Well, we had all that and more!
After an extremely bumpy flight, we landed in Honolulu at about 10AM and proceeded to walk about two miles to customs (OK, it probably was more like 800 yards, but it was a LONG way!)
We found the Budget Rental Car bus and were upgraded to a luxury car (Lincoln Town Car) for no added fee! We struggled a little getting all of our stuff in the car, but it did finally fit!
We had a cabin reserved at Bellows Air Force Station on the windward shore (opposite side of the island from Honolulu, which is on the leeward shore), but it would not be ready until 3 PM.
So we went to Marine Corps Base Hawaii (formerly known as Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe) and went to the exchange and commissary.
When we got back to Bellows, the cabin was ready and we moved in!
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| This is the beach about 100' from our cabin! |
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| Complete with beautiful women! |
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| and flowers! |
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| and rainbows! |
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| Thursday afternoon, we drove to Waikiki for the Luau at the Hale Koa ("Home of the Warrior") a military-only resort right on the beach next door to the Hilton Waikiki Beach Resort! |
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| At the Hale Koa near the lobby |
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| At the Hale Koa beachside/poolside bar area (yes they have a swimming pool right across the walkway from Waikiki Beach!) |
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| At the Luau waiting for the table |
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| Each guest of the luau receives a lei made of sea shells |
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| Bob wasn't quite fast enough to get a photo of Theresa receiving her lei. Peggy yelled to Bill "wait up - I haven't been lei'd yet" - cracked up everyone within hearing! |
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| We had a nice table in the third tier from the stage. We were the first tables under the overhang and loved it when it started to rain. Fortunately the rain stopped before long. |
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| The show was entertaining and educational - first a celebration of the gift of fire |
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| Then a series of dances from around the various Polynesian islands |
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| After the show, the cast came around to meet the guests and offer photo ops |
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| . . . where dancers from the Polynesian Culture Center entertained. |
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| Friday, we decided to spend the day playing in the surf! |
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| Peggy and Theresa |
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| Peggy and Theresa acting cold (the water was about 80 degrees, so there was a small "shock" upon entering |
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| Peggy and Theresa running in slow motion ala Chariots of Fire |
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| Bob and Theresa on the beach in paradise! |
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| We were not supposed to take towels from the unit, so we bought some beach towels at the exchange |
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| Our towel has a map of the "Sandwich Islands" as The Hawaiian Islands were first named (Capt Cook's mission was sponsored by the Earl of Sandwich) |
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| Bob did much of the cooking |
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| While Bill provided moral support (and did the cleanup) |
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| All through the week, Bob tried to ignore the TV and work on this blog! |
Next day - "field trip!"
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| We set out to the East to go around the end of O'Ahu to Diamond Head, stopping at all beaches and scenic overlooks! |
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| But the main goal was "Climb Diamond Head!" |
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| Bob has to keep going once he starts something nutty like this. He got far enough ahead to take this shot or Theresa, Bill & Peggy |
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| At a split, an arrow to the right (pointing toward these steps) said "Hard" and the other way "Easy." It should have said "Harder" and "Hard" Bob chose "Hard" i.e. these steps. They are hard because there is no place to stop and catch your breath! |
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| Bill & Peggy took breaks when they needed them |
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| This is the "Easy" way (on the way down)! See what I mean about "Hard" & "Harder" |
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| But the payoff at the top is a great view of Waikiki Beach |
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| Our next stop was the Punchbowl |
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| National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific |
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| The view from the entrance! |
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| The arches at the base of the steps are shelters set up for the Veteran's Day service that would occur the next day. |
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| The grounds are immaculate and flowers are everywhere |
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| Behind the main central statue are a series of incredible mosaics that tell the story of the War in the Pacific |
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| We left Punchbowl and drove to downtown Honolulu for dinner at a restaurant that Bill & Peggy had discovered during a previous trip. Bob parked the car and then snapped this photo of a group of Polynesian dancers across the street trying to attract customers for their luau |
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| Our destination was Chuck's Cellar |
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| Which is actually in a cellar! Peggy was worried Bob would get lost, so she happily snapped this when he showed up! |
