HAWAIIAN OUTPOST BLOG

Golf. It's a hard job, but someone's gotta do it. The other day I went to the Pearl Country Club for a golf tournament for a local non-profit organization. Fortunately, the trade winds were back, blowing away all the volcanic vog. Unfortunately, the winds were gusting up to 35mph making it all but impossible for my already severly limited "golf skills" to be of any use. At least it was a nice day.

One of the hole-in-one prizes was a brand new car. On the par-3 16th hole, I got my chance. Not that the outcome would have been different, but the wind blew my ball off course and I didn't even come close.

But it didn't matter because it was all for a good cause and I got free food so I was happy.

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Today I decided to go hiking on the Aiea Loop Trail. The last time I went there was on a school field trip sometime in the mid-70s. The Aiea Loop Trail is probably most known for the WWII airplane wreckage visible from the trail. But decades in a rainforest have taken their toll on the plane and it is now little more than a piece of sheetmetal (unless I was looking at the wrong thing). That was a little disappointing. But it did not diminish the relaxing quality of a hike in the mountains on a crisp cool morning.

view of Pacific Ocean from Diamond Head side of trail

By the way, here's a piece of trivia to file away in your memory banks. Aiea, a suburb of Honolulu, is the only city in the United States that is spelled with only vowels. Hopefully this bit of information will come in handy to you someday.

Perhaps the biggest change since the last time I hiked here in the mid-70s is the view of the H3 Freeway. This freeway wasn't around back then as it opened in 1997. For a while, it was the most expensive interstate in America per mile at $1.3 billion until Boston's Big Dig took that honor. From the east facing slopes of the trail, the H3 Freeway can be seen winding up the valley connecting Aiea to Kaneohe on the windward side of Oahu. If you ever visit Hawaii, I recommend driving on the H3 from Aiea to Kaneohe in the morning while the sun is rising. The view is spectacular!

H3 Freeway visible from east side of Aiea Loop Trail

It took about 2 hrs to walk the 5 mile trail. We saw edible fruits along the way, but played it safe and didn't eat any of them. The Aiea Loop trail is a pretty easy trail but there are other more scenic trails around the island. Still, it was fun and I felt happy and accomplished when we were done. 

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Hawaii's mild year-round weather make it an ideal place for golf. I am not really a hardcore golfer. In fact, I am so junk that I don't even consider myself a real golfer. But it's fun and relaxing so I jumped at the chance to go with some friends to the Clipper Course at the Kaneoha Marine Corp Air Base. They told me that it is a very windy but scenic course so I should bring a camera (and a lot of balls). Just as promised, I was treated to a beautiful and intimidating tee shot midway through the course.

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The famous Kilauea Volcano has been errupting since 1983. From time to time, lava from Kilauea reaches the ocean giving you a glimpse of nature at work. Recently, the fumes were so bad that local officials considered evacuating areas close to the volcano.

http://starbulletin.com/2008/04/09/news/story02.html#full

Under the right conditions, the volcanic haze (aka "vog") can reach Oahu. You can actually follow this trail if you fly from Kona to Honoulu. Because the air is usually so clean in Hawaii, the sunsets are usually just a beautiful gradient of orange and yellow. But the vog in the air scatters more light showing off more colors resulting in purplish sunsets. Here's the view from a building near Pearl Harbor.

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Spring is finally here and while the seasonal change in weather is mild in Hawaii compared to most other places, it is still noticable. As we leave the "cold season" behind, we can look forward to sunnier beach weather. This picture taken at Ala Moana Beach Park reminds me of something my cousin from Oregon told me when we were kids. As we stood under the sun, it started to rain. With a sad and confused look on her face, she said, "It's sunny and it's raining...I don't get it". Of course, the trade winds in Hawaii routinely blow rain from the mountains over sunny parts of the island so this was nothing new to me. Shortly after I took this picture, rain started falling on the sunny beach where I stood.

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Kailua Beach and neighboring Lankikai Beach are considered to be two of the best beaches on Oahu. If you take the effort to venture out to these Windward beaches on a weekday (about 30 minutes from Waikiki) you will be rewarded with tranquil beauty without the crowds. Kayaking is a a popular activity on the rather flat (though sometimes windy) waters in this area. After a morning at the beach, I recommend going to Boots and Kimos in Kailua Town for breakfast. We did!

