Dad's Visit in Oahu

Nov 11, 2015 

Dad was greeted at the airport by a rainbow, Pixel, and me.  We went to a dog beach where Pixel played with other dogs while the sun set.  Bill, Dad, and I went out to a Vietnamese fine-dining restaurant followed by cheesecake for dessert.

Hickam Beach

Nov 12, 2015 

Dad, Bill, Pixel, and I left our apartment at 4:30am and hiked in the dark so we could watch the sunrise at the top of the Kailua pillboxes.  

Bill went to work and the rest of us spent the afternoon at Kailua Beach.  Pixel chased dogs and birds, while Dad and I watched kite surfers and saw a rainbow.  Afterwards, I took Dad to his first hot yoga class.  That evening, Bill, Dad, and I enjoyed A Raisin in the Sun at a tiny local theater. 

Sunrise from Kailua pillpoxes

Kailua Beach

Nov 13, 2015

Bill took the day off work and we went to Kapaa Quarry, a gorgeous hike filled with strawberry guava, spectacular views, and lots of mud.  We got yelled at by a local who hates white people.  

 That evening, we checked into Aulani, a gorgeous Disney resort on the West side of the island that has a peaceful lagoon, a lazy river, 2 water slides, and 3 hot tubs.  Dad broke a toe while going down one of the water slides.

Kapaa Quarry

Kapaa Quarry

Kapaa Quarry

Post-Hike Mud

Post-Hike Mud

Nov 14, 2015

We hiked Pu’u Ohulu Kai pillboxes, saw the lower Makua Cave, hiked to the upper Makua Cave (a cave at the top of a hill with an ocean view), and walked over the Nanakuli Sea Caves (neat rock formations where we could see the ocean rushing in beneath our feet).  Then we each drank a liter of kava (which is way too much for any sane person to have in one sitting) and stumbled back into the lazy river, slides, and hot tubs.  

Hike to Upper Makua Cave

Upper Makua Cave

Nanakuli Sea Caves

Nov 15, 2015

We woke up early to do a stretching class and a short run while the sun was still rising, followed by an hour of stand up paddle boarding.  We had one last round of hot tubs, lazy river, and water slides before we checked out of the resort.  Some of my residency friends met up with us at Monkeypod for a delicious brunch.  On the way back to our apartment, we saw our third and final rainbow of the trip.  That night, we took it easy and introduced Dad to a TV show called The Knick.

Aulani

Lunch at Monkeypod

Nov 16, 2015

For our last day in Hawaii, Dad, Pixel, and I went to the east side of the island where we did a short hike to Makapu’u Point Lighthouse, stopped at a few scenic viewpoints, and visited the Spitting Caves.  At the airport, Dad’s apples were confiscated by security.

Makapu'u Point Lighthouse

Makapu'u Point Lighthouse

Spitting Caves