Final Hawaiian Trip Update

Here it is...the final installment of my Close To My Heart Hawaiian Trip (Cruise) Update.  Enjoy!

Unfortunately I don't have any fun artwork to share today. I have been upside down working on a project that I can't share, which is killing me, but I hope to have more to share next week. 


Day #7 (Saturday, March 10, 2012): Oahu:
We docked and left the cruise ship around 8:30 am and had a big day planned touring Oahu before our plane left at 9 pm.


1st stop:  Dole Pineapple Plantation
We did a little shopping here and looked around then hopped back on the bus for our next stop.

2nd stop: Haleiwa
We looked around this historic town a bit and then grabbed some lunch. We found a little locally owned, side-of-the road spot and had some delish chicken.  Chickens are everywhere in Hawaii, just walking around the roads, in people's yards, wherever. We decided that maybe the owners of the chicken place just grabbed the wild chickens, which probably meant they were free-range and hormone free. HA HA!  We crack ourselves up.

3rd stop: Pearl Harbor
I didn't really expect this to be as emotional for me as it was, but I was overwhelmed by the thought of the sacrifice and history involved in this place. It made me stop and really ponder over those in the military, past and present, and the sacrifice they and their families make in their service. Dawson is a huge history buff, and is especially interested in WWII. This was one of his favorite parts of the whole trip.  We took tons of photos.  With almost everything we saw, he's say, "Mom! Take a picture of that!"

3rd stop:  The Blow Hole
COOL BEANS!  This is a place that when the tide and surf comes up it creates a natural geyser in the lava rock.

4th stop: Haunama Bay
BEAUTIFUL!  This is a very popular snorkeling spot on Oahu. We didn't stop to snorkel though, we just looked and were on our way.  One fun tidbit we learned was that when the early missionaries came to Hawaii, they brought mongooses to try to eradicate the rat problem. The thing they didn't think through was that one of them was nocturnal, and the other diurnal, so their plan didn't work. The mongooses were everywhere by Haunama Bay and they sure were cute little buggers.

5th stop: Diamond Head
This was a beautiful mountain and the homes around this area were unbelievably gorgeous, valued at millions and millions of dollars. Who lives there? What do they do for a living?  Do you ever wonder that when you are in a place like that?  I always do, and then think to myself, "Do they need a personal assistant?" There I go, cracking myself up again. :)

6th stop: Airport and Home
We boarded the plan around 8:30 pm and flew all night to return home. Neither Dawson and I could sleep much (I think we got about 2 1/2 hours between the two of us), so we arrived home that next morning and crashed.  What a week!