The Dawson Diaries

Makapu'u Lighthouse and Dog the Bounty Hunter

Makapu'u Lighthouse is found on the southeast side of the island. It was on our list of hikes to try, so off we went. I was very surprised by the dry, desert-like landscape especially compared to how rich and green much of the rest of the island is.

We started the "hike from the parking lot. The whole route is paved, so it isn't really hiking, but the views were spectacular.

On the front side of the Makapu'u trail you could see the Koko head crater. There is an odd Hawaiian tale behind this crater, but it was a beautiful site. Yesterday, Lori and Leigh Ann hiked up the back side of the crater (1,050ish) steps straight up the back side.

Amazing views, and LOTS of cactus. We also saw a mongoose or two (mongeese?) crossing the path from time to time. The girls mentioned today that is was weird to see them, and not the squirrels we're used to in SC.

Periodically we'd stop and take a break and enjoy the view. In the winter months this trail is the prime location for viewing humpback whales (as well as others). We also noticed a lot of locals leaving the trail and heading down the backside of the mountain to the rocky beaches below. They looked rough to me, but many people seemed to be up for it.

We finally reached the part of the trail where you could easily view the lighthouse, and then continued up to the top.

At the top we could see the Sea Live attraction, as well as a lot of folks who were paragliding, and hang gliding. We walked back down the mountain, and continued driving around to the blowhole, and "toilet bowl" lookout points.

The blowhole is a hole in the rocks where spray and ocean waves shoot up into the air. We also saw a large green sea turtle out in this area as well.

This area is known as the "toilet bowl" because of the shape. I've read that it is actually a dangerous place to swim due to tides, and surf, but it didn't stop a lot of people from heading down there. We stood at a lookout point watching folks get tossed onto the rocks though, so I don't think it is a place I would take my kids.

It was well past lunch at this point, so we continued on to a road that had a lot of places to eat (thank you Garmin). Right next door to our restaurant was:

Yep. That's right. A store devoted to all things "Dog the Bounty Hunter." Cheesie was thrilled because it is currently one of her favorite shows. She went in and wandered around, finally selecting a t-shirt (black, not pink, because Beth would wear the pink one, not dog). The cashier chatted with us for a few minutes, told us that Dog was currently in Colorado (I hear on an "extended" visit), but gave us directions to his house which was very close by.

So we indulged Cheesie's adoration of this man who makes people follow rules, and essentially became one of those drive by tourists. (Uh, Dog, you left the gate open to your house). As we drove by, Cheesie jumped out for a quick picture at his gate. This was on her list of things she really wanted to do in Oahu, so we finished up for her with.....

driving by his place of business. This storefront was essentially deserted, not sure if it's because he's out of town, or maybe because it's Sunday, but Cheesie was happy regardless.

We finished out the day by returning to the house, swimming in the pool, and hanging out with family. Lori and Leigh Ann took the older kids (Megan, Big Al, and T-Rex) out to the shell in Waikiki to listen to Jason Mraz play a concert. They didn't go into the concert, but sat out in the park and listened from a distance. Only a few days left of this wonderful vacation.

Lanikai and Jerry Santos

Saturday (June 30) found us feeling rather lazy. We just wanted to spend time on the beach and relax, so we headed over to nearby Lanikai. Lanikai is a gorgeous place to live, and between houses there are access points to the beach.

The girls and I stayed a fairly safe distance to the shore, but it is an easy place to swim. We didn't see any turtles this time, but Brian did snorkel out to the reef a ways from the beach and saw some fish. We learned about the Man-o-war jellyfish thanks to the warnings of the teenagers near us. They were fairly small jellies, but can pack a pretty good sting. Once we knew what to look for, we were fine.

The Mokes are still on my list of things to get done this week, but we're quickly running out of time. I think I'm going to just have to get up fairly early on Thursday, rent a kayak, and then head for the island on the left. There is apparently really good snorkeling out there, and I won't be able to do the Haiku stairs, so I'd at least like to accomplish this goal.

Big Al and Cheesie heading down the beach.

Later that evening, Brian and I headed out with Lori (sister) and Leigh Ann, Barry (brother) and his daughter Megan, and his parents to hear Jerry Santos sing. He's the one who sang at Jillianne's wedding, as well as the guy I went to listen to last weekend on Brian's first night. We bought a couple of his CD's, and Brian bought me a really cool bracelet. There was a wonderful woman also singing on stage with Jerry. Once again, I was struck by how deep the Hawaiian culture runs, and I'm so glad to know that it isn't being lost in any way.

Waikiki, the Aquarium, and Family Time

Friday (June 29)
Brian and Big Al wanted to go to the beach, while T-Rex wanted to do something else. The compromise was to head back over to Waikiki so T-Rex and I could go to the aquarium for awhile, and then meetup with everyone else at the jetty (fun snorkeling) near it (and a lifeguard) at Waikiki.

T-Rex and I of course saw tons of fish. Our favorite was the "slackjaw wrasse" that can project the inside of it's mouth forward and out of it's lips to grab smaller fish as they go by. We had to watch it a couple times because it was just that...... gross.

Here's T-Rex by one of the big aquariums.

This was a giant clam that would open up slightly to give us a peak as to what it looked like inside.

The aquarium had a great monk seal exhibit, although we both thought it looked a little small for the two seals that were in the tank. We got there at feeding time, and watched the trainer put the seal through it's tricks designed to get the seal to cooperate with a quick examination.

Meanwhile, Brian and Cheesie were snorkeling up a storm on the quieter side of the jetty.

Cheesie would pop out for a little bit and then head right back in to find the fish.

Blondie prefers the sad and building of sand castles to the ocean surf. Since she went under at North Shore she isn't too keen on getting in with the waves.

Here are T-Rex, Blondie and I walking out on the jetty to see what fish we can spot from the top.

Brian managed to get pictures with my underwater camera, although the screen seems to be pretty useless in the bright water unless the sun is in the perfect position. Above is a spotted puffer fish.

A little moorfish

This is the "famous" state fish. The Humu humu nuka nuka apua'a. This one (and another one) were easy to spot from the jetty.

Later on, we headed back to the house and found that Brian's parents, aunts and uncles went to hear Jerry Santos play. That left Brian's sisters, brothers, and all of the kids behind. The girls have loved hanging out with their Texas cousins, and all evening found us....

in the hot tub......

watching the sunset.....

doing the "wobble" and just plain cutting up.

I have no idea what Wayne was doing here,

but Lori was enjoying her dinner

and our niece "D" was working on her knitting. She finally found some needles and got me to sit down with her to teach her. She's doing really well with her dishcloth.

Here is a shot of my end of the table, helping "D" and chatting with Leigh Ann,

while Barry and Rachel, plan for the next day. It was a fabulous evening goofing off with the kids, and hanging out with family that we just don't get to see often enough.