September 12, 2002
Meanders
meanders.jpg" height="375" width="500" The meander of an incised river somewhere in Utah on our flight to Honolulu. Posted by Chad at 09:51 AM

Domal structure
domalstructure.jpg" height="375" width="500" A nice view of a geologic dome that was breached and eroded, leaving only the parallel ridges along the edge. The center of the dome would have been along the right side of the picture. Posted by Chad at 10:03 AM

Lake Powell cliffs
lakepowellcliffs.jpg" height="375" width="500" The very distinct look of Lake Powell in southern Utah and the amazing cliffs that once were one great canyon instead of a lake. Posted by Chad at 10:08 AM

Pearl Harbor
pearlharbor-fordsisland.jpg" height="375" width="500" A view of Pearl harbor from the plane as we were landing. Ford Island is in the center. The U.S.S. Missouri — where the treaty to end WWII was signed — is visible to the right of the island, below the bridge; the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial — that was sunk, precipitating our entrance into WWII — is the white box between the Missouri and the bridge. More photos of both once I get my film rolls developed. Posted by Chad at 01:06 PM

The "interstate"
h1sign.jpg" height="375" width="500" A roadsign for Hawai‘i’s “interstate”. And no, at the end of the highway, there’s not a /H1 sign (What? You don’t like HTML humor?). It really should be called an intrastate, or better yet an intraisland. Posted by Chad at 01:19 PM

The Rainbow Connection
downtownrainbow.jpg" height="375" width="500" The weather in Honolulu was strange. It was prone to sun showers where it would sprinkle for a good five minutes or so with a completely sunny sky above you. Presumably, the showers were blown from the nearby mountains, but if the angle of the sun was just right, you’d get one of Hawai‘s’s famous rainbows. Posted by Chad at 01:27 PM

Maple frosted
dunkindonuts.jpg" height="375" width="500" In the block between our hotel and the beach, there were two Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins. Sitting outside the one closest to our hotel, the other one’s visible just across the street. Needless to say they were a bit too convenient at times. Posted by Chad at 01:42 PM

Le-ahi
leahiandwaikiki.jpg" height="375" width="500" One of the first (of many) shots of Diamond Head, known locally as Le‘ahi, from Waikiki Beach. Posted by Chad at 02:43 PM

Waiting
amyrobkaty.jpg" height="375" width="500" Here’re Amy, my friend Rob, and Amy’s sister Katy (Rob’s wife, Emily, is out of frame to my right) in a candid shot waiting for our flight to the Big Island to go play on some volcanoes. Posted by Chad at 02:45 PM

The Big Island
thebigisland.jpg" height="375" width="500" A view of the northwest coast of the island of Hawai‘i. Along the shore were these towering basalt cliffs with countless creeks-turned-waterfalls all along them. The peak of Mauna Kea is visible in the upper left corner. Posted by Chad at 02:47 PM

September 13, 2002
Lava plants
lavapine.jpg" height="375" width="500" A small bush growing in a lava field along Route 11, heading toward Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Posted by Chad at 08:45 AM

Hanuapo Bay
hawaiishore1.jpg" height="375" width="500" There was a pullout along the road with these great views of the coastline. This area was called Hanuapo Bay. Posted by Chad at 09:00 AM

Hale O Kane
hawaiishore2.jpg" height="375" width="500" Here’s the view in the other direction. This bit of land is called Hale o Kane. Posted by Chad at 09:01 AM

Eastern Shore
hawaiishore-chad.jpg" height="375" width="500" Here’s an okay photo of me facing south. I don’t think it’s particularly flattering, but you can kind of trace the flank of Kilauea (which we’ve since passed) behind me. Posted by Chad at 09:19 AM

Pu'u O Mahana
mahanabeach.jpg" height="375" width="500" Pu‘u O Mahana is the remnant of a volcanic cone which has since been severly eroded. As such, it has a green sand beach. It’s only one or two of which I’m aware — the other one is in the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. Posted by Chad at 09:51 AM

Green Sand Beach
greensandbeach.jpg" height="375" width="500" The green color of the sand is due to the high levels of the mineral olivine (or peridot in gemological circles) in the surrounding basalt preferentially washing out. It’s not a kelly green color, more like dollar-bill green. Posted by Chad at 11:22 AM

Mahana Sea Cliffs
mahanaseacliffs.jpg" height="375" width="500" A nice view from the beach of some of the eroded volcanic layers. To get to the beach, the road we took went within a half mile from Ka Lae (South Point), the southernmost point in the United States. The trailhead was the furthest south I’ve ever been. Posted by Chad at 11:29 AM

Liquid basalt
lava1.jpg" height="375" width="500" After we finished the 2½ miles walk back from Mahana Beach, we hauled ass back up to Kilauea. The trip to see the green sand beach took more time than we thought. So we hurriedly drove through the park and on down to where all the action was. Rocks don’t get any younger than this. Posted by Chad at 11:33 AM

