Maui

The first thing you read about visiting Maui is to rent a Jeep. Really, I think that Maui was made for them - every scene was straight out of a 4x4 dream. We found ourselves in a Jeep caravan on the way out to our condo and we loved it.
I used tripadvisor to research our entire trip. If you haven't used it, check it out. Using it, we found Napili Bay condos. Maui was our favorite island and the condo was our favorite place to stay. Here is the view from the lanai during the day and at sunset. Not too shabby! The condo building is on the left with the yellow and green. It is on the beach of Napili Bay. The beach was terrific. It was calm and full of colorful fish. It was a perfect home base.
Lahaina was the closest "big" town to our condo. Apparently Lahaina is popular enough to attract the most famous headliner. Here I am keeping an eye out for the big man!

We considered taking a snorkeling trip until I happened to look over a cliff one day. It turned out that the boat trips were bringing people to a cove minutes away from the condo. Rather than paying for the trip and being stuck with a gigantic group of people who don't know how to swim, we drove to Honolua Bay ourselves - it payed off!

It turns out that Shawn is much more skilled at underwater posing than I am. We got this picture on the first shot.

On the other hand, I struggled a bit. I prefer to think of the glass half full and brag about what a great floater I am.

There was a gigantic school of fish in the bay. It covered hundreds of feet and freaked me out every time the mass started moving towards us. It turns out that I like wildlife but I don't like when it completely surrounds me!
Both Katy/Rob and Melis/Thomas recommended the Old Lahaina Luau. They didn't disappoint! It was awesome! It was another highlight in Maui. We ate and drank until we couldn't move, watched the dancers and took a 1929 Model A Ford Phaeton home!

The Hana Highway winds along the coast of Maui. The road is only 68 miles but the round trip takes all day because of sharp curves, one lane bridges and serious rubbernecking due to the most gorgeous scenery you will ever set eyes upon. These pictures show how the road hangs on to the very edge of the island.

The area the highway cuts through is essentially rainforest. We had a rainy morning but it helped keep other cars off the road and left the lush setting and waterfalls just for us.
We met these local studs at Tutu's in Hana. They actually made me take the picture twice so they could give their best pose!

Right around the corner from Hana Bay's black sand is a red sand beach. There was a bit of a hike along the sheer cliffs so the beach drew a more adventurous crowd. Here are some shots of a cliff jumper and a skinny dipper (don't worry, it's from far away).

Bad Ass Coffee. Before and after.

Other Maui pictures.

Kauai

The next island we visited was Kauai. It was a huge change from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki. Katy and Rob told us to look out for the wild chickens and roosters but we had no idea how inadequate our poultry preparation was! They were everywhere…on the side of the road, by your car ready to attack their reflections, basically they were there to great you at every stop in Kauai.

The island is tiny which makes for easy driving. There’s one road that goes around the coast so you literally can’t get lost. But as we found out, there is a downside to this. It was extremely dry while we were there and there was a danger of brush fires. One fire started and then jumped the road. The road was cut off by fire and no cars could pass. There was no possible way to get anywhere - no back roads, no short cuts, no other options! The fire department did a great job putting out the fire a few hours later and we were able to return to the hotel. We stayed at the Hilton Kauai which was great. It was incredibly relaxing and was gorgeous. Pics: on the lanai, room view and pool area.
Kauai is called the garden island. There are beautiful views wherever you look. Here are some favorites:
Can you see a famous profile in the mountain? I read about it months before and Shawn wasn't quite sure why I was suddenly yelling "King Kong, King Kong, King Kong!" in the car. Then he saw it!
Waimea Canyon is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It is 10 miles long, 1 mile wide, and more than 3,500-feet deep! We didn’t know what to expect since we have never been to the Grand Canyon but it was amazing. Pictures don’t truly capture the immense size or beauty. The different colors of the earth on the canyon walls represent the many lava flows that formed it.

(For perspective, enlarge the picture below. Find the waterfall in the middle. Follow that line up the picture and in the middle of the green, you will see a small white dot. That's a helicopter!)

The summit of the canyon is Mount Wai‘ale‘ale. It is one of, if not the, wettest spots on earth and on average receives over 460 inches of rain annually. The steep cliffs cause the moisture-laden air to rise rapidly (over 3,000 ft in less than half a mile), forming clouds which drop a large portion of their rain in one spot. The sign below says "wettest spot on earth"...apparently it has some water damage. The second picture shows the clouds forming against the cliffs. You can watch them appear right before your eyes.

Pearl Harbor

While on Oahu, it was a must to visit Pearl Harbor. We took the city bus starting at 5:30 am to get to the Memorial. By the time we arrived at 7 am, the line was already wrapping around the museum grounds. But the exhibits quickly passed the waiting time.

The memorial was designed by architect Alfred Preis. The 184 ft. long structure has two peaks at each end connected by a sag in the center of the structure. It represents the height of American pride before the war, the sudden depression of a nation after the attack and the rise of American power to new heights after the war.

Various parts of the ship are visible above or just below the water. The picture directly below shows the barbette to gun turret number 3.

Looking upward at the Memorial. The entire space is incredibly moving and emotional.

The USS Missouri now watches over the USS Arizona Memorial.

Oil leaking from USS Arizona. Referred to as "black tears" or "tears of the Arizona".The ship leaks from 2 - 9 quarts of oil per year.

Oahu

We began and ended our trip in Honolulu / Waikiki. Here I am when we first arrived at the hotel...fresh off the 14 hour journey! It's normal to wear sweatpants in Hawaii, right?


Waikiki is definitely unlike any other but the closest comparison we can make is to Miami Beach. It is a true city but smack dab on the beach. Watch out dude - surfer crossing!


Our favorite place for good food and fun was Duke's. What's better than mai tai's on the beach? We were even treated to a rainbow during our first dinner there.


Here's Shawn on a bench in a rare quiet moment on Waikiki Beach.