Part 2: Twisted Ankles, Pig Control, and Amazing Scenery

The second part of our hiking day consisted of going to Manoa Falls to swim in the waterfall. Well, due to the lack of rain recently there was only a trickle coming down the waterfall so I got to see the waterfall and imagine what it would look like if the water was crashing down. After that we figured, 'why not hike a little farther?'

There was another trail leading off of the one we were on so we headed up. It was a little rocky and a little slippery at first but it got a little better later on. There were a lot of switchbacks and the elevation went from about 250ft ASL to 1800ft ASL. It was a beautiful hike with lots of bamboo on every side of us. It made a really pretty sound when the wind would blow and knocked the tops of the trees together. There were also warning signs that they were hunting pigs with dogs on certain days. I guess the wild pigs are just running rampant in those hills (unfortunately we didn't get to see any). By the time we got to the top we were muddy and hot and ready for a short break. We did see something that was very interesting though, 2 little old asian ladies had decided to hike up to the top as well, the only thing was that they were wearing white pants, light colored shirts, and slip on shoes. I was amazed because they were not dirty at all, I don't know how they did it but they looked like they had a great time.

On the way down, in the legendary ways of Christy, I twisted my ankles. Yes, I almost made it the whole way down without doing it but I was not that lucky. Of course I twisted them on the flat parts and not on the slippery rocks, the muddy areas, or the intertwined tree roots that were everywhere! No major injuries just a few good laughs. Well, here are a few pictures of our hike. Betsy-if you thought the other ones were high, just wait.

Beginning of our hikeMore gorgeous sceneryNatural tree archWhat a handsome man!Look how big these ferns are! Manoa Falls...just imagine it with lots of water...gorgeousFirst picture stop 1/3 of the way upRandy wasn't there...j/k but doesn't it look like he is super imposed on the scenery?

2/3 of the way up, you can see Diamonhead in the backround (our morning hike) That one is for you Betsy!Close up view of Diamonhead and the oceanBamboo galoreAll the way at the top looking East through the mountainsLooking NorthLooking West towards downtown Another one of the hot tired couple

It was a great last full Saturday in Hawaii! We are going to miss it here and we are definitely going to miss our friends Rob and Nellie, Darcie and family, and all of the wonderful people that we have met. Stay tuned for more pictures and stories of our adventures. I have a few random pictures to add so stay tuned.

Oh yeah, I forgot...we played a game called Chickenfoot (it's a version of dominoes), and Nellie whooped all of us! There I said it, are you happy now Nellie? :-)

Part 1: Red Cheeks, Brow of a Tuna, and Great Views

Last week I told Randy that before we left Hawaii I would like to hike Diamondhead and swim in a waterfall. Well, we hiked Diamonhead. The afternoon was HOT and as usual my cheeks turned red very fast.

Our first part of the day was up Diamondhead. It wasn't a hard hike and it is only a 8/10 of mile up to the top but we ended up having to park way outside of the park. We tried to park in the parking lot but the lady was turning people around at the entrance, even though there were spots open. It added about a 1/2 mile onto each way of our hike and it saved us $3 since it was only a $1 to get in if you walked in. We had a lot of fun and the views were great. Here are a few pictures. I will put the rest on snapfish so just let me know if you want to see them let me know. The pictures in the blog are a really big file size so if you click on them

*Diamondhead used to be called Laeahi by the ancient Hawaiians. The name means "brow of the tuna" because the silhoutte looks like a tuna. In the 1800's British Sailors renamed it because when they were sailing in they thought that there were diamonds glistening in the lava rock. It turned out to be the calcite crystals. Fort Ruger used to be located at Diamondhead crater and was used for harbor defense. There used to be canons inside of the crater and they built observation decks for target sighting. It is amazing how much history is on the Island of Oahu and just how much the military has enfluenced this beautiful place.

Inside of the crater and were the hike started.
Downtown Waikiki and one of the observation decks.
If you look close enough you can see the Island of Molokai. That is the island the lepers used to be sent to before there was medicine to control their disease.
The happy hot couple.
Shot of Diamondhead from the parking lot.

Check back for Part 2 of our Saturday hiking!

A few short steps

We only have one full week left in Hawaii. We are both excited to get to Alabama and see our new home and pick up our puppies. Although, I realized that there were a few places that I wanted to see before I left. Tomorrow we are hiking to the top of Diamond Head, an extremely old extinct volcano. Here is a website that has a diagram of the hike. http://www.travelwithachallenge.com/Hawaii_Diamondhead.htm

We are also planning on also going to Manoa Falls because I want to see a beautiful waterfall and if possible, swim in it. So we shall see how it goes. It says that you are not supposed to swim in the water but we shall see, I may sneak in for a quick picture. If I can't, we may have to go to the Audobon Society and hike to the waterfall they have on their property. I will definitely have pictures to post after tomorrow.

Oh yeah, it will be about 3 1/4 miles for the Diamond Head hike and about 3 miles for the Manoa Falls Hike so I am sure that tomorrow evening I will sleep very well.

Sweet Baylee Bear

Here are the most recent pictures of Baylee! She is 11 weeks old in these pictures. We get to pick her up in just 2 weeks!

I am going to win this race!

If this grass was any longer I would disappear.
I know, you still can't see my eyes.
Just watching over my queendom.

2 weeks left

Well, only 2 weeks left until we leave Hawaii and start our journey to Alabama. We are staying with our wonderful friends Rob and Nellie until we leave. We are so thankful for their friendship and that we have air conditioning while we stay with them! :-) I put a few pictures that we have taken over the last few weeks. The group picture was our Father's Day Lunch at Bubba Gump's. It was a great meal and great company. The other pictures are from when we were downtown this last week. Check back soon for pics from the 4th of July Billy Ray Cyrus concert!


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