"Liquid hot magma"
lava2.jpg" height="375" width="500" The cooled flow we walked out on (after a paved mile hike from the car) was only 6 weeks old. This stuff is obviously even younger than that. Posted by Chad at 11:34 AM

Flow field
lavaflow.jpg" height="375" width="500" Steam and/or vapors rising from the lava. Posted by Chad at 01:06 PM

Land + Sea = Air
lavameetssea.jpg" height="375" width="500" Because of the explosive reactions and gases produced, we couldn’t get close enough to actually see the lava entering the ocean, but we could see the clouds of steam that it produced. There was a slight smell of sulfur blowing about. Along the ridge there, you can see a construction-style warning marker for scale. Posted by Chad at 01:10 PM

Like refrigerated honey
lava3.jpg" height="375" width="500" Here’s a follow-up shot from a previous one, just a few minutes later. It was pretty viscous, but you could still see it moving on along. Posted by Chad at 01:15 PM

Hillside
lavaflowhill.jpg" height="375" width="500" The qualty of this one isn’t all that great, but it was in a moving car near dusk, but it still gives you an idea of what the hillside above the fresh flows looked like. The newer lava flows are darker in color. Posted by Chad at 01:17 PM

Hubert the pigeon
georgethepigeon.jpg" height="500" width="375" There were plenty of pigeons roaming about Honolulu. After a while Amy decided to name all the white ones Hubert. Here’s a Hubert on the railing of our hotel room lanai. This photo came out surprisingly well considering I took it through a slightly ajar sliding door so as not to spook him. Posted by Chad at 02:20 PM

The Towers
hoteltowers.jpg" height="375" width="500" These towers were always within eye-shot of our hotel. This shot was taken from a small shopping village-type place across the street from our hotel. When playing out in the surf I used them as reference points to make sure I didn’t drift too far away from my stash on the beach. They were so recognizable to me, I immediately identified them in a scene on a repeat of Dr. Greene’s last episode of ER. Posted by Chad at 04:56 PM

September 15, 2002
Peacocks
peacockmural.jpg" height="375" width="500" A mural in that shopping village-type place. I have a feeling that Michael may be able to identify with it. Posted by Chad at 11:07 AM

"With Love"
alohasign.jpg" height="500" width="375" After a while I began to think that the term aloha was the Hawai‘ian-language equivalent of smurf. It can mean hello, goodbye, peace or any other similar terms. The best translation of it I found was “with love”. Posted by Chad at 11:11 AM

Street signs
streetsigns.jpg" height="375" width="500" Street signs at the intersection of (Princess) Ka‘iulani & Koa Streets. Oak & Main were nowhere to be found. Posted by Chad at 11:16 AM

Closeup
tableflower1.jpg" height="375" width="500" A flower on the centerpiece at Keoni’s, a great Thai restaurant that was on the street level of our hotel. Posted by Chad at 11:22 AM

Centerpiece
tableflower2.jpg" height="375" width="500" A wider view of the centerpiece at Keoni’s. Posted by Chad at 11:24 AM

Waikiki Wabbit
robertshawaii.jpg" height="375" width="500" Roberts Hawaii was apparently a large tour company since we’d see these buses all over the place. Everytime I saw them, the line the Irishman gave in Braveheart popped into my head: “Didn’t I tell you before? It’s my island.” Posted by Chad at 11:28 AM

In silhouette
hugetreesilhouette.jpg" height="375" width="500" The rehearsal luncheon for James & Christina was held at The Contemporary Museum, up in the foothills north of Honolulu. There was this huge tree I was smitten with, seen here from the ground up. Posted by Chad at 11:34 AM

The trunk
hugetreetrunk.jpg" height="375" width="500" The trunk of the huge tree. Posted by Chad at 11:35 AM

Metal twig sculpture
metaltwigsculpture.jpg" height="500" width="375" One of the sculptures on the lawn. Posted by Chad at 11:39 AM

The Tree
thehugetree.jpg" height="375" width="500" A view of the huge tree, with Christina’s father out of it’s shadow for some sense of scale. Posted by Chad at 11:41 AM

Globe twins
globetwins.jpg" height="375" width="500" Another one of the lawn sculptures. Posted by Chad at 12:29 PM

Wind sculpture
windsculpture.jpg" height="500" width="375" This was one of the several wind sculptures they had. They’d sway and articulate when the wind blew. Initally a few of us thought they were motorized, but they weren’t. Posted by Chad at 12:39 PM

Please
pleasesign.jpg" height="375" width="500" One of the most clever information signs I’ve seen. It was for one of the galleries that had this What-the-fuck-is-this-crap? art exhibits. I kept expecting to see a title plate in the corner saying “Done by Mrs. Collins’ 1st grade art class.” All it was missing were the paint handprints. Posted by Chad at 12:46 PM

