and garlic fries are delicious though.
A nice little view of the Ko Olina Country Club right out the window from our table, where your standard round of golf goes for the bargain rate of $210. Sorry kids, maybe next time, when you are paying.
Andy also seemed to enjoy the magnetic silverware. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do to keep your teenagers occupied.
The sadness is already creeping in, as we only have one more full day before we fly back on Friday. I have loved every part of this trip, and I'm not ready for it to be over. I could really become a professional beach bum. Too bad everything is so darn expensive here.
We don't have much planned for our last day, which is just how I like it.
(Sorry if you are reading along real time. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a little behind on posts. I'll catch up soon.)
XOXOX
NH
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