Pacific Paradise

I apologize for neglecting you, oh blog o' mine. It's been a busy few weeks, with travel, a graduation, moving, and now wedding planning. I've got a few minutes now to share some pictures from my trip to Hawaii. My eldest kid aka Wisdomie graduated from UH-Manoa, and we spent a week on the island of Moloka'i. It's the smallest of the so-called 'major islands' (~38 x 10 miles) and was once home to a notorious leper colony—about which more later. Yeah, so if miles of perfect, deserted beaches and moderate to moderately strenuous hiking through tropical rainforest or on the world's highest sea cliffs and scuba diving on absolutely pristine reefs isn't your thing, then maybe Moloka'i isn't for you. Oh, and there's not a single stoplight on the entire island.

After a 9-hour flight, 6 of which was over water, Honolulu is a welcome sight! (Note the banking of the clouds above the mountains. That's a recurring image on the islands.)

You know you're in Hawaii when...

A day on the North Shore of Oahu at the iconic Waimea Bay—Eddie, apparently, had already gone. Alas.

Lava rock arch. Haleiwa—aka the World Capital of Surfing.

Marukame Noodle House where they make the noodles while you wait. Double Nikutama Bukkake Udon (probably shouldn't Google that)

Summa! (w/ lei) And on to marriage and grad school in Oceanographic Science.

On the 1:10 island hopper to Molokai

See those empty beaches? That's where we're staying!

Coral & three miles of perfect empty beach

Lava rock jetty with clouds banking above Maui across the strait