Hawaii!!!!

October 23rd found Blake and I aboard an aircraft heading for HAWAII!!!  We had scheduled a CME (Continuing Medical Education) for Blake to attend at the Hyatt Regency Resort in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.  

This is our first view of Maui!

After we landed, we got our rental car and headed for the hotel.  It took about 45 minutes to drive there on Highway 30.  We became very familiar with Hwy 30 before the week was over.  It is windy and twisty road, following the coast.  Sunday morning, Blake had class until about noon, then we found a Sacrament Meeting to attend, then went to a Tropical Plantation.

This was our first view of the ocean Sunday morning as we walked from our hotel room to the place where Blake's classes were.

This is just a little of the greenery we saw at the plantation.

More of the scenery from the plantation.

Monday, Blake had class in the morning again, so I roamed the beach and the resort.  When he got finished, we went on a snorkeling adventure.  We were just lucky enough to be in Hawaii while they were having some yucky weather, which consisted of a lot of wind.  There were sustained winds of 30mph most of the time.  Because of the winds, the boat to take us snorkeling could not go out to a little island that it usually goes to.  So the captain took us to a little alcove, just below Hwy 30.  It was really pretty, but we didn't see as many different fish as we would have at the island.

I saw these PENGUINS as I was roaming the resort.  Thought that was kind of funny. There was an atrium with all kinds of plants and birds.

Loved the crashing waves!

On the boat heading to the alcove.

It was so windy on the top of the boat!

All ready for snorkeling!

Blake's down in the water ready to go.

I'm not as quick to get in the water.

This was a cool little fish.

Blake's looking for more fish.

The waves crashed into the rocks of the alcove.

I didn't last as long as Blake did in the water.

Beautiful sunset back at the Resort.

Same sunset from our balcony, the palm trees were really tall, we were on the 5th floor.

Blake had class in the morning on Tuesday again, so we planned to go for a helicopter ride in the afternoon, but it was too windy and cloudy.  So, we found an aquarium on Hwy 30! Then we went to a Luau at the resort in the evening.  It was outside, with the roasted pig and a really good buffet.  It was raining a little and soooo windy, that we didn't stay for the entertainment.

At the aquarium there was a big tank with stingrays and sharks, they had divers in there with them.

A rainbow that followed us back on Hwy 30.

At the Luau, with the wind whipping the rain ponchos they gave us.

Blake didn't have class on Wednesday, so we flew to the Island of Ohau.  We were able to go the the Laie Temple Open House.  It was very beautiful and interesting.  We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, which was really fun.  We stayed the night in a hotel on Waikiki beach, but didn't get back to the hotel until 10:30pm.

Laie Hawaii Temple

As you can see it was still windy!

Absolutely Beautiful!

One of the many wonderful things at the PCC.

At the PCC you "visit" 8 different island countries.  We did weaving at one of the countries.

After we had visited all the countries, we had a nice dinner, then took a tram back to the temple and for a tour of BYU Hawaii.

While at the temple, we went to the Visitors Center.  We met a man named Mark Eubanks. He was the weatherman on Salt Lake channels for many years.  I recognized him and we took our picture with him.  He explained why it was so windy.

This is from the show at the PCC.  It was very good!

Thursday morning. we got up really early and got on another tour bus heading for Pearl Harbor.  That is a really humbling place.  It was incredible to see what I have heard so much about.  After touring Pearl Harbor and some of the city of Honolulu, we shopped at the international shopping center, then caught our flight back to Maui.

This is the monument built right over the sunken USS Arizona

This is the anchor from the Arizona

Blake trying out one of the big guns.

On the monument, with the USS Missouri in the background.

Friday morning Blake had class for the last time, then we checked out of the hotel and headed up Hwy 30 toward the airport.  We didn't fly out until 9:15pm, so we had time to go on the helicopter ride!  It was still windy, but not as bad.  It was magnificent!  Then we flew all night and got home about 2:00pm Saturday!  It was kind of a whirlwind (pardon the pun) trip.  We saw a lot of beautiful things, and experienced things that you can only do there!

Blake teased that this life preserver was his parachute!

All ready to go!

Flying in a helicopter is way different than an airplane.

We saw many waterfalls.  The pilot would fly right in next to them and spin around so everyone could get a good view.

This rainbow followed us for quite a ways!

Made it safely back on the ground!