Kapi'olani Park

Kapi'olani Park is a big and beautiful park with diamond head as the backdrop.It is a great place to have a picnic, kick a ball around, blow bubbles, go for a run, people watch, take pictures, food/cultural/art festivals, etc.! This is where the Honolulu marathon is held as well as many half marathon races. It is a nice place to relax after climbing Diamond Head, watch the sunset at the beach, and if it happens to be a Friday, watch the fireworks by Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Mokuleia Army beach - Dog Friendly Beach Park

Mokuleia Army beach -is one of the dog friendly parks listed on Hawaii Humane Society. The beach is gorgeous and there is usually no one around – perfect for dogs like our Thor to play at the beach for the first time. BTW, “Lost” was filmed here -on the stretch of oceanfront. This is the easiest of the beaches on this list to get to. It’s just a few feet off a paved road. But that also means it is sometimes a spot for car break-ins. Put all your valuables in the trunk and leave the windows rolled down. That way there is nothing to take.

Directions:
From Honolulu/Waikiki, enter H1 west, then take H2 North. H2 will end, and keep going straight. After the town ends, ignore the right turn to North Shore/Hale'iwa, and just go straight toward waialua and you will be on Kaukonahua Rd (803). Eventually the road will wind downhill with ironwood trees flanking both sides of the road. At the bottom, go through the yellow blinking light to Farrington Hwy (930). After a half mile there is a traffic circle-- go toward Mokule'ia under the bridge. Continue straight as you see Dillingham Airfield on your left. Before the last entrance to Dillingham Airfield (which is the best access point to view the fuselage storage area), you will see Army related structures on your right. The beach here is the general area of Mokule'ia that was filmed for the pilot. The tree marks the arbitrary border along the Mokule'ia coastline between this "east" or "army" beach, with the "Tiger beach" beyond it to the west that was used for subsequent episodes. Even further out is the beach beyond Camp Erdman, used for the tail-enders' scenes.

Oyster Dome Hike

Location: Off Chuckanut Drive, south of Bellingham

Distance: 3.8 miles roundtrip to overlook; 6.5 miles to Dome

Elevation: Starting elevation 160; high point 2,025 feet

Above: Overlook

The Dome

Me and my cousin Chad-my hiking partner

For More info about Oyster Dome: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes-of-the-week/oyster-dome

Directions:

From the south, take the Larrabee State Park/Chuckanut Drive exit off of I-5 (exit 231) and drive just past the 10 mile post on Chuckanut Drive (SR 11) and park on the paved, wide place on the west shoulder. From Bellingham, take exit 250 and drive south on SR 11 about 12 miles to the paved right shoulder. There probably will be a string of parked cars, and there isn't much room, so come early. The Pacific Northwest Trailhead is on the east side of the highway.

La Conner, WA

Kailua Beach

Activity: Bodysurfing, bodyboarding, swimming, kayaking, windsurfing, beach walks, sunbathing.

My family and I go to this beach at least once a week. We love body boarding and this beach is perfect for it. When the waves get too rough for our son we go to the shallow water at the mouth of Kaelepulu to catch small fish and crabs. During the winter months when large waves are arriving on Oahu’s north shore beaches, Kailua Beach often has more reasonable conditions, especially for less experienced swimmers. During the summer months this beach sometimes sees Portuguese Man-of-Wars which can give a painful sting. I did get stung once so just keep an eye for it especially during strong trade winds.

I think this was sort of a blessing of a new row boat.

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Lanikai Beach - my favorite beach

One of Hawaii’s best swimming beaches and frequently ranked among the world’s nicest beaches, the dreamy Lanikai Beach is a hidden gem known for its soft sands and aquamarine/blue water massaged by gentle onshore trade winds.

Access

From Kailua take the Pali Highway to where it becomes Kailua Road. Turn right on Kalaheo Ave. and drive along the coast about two miles. After passing Kailua Beach Park turn left at the T-intersection and go uphill on Aalapapa Drive which loops back as Mokulua Drive. Park where you can on Mokulua Drive and take one of the eight public access paths to the beach.

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Oxtail Soup --Bisaya version

Don't get me wrong I do love Hawaiian style oxtail soup but I need plenty of vegetable in mine. We bought our vegetables from Festival Market in Waipahu. Photo, address and map below.

Festival Market in Waipahu.
Address:
94-340 Waipahu Depot Rd
Waipahu, HI 96797

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