For our early anniversary trip to Oahu, Hawaii, I bought Ogii some new luggage tags.
And luggage locks.
Even when the lines aren't much shorter, TSA PreCheck is still nice for not having to take off your shoes or open your laptop bag.
The airplane seats had 100V outlets, but when I plugged in my laptop, they stopped working. Although if I didn't plug in the laptop itself, the light on the power cord would turn on. So maybe the laptop sucks too much juice? Good thing I charged it up beforehand.
Flat cloud layer with rainbows.
The Oahu coast.
A channel by the airport.
Houses and golf courses.
This stand in the airport had fresh leis with real flowers.
I got Ogii a purple one and myself a yellow one. Mine smelled much stronger, but hers was prettier. It was nice walking around with the scent of flowers all day long, and they were also a bit wet, so they kept us cool.
A little lake in the middle of the airport.
Neat painting.
A mall just inside the airport.
Lots of expensive stores, but they're closed.
Some are completely empty. I wonder if that's because COVID killed them off?
Gotta rent a convertible for Hawaii.
We stayed at the Best Western right by the airport.
It had a little store with lots of snacks and necessities, including mini alcohol bottles...
... and spam.
For the first day, we drove up to the north shore.
There are a lot of murals around.
A Dole pineapple plantation.
The speed limits are fairly low, even on the major roads.
At our first beach, Laniakea.
There were a few people scattered around.
Although the main reason to stop here is the sea turtles.
Ogii walking along the water.
Us.
Don't get too close.
The turtles were at the north end of the beach around these rocks.
One sticking his head up.
There were a bunch of people watching them.
Time for lunch at a local permanent food truck, Pupukea Grill.
There were covers of surfer magazines all over the walls.
Which were signed by the surfers.
Who usually wrote how great the grill was.
Our delicious local food.
Shark's Cove.
Had a lot of people in the water.
Just south of there was Waimea Bay Beach Park.
The parking lot was full.
So rather than wait for a spot, we drive up the road a bit to park on the side.
The followed this path down to the beach.
Ogii leading the way.
I smashed my toe on a rock at the previous beach. Thankfully it doesn't hurt.
There are occasional rain storms and even downpours that last for a few minutes.
And then it's sunny again.
On the beach.
Big waves.
Me headed to the big rock.
Watch out for the waves.
The might come after you.
And you can't outrun them if you're too close.
Tiny shells.
My foot covered in sand.
People climbing up the rock to jump of off it.
Someone jumping.
Back up the path.
Even at 4pm on a Thursday, there was still a ton of traffic backed up on this road, and there wasn't any other road you could take. Good thing we were only going this way until we could turn around back north.
We stopped at a grocery store to buy a car phone charger as our phones were almost dead. There weren't many other stores on this side of the island, so it's nice they had one.
Baby chickens in the parking lot. There were a lot of chickens scattered around.
I could never get the car windows to completely close together. Apparently it's a common problem with this car.
Our next stop was Sunset Beach Park.
I found a coconut.
And a very photogenic tree.
It's old, so don't climb on it.
Us.
Although the parking was rather difficult. It's angled down right on the side of the road, so you have to pull out into traffic, which you can't see.
After driving around the northern point, we came across Hykilau Beach.
Ogii by the water.
If we wanted to drop everything in California and just live in Hawaii instead, Taco Bell is hiring, and they have flexible scheduling, medical benefits, and a 401k plan.
This optometrist is right next door, though, so maybe I could work there instead.
It looks like he only works a few days a week and takes long lunch breaks, although it does say by appointment only on other days.
Pay phones; you don't see these at all any more in California.
Another beach, another coconut.
Big waves.
A wooden structure.
Interesting roots.
And fruit.
Beautiful sunset with the cloud lit up.
Women dancing.
A little plant in the sand.
If you look on Google Maps, it just says, "Palm Tree" at this location (it's where Kukuna Road hits the ocean).
They are quite distinctive.
A beach with lots of black rocks.
Through a tunnel as we reach the eastern side of the island.
We stopped at Walmart for a few things.
Pretty pictures on the calendars.
Tons of macadamia nuts.
Party speakers.
A clock tower lit up at night.
Our exit was under this highway, which always messed up the GPS on our phone navigation.
My lei turned quite brown along the flower edges by the end of the day, but Ogii's stayed colorful.
Time to dig the remaining sand out of my toe injury.
Always useful to have a tweezers.
And some bandages.
A video of our first day on the north shore.