Hawaii.........the BIG island.........Hilo.......

The island of Hawaii, in the chain of the Hawaiian islands, is the eastern and southern most of all the islands. It is larger than all the other islands in the chain, with an area of 4028 square miles. It is the largest island in the United States. Hawaii was built by five shield volcanoes that erupted somewhat sequentially. Kilauea and Mauna Loa are the two volcanoes that are still active and are part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

 

The capital city is Hilo..
Among the sites that we visited within the eastern half of the island were Akaka Falls, Kilauea, and my favorite, The Black Sand Beach.

Akaka Falls was beautiful, if only viewed from a distance.....The trail was breathtaking and we all enjoyed the beautiful plant life, along the way........

Kilauea was magnificent! Kīlauea is the home of Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess. Hawaiian chants and oral traditions tell in veiled form of many eruptions fomented by an angry Pele before the first European, the missionary Rev. William Ellis, saw the summit in 1823. The caldera was the site of nearly continuous activity during the 19th century and the early part of this century. Since 1952 there have been 34 eruptions, and since January 1983 eruptive activity has been continuous along the east rift zone. All told, Kīlauea ranks among the world's most active volcanoes and may even top the list.

Nearby, there is a trail that begins as just an ordinary trail, with many black lava stones....This was the trail where the volcano erupted  and destroyed the village of  Kalapana, in 1990. Over 100 homes were destroyed. But, the black lava stones continued on for some time, as we walked through time. We began to see small, green plants.......These were palm trees, coming back to life.....and, at the end of the trail, was the Pacific Ocean. What a site!







This concludes the eastern side of Hawaii........Next up......Kona........

Oahu.......Part 2

One of the most visited sites on Oahu is the Polynesian Cultural Center. Located in Laie, Oahu, about an hour’s scenic drive from Waikiki — is the top paid Hawaii attraction and a “must see” Hawaii activity.
    As early as 1844, missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (popularly called the Mormons) were working among the Polynesians in Tahiti and surrounding islands.Missionaries arrived in the Sandwich Islands (Hawai'i) in 1850. By 1865, the LDS Church had purchased the 6,000-acre plantation that encompasses all of Laie.The LDS Temple in Laie — started in 1915 and dedicated on Thanksgiving Day 1919 — attracted more islanders from throughout the South Pacific.
    By the 1920s, LDS Church missionaries had carried their Christian teachings to all the major island groups of Polynesia, by living among the people and speaking their languages. In 1921, Matthew Cowley was finishing his first round of missionary service in New Zealand. There, he developed a deep love for the Maori people and other Polynesians. In time, he also became another important LDS leader who was concerned with the erosion of traditional island cultures. 
  In a speech Cowley delivered in Honolulu, he said he hoped "...to see the day when my Maori people down there in New Zealand will have a little village there at Laie with a beautiful carved house...the Tongans will have a village too, and the Tahitians and Samoans and all those islanders of the sea.

 http://polynesianculturalcenter.com

 This is a reality today and we highly recommend this side trip, as it will prepare you for the culture and history of the other islands.

Pearl Harbor was an experience which none of us will ever forget. It is a tribute to all the fallen heroes that fateful day on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked the military base at Oahu. The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. This was especially poignant for the members of our group who had served in the military......a photo of my brother, who is a Gulf War veteran.......




 Before we leave Oahu, here are some random photos of the city of Honolulu and the surrounding areas......

Next stop: The Big Island of Hawaii!!!!

Oahu

Hawaii has long been a destination for marriages, honeymoons, vacations, and many other various getaways. The island of Oahu, in particular, is the jumping off point, if you will, for many travelers who seek to enjoy the serenity and relaxation that Hawaii has to offer.

Here is a map, showing our travels in Oahu......Greg made one of these for each of the islands:

None of our party had ever been to any of the islands of Hawaii, so stepping out of the airport to investigate and begin our adventure was thrilling to each of us. The anticipation of surfers, leis, luaus,  and pineapple filled our heads with visions which we had conjured throughout our long journey from the mainland.

Oahu is home to Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Waikiki Beach,  and of course, one of the main attractions these days: The LOST filming venues! Yes, LOST.....the series on tv that was so popular a few years back. That was one of our challenges.....we wanted to find places where they shot Lost and perhaps get a glimpse of Sawyer or Kate! Thanks to Greg's mapping and research, we were able to see a few of the places where our beloved series was filmed but alas, did not see any of the stars. Here is a photo of the Buddhist Temple and Dharmaville, where some of the scenes were held:

One of the places that practically everyone visits is the Dole Pineapple plantation. We learned that several types of pineapples exist and they grow close to the ground.......This was a beautiful site and set the tone for our week long adventure:  Tune in for more from Oahu!!!!

