DEATH TO THE ZEBRA...

This is what happens when you spend a lot of money for dog toys at PETCO. Indie got the zebra yesterday and went right to work today. Dog 1, Toy 0...

What a wild week of seeing everything on the Island. We had our good friends from Colorado, TJ, Alex and Ava, out for 3 weeks. I took off 8 days of their weeks so we could explore the Island. Since we have been on Oahu, we have not done a lot of exploring. So this was the chance for us to get out and check it out.
We started with the Ko’olina lagoons. There are 5 man made lagoons with 4 of them being outside hotel/resorts. The 5th is known as the “local” lagoon and is not visited that much. There you can see turtles swimming and the occasional monk seal.
While out here we decided to look for filming locations of the TV show LOST. The entire show is filmed on Oahu and looking online we found plenty of places to go and see.
We ventured up to the North shore, Mokule’ia Beach. This is where the plan crash for the TV show was filmed. We spent the day up there and some of us got plenty burned.
We visited the Waikiki Aquarium too. It was smaller but was nice and had some interesting things to see.
We hiked to the top of Diamond Head. Again, this was a long hot climb but the views from the top were worth the hike.
We also decided to hike to the Makapu’u Lighthouse. The hike was warm but we got to see a scene from lost being filmed. We watched the filming for a while and while walking through the set we saw “Jack” and “Hurley”. We continued to the top to the lighthouse. When almost to the top, Hurley drove past us and hiked the last little bit to the top. On his way down, he stopped and Alex and I got our picture with him.
We also made our way to the famous Waikiki Beach. I have never been there and so this was new territory for me. It was interesting and the beach was crowded, reminding me a lot of a SO CAL beach. It was a quick day and we headed back to home.
We also took a trip out to Pearl Harbor. This was my second trip out there and again, it was pretty sobering on the events of that day. We took the boat ride out and got to look at the Arizona Memorial.
One thing that I had wanted to try was snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. This is a fish preserve so there is no spearfishing there. The fish were incredible and HUGE. I was swimming with parrot fish that were well over 12 lbs and looked so tasty (in my opinion, they are the best tasting fish that come out of the ocean). There were a couple turtles out there and other amazing large fish.
The Ha'ikū Stairs, also known as the Stairway to Heaven or Haiku Ladder, is a steep hiking trail on the island of Oahu.The trail began as a wooden ladder spiked to the cliff on the south side of the Haiku Valley. It was installed in 1943 to enable the construction of antenna cables that would be strung from one side of the cliffs above Haiku Valley to the other. A building to provide a continuous communication link between Wahiawa and Haiku Valley Naval Radio Station was also constructed at the very peak of Puukeahiakahoe, elevation at about 2800 feet. These extraordinary antennas transmitted very low frequency radio signals from a 200,000-watt Alexanderson alternator located in the center of Haiku valley. The signals could reach US Navy submarines as far away as Tokyo Bay even while the submarines remained underwater.When the Naval base was decommissioned in the 1950s the United States Coast Guard used the site for an Omega station. In the early 50s, the wooden stairs were replaced by sections of metal steps and ramps — by one count, 3,922 steps. The station and trail were closed to the public in 1987. Despite the closure, some hikers ignore the No Trespassing signs and continue to climb, contributing to the local community's misgivings about reopening the structure.Local officials have repaired the trail and the ladders, but the trail will remain closed and patrolled by security until access and management issues have been resolved.TJ and I attempted to access these. We made it through the gates and onto the stairs. We thought we were in the clear and started up the stairs. Almost to the first platform (we estimate about 1600 stairs in) we ran into the security guard patrolling. He made us turn around and told us he contacted the police and we were going to be arrested. By the time we got to the bottom of the stairs we were calling his bluff and he let us walk out. We were a little bummed we didn’t get to the top, but we at least got to make it almost halfway up the stairs.

