December 7, 1941 – “a date which will live in infamy…” declared then president Franklin D. Roosevelt, one day after Japan’s attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor. An hour after this famous speech, the United States was officially brought into World War II. The USS Arizona was one of 20 battleships and other large …
April 1 — The second area we visited in Haleakala: Pu’u’ula’ula Summit. We drove the long and winding road (literally!) in the late afternoon, arriving here to watch the sunset. We checked through the Park Headquarters Visitor Center but were told the “House of the Sun” Visitor Center at the top was closed — crushing …
March 31 — The first of two areas we visited in Haleakala was Kipahulu. This is the area in the southeast section of this national park. We had a nice afternoon of hiking the Pipiwai Trail. This is an easy 3.7 miles round trip with an 800′ climb. Along the way we passed the 184-foot waterfall …
March 26 — On another historical site on the west coast of the ‘big island’ sits a couple of ancient Hawaiian settlements. For hundreds of years, extended family groups of these Hawaiian natives learned to live here on the desolate landscape by developing unique farming techniques and by using the abundant ocean resources for fishing. Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park (NHP) preserves …
March 25 — On the west coast of Hawaii’s ‘big island’ sits a waterfront compound that dates back to the 16th century. Still preserved, Pu’uhonua o Honaunau is one of Hawaii’s most sacred historical places. Before contact with the Europeans who found these islands, natives lived under a kapu’ (taboo) system. Pu’uhonua o Honaunau was royal ground for the …
March 23 & 24 — Hawai’i Volcanoes is one of two National Parks in the Hawaiian Islands, and since we can’t drive our RV here to visit them when we’re on our two-year road trip, we figured we’d better stop in during our trip to Hawai’i this year. This was our first stop on our …
