Hawaii - Day Three & Four

**  So, I can't sign in to my blog on my desktop computer any more.  Arghhh!!   So in the meantime, we'll try using Jon's laptop to blog. ** (If anyone knows what I'm doing wrong, please let me know!)

 

On Wednesday, we got up and drove down to Diamond Head.   It's quite a drive from the North Shore down Hawaii's Interstate - it's always crowded.   We thought it would be fun to hike Diamond Head - you know, typical tourist thing to do.   It wasn't the easiest hike, but certainly do-able.   But, it was one of the ugliest hikes I've ever been on.  It was like hiking in the desert.  The view on the top was pretty, but we definitely would have scratched this off our itinerary if we had do it all over again.

 

 Here we are in all our sweaty glory!

 

After hiking Diamond Head, we went to Aloha Stadium for the swap meet.  We knew this was where we wanted to get all our souveniers and it did not disappoint.  We walked around the entire circumference of the stadium and got all our stuff.   It's such a great deal and the people that have booths there are really quite sweet & nice.

 

After shopping, it was about 2 in the afternoon, so we headed to Waikiki to eat at the busiest Cheesecake Factory in the world!   Waikiki is like driving in Moscow - so, so crowded.  We FINALLY figured out where to park and we did have a great late lunch/early dinner there.

 

 

The next day, so Thursday, we got up early and drove down to Pearl Harbor.  We realized that night before that we probably should have made reservations, and since we hadn't, we needed to be there when it opened.    It was a little bit more overcast this day, but we had a wonderful time seeing Pearl Harbor.  I had been there before and I'm a fast reader, so Jon & I would start at a certain point, I'd read and move ahead quickly.   Then, I'd usually have time for a bathroom break or snack and then he'd be ready to move on.

 

Pearl Harbor has special meaning to us, as my grandpa Clyde was serving as a LDS missionary in Hawaii on the day it was bombed.  They had gotten up early and were setting up for church when they heard the planes come in.    He completed his mission and then joined the US Navy.   Jon's dad also served in the US Navy and served on the USS Tennessee. 

 

Kamakazi plane

 

 USS Arizona Memorial

 

 The exposed part of the Arizona - with the oil that still leaks up.  There's approximately one drop per minute and it's been doing it since December 1941.  The guide said that some claim "these black tears will continue to surface until the last survivor of Pearl Harbor passes away." 

 

 Many survivors of Pearl Harbor have chosen to be laid to rest with their fallen friends at Pearl Harbor.  Their names are added to the Memorial.

 

After our tour of the USS Arizona and we read more of the information, we got to go tour the USS Missouri, which until not that long ago, was a commissioned & working battleship.

 

Right before touring it though, we met up with Jon's cousin, Emily Hindman Mosier, and her husband Kelson and we got go meet their 1 week old baby, Sarah.  She was so teeny and so, so sweet!

 



 The living quarters on the battleship were so tight.  Three bunks!  Under each bunk was this small amount of storage space.  Talk about claustrophobic!

 

 Dental office on board

 

 Officer's quarters

 

 

 This plaque is on the deck  - the USS Missouri was the where the papers were signed to officially end WWII.

 

 

After eating at a little snack shop by the battleship, we headed towards the Dole Plantation.  It was cute - the best part of definitely the Dole Whip!

 

Pineapples grow above ground - on these plants.