Makapu'u Overlook - hand glider taking off

Makapu'u Overlook

Quentin Swing around like a monkey

TJ Checking out the turtles in Hanauma Bay

Big Fat Parrot in Hanauma Bay

Hanauma Bay from the top

Turtle in Ko'olina lagoon

Turtle in Ko'olina lagoon

Turtle in Ko'olina lagoon

Haiku Stairs

Haiku Stairs

H-3 and the tunnels from the stairs

Haiku Stairs

Honolulu from Diamond Head

Arizona Memorial from the dock

Pearl Harbor from the boat

Makapu'u Lighthouse

Waikiki Beach with diamond head in the back ground

Pali Highway overlook - Kane'ohe in the distance

Papa'iloa Beach - Campsites

Papa'iloa Beach - Lost Campsite behind the orange fence

Papa'iloa Beach - Lost Campsites

Papa'iloa Beach - Lost Beach - Grave sites

Papa'iloa Beach - Lost Beach

Kenn and Hurley

Lost Season 10 being filmed at the Makapu'u Lighthouse

Sydney Airport - Season 1

Honolulu Convention Center - doubles as the Sydney Airport

Jin at the Byodo-In temple - Season 1

Byodo-In Temple

John in the walk about company - season 1

Right Across from First Hawaiian - the walk about company

Mokule'ia Beach - North Shore

Mokule'ia - North Shore Plane Crash Beach

Kate in the Bank, First Season

First Hawaiian Bank from Lost

Well it has been a while since the last post. In the last 2 months this is what has happened.
August: Brandon came out for a short visit. We climbed the 3 peaks again, went kayaking and went to the beach a lot.
At work Kiewit was low bidder on a 40 million dollar job on the Island of Kauai. The project, in Lihue, is going to allow us to move back. I am going to be the project manager on the project which will start in February. We anticipate a move in January. We will keep you posted and are excited to go back. The project is 18 months but there is another phase that we hope Kiewit can get, keep your fingers crossed for a longer stay.
Jennifer stayed busy at work and hanging out Quentin and Indie.
September: A lot went on this month. Quentin started 6th grade (I know we are old people now). He likes his classes and is super excited because he has a required laptop this year. He started swimming again and is doing very well with that.
Jennifer and I went to Sunriver Resort (bend, Oregon) for company business. We had some friends of the family stay with Quentin while we were gone. While there, (hold your laughter and comments) I learned to play golf. Actually it was more I learned what not to do if you want to be successful at golf. It was a good time and Jennifer got to get pampered in the spa on a daily basis. It was a nice get away.
Jennifer continues to work making jewelry and is trying to get in as many classes before we move. She still really enjoys it and is very talented at it.
I got to have a whirl wind trip back to Omaha for 3 days to help teach a class for new employees. It was nice to see Omaha in the summer when leaves were still on the trees.
In a nut shell, that is about the extent of the last two months, not much new and exciting. We will post more soon.

Picture 1: Joe & Jeneca - our friends from Kauai came over and went took them to the Oceanarium Restaurant

Picture 2: Top of the 3 peaks looking South

Picture 3: Brandon climbing up the ropes fro peak 1

Picture 4: Fellow employee, Matt Adams, playing golf at Crosswater Club, Sunriver, Oregon

Picture 5: Quentin at the Kapolei Golf Course driving range hitting a bucket

Mid Month Post:

Can you believe that I am actually posting mid month. Nothing exciting has been going on. Jennifer is still working making jewelry and she is starting to get a stockpile. When she gets enough stock she will start the online store so she can start selling. She also has been working wonders with Indie. I didn't realize how well behaved our dog is until you get around others that aren't. Jennifer has done an amazing job with her.

Quentin is doing well. He got hit new laptop for school and you can't pry it from his hands. Jennifer and Q got summer passes for the local water park so they have been going regularly to have some fun in the sun.

Me, well, still working long hours. Have a big job bidding the 6th of August. Wish me luck, this could be the one that takes us back to Kauai in Feb. I started the next quarter of school, have 2 exciting classes (there was a severe sarcasm undertone in there if you didn't hear it). I have also been riding the road bike a lot hoping to compete in a race around the island September 6th. We will see, 112 miles is a long way. Currently we live at the top of a pretty substantial hill, almost 3 miles. To ride to work takes me about 10-12 minutes. The picture below is what speed I hit coming down the hill this morning. The computer captures what your max speed is during the ride. This is 3 mph faster than I have ever gone before. I would love to break 50 mph but it starts getting a little sketchy with cross winds and cars.

The 4th of July weekend we decided to get out and explore the island. A couple people from work were going to do the 3 peaks of Olomana on the windward side of the island. We decided to go along and met up with them at 8am on Friday. The following is a description of the hike:

Olomana is a three-peaked monolithic land mass that is separated from the Koolau ridge line. Olomana resides in Maunawili Valley with a panoramic view of the windward coast, Kailua, Waimanalo, and Kaneohe to the east and a great view behind of Mt. Olympus, Lanipo, Puu o Kona, and Konahuanui. Climbing to the first and second peaks are somewhat challenging and is considered an intermediate hike, going all the way to the third peak is a good deal more difficult and dangerous; it is rated an advanced hike.

Of the three peaks, the first is the highest, clearest, and affords the best panoramic view of the windward coast. From this vantage point atop the first peak, the impressive sharpness of the third peak is plainly visible in the distance.

In the foreground is the second peak with a nice shaded area. It requires about 15 minutes to reach the second peak from the first. Proceed down the hump across the saddle and climb the second peak. This spot provides excellent views and a shady spot for lunch and is a good spot to end Olomana hike.

For those who are adventurous, determined, and capable, the third peak provides a nice challenge. It takes about an hour to reach the third peak from the second. Descend steeply down the precipitous back side of the second peak down at least three hundred feet. This is not for the acrophobic or the faint of heart--also keep in mind that you will have to climb back up this steep slope on the return trip. At the bottom of the saddle, begin the ascent of the third peak along a very narrow ridge with severe drop offs on both sides. Next you will encounter a steep rocky face with a rope to assist you. The trail contours along the mountain-facing side of the peak and slowly regains the ridgeline. After contouring a second time, you will then reach a rock face with a ledge Typically, there is a rope there to assist you. Once you pass this point, just a few more minutes is needed for you to conquer the third peak of Olomana.

All in, it took us 4.5 hours to do the entire trip. Quentin was amazing and was eager to be the route finder.

Pictures: (Top to Bottom)

Looking at Peak 2 and 3 from the top of peak 1

View from Peak 1

View of Kialua from Peak 1

View of Peak 1 on the way to Peak 2

Peak 1 from Peak 2 - the people at the top are the rest of our party that decided not to push on to Peak 2 and 3

Peak 3 knife edge/ridge line from Peak 2

Quentin walking the exposed trail coming back from summit of Peak 3

Quentin navigating ropes along ridge of peak 3

Ropes along ridge of peak 3