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| Chuck's opens at 5:30 PM and we arrived shortly thereafter. We were seated immediately, but by the time we left, there was a 45 minute wait. |
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| At the far end of the bar was a delightful trio consisting of piano, upright bass, and a singer. They were quite good and just the right volume! |
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| A toast to good friends . . . |
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| . . . and good times! |
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| Bob and Theresa were pretty timid souls and didn't go out very far |
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| Bill & Peggy, on the other hand went deeper . . . |
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| . . . and deeper . . . |
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| . . . and deeper! |
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| Poor Peggy! Did that mean old wave smack you down? |
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| Sunday! Starting with Mass at St George, a Catholic parish just outside the gate at Bellows. |
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| Followed by the Officer's Club brunch at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii |
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| The view out the window is of the Clipper Golf Course - part of the Marine Corps Base |
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| After brunch, this is the direct view of the Clipper Golf Course and the mountain in the background |
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| We set out for the North Shore, stopping frequently. We drove around Kaneohe Bay and stopped at a State Park for a photo op (and a kiss or two!) That's MCBH across the bay just behind the tree over Bob's shoulder. |
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| A little further up the coast, we stopped to admire Mokolii Island also known as the "Chinaman's Hat" - a small island just off the coast. A lot of folks kayak out to the island and back . . . |
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| . . . and then climb to the top when they get there! |
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| Shipmates! Bill & Bob were both Electronics Technicians aboard the aircraft carrier USS Franklin D Roosevelt, CVA-42 between 1962-64. |
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| Further up the coast is the "Crouching Lion" rock formation. There is also a restaurant named the Crouching Lion just under this formation. We were told that some people see "Crouching Lion" on a map, drive here, enter & eat at the restaurant and think they've seen the Crouching Lion, not knowing about the rocks above! |
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| We finally make it to the North Shore - home of legendary surf! Here we are at Banzai Pipeline |
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| The conditions were pretty good but we seem to remember the waves being quite a bit bigger last time we were here (in late 90's) but that visit was in January/February and I think the waves do get bigger later in the "winter" |
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| We drove East (toward Honolulu) stopping at the Dole Plantation. |
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| We took the train ride, watched the "How to cut a pineapple" demo, bought a few trinkets, and headed East again |
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| Our final stop for the day was at the Royal Birthing Stones near Wahiawa |
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| Back at the cabin, Bob made spaghetti & meat sauce |
Monday was a chill, pack, and chill some more day.
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| The last day in our beach cabin - well, our half of our beach cabin |
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| Theresa and Peggy decided to hike one of the Bellows trails |
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| Theresa an Bob took one last walk on the beach |
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| A final twilight |
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| And more work on this blog |
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| Bob prepares the final supper |
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| "I know all this stuff will fit!" |
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| Tuesday morning, we checked out and headed South. We stopped at two overlooks - this one is on the Pali Highway just before the tunnel |
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| The larger of the two however, tells the story of the building of the Pali highway. At one time, to get from Honolulu to Kaneohe, you had to go all the way around the shoreline - and there was no road like today, so much of the trip was by watercraft. |
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| This is the view of Kaneohe Bay from the Pali overlook |
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| None of us had ever seen a tree with roots quite like this one at the overlook |
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| We stopped on the slopes above Honolulu for a guided tour through Queen Ema's summer house. |
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| Queen Ema was King Kamehameha IV's wife. She lost her son, Albert at age 4 and the next year her husband. While she had numerous offers, she never remarried |
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| The gardens were exquisite |
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| After a nice dinner at Ruby Tuesday's, we dropped Bill & Peggy at the airport, then took a drive to Barber's point and Ford Island and finally headed to the airport ourselves. |
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| Since we had eaten so heavy a lunch, we decided to eat light for "supper" - at Cold Stone Creamery (each of us is pictured with both ice creams) |
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| Our last Hawaiian Sunset!! |
At O'Hare, our luggage was first off the plane, David picked us up and we were on our way home.
We stopped along I-65 in Merrillville, Indiana for a steak dinner and then on to Indianapolis.
This vacation was a "dream vacation" with good fiends and fantastic itinerary. Most of all, it was a dream for me because I was with my dream woman!
I hope you have enjoyed this blog - until next time - gooday mates!
