You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is. Will Rogers
Focus
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
(Philippians 4:8 ESV)
Well, this trip is almost over. Just a little packing and off we go back home. It's hard to not want this place to be home. In fact I closed my eyes, clicked my heels and said, "There's no place like home." And what do you know, I opened my eyes and I was still here. Does that make here home? I didn't think so.
It's been great. The sand, sea, mountains, breezes all combine to make this place what it is. We stayed at the Beachside Studios, in the Monet Studio on Pu'ukani Place in Kailua. In Hawaiian Pu'ukani means, "sweet-toned," or "sweet-sounding." Waking up each morning to the sound of dozens of birds calling out to one another, the sound of the surf and the trees swaying in the breeze certainly justify the name of this place.
As I was taking this morning's sunrise photo a man walking past asked me, "Beautiful, isn't it?" My response was a simple, "I could never get tired of it." And it's true. There is something truly wonderful about this place. The only thing missing is the rest of our family, so it's off to see them.
I don't think you could get sick of Hawaii, but you can get sick in Hawaii. Somewhere along the way I picked up a nasty head cold complete with earache and sore throat, but hey, I'm on vacation so I'm not going to let it get in the way.
Two days ago we visited the Polynesian Cultural Center. There I tasted poi for the first time, and from the picture you can tell it kinda grew on me.
Poi is bland at best. I don't know what people see in eating it, but I'm not given to other such exotics as fish-eye soup either.
At the Polynesian Cultural Center we saw many different island nations represented. After watching numerous variations of hulas and war dances, it's hard to walk around without wanting to break out in some foot-stomping, head-shaking, hand-waving dance. I can hardly wait for our next wild Pentecostal service. The folks at Skyline may just wonder what happened to me!
The PCC has a great luau and the food was all great. They even post their recipes online. The lomilomi, which is a salmon dish, is awesome and simple to make. We shared a smoothie which was served in a hollowed-out pineapple. Not cheap, but oh so delicious. We watched their great musical dinner show which was again a display of native dancing from many of the South Pacific island nations. Hmmmh, we feel a slight call to Fiji. I wonder who the missionaries are there.
Yesterday, we slept in to help me get a break over this cold and then we went to Waikiki for shopping, dinner and a late-night stroll on the beach. As with our last trip here, there was a moment when we had a beach all to ourselves. Tens of thousands of tourists all around the neighborhood, but very few on these beautiful beaches.
As soon as we get ready this morning we're off to hike to a waterfall. Aloha.
Yesterday we went to Pearl Harbor. There is always something that grips me when I contemplate the needless loss of life that took place there, and the great sacrifices that were paid as a result of that Day of Infamy.
I have often wondered what would some of those men have done with their lives had they a chance to live them out. Doctors, builders, preachers, teachers, inventors? We'll never know for sure. Their deaths are, in a related sense, our loss.
We visited what is called "Pearl Harbor Historic Sites" and it includes the Pacific Aviation Museum, the battleship USS Missouri, the submarine USS Bowfin and of course the USS Arizona memorial. The first 3 are paid attractions, and the fee is reasonable. The Arizona memorial is a National Park and admittance is free.
At the Pacific Aviation Museum there are a handful of planes on display. This is the first phase of what should turn out to be a first rate museum complex on historic Ford Island. One display in the PAM includes the remaining wreckage of a Japanese plane that crash landed on the island of Ni'ihau after being shot up during the attack at Pearl Harbor. The pilot crashed landed his plane in the farm land of a first generation Japanese immigrant and convinced the farmer that Japan was going to conquer America, so they set about to try and conquer the island for Japan. It didn't take long for them to realize that America was in no mood to be conquered that day, or any other day. The locals killed the pilot and the farmer committed suicide. They should have followed my plan outlined in my last blog!
The USS Missouri is really cool, and big! Its 3 turrets contain 9 guns capable of blasting a 2700 pound projectile 23 miles with pinpoint accuracy. That would be quite a wake-up call, as some found out. The "Mighty Mo" served proudly during WWII and Korea before decommissioning in 1955. Recommissioned in 1986 she served in the Persian Gulf and later, during Gulf War I. This ship was around during my Dad's service and after mine. It was a little bit of a trip down memory lane for me. You have to stick to the "Tour," following their signs, but I must admit I did want to go below decks and search around. The self-guided tour leads you all around the upper deck area, Officers Country, the Chiefs' areas and the Mess Decks. On deck the tour path leads you to where the formal signing of the Japanese surrender took place. So in one sense, the beginning and ending of WWII for America are just yards apart in Pearl Harbor.
The USS Bowfin submarine museum is also really cool. The sub is quite cramped, but the tour is good. Outside the sub there is a memorial area where you can read the names of every American sub and every American sub crewman lost during WWII. The ship names seemed so familiar to me, but then I'm a little bit of a war history nut.
I had to round out my day with another trip to the USS Arizona. Somber and still she lies beneath the gentle waves. The video below shows some of the wreckage and the oil she still leaks after all these years. The ship is the tomb of 1,177 men that perished that day, along with the ashes of some survivors interred later, and stands in mute testimony to the price that lunacy and lust for power exacts from its victims. Some ask, "Why visit the memorial?" Simply because we must never forget. I hope that long after the oil is gone, their memory will live on, and that the America they died for is still the bastion of liberty, hope and democracy that many of the world's peoples long for.
