Hawaii Vacation - Day 2 (a somber day of remembering...)

Today we rented a car and drove out to Pearl Harbor.

On the way over, we saw our first "Hawaiian Rainbow." It was beautiful! (not so much in the photo, but you can get the general idea) you could see the whole arc, end to end.

First we watched a 30 minute video about the events of Pearl Harbor, then we went out to the Arizona Memorial,


the USS Battleship Missouri - as seen from the Arizona Memorial.
(which we would later go over and tour)

then we took tours of the USS Bowfin (submarine),


Cramped sleeping quarters above, teeny tiny bathroom below... talks about serious claustrophobia... I could NOT serve on a submarine. It was hard enough to be in those cramped space for the hour long audio tour.


the Pearl Harbor Museum, In this museum we saw a replica of a nuclear war head. That thisng was MASSIVE! (and scary!) I know we took some picutres of it, but I can't find them. (Don't know why??? We only have over 700 photos of the trip?!?!?! Go figure!


and "The Mighty MO." (USS Battleship Missouri).


These anchor chains were really incredible. Each individual link weighed over 100 lbs! I'm think it was 104lbs or 124lbs or something close to that...) I don't remember all the exact specifics now, like how many links there were per chain and how heavy the anchors were, but trust me when I say it was massively H.E.A.V.Y.!!




this (above) is Tim leaning over the side to take a picture of the spot where a Japaneses Kamikaze pilot crashed into the side on the ship, and here below is the spot - you can see the indentation it caused.

This spot is where the Peace Treaty ending WWII was signed in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945


After leaving Pearl Harbor, we then drove up to The Punchbowl Crater where we visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.


I loved how they shaped many of the trees into wreaths.


Both of these visits were rather serious and somber, but it was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how grateful I am to live in this country and how I need to more consistently remember and honor the memory of all those who gave their lives to ensure our freedoms. (and the terrible price paid by their families...)

One funny thing about this day was our lunch. At Pearl Harbor the only thing they offered at the snack bar was soup (that didn't look great to me) ice cream (not really "lunch") or hot dogs. We opted for the hot dogs. They weren't very good. (Blech!) Then we were totally bummed to get out to the USS Missouri to find a real snack bar - with REAL food! For the rest of the vacation, this became our standard joke when we were figure out what to eat for lunch or dinner,
"I don't want a hot dog..."


On the way back to our hotel we found a grocery store bought some food for our breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. Milk there is ridiculously expensive! At the local ABC stores (you see them on about every other corner in Waikiki) you have to pay over $5 for 1/2 gallon!!!

We also bought some dinner at the grocery deli and drove to the beach to each our dinner. It was dark already... but I didn't care. I love the beach and wanted to eat there anyway, so Tim humored me.



PS: FOR CHARLOTTE

photo taken in the Punchbowl Crater a the N.M.C.of the P. (not official abbreviation, I just didn't want to type it all out - so instead I typed all of this out) in Honolulu HI., so I can officially be a member of USoSL (more lions to come)

and just for old times sake... does this lovely photo remind you of anything???