Nothing exciting happened on the return trip, so I forgot to publish this final post.
But I keep losing the link to all of the photos, so I decided to add it here.
We did the usual stop-in-LAX-with-just-enough-layover-time-to-eat, and got back to Philadelphia around 6:30 AM. We stopped for breakfast at the Bethlehem Diner, then went home and tried to stay awake all day. It didn't work. The 6-hour time change is brutal, going East. It took me a few days to recover. It took Sabrina at least a week.
If this is your first visit, you might want to start at the beginning.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Friday, July 3, 2015
Hawaii II - Day 9
Day 9: Coast to coast
=====================
Today, we had planned to drive up the west coast ("leeward side", as they refer to it). Time permitting, we also wanted to go to Kailua.
Our first stop on the drive up the leeward coast was Kahe Beach (or Kahe Point). It's supposed to be a good place to snorkel/dive, because there's a power plant here that ejects warm water, which attracts marine life. (Also nicknamed "electric beach".) We had our fill of snorkeling yesterday, so we just enjoyed the sights.
As we continued up the coast, we encountered a few tourist resorts, traveled through some tiny towns (Nanakuli, Maili, Waianae, Makaha) and passed several beautiful beaches, eventually arriving at Kaena Point State Park, and the end of the road.
The beach out near the end of the road was nearly deserted, but there were plenty of people closer to the bathroom facilities. It looked like some of them were actually living there, with cots, air mattresses, pop-up canopy tents, etc.
On the way out of the park, we stopped to see Kaneana cave (AKA Makua cave?). It's actually two caves, the "upper" and "lower". We ventured into the lower, but neither remembered the existence of the upper, nor were properly shod for climbing the trails (behind the "area closed" sign).
While driving through Waianae, I decided that we should drive up into one of the inland valleys, to see something other than water and beaches. The leeward side of the island is very brown and dry, in stark contrast to the lush vegetation elsewhere on Oahu. The road got narrower and narrower, until we reached a locked gate with a sign that said something about "government property".
Time definitely permitted, so we crossed through central Oahu and aimed for the east coast. The ride through the middle was hilly and wet; those clouds that always seem to enshroud the mountains in the distance are indeed rainclouds. The "interstate" passed through several tunnels, one of which was almost a mile lone.
The view coming out of the tunnel (eastbound) was stunning, looking over Kaneohe and Marine Corps Base Hawaii. (I think last time we were here, we accidentally ran into that at the end of H3.)
It was just after 3 PM when we got to Kailua Beach, which was simply incredible. The sand was the softest and finest of any beach we've been to on this trip, and the bottom was sandy all the way out.
Just to the east, there was a river outlet where you could rent kayaks, outrigger canoes, and paddleboards. Many people were making the short journey out to Popoia island, and some appeared to be going all the way to Moku Nui and Moku Iki.
After a few hours of swimming and beaching, we headed into town to find some dinner. We picked the Kalapawai Cafe, with the assistance of the guidebook, for our last dinner in Oahu. And it was delicious. If you're ever in Kailua, definitely make time to stop here. I got a Wagyu beef burger with pastrami on top, and Sabrina had Opah.
As the sun was setting, we drove through the hills back towards Waikiki. It was cloudy near the crest, but we stopped at the Nu'uanu Pali lookout for some photos. It was lightly raining, and started pouring as soon as we left.
There have been many, many strange sign pics on this trip, but I think we found the winner (bottom one):
On the way back down the hill, we stopped at one final scenic overlook while the sun set behind the skyline of downtown Honolulu. Tomorrow, we begin the long process of getting back to Pennsylvania.
=====================
Today, we had planned to drive up the west coast ("leeward side", as they refer to it). Time permitting, we also wanted to go to Kailua.
Our first stop on the drive up the leeward coast was Kahe Beach (or Kahe Point). It's supposed to be a good place to snorkel/dive, because there's a power plant here that ejects warm water, which attracts marine life. (Also nicknamed "electric beach".) We had our fill of snorkeling yesterday, so we just enjoyed the sights.
As we continued up the coast, we encountered a few tourist resorts, traveled through some tiny towns (Nanakuli, Maili, Waianae, Makaha) and passed several beautiful beaches, eventually arriving at Kaena Point State Park, and the end of the road.
The beach out near the end of the road was nearly deserted, but there were plenty of people closer to the bathroom facilities. It looked like some of them were actually living there, with cots, air mattresses, pop-up canopy tents, etc.
On the way out of the park, we stopped to see Kaneana cave (AKA Makua cave?). It's actually two caves, the "upper" and "lower". We ventured into the lower, but neither remembered the existence of the upper, nor were properly shod for climbing the trails (behind the "area closed" sign).
While driving through Waianae, I decided that we should drive up into one of the inland valleys, to see something other than water and beaches. The leeward side of the island is very brown and dry, in stark contrast to the lush vegetation elsewhere on Oahu. The road got narrower and narrower, until we reached a locked gate with a sign that said something about "government property".
Time definitely permitted, so we crossed through central Oahu and aimed for the east coast. The ride through the middle was hilly and wet; those clouds that always seem to enshroud the mountains in the distance are indeed rainclouds. The "interstate" passed through several tunnels, one of which was almost a mile lone.
The view coming out of the tunnel (eastbound) was stunning, looking over Kaneohe and Marine Corps Base Hawaii. (I think last time we were here, we accidentally ran into that at the end of H3.)
It was just after 3 PM when we got to Kailua Beach, which was simply incredible. The sand was the softest and finest of any beach we've been to on this trip, and the bottom was sandy all the way out.