In 2010, a group of us went to Hawaii. The trip started out being a celebration for Greg and me for our 20th wedding anniversary and for my brother and his wife to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.  We planned the trip two years in advance and since it was a cruise, had plenty of time to discuss and get ready for many excursions. As many of you may already know, I am a recruiter by heart. I love to recruit students, businesses, people,......whatever.......Anyway, needless to say, the small, two couple cruise turned into a cruise with about 12 persons. We had a great group from southern Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, and East Tennessee! Here we are, getting ready to explore Hawaii!

Some of you also know that one of my favorite vacations is a cruise. That is because I have time to rest and get the best sleep EVER with the rocking of the ship. I can also control what Greg does, as far as how many hours per day he can lead me to various parts of the country. It is not one of Greg's favorite vacations, but this particular cruise did not disappoint either one of us. We were both happy and now I would like to share some of our adventures in paradise.......

By flying to Hawaii and boarding the cruise ship, we were able to experience several islands instead of just one or two. We didn't have to move our luggage every night and we were served a scrumptious breakfast and dinner, while eating our lunches on the islands. Here are the islands we visited: Hawaii, Maui,Oahu, and  Kauai,  My favorite was Maui and Greg's favorite was Kauai.

I future posts, I will concentrate on one island and relate our adventures on each one......But here is a start.........

Enjoy!!!!

Yoho National Park

Yoho National Park was, by far, MY  favorite of all the parks in the Canadian Rockies. There were beautiful lakes, fossils, and historic scenery all around us.......

Yoho is located on the historic Trans-Canada highway, between Lake Louise and Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks. We spent a day in this park, enjoying the natural beauty and wishing we had more hours than the day provided.

One of the first sites we noticed and longed to visit was the famous Burgess Shale. These fossils were discovered in 1909 by Charles Walcott, an American scientist, paleontologist and Secretary to the Smithsonian Institution.Paleontologists and geologists come from all over the world to study these beds. 500 million years ago, the remains of long-extinct creatures were captured in these layers of sedimentary rock. Access is only by guided hike and entering or collecting fossils is against the law, but many are on display at the visitors' center.

We were also amazed at the Spiral Tunnels. These tunnels, which are the entry and exit portals for trains, were completed in 1909. They reduced the original railway grade of 4.5% (the steepest of any in North America) to a much safer 2.2%.

 

Another place that we really, really, really LOVED was Takakkaw Falls. Takakkaw means"magnificent" in Cree. When you stand at the base of these falls, you will see where they get their name. The highest in Canada, Takakkaw, provided a beautiful setting for photography and we even witnessed a movie set while we were there!

 

Kicking Horse River actually disappears before re-emerging through the natural span at Natural Bridge. However, the span kind of seems more like rocks being wedged together depending on the vantage point. We were able to hear the roar of the disappearing water churning and ejecting beneath the bridge. Here, the force of water has crreated an eroded rock archway over the Kicking Horse River......

This was a really fun spot and, as you can tell, we had a blast ............

Finally, Emerald Lake lives up to its name as the "Jewell of the Canadian Rockies".  This is the place where I plan to stay the next time I visit Yoho. Who wants to come with????

Columbia Icefield

There are several icefields in Canada. The Athabasca Glacier and the Columbia Icefield once formed part of an enormous ice sheet that ground and carved all the landforms that are evident along the road from Banff to Jasper and the Canadian Rockies. One of the many glaciers that is fed by the Columbia Icefield is Athabasca Glacier. This glacier is gradually flowing downhill from the Columbia Icefield, flowing so slowly that you cannot see it move.

The Athabasca is the most-visited glacier on the North American continent. Situated across from the Icefield Centre, its ice is in continuous motion, creeping forward at the rate of several centimeters per day. Spilling from the Columbia Icefield over three giant bedrock steps, the glacier flows down the valley like a frozen, slow-moving river. Because of a warming climate, the Athabasca Glacier has been receding or melting for the last 125 years. Losing half its volume and retreating more than 1.5 kms, the shrinking glacier has left a moonscape of rocky moraines in its wake.

We decided to take the tour, of course, and loaded onto the icefield explorer. These giant buses, of sorts, are only found in certain parts of the world. The park provides hourly excursions from the visitor center and the guide provides a weath of information about the icefield, buses, wildlife, and points of interest. This little side trip was the highlight of our whole vaction experience to the Canadian Rockies. We highly recommend the bus tour as it allows you to walk on the glacier and view scenes that you would otherwise not get to experience.

As we walked off the explorer, the temperature dipped dramatically. Fortunately we had worn our jackets and gloves, in preparation for the excursion. We were allowed 20 minutes to explore the glacier, get a drink out of the flowing glacial stream, and pose for photographs. WHAT AN AWESOME SIGHT!!!!

Norma and I took turns getting drinks and Greg made sure to lie down on the ice so he could remember the cool temperatures (since it was 110 degrees in Oklahoma when we left) of the icefield. This glacial icefield reminds us that man's accelerating use of fossil fuels, destruction of the planet's forests and release of industrial gases, are causing a global warming trend, called the Greenhouse Effect. This phenomenon is hastening rates of the glacier's retreat and the icefield's loss of volume.

We hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed being there......We cannot wait to go back!