Sacramento River "Pillars"

Due to heavy rains over New Year's and also to releases from the Folsom Dam, the Sacramento River is running high and swift. This stretch of the river is south of downtown and just north of the Greenhaven area where we live. These pillars are attached to a concrete platform which is about six feet above water during the summer. Today, I estimate the platform is now under about nine to ten feet of water. You can see how fast the river is flowing by the eddies around the base of the pillars. It sounds like a brook over rocks!

Although some levees south of here have been compromised by the increased flow and the heavy rains, these levees are not expected to pose any problems this year. (Knock wood.)

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jog

Saturday, January 7 - we packed up our bags and did some last-minute shopping for souvenirs. We ran into my nephew James in the "Book Ends" book store, and he showed me his copy of "Da Jesus Book", the New Testament translated into Hawaiian Pidgin. Marty had read a similar Bible in Melanesian Pidgin when he visited me in Kailua-Kona many years ago and he still talks about it - so I also bought a copy to bring home for him.

I went for a half-hour walk along Kailua Beach just to say goodbye, and saw a dozen kite surfers racing along under kite-power and just flying across the water. (I'm linking to someone else's vacation photo here.) One guy had fallen off his board and was just standing up again when a gust of wind hit his kite and picked him right up into the air off his board, depositing him in the water again! Another managed to do a complete loop-de-loop on his board before landing upright on the water again.

Then it was time to say our goodbyes - always the hardest part of the visit. The drive to the airport along the recently completed H3 freeway was spectacularly beautiful, as always, and our checkin at the airport was relatively painless, though aggravating. Hawaii requires an agricultural inspection of all outbound luggage in addition to the usual security inspections. The flight back was smooth and we arrived at Sacramento International Airport on time under a clear sky.

I've heard that when a visitor forgets a personal item at the place he has visited, it means there will be another trip. If that is true, I should be going back soon, because I forgot my jacket and scarf (in the dead of winter, for pete's sake,) as well as my digital camera.

I'm all unpacked now, and Laurel returns to school tomorrow. I get Monday off, and return to work at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Aloha!

Sans Souci Beach, Waikiki

We've come to the end of our sojurn in Hawaii Nei, and we couldn't send Lisa home without at least dipping her toes in the water at Waikiki Beach! Early this morning, (6:30 a.m., to be exact) we rolled out of the driveway to snorkel at Sans Souci Beach, at the east end of Waikiki. This little beach is adjacent to the Natatorium where Duke Kahanamoku trained for his Olympic win.

On our way home, we stopped at Leonard's bakery for the Portuguese treat of malasadas, a kind of doughnut.

Since today is mother's 93rd birthday, we had a family dinner with toasts and speeches, and mom reversed the customary gift-giving by giving each person at the table a gift!

Tomorrow we roll out at about 11 a.m. to return the rented car and head for home. We did a lot this week, and I think we all enjoyed ourselves in spite of the changeable weather.

Honolulu and Ala Moana

Today we had lunch with Aunt Jo at Pohai Nani, the retirement community where she lives. They served hamburgers, broccoli quiche, a variety of sandwiches, and a variety of desserts. After that, we drove past some of the historic buildings in Honolulu: the State Capitol, I'olani Palace and its Armory, the Judiciary Building with the famous King Kamehameha I statue, Honolulu Hale, Kawaiahao Church, and the Mission Houses Museum.

The statue of Kamehameha and the statue of Father Damien at the State Capitol are the two statues representing Hawaii in in Statuary Hall in Washington, DC.

Then we went to Ala Moana Shopping Center to finish up the souvenir shopping, and on the way home, we stopped by the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl. The photo above shows how windy it was - but we got the requisite picture of Diamond Head.

Hawaiian Cowboys

We capped off the day by driving north along the windward coast to Kualoa Ranch for a one-hour trail ride. Laurel rode "Roanie", I had "Dawg", and Lisa rode "Chainsaw". The weather was very changeable, with two squalls before we started, and a light drizzle for some of the ride. The ranch provided bright yellow slickers for those who wanted them. After the ride, we shopped for souvenirs in the guest center and had substantial sandwiches and drinks.

