Hiking Madness

During our last week with Gabe and Leo in town, we took on two challenging hikes. We headed to the Southeast corner of O'ahu for both. The first hike was to Makapu'u Point. Makapu'u Point is the Eastern-most point on the island. From the Point you can actually see the islands of Moloka'i, Lana'i, and Maui on a clear day. In the winter, Makapu'u Point is also a great spot to watch the migrating great blue whales. On any day, however, there is a beautiful view of the channel, the mountains, and the valley below.
Our second hike, to the top of Koko Head Crater, was one of the most grueling hikes I've undertaken. I usually think of myself as fit and able to tackle most any physical challenge, but Koko Head reminded me that I have room for improvement! Gabe decided he didn't want to do the whole hike, so he and George headed back down mid-way. I wonder if I should have joined them!.The path to the top was no joke. In some parts, it was more of "climb" than a "hike". The whole trail is an old railway path that was formerly used by the military to hoist supplies to the top of the mountain. The old wooden railroad ties still remain and serve as steps along the path. Despite the mild heat-exhaustion I suffered, the views from the top were amazing. The top of the mountain also provided a great resting and recovery spot before undertaking the trip back down. After the hike, we grabbed lunch at one of our favorite spots, Kona Brewing Company, and headed over to Hanauma Bay to cool off with some well-earned snorkeling and swimming.

Pictures of our Koko Head hike can be seen here. Pictures from Makapu'u Point are here.

A Great End to a Great Visit with the Chessons

George and I had a great visit with the Chessons. You would too if you'd been in such nice company for two weeks straight, not to mention eating all of Yvette's delicious cooking! I hope I retained a thing or two that I can use in my own cooking.

Anyway, our last days together took the "oldest kids" (me, George, Yvette, and Jehu, Sr.) to a dinner cruise on the Ali'i Kai. We celebrated Jehu's birthday aboard the boat with dinner, drinks, and dancing.
The next day, we hit Sharks Cove and Sunset Beach one last time with the whole crew. Pics of the cruise are here, our last beach day pics are here.

The Waikiki Aquarium

A fun aspect of having visitors is that you inevitably make it to one or two places you've never been before. At the instigation of the Chessons, we visited the Waikiki Aquarium. It is different from other aquariums that I've been to (Chicago, Baltimore) in that the focus is tropical sea life. There was a whole section on coral, which is an important feature of tropical waters. The aquarium also featured many sea creatures endemic to Hawaiian waters, including the adorable - and endangered - Hawaiian Monk Seal. As usual, a picture is worth a thousand of my poorly-strung-together words. See them here.

The Rodviens and the Chessons Go Riding at Gunstock Ranch

Going horseback riding at Gunstock Ranch was one of the true highlights of our summer. Gunstock is a working cattle ranch on O'ahu's North Shore, very near my school. They offer trail rides for visitors on "retired" and working cattle-working horses. All eight of us saddled up for a trail ride through the foothills of the Ko'olau Mountains. We found spectacular views, unusual plants, remnants of the sugar plantation that preceded Gunstock, and overall fun times. For everyone (except me), this was the first time on a horse. Our group turned out to be a bunch of natural riders, however, and we made great friends with our horses. George has been day-dreaming ever since about how we can get our own horses someday. Ya know, Maryland is right up there with Kentucky in terms of being horse country! Anyway, I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Click here to see 'em all. Aloha!

The Chessons and the Rodvien Boys Take on the Dole Plantation in Wahiawa, Hawaii

Pictures of our latest adventure are now posted here.

July 2008 Family Time

I'll write in more detail later, but I thought I'd share some pictures in the meantime. We've been having a great time hanging out, relaxing, and enjoying summer vacation with the boys and the Chessons on O'ahu. The beach has been the most frequent hangout and we'll probably be there again tomorrow enjoying some waves and sunshine. Miss you all! The latest pics are here.