Having just completed another book on WWII, this one the story of the victory in Europe, I felt quite touched by American sacrifice. When the USA sent her boys to Europe, it was to liberate, not conquer, a people under oppression. When we sent our boys to fight in the Pacific, it was for both, retaliation for aggression that took place here, and to ensure our own freedoms. What came out of it all was a better world, paid for so bitterly by so many. How true the bumper sticker that says, "If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it's in English, thank a veteran."
As I looked around at the number of foreign tourists visiting the Arizona, I only hoped that they realize that America was not the aggressor, but the responder. We did not set out to rule the world after our victory, as the Axis powers hoped to do, but rather simply to halt the aggression of WWII. This fact was also realized at our winning the Cold War over Soviet Communism. My dad is a veteran of Korea. We both are veterans of the Cold War. The medals he was awarded for service are merely a reminder of what it costs to keep the world free. Thanks Dad.
One look around this place says the same thing. Let us never forget.
It seems like it would be fun to be rulers over our own chain of islands. The biggest problem is that we don't have enough time to conquer an entire island chain. There are a host of other problems too, but if we don't set our standards too high, we might just conquer one. So off we went in search of a deserted tropical island and lo, and behold, we didn't have to go too far. We found out that Kapapa Island, in Kane'ohoe Bay is a scant 2.4 miles from shore and is flat.
So like Kamehameha, former king of the inhabited islands, Kali and Linaka (Gary & Linda) rented a kayak, armed it to the gunwales and set sail. OK, so it was armed with water bottles and we had to paddle, it still worked. We made it to our island and claimed it. We must have scared away all the natives because it was totally uninhabited. Only the vestiges of former citizens were visible among the windswept ruins.
We stopped to take some photos in case National Geographic wanted to cover the start of a new nation but were too busy to schedule a film crew. You can see the view of O'ahu above. This was taken from our leeward beach. Having so easily conquered this veritable oasis we started to plan the future. It was then we decided that it really would be too much work to colonize it. Besides that, in the distance we saw another kayak navy heading to our island. Rather than get embroiled in a territorial war we simply abdicated our thrones and went snorkeling.
There is a really cool, gigantic sand bar in the middle of the bay, about 1 mile from shore. The water is only thigh-deep and the current is very gentle. We swam for a while as we contemplated both our conquest and our hunger.
Such a fine line distinguishes one word from the other. Merriam-Webster defines Intrepid as "characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance." Insane is simply defined as "mentally disordered." Both could apply.
The hiking guide book says the Nu'uanu Overlook hike should take 3 hours and cover 5-point something miles. The website says "A wonderful pine tree-forested ascent to the Pauoa Ridgeline and Flats above Pacific Heights." What neither really tell you is that there are no clear paths, or at least none that we saw. But, as veterans of such wild hikes as the climb to the Pacific Crest Trail, where I had to pause often because I kept getting dizzy, or the "let's climb down the face of Mt. Washington" adventure, and Oh Yeah, not to forget the solo hike through the bear inhabited woods above Graeagle while banging a stick on rocks in hopes of not startling a furry critter able to do great damage, we thought. "hey, we can do this!"
After all, we hiked the Maunawili Falls Trail two years ago, and that wasn't marked. The only thing that happened then was that once we reached the vertical faces of the Koolau Range we simply turned around and set off to find the unmarked trail. This trip promised more hope, even though my trail book was 7 years old and the rains had probably washed the trails away! So off we went, crossing the Nuuanu Stream in search of the two left turns we needed to make in order find the correct trail. Almost immediately after the second left we found ourselves on very narrow trails on the side of steep hills. We thought, "maybe George can help us, if we find him." George who? Why George of the Jungle of course! We hiked through a forest of beautiful pine trees. (In Hawaii!) They are called Norfolk Pines and are quite unlike any pines I remember from the mainland. Soon, the pine forest gave way to the bamboo jungle and the trail kept getting smaller, and smaller and smaller.
Fortunately we came across some red plastic tape left by Japanese pilots shot down over Oahu in 1941. I think they were that old, because there was moss growing over the tape! These "trail markers" led us only to a ridge with an awesome panorama. We kept trying to climb higher but the trail simply disappeared and we thought it wise to descend before it got dark or rained.
Notice my foot in the photo. I am actually heading back down a "trail" we had previously ascended. The descent took us less than an hour and soon we were back near the stream and the cascades that entice so many trekkers, intrepid or insane. What to do next? Easy go have shave ice and plan the next venture. After all, how lost can you get? We'll let you know!
Aloha from "the Two Seas," the translation of Kailua.
Two Seas, or Two Currents, seem to indicate a meeting place for two natural forces. Similar perhaps in some fashion to a husband and wife on an anniversary getaway. This place is idyllic, mesmerizing and sensual. A short stroll takes you to a beautiful white sand beach that in its own unique way belongs only to the individuals on it. It is not crowded and despite its site on the windward side of the island it is not worn out. On the contrary, it is one of the most picturesque beaches on the island.
Today started with a beautiful sunrise, followed later by shopping and a lazy drive to the north coast where the surf was up and the surfers were doing their best to ride the waves. Another walk on the beach reminded us just how much we like this place.
The agenda for tomorrow, more of the same. Until then, Aloha.
Well, this trip is almost over. Just a little packing and off we go back home. It's hard to not want this place to be home. In fact I closed my eyes, clicked my heels and said, "There's no place like home." And what do you know, I opened my eyes and I was still here. Does that make here home? I didn't think so.
