Dwight and Heidi: October 2010

Last week Dwight and I were exploring the beautiful island of Oahu in Hawaii with my sister Jessica and her husband Justin. It was a wonderful vacation.

Our vacation started with a trip to Seattle. We flew to Seattle, spent the evening and flew to Hawaii the next morning.

We went to Pearl Harbor on day 1.

Day 2 was spent snorkeling in the beautiful Hanauma Bay and driving up part of the Windward Coast. I had a few panic moments while snorkeling, but thoroughly enjoyed lounging on the beach.

On day 3 we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We stayed for the Luau and the Evening Performance, which had some spectacular fire scenes.

We went to the Dole plantation and to the North Shore on day 4. I had no idea there were so many varieties of pineapples. The waves on the North Shore were unbelievably huge. I can't imagine what they look like in December during the windy season.

Day 5 began with another trip to Hanauma Bay. We got there early, so it wasn't as crowded. I had a much easier time snorkeling and once again enjoyed the warm sandy beach. We visited Honolulu, Waikiki and a the beautiful National Cemetery of the Pacific.

On day 6 We drove up the Like Like (I think it's pronounced Lee Ke Lee Ke) Highway. We drove along the Windward coast and visited the LDS Temple. It had just been renovated, so we were able to attend the open house. We drove back through the North Shore and spent time gathering shells on one of the beaches.

On our last day we figured out what the black ship was in the Marina by our Condo. They are filming Pirates of the Caribbean in the area and the Black Pearl was docked in the Marina. We walked over to get a closer look. It's a real ship!

We then went hiking to the Beautiful Manoa Falls and walked through some gardens to Waimea Falls. On our way home we drove along the North Shore once again, hoping to see a sea turtle. We were in luck. We saw two of them warming themselves in the sand.