Just to the east, there was a river outlet where you could rent kayaks, outrigger canoes, and paddleboards. Many people were making the short journey out to Popoia island, and some appeared to be going all the way to Moku Nui and Moku Iki.
After a few hours of swimming and beaching, we headed into town to find some dinner. We picked the Kalapawai Cafe, with the assistance of the guidebook, for our last dinner in Oahu. And it was delicious. If you're ever in Kailua, definitely make time to stop here. I got a Wagyu beef burger with pastrami on top, and Sabrina had Opah.
As the sun was setting, we drove through the hills back towards Waikiki. It was cloudy near the crest, but we stopped at the Nu'uanu Pali lookout for some photos. It was lightly raining, and started pouring as soon as we left.
There have been many, many strange sign pics on this trip, but I think we found the winner (bottom one):
On the way back down the hill, we stopped at one final scenic overlook while the sun set behind the skyline of downtown Honolulu. Tomorrow, we begin the long process of getting back to Pennsylvania.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Hawaii II - Day 8
Day 8: Hanauma Bay
==================
Sabrina presented a paper at the conference this morning, and had the afternoon off. So I had a late breakfast at the hotel, and then sauntered in the general direction of the conference hotel.
Between our hotel and the conference location, there are several parks and an Army Museum. I wasn't especially interested in the contents of this museum, but I did step in for a moment to borrow some of their air conditioning and check out the gift shop.
When Sabrina was done, we met up and headed back towards our hotel for lunch. En route, we came across a food-truck food court, and ate there instead. Well, Sabrina ate, anyway. I just watched.
The plan for the afternoon was to drive out to Hanauma Bay to do some more snorkeling, so we retrieved the car, obtained some towels from the hotel, and headed about 10 miles east. Along the way, we stopped at a scenic overlook with the other side of Diamond Head visible in the distance.
Hanauma Bay is the type of location they put on postcards. It's really unbelievable. I had seen photos while researching it earlier in the week, but it's even more incredible in person. I took about 40 pictures of it, from different vantage points, and at different times of day, hoping some of them would look as good as the ones a Google image search turns up.
The walk down into the crater is quite steep, but they had (what they call) a tram you could ride (for a nominal fee) if you don't feel like exercising. Really, it's a trailer pulled by a Jeep Wrangler. Actually, they had several of them.
The snorkeling was excellent, as advertised. Once again, I decided to push my luck with the length and depth (literally) of the waterproof phone case, but I think the risk was worth it.
No seal this time, and I was mildly disappointed that we didn't see a turtle. The assortment of fish resembled what we recall from snorkeling in Maui. Most of them are easily identifiable.
Some of those fish were quite large; it was slightly startling to come upon one or two of them suddenly, over a ridge of coral, but being in the middle of a school of them was downright unnerving. The fish in the last few pictures were in the 18" to 24" range.
After several hours of alternating snorkeling with beach-relaxing (and phone recharging), we were exhausted, so we hopped in the Hyundai and headed home to the hotel.
For dinner, we again decided to embrace our inner (resort) tourist, and headed to Duke's Waikiki, right on the beach in one of the resort hotels just up the street. A serious slice of Hula Pie ended the evening.
Tomorrow, no conference. We plan to head to the west coast for a day of slow(er) paced relaxation.
==================
Sabrina presented a paper at the conference this morning, and had the afternoon off. So I had a late breakfast at the hotel, and then sauntered in the general direction of the conference hotel.
Between our hotel and the conference location, there are several parks and an Army Museum. I wasn't especially interested in the contents of this museum, but I did step in for a moment to borrow some of their air conditioning and check out the gift shop.
When Sabrina was done, we met up and headed back towards our hotel for lunch. En route, we came across a food-truck food court, and ate there instead. Well, Sabrina ate, anyway. I just watched.
The plan for the afternoon was to drive out to Hanauma Bay to do some more snorkeling, so we retrieved the car, obtained some towels from the hotel, and headed about 10 miles east. Along the way, we stopped at a scenic overlook with the other side of Diamond Head visible in the distance.
Hanauma Bay is the type of location they put on postcards. It's really unbelievable. I had seen photos while researching it earlier in the week, but it's even more incredible in person. I took about 40 pictures of it, from different vantage points, and at different times of day, hoping some of them would look as good as the ones a Google image search turns up.
The walk down into the crater is quite steep, but they had (what they call) a tram you could ride (for a nominal fee) if you don't feel like exercising. Really, it's a trailer pulled by a Jeep Wrangler. Actually, they had several of them.
The snorkeling was excellent, as advertised. Once again, I decided to push my luck with the length and depth (literally) of the waterproof phone case, but I think the risk was worth it.
No seal this time, and I was mildly disappointed that we didn't see a turtle. The assortment of fish resembled what we recall from snorkeling in Maui. Most of them are easily identifiable.
Some of those fish were quite large; it was slightly startling to come upon one or two of them suddenly, over a ridge of coral, but being in the middle of a school of them was downright unnerving. The fish in the last few pictures were in the 18" to 24" range.
After several hours of alternating snorkeling with beach-relaxing (and phone recharging), we were exhausted, so we hopped in the Hyundai and headed home to the hotel.
For dinner, we again decided to embrace our inner (resort) tourist, and headed to Duke's Waikiki, right on the beach in one of the resort hotels just up the street. A serious slice of Hula Pie ended the evening.
Tomorrow, no conference. We plan to head to the west coast for a day of slow(er) paced relaxation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)