Julia's Visit - Day 3

It was Brooke & Stefenie's first day and they wanted to go jogging and see the sunrise, so we got up early and I took them down to the beach. For me, it was a work day, so we didn't stay too long, but we had time to take a quick hike up Ka'iwa ridge! That's quite a hike in anyone's book!

We made it to the top and admired the early morning scenery before heading back home Brooke (who ran a marathon a couple of weeks earlier) ran on ahead while Stefenie and I brought up the rear.

After this, I got dressed and reported in to work while the girls got their rental car and snorkeling gear. DeAnna took them on a tour of the surrounding area over to Waimanalo Beach They didn't want to go too far because I wasn't going to stay all day at work... I wanted to spend time with Julia!

At lunch time, I returned home. The girls met me and after changing we headed out to the Holona Blow Hole on our way to Hanauma Bay for some snorkeling. The waves were up nicely and the blowhole was spouting, but the normal parking lot was closed for repairs, so we parked down the street (which is a trick because it's actually a twisting, turning highway) and walked down to the lava shelves of Holona Beach. Being this close to the crashing waves can be a little intimidating..



After a pause on Holona Beach (which you'll remember as the famous beach scene in the movie "From Here To Eternity"), we drove on to Hanauma Bay (which you'll remember as famous for world-class snorkeling). You can tell from these pictures that it was windy and cloudy. The sea water was also quite cool as well so the girls were already getting cold!

We checked-in at Hanauma Bay, and walked down to the beach where everyone got to put on their wet suits and get in the water. Unfortunately, the waves were uncharacteristically high and the water was disappointingly cloudy with stirred-up sand. Though Julia and I stayed out for a while longer trying to snap shots of some fish, it wasn't long before we all were back on the beach having a snack (with several annoying pigeons) and then cleaning up to head back out to the car.

Since we didn't stay long at Hanauma Bay, we drove over to Teddy's Burgers in Hawaii Kai for dinner and since we were so close, we drove over to watch the power of the waves at Spitting Cave.

Each girl ended up sitting on a separate rock watching the surf as the sun sank lower on the horizon.




By the time we left, everyone was tired and we ended the day at the pool and hot tub By now, we had started our nightly ritual of reviewing all the pictures from the day. It was a great way to end the day laughing at the memories. Soon after that, everyone turned in. It was a full day of fun, but we all needed our strength for the days ahead!