1 So it's a Tuesday adventure day and our friends couldn't come, so we decided to check out a new hike that I've been interested in. It's a small hill (pu'u) in Kaneohe. The initial approach was a bit tricky. Mom was wondering what in the world she'd gotten herself into!
2 She didn't stand up straight until this point - about 75' feet elev into the hike!
3 Lichen? I never did commit to memory the difference between moss and lichen, but I think that's what this is.
4 Further up the trail we heard (AND SAW!) wild pigs!
5 Dense overgrowth makes this a good hike for preschoolers, but not tall people with packs on (and babies with heads poking out!). I literally crawled on hands and knees for some of it.
6 But here we are at the top.
7 "According to Hawaiian mythology, Pu'u Ma'eli'eli translates to "Digging Hill." The companion gods Kane and Kanaloa once raced to the top of the hill and had to dig into the slopes with their hands to climb up. (Sound familiar, mom?) The bunkers found on the summit are the reminants of the Heeia combat training area (Camp Heeia) built during World War II to support nearly 4,500 military personnel." (Did you catch the typo etched into the sign? Or is that only me with a sick predilection for catching typos? This caption is exactly how the sign reads.)
8 For my Uncle Tom who loves benchmarks...
9 Snack time! Sam had a few issues on the way up with webs. He is an incredible web-spotter. He can spot ANYTHING, however small, that is dangling where it shouldn't be dangling. Sometimes it really freaks him out. Today he spotted the tiniest inchworm hanging from a thread. We spent much of the rest of the hike looking for more worms in webs and all other potential threats.
10 But then we found these bunkers and enjoyed making echoes into them (thankfully mom remembers what it's like to be a kid - I was all about finding a spot to put Ben down and see if there were any views to be had).
11 And look what we stumbled across 50 yards further along!
12 Nice!
13 You could see out to Chinaman's Hat (behind mom) and all the way past the Marine Corps base.
14
15 So panning from Chinaman's Hat...
16 to the sand bar (disappearing island directly in front of you)...
17 To the base and beyond.
18 Kaneohe.
19 Another "BM" for Tom!
20 "Kealoha June 1950" - kealoha means "the love" as best I can tell.
21 Coming down was a little tricky, too. This is a tried-and-true method.
22 Funny Sam is back! Not nervous about webs any more.
23 So relaxed, in fact, that he was a "mud diver" landing kersplat once or twice! I love this picture.
24 Whoa!
25 "This is what a web-eater looks like." (Lower jaw moves up and down quickly - eyes closed so webs don't get in them. I teased him that he's so fierce he flosses with webs and then this face was created.)
26
27 Looking across Kaneohe to our next stop - Byodo In - a replica of a Buddhist temple.
28 Mommy finally went down, too! I think the mountaineering term for this is "glissading"!
29 There was a tire swing at the condo community park. We availed ourselves of it :)
30
31
32 The butts!
33
34 Beautiful, isn't it? Amazing backdrop. From my aunt's pictures of China, I feel like I could almost be there. This is Byodo-In (pron. Bee-YO-do Een), a replica of a 900 year old temple in Uji, Japan.
35 The koi pond had huge koi, and there were also peacocks and swans roaming about. Sam was having a pretty klutzy day, so despite the peaceful setting, our trip there was anything but! Sam almost dove into the koi pond, and fell off the platform while ringing the big gong (see next).
36 Tough work to coordinate pulling that big wooden pole back then letting it go just at the right moment to get a big GONG without going off the platform in the opposite direction (Newton's third law?).
37 But here he's got it! And the sound for you, too.
38 Ben enjoyed roaming around, too.
39 Tricky taking pictures with such an active guy. I've got him by the clothes in back and sneaked the camera through the fence to shoot up at him, hoping for the best. He was peering over a 10ft drop thinking it looked like fun to explore.
40 Whispering to little brother that it's time to go!
41 But little brother doesn't budge.
42 Look who we spied on!!! Daddy was at Kalapawai Cafe and Deli "studying" - do you see what is lined up in front of him? WINE GLASS, LATTE, and not pictured - COOKIE, TWO PLATES OF FOOD. I guess he was there a couple hours reading and preparing for his paper due next week. He took a couple days off work to concentrate on his writing. He is so good at preparing his papers and is getting good recognition in his coursework. I think he is pulling straight A's still. We like to tease him about having such a rough life. Can you imagine studying like this in college? What a grind that was...but still easier than doing it while working and raising a family.