BigWeather's Blog

Unfortunately I awoke about 3:30a not feeling well and unable to return to sleep.  Finally decided to just blog at 4:15a, lasting until 6a before finally managing to go back to sleep for a tiny bit after taking some pictures at dawn.

All four of us went down for breakfast around 8a.  Addison, Genetta, and myself had the full breakfast (including loco moco and French toast!) while Michelle opted for the continental buffet.  The waitress was very nice and talkative compared to the day before and the chocolate donuts were better as well.  We burned our two remaining breakfast certificates on two full buffets.

About 10a I went down to the “super pool” with Genetta then all four of us headed to the bay (protected from the rest of the ocean by a breakwater.  Unfortunately, Genetta hurt her ankle on some coral and headed in; I proceeded to the barrier and stood on it before heading in.  Michelle and Genetta stayed out of the water while Addison and I “swam” in the shallow lagoon, mostly walking through it, past a small island, and disrupting the schools of small fish that lived there.

We headed in about noon to change and shower before walking less than a mile to Outback.  The restaurant was quite deserted and the lunch was “ok” — Michelle had chicken tenders and broccoli, Genetta ribs and fries, Addison a ribeye (the first of which was way overcooked, the second barely knew fire), and myself the sirloin with baked potato.  The salads were excellent, though!  Headed back to the room to rest a bit.

After a short rest the ladies went shopping while Addison and I headed out to Diamond Head a couple of miles away.  The first stretch was along the beach.  It was quite hot, not North Carolina hot but with the sun beating down it was a little uncomfortable.  We passed a wedding party or two.  In a few spots the waves came right up to a walkway, requiring us to walk along and dodge the occasional over-topping wave.  At one point the waves had eroded the walkway and stairs.  Nature always wins.

We saw quite a few “surf foils”, surf boards with foils underneath which leads them to “hover” above the waves and achieve much higher speeds.  There was a competition or show going on with tents, scaffolding with lights, and a fair number of people.  Nearby was the 9′ statue of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, bronzed and atop a rock.  Leis were draped about his arms and a trio of tiki torches surrounded him.  He was an Olympic champion from the area and the father of international surfing.

After passing the Duke there were some giant banyan trees as well as many lifeguard stations in addition to the Sea Dos we had seen before.  In short order we walked past the aquarium and a war memorial before coming upon a fountain in the middle of a roundabout with Diamond Head looming in the background.  Continuing to head east the houses got more and more opulent, closed off from us peons with artsy gates adorned with dolphins, turtles, and the like.  A security officer in a SUV rode past every fifteen minutes or so ensuring that the houses weren’t messed with.  That must cost some serious coin to maintain!

The area right around the lighthouse (built in 1917) was a bit elevated from the ocean and far more arid.  While we couldn’t access the lighthouse I was able to take pictures over the fence and just beyond it was a nice area with sparser tree coverage, brown grasses, and the blue sea beyond.  It was a quite beautiful place to spend some time resting up before the walk back.

On the way back we decided to walk along the road rather than the beach.  In addition to fast food staples like Burger King and the like (often done in a more Polynesian building style) as well as the distinctive St. Augustine church (also Polynesian-like) there was plenty of high-end shopping both facing the street and in small malls off to the side.  We crossed through Fort Derussy, a fort with a Hawaii Army museum with a primary function of catering to vacationing servicemen and servicewomen.  Though the public was welcome to use the property most of the time a sign made it quite clear that at times it would be closed for exclusive military personnel use from time to time.

We finally made it back to the resort, swinging by the ABC store looking for Gold Bond (with no luck).  Just before 7:00p we made it back to the room; I headed out almost immediately to see the sunset.  Due to the lack of clouds it was quite underwhelming (though the color was nice and golden).  I found Genetta and we hung out for a bit before Addison and Michelle showed up.  We headed towards dinner, stopping briefly to watch a Hula demonstration and show.

We decided to go to CJ’s New York Style Deli.  It was quite good!  I had the kalua pork club with macaraoni salad and a (amazing!) strawberry smoothie, Michelle had a grilled chicken with potato salad, and Genetta a kalua pork Benedict.  Addison, on his diet, had nothing.  Genetta and Michelle went on to Lappert’s for some ice cream but it wasn’t as good as the prior night, sadly.

While they were having dessert Addison and I figured out how to checkout and where to leave our keys and returned to the room before 9p.  We spent some time packing before heading to bed by midnight.