Day 39: July 27, 2013

This week has been full of hikes! Our time here is definitely starting to come to a close so we're trying to fit a lot in! Today we hiked Ka'iwa Ridge (pillbox hike) and it was one of my favorites. I feel like I say that a lot, but they're all so different! It was a bit hard to find so GPS the Mid Pacific Country Club and the trail entrance is right across from it. It was a pretty steep climb up a mountain ridge with rocks, ropes and trees to help climb to the top and ease back down. The view from the top shows Bellows Beach to the right, Lanikai Beach in front with Chinamen's Hat and the town of Kailua to the left. It was gorgeous!!  We stayed at the top for about 15 minutes and it took about an hour total hiking time. After the hike, we waited at Cinnamons Restaurant for about 40 minutes (totally worth it!) and got omelets, pancakes, sausage and cinnamon rolls. Delicious! We stopped at Kailua Beach park really quickly because the boys had to study and rest up for their big fishing trip tomorrow. Ill make sure Dan takes pictures! 

We decided to be adventurous and go off the trail a little. The actual trail isn't this steep! 

All done!

Dan update

Dan just ended his first week of general surgery. Despite the long hours, he is liking it so far; it is a nice blend of clinic and surgery procedures. He works from 5 AM to about 6 PM (that varies) with one overnight shift each week that starts at 5 AM and continues to 8 AM the following day. He's sleeping now to recover from that! He'll return to Bethesda for testing in 4 more weeks (test on surgery sub specialties, ob gyn, and general surgery). He's doing great! Keep him in your prayers that he continues to succeed and learn to care for those in harm's way!

Day 38: July 26, 2013

Hiking post! Maj and I didn't do any new beaches this week but we did two new waterfall hikes. On Wednesday, we hiked to Manoa Falls and it was an easy, but beautiful hike. This is kept up by the state, I believe, so you have to pay to park unless you park in a neighborhood close by (but only $3 for military; $5 civilian). It is a little over an hour total hiking time and definitely a kid friendly hike. There are some really cool picture spots! 

This is a waterfall that you aren't allowed to swim in because there was a landslide in 2002 so just for looking!!

Today (Friday), we hiked the Maunawilli Falls Trail. This was listed as a moderately easy trail, but it was long and there were a lot of stairs and slick rocks while crossing a stream. But I loved it! Maj and I definitely should have started earlier though; we were very hungry coming back! This trail was recommended to us by our waitress at Yardhouse (who also highly recommended Stairway to Heaven)! It is located on the green side of the island, near Kailua in a neighborhood (park on Lola Rd). It took us a little over 2 hours total hiking time, but we stopped at the falls for a bit to watch people jump. There's a large rock that lots of people were jumping off and it seemed very safe but I don't recommend jumping off the very high rock to the left. A few people were doing it and one woman slipped. She was fine, but it was really dangerous!  

This little guy scared me pretty bad when he climbed on my shoe! 

Day 33: July 21, 2013

Dan and I had a day date on Sunday and it was really fun! We slept in and went to Sandy Beach to watch the boarders. This is a must see for everyone.. HUGE waves that only advanced local surfers and body boarders are allowed on. People just get crushed by waves and it can be really dangerous because its a really shallow break close to shore. Dan just had to get in the water so we left and drove along the coast until we got to some food stands and trucks. I ate from Kenekes BBQ and Dan got shrimp from Ono Steak and Shrimp. The BBQ was just okay but Dan loved his shrimp!  Waimanola Beach was right down the road and it got great reviews for a good swimming beach. We stopped and swam then napped on the sand.. Perfect afternoon! On Sunday night, we continued our tour of Catholic Churches in Oahu and went to the 7 pm mass at Holy Family on Main Street. Great priest with an incredible rock choir! 

Day 32: July 20, 2013

Our visitors just left :( so Dan and I took a walk around the base and unpacked our stuff from staying at the Hilton.... Back to the dorm room! We had a really fun packed few days! After a relaxing Friday morning, we went to Ono Hawaiian Foods for some authentic Hawaiian food.  Everyone loved it! I highly recommend going to Ko'olina lagoons for a sunset (lagoon#4) next to the Marriott. It was breath taking! I think I'll take my parents there and grill out for dinner or go to a restaurant at the Marriott called Longboards because it overlooks the sunset on the beach. It might be my favorite area on the island, but I really feel that way about many areas here! On Saturday, it was check out day so we took Liz to the turtle beach on the North Shore and then to Aokis for shaved ice.. She was sold on shaved ice! After we headed back to Tripler, we grilled BBQ chicken, burgers, corn, potatoes and salad. Gorgeous view on their last night overlooking the city. 

Day 31: July 19, 2013

On Wednesday, Liz, Joe and I climbed Diamondhead and it was awesome! It is a moderately easy hike with a fantastic view. They loved it! We met back at the Hilton and drove towards the Polynesian Cultural center but stopped at a hole in the wall restaurant called Uncle Bobos and we all loved it! It was a BBQ place where the pork shoulder sandwich was highly recommended. Then, Debbie and Joe dropped Liz off at a nearby beach, but I can't remember the name of it. It was more of a camping beach then a lay out beach because there was driftwood everywhere, but still very pretty with the mountains on either side. Debbie and Joe love to drive around looking at new places, so they explored toward the north shore and found Waimea Falls. I've driven past there and it looks beautiful.. Well definitely go back another time. After the came to pick us up, we drove back to the north shore to the food trucks! They loved Giovanni's Shrimp Truck and their shrimp scampi. On Thursday, we did Pearl Harbor. Debbie booked a tour bus through Polynesian Adventure Tours and we got picked up around 6:45 to get to our 8:45 time slot for the USS Arizona. I recommend buying the audio tour for $7.50.. I learned a lot! After the memorial, the bus brought us to the Missouri ship to walk around. Our bus driver recommended not doing a tour here because you can cover more ground without it and I agreed with him! There is a lot to see! The tour continued to the Punchbowl Cemetery and Honolulu, but Maj picked me up to go to the hotel and get Dan! We had dinner last night with Dans family and Mitch and Maj at the Yardhouse. It is a chain restaurant in Waikiki that has over 100 beers on tap and a HUGE menu.. Burgers, salads, seafood, everything! Great night!