Trip to Oahu

To attend the Navy's latest (and outstanding) MMPA/ESA training, I had the terrible burden (haha) of traveling to Oahu. Here are some pics from my trip. There aren't any pics of work, and yes I did work while I was there.

This was the view from my hotel room in Waikiki.

Before class each day, I'd take a stroll along the striking Waikiki Beach.

North of Honolulu are towering lush mountains blanketed in rainforest.

The easy hike to Manoa Falls is just a short drive from Honolulu and well worth the trip.

Honolulu has beautiful nighttime views of the coast.

If you walk around Waikiki, you can find charming historical buildings hidden amongst the cookie cutter skyscraper hotels.

Palm trees abound along the dry southern coast.

Hanauma Bay, just a 20 minute drive from Waikiki, offers excellent and safe snorkeling.

I learned during the training that most plants in the inhabited areas of Oahu are exotic and invasive. They sure are cool looking though!

The jetties along the southern coast are a good place to fish watch.

Our cool (and fit) local coworker, Joan, led Lori and I on a hike up Koko Crater after our third day of classes. Check out how steep the final assent to the top is.

The hike up the crater was strenuous, and had unstable footing at times.

The views at the top were definitely worth it though (after I got my heart to stop pounding out of my chest).

Wakiki is heavily trafficked during the day.

Rainbows are common sight throughout Oahu, and pop out at all hours of the day. You see them on all the buses.

On my last day, I went on a hike up Diamond Head Crater. The hike starts from inside of the crater, and climbs up to the crater ridge. This pic shows the winding of the trail inside the crater.

The views of Honolulu from the top of Diamond Head are spectacular and unparalleled.

The views to the south are colorful and gorgeous as well.

The Pali Highway and H3 take you through the lush mountains northeast of Honolulu, and long tunnels run through the tallest of the mountains. The famous view from the Pali Lookout was obscured by clouds during my visit, but I was able to get this neat shot.