Statuette
asianhead.jpg" height="500" width="375" A close-up of one of the statues in the gardens next to the gallery of crap. Posted by Chad at 12:48 PM

Gallery trees
gallerytrees.jpg" height="375" width="500" I liked the grove of trees here in front of the detached gallery. If I remember correctly, many of them were lemon gum trees. Posted by Chad at 12:50 PM

Bromeliad
plantleaves.jpg" height="375" width="500" One of the many plants at the base of the gum trees. This one was a good 2½–3' in diameter. I liked the varigation (the color pattern) of the leaves. Posted by Chad at 12:53 PM

Little bugger
lizard.jpg" height="375" width="500" A small lizard we spotted on the leaves of the understory. Posted by Chad at 12:55 PM

Salt and pepper
lightbulbshakers.jpg" height="375" width="500" It took us way too long to realize that these shakers were shaped like inverted lightbulbs. They reminded me of .sara and her penchant for photographing condiments. :) Posted by Chad at 01:03 PM

Hawai'ian Katy
hawaiiankaty.jpg" height="375" width="500" A great photo of Amy’s sister, all Hawai‘ian-ified. Posted by Chad at 01:04 PM

Mirror, mirror
mirror1.jpg" height="375" width="500" One of the exhibits was a collection of concavely-tiled mirror plates which I had a lot of fun with. Posted by Chad at 01:06 PM

True reflections
mirror2.jpg" height="375" width="500" Another shot. Christina’s sister and brother-in-law can also be seen in the background. Posted by Chad at 01:08 PM

Tiles
mirror3.jpg" height="375" width="500" Yet another one. Don’t mind my big hair. I didn’t bother to goop it up — except for the wedding — like I normally do (read: multiple cowlicks), since I was on vacation and really didn’t care. Posted by Chad at 01:12 PM

Light dish
mirror4.jpg" height="375" width="500" Last mirror shot. This one a nice angled shot, reflecting the yard just beyond it. Posted by Chad at 01:13 PM

Rain catcher
raincatcher.jpg" height="500" width="375" Hanging from the eaves was this rain chain. A quick shower passed through, channeling the water down the chain into an ad hoc waterfall. Posted by Chad at 01:17 PM

Mountain view
leahiandtree.jpg" height="375" width="500" The view from the upper yard of Diamond Head. Posted by Chad at 01:19 PM

James and Christina
jamesandchristina.jpg" height="375" width="500" The whole reason we came all the way out here: the happy couple, James (Amy’s brother) and Christina. Posted by Chad at 01:27 PM

Ehime Maru memorial
ehimamarumemorial.jpg" height="375" width="500" During the rehersal, we found out that the park where James & Christina were to be married was also the site of the Ehime Maru memorial (background info). It was a fishing vessel that was sunk when a U.S. sub showed off an emergency surfacing maneuver to onboard civilans, killing nine. Posted by Chad at 01:40 PM

Waikiki sunset 1
waikikisunset1.jpg" height="375" width="500" After the rehearsal, we met for dinner and drinks at Duke’s on Waikiki. It was named for Duke Kahanamoku who did for surfing what Pele did for soccer/football.

While we were waiting for out table, the sun was setting and I decided to take a few pictures. There are seven sunset shots in all. Posted by Chad at 01:48 PM

Waikiki sunset 2
waikikisunset2.jpg" height="375" width="500" Sunset shot 2 / 7. Posted by Chad at 01:49 PM

Waikiki sunset 3
waikikisunset3.jpg" height="500" width="375" Sunset shot 3 / 7. One of my favorites. Posted by Chad at 01:51 PM

Waikiki sunset 4
waikikisunset4.jpg" height="375" width="500" Sunset shot 4 / 7. On the right, the flank of the Waianae Range is visible as it slips down to the sea. Posted by Chad at 01:54 PM

Small-time surfers
leahisurfers.jpg" height="375" width="500" Surfers enjoying the (small) waves at the foot of Diamond Head. Posted by Chad at 01:56 PM

Waikiki waves
waikikiwaves.jpg" height="375" width="500" The surf. Posted by Chad at 01:57 PM

Waikiki
leahiandthewater.jpg" height="375" width="500" A wider shot of Diamond Head and the beach around sunset. Posted by Chad at 01:59 PM

Sunset reflection
sunsetreflection.jpg" height="500" width="375" The reflection of the sunset on the ocean. Posted by Chad at 02:00 PM

Waikiki sunset 5
waikikisunset5.jpg" height="375" width="500" Sunset shot 5 / 7. Posted by Chad at 02:01 PM

Waikiki sunset 6
waikikisunset6.jpg" height="375" width="500" Sunset shot 6 / 7. Just one more. Posted by Chad at 02:02 PM