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Sea turtles often crawl up onto isolated beaches on the North Shore. Although I don't have any statistics, I figure you have a 1 in 5 chance of seeing a turtle swimming in the water and maybe a 1 in 10 chance of seeing one resting on the sand. If you are really lucky, you might even see a seal. I saw this turtle just cruising on the sand one afternoon, minding its own business. I don't remember seeing many turtles or seals in the town beaches. Then again, if I was a slow moving critter like a seal or turtle, I'd want to sunbath where the people aren't.

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Well, I did it again. I ventured far away from the crowded beaches of Waikiki and headed out to the West Shore to the end of the road, literally! This time I headed out past Waianae out to Yokohama Bay. It is so remote that even my cell phone had zero bars. Awesome.

I visited this beach a few years ago and the thing I remember most was the gentle rolling waves made it very easy to float and stare at the sky. As the waves rolled past, I slowly rose and fell, almost like being rocked to sleep as a baby, I suppose. So I decided to go back and visit one of my favorite beaches.

As usual, I went on a weekday when I knew there would be few people. I have never been to that beach on a weekend so I have no idea how crowded it gets. Even if it is 10 times more crowded on weekends, that would still mean that the beach is pretty empty. When I took these pictures, there were only 5 other people on the beach, including a lifeguard and his lady friend.

Watching a wave crash gently onto the sand

A view to my left

A view to my right - see those 2 people walking in the distance?

I got to play in the sand, float in the water, soak in the sights and sounds of nature,...old Hawaii...way before people got here.  Not a bad way to spend a few hours!

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This morning I had some things to do in Waikiki so I headed out nice and early. As I strolled down famous Kalakaua Avenue, I passed by the International Market Place. Most Hawaii residents have been here a few times in their life. Until the mid 1990s, there was a huge theater next to the International Market Place. It was a throwback to an era long gone. It sat probably about 2,000 people or more and before the 8pm show on Saturday nights, a guy dressed in a tuxedo would play a pipe organ (I think it was a pipe organ) for the audience. As people hung out before going into the theater, they would check out the vendors and food places at International Market Place. But now that the theater is gone, most local residents will only go there if they just happen to be in Waikiki for other reasons.

International Market Place along famous Kalakaua Avenue

As I passed through one of the hotels, I saw a young couple dressed in a wedding gown and tuxedo. I think they were from Japan. I don't know the exact statistic, but many of the hotels in Waikiki have 3-4 weddings per day. I have only been to weddings on weekends, but I think many vistors get married during the week.

Young couple taking pictures before the rest of their party arrives

While I waited for my appointment to start, I went out to the beach just to check it out. What a beautiful morning! On Kalakaua Ave, I could tell it was a nice day. But when I went out to the beach and saw the sky, sand, and ocean I thought to myself that this view is what Waikiki is famous for going back over 100 years. Even though I live here, the view still impressed me. And if you think this is nice, you should see it at sunset!

Diamond Head overlooking Waikiki Beach

Not a bad way to start a work day, I must say! 

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One of the most famous beaches in the world is Waikiki Beach. The funny thing is that because it is in the heart of Waikiki's tourist area, most locals don't frequent the beach, opting to go to other beaches without the usual parking and traffic hassles of Waikiki. Still, I have to admit that Waikiki Beach has a certain charm to it, especially at night. I normally only go there if I am attending a wedding at one of the nearby hotels. If you're ever in Waikiki, I recommend taking a stroll up and down the beach under a moonlit night. A good place to start is Duke's Waikiki restaurant for dinner or cocktails since it is right on the beach. If you can't visit Hawaii, don't worry. You can always just watch the live Waikiki Beach Cam.

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One of the more relaxing things to do is to sit on the beach in the morning when the air is still crisp. This morning was such a morning. After an eventful week at the office, it was time for a change of pace. So I hopped in my trusty car and headed north...past the pineapple fields, past Haleiwa Town, and on to the beaches of the famous North Shore of Oahu. After buying a gigantic cup of coffee from Ted's Bakery (a great place for breakfast), I headed over to a beach and planted my butt at the water's edge. As I dug my toes into the sand I could feel the stresses of life in the real world melting away.

The good thing was that there were only about 7 other people on the entire beach! Try that in Waikiki. I floated on my back for a few minutes and stared at the sky. It sounds boring but it was really quite fun. I would have taken a picture but I didn't want to get my camera wet. Anyways, if you want to experience the better beaches of Hawaii, you gotta get out of Waikiki and Ala Moana. Anywhere on the North Shore is good as well as Kailua Beach Park and Lanikai. I like Lanikai. I think I'll go there next.

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