Kualoa Ranch is getting quite a list of movie credits: some of the major movies filmed on the ranch include Jurassic Park, Windtalkers, and Lost.

We returned to Mom's house in Kailua about 4:00, and the girls retired to the bedroom to read, and fell sound asleep!

The Long Hike Up

Because of the high theft rate, I left most of my $$$ at home, and we ended our swim with only $1 left - not enough for the tram ride up the l-o- n- g access road. There are several pull-outs, and we stopped here to catch our breath and take a final look at Hanauma Bay's "keyhole" where we were snorkeling.

Hanauma Bay

Wednesday morning was overcast, but not raining. We decided to take a chance and made an early run to Hanauma Bay. This is a marine sanctuary, and in the last year or so made some changes to public access in order to prevent more damage to the reef ecology. We arrived about 7 a.m., and by the time we left at 9 a.m. the park was already closed to new visitors!

Hanauma bay

Pali Lookout

On the way back from Pearl Harbor, we made a short detour to the Pali Lookout. This spot provides a panoramic view of the windward coast of Oahu. In the background of this photo is the town of Kaneohe.

The Pali Lookout is the place where the road from Honolulu to Kailua ran. In the 1950s, a tunnel was constructed beneath the lookout that widened the road from two to four lanes. The lookout is normally a very windy place, but on this day, the wind was calm.

Legends abound about the Lookout - this is where Kamehameha I defeated the army of the king of Oahu in the late 1700s, and there are many ghost stories about the spirits of those defeated warriors who jumped over the cliff rather than be captured or tortured by Kamehameha.

Mighty Capstans of the Mighty Mo

Tuesday we went to see the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, and since we were already in the neighborhood, we also toured the USS Missouri. Anchored in the harbor just yards away from each other are the memorials for the beginning and the ending of the second World War.

This picture was taken in the bow of the battleship; the girls are resting on the giant capstans that raise and lower the anchors.

Dawn in Kailua

The weather cleared Monday night, and we all remarked on how clear and shiny the stars are here - no light pollution. The Big Dipper was high in the sky, and we could see the North Star, too.

On Tuesday morning we decided to walk on the beach to see the sun rise - walked about a mile to Kailua Beach Park, then walked back. This was taken from the park, looking back the way we came, and the sun was rising behind us. The girls were tired, because the sand was soft, and the whole walk was pretty hard work!

Apples to Apples

After dinner, we went to my brother's house, next door, and I edited this blog while the others played Apples to Apples.

Bishop Museum's Hawaii Hall

Here's the facade of the Bishop Museum's main Building, Hawaii Hall. The sun came out briefly as we walked from the Volcano exhibit to the cafeteria for lunch. After lunch, we attended a short hula show in the main hall of the museum, then we came home.

The weather so far has been mostly overcast and rainy, but not cold - at least by California standards. By Hawaii standards, it's a very cool 74 degrees, and some folks here are wearing sweaters, This afternoon, there was a break in the rain, and we were able to spend about an hour riding waves at Kailua Beach. Tomorrow's forecast is "sunny," so we will try to go to Hanauma Bay for snorkeling in the morning.

"Volcano" Watching at Bishop Museum

Upstairs at the volcano exhibit at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. (Click on the link for the "Virtual tour" to see some of the stuff we saw.The exhibit was very interactive, demonstrating how earthquakes and landslides generate tsunamis, and a dynamic exhibit showing how lava flows underground until it comes to a vent. There were exhibits showing how the ocean floor is mapped, and also showing how the new Lo'ihi volcano is forming at the "hot spot" under the Pacific tectonic plate. The volcano in the background is controlled by buttons simulating varying gaseous and magma conditions.

Sacramento International Airport, January 1

Waiting in the Sacramento Airport for our flight; thought it was typical that the first thing the girls did was to get out their phones and compare ringtones.

Our flight departed on time, but the first hour was really bumpy. We thought it would never end! The pilot reported "strong headwinds", and the flight took about 45 minutes longer than usual to arrive in Honolulu. We apparently brought the rain with us, breaking a 2-week streak of gorgeous weather! We picked up the rental car without a hitch, and finally arrived at mom's house in Kailua in mid-afternoon.