Waikiki sunset 7
waikikisunset7.jpg" height="500" width="375" Sunset shot 7 / 7. Replete with palm trees and tiki torches. Posted by Chad at 02:03 PM

Tropical view
leahiandtorches.jpg" height="375" width="500" Diamond Head (yep, another shot), the beach, palm trunks and torches. Posted by Chad at 02:04 PM

Tiki torches
tikitorches.jpg" height="375" width="500" A nice shot out from Duke’s near the end of the sunset. Posted by Chad at 02:06 PM

Grass umbrellas
dukesgrassumbrellas.jpg" height="375" width="500" They had grass table umbrellas, a la Gilligan’s Island under the palm trees. Posted by Chad at 02:07 PM

Long Live the King
longlivetheking.jpg" height="500" width="375" Elvis was all over the island. Just images and depictions of him, not the real thing. When Amy got her fortune, she made sure she didn’t wish to be big. Posted by Chad at 02:19 PM

"The Mystery Revealed"
blackandtan.jpg" height="500" width="375" I’ll buy the first person to tell me what’s wrong with this picture one of these. Posted by Chad at 02:21 PM

Downtown showers
downtownshowers.jpg" height="375" width="500" It’s now James & Christina’s Big Day™. It looks like parts of Honolulu is engulfed in one of those sun showers. Although it didn’t come out all that well, there was a slight rainbow between the two tall buildings in the middle of the picture. Posted by Chad at 02:24 PM

Hilltop view
ceremonyview.jpg" height="375" width="500" This was the view from the hilltop just before the wedding ceremony. The wedding photos were taken over by the palm grove. Posted by Chad at 02:31 PM

Pirate Derek
piratederek.jpg" height="375" width="500" James’ best man, Derek, was gearing up for the reception cruise. It wasn’t on a pirate ship, but Derek didn’t care. The funny thing was it was “a three-hour cruise” for dinner and drinks. I’m just glad the ship wasn’t named the S.S. Minnow. Posted by Chad at 02:38 PM

Le-ahi from the sea
leahifromthesea.jpg" height="375" width="500" On the reception cruise, I was able to get this nice shot of Diamond Head. It really shows that it’s a caldera (not a crater, those are formed by impacts, this is a volcano remnant), not just a jutting mountain. Posted by Chad at 02:43 PM

Their first dance
jamesandchristina2.jpg" height="375" width="500" James & Christina’s first dance. The exposure time was a bit long, but I like how it came out nonetheless. Posted by Chad at 02:45 PM

Lightbulb
strunglightbulb.jpg" height="375" width="500" Strung above the deck of the ship were lightbulbs. I singled this one out. Posted by Chad at 02:48 PM

Blue Hawai'i
bluehawaii.jpg" height="375" width="500" A view of Downtown Honolulu / Waikiki at dusk. Between the ship’s forward movement and the roll from the waves, it came out a bit blurry, but I dig the colors. Posted by Chad at 02:49 PM

H1 traffic
h1traffic.jpg" height="375" width="500" “Traffic” on the H1 on our way back to the airport. I loved that Hawai‘ian roads have a minimum speed limit posted. Posted by Chad at 02:58 PM

The kane's room
mensfacilities.jpg" height="375" width="500" A men’s restroom sign in Honolulu’s airport. Posted by Chad at 03:00 PM

The wahine's room
womensfacilities.jpg" height="375" width="500" A women’s restroom sign in Honolulu’s airport. Posted by Chad at 03:00 PM

HNL mural
hnlmural.jpg" height="375" width="500" Artwork in the gate terminals. There’s that flower again. Posted by Chad at 03:04 PM

Amy and me
amyandme.jpg" height="375" width="500" The two of us, waiting for our plane to arrive. Posted by Chad at 03:05 PM

Gates 18 and 19
hnlgates18and19.jpg" height="375" width="500" Gates 18 and 19 at the airport. I was bored, so sue me. Posted by Chad at 03:12 PM

De plane!
leahiandourplane.jpg" height="375" width="500" Our plane to LAX and the second-to-last photo of Diamond Head. Posted by Chad at 03:27 PM

Le-ahi from the air
leahifromtheair.jpg" height="375" width="500" A full view of the Le-ahi caldera from the air. We hiked to the top on the Thursday we were there. It wasn’t quite the rugged hike we were expecting since we found out that it’s a state monument/park, but the views were great (I’ll post the photos once I get them developed). Posted by Chad at 03:29 PM

En route
enroute.jpg" height="500" width="375" The first of two sunsets I saw before I got home. Posted by Chad at 03:30 PM

LAX people
laxpeople.jpg" height="375" width="500" Once again spending time at the gate taking random photos, this time at LAX.

[ End of series. ] Posted by Chad at 03:31 PM