The first order of business for the day today was to make sure that the new A/C unit was on schedule to be installed in our condo. The owner contacted us at about 9:30 AM and indicated that all is set for the installation to take place sometime between 10-11 AM and we didn't need to be present. That was all we needed to hear so we got ready and left on our planned trip around the island.
It was a very nice drive and one that just added to our belief that Hawaii is becoming just too overcrowded to be an easy place to get around. It started with our experience in Waikiki Beach where we hardly recognized anything from our previous trip and dealt with large crowds about everywhere. The traffic today was very heavy - probably partially due to the holiday. Anyway, it was worth the drive and we didn't get home until almost 5 PM.
We stopped at several locations on the drive, beginning with this big vendor selling all kinds of Hawaiian paraphernalia:
In a weak moment, I bought a shirt for $15. Now I really look Hawaiian! Josie passed on everything.
As we traveled along the coast highway we saw lots of surfers, villages (with some new homes, but mostly old), fishermen, other vendors and lots of Hawaiian tropical plants and trees. Once we got to the North Shore, the scenery changed a bit and the villages became more populated and with more varied businesses. We stopped at one that really got our attention;
and we had to stock up on macadamia nuts that were grown locally in their orchard.
Further along, and just before turning south to begin the trip home, we stopped at the Dole Plantation. This was a place we remembered visiting before, but again, it has changed so much that it was like visiting for the first time:
The only thing we bought at this stop was a cup of ice cream covered with pineapple. The prices were out of sight for most of the items that were interesting, so we passed on those.
It was back to the driving -south - to get to our next planned stop which was Hickam Field in Honolulu. My expectations weren't very high as a result of not seeing any publicity regarding the Hickam Field memorials of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941:
There was a very long line of vehicles at the gate entrance where the Sentry was checking all identification for military access. I told the guard that I was interested in finding out more information on the barracks where my father was based during the attack. He immediately told us that we would be interested in Building 1102 where the soldiers were housed during the attack, He indicated that we would have to go to another location to obtain a pass to gain access and we decided that it was just too much effort to gain access and there would be a chance that we would not be approved for the pass. So, we decided to pass on the attempt for this trip. Here is the information on the Barracks that I was able to find (https://www.hhf.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/bldg_1102-700x411.jpg). I feel like I gained enough information to pursue further investigation at some point down the road.
We arrived home at around 5 PM and tested our new A/C unit - it works great and we are back in business....
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