Pearl Harbor, Dole and Waikiki
Despite the partial government shutdown the National Memorial at Pearl Harbor is open to the public. For how long is unknown. Volunteers from the Pearl Harbor Memorial Society are staffing the site using donations from companies and the State of Hawaii. The money runs out January 6th.
This is our third visit to the site. Weather, the sea and millions of visitors took their toll on the Arizona Memorial. The landing dock is not yet repaired. You can journey out to the area on a Navy operated ferry. You can't get onto the Memorial itself.
It is still a solemn reminder of what happened on December 7th. Nearby is the USS Missouri, not present at Pearl Harbor on that date, but still a part of history. The Missouri played host to Japan's surrender.
Guns like these are not part of today's Navy, except for practice shots. Two of the barrels weigh more than a 747. They can shoot a shell over 20 miles at mach 2. The recoil on the guns is 40 feet.
This picture is on the wall near where the ceremony captured in the photo took place. The Japanese already signed to documents by the time this photo was taken. General Douglas MacArthur is adding his name on behalf of the United States. That table is perched above the deck of the ship where this plaque now sits.
The Arizona marked the beginning of World War II for the United States and the Missouri marked the end to part of the war. Most of the Arizona, including the crew that died in a massive explosion, rests on the sea floor in Pearl Harbor. Over the years, surviving members of the Arizona asked to be buried on the ship with their mates. Only a few things were retrieved from the ship. The anchor and some metal that could present a navigation hazard in the harbor. The anchor is easy to see below. The metal, after retrieved, was sculpted into the statue below.
Since our last visit to the site, 18 years ago, an aviation museum is part of the experience. Called the Pacific Aviation Museum, it is located at Ford's Field in hangars that were in use on December 7th. Bullet holes in the glass call attention to the horror of the day.
And there is a collection of aircraft used in combat in various wars.
But, this is a tropical paradise. Once you get over the fact that the mountain ridge in the distance holds 8 million barrels of oil, you can get back to appreciating the climate and vegetation. Perhaps I should explain. Before World War II started the Roosevelt Administration calculated correctly that Japan needed oil and badly. To make it harder for them to find or "win" as the result of war, the volcanic mountain range in the distance became an underground oil storage depot. Navy engineers jack hammered tons of volcanic rock out and created natural tanks. They even worked through the bombing of the harbor. The oil is still in there.
Now back to paradise. The official symbol of Hawaii is the rainbow. The official flower is the hibiscus. Here they are. In the wild.
The bird of paradise is in the photo series because it's pretty.
We headed out to the Dole Plantation in the afternoon for our third visit. Dole grows lots of pineapples as you would expect, but also other things. In retrospect, two visits were probably enough. In our very first visit the plantation was a tranquil farm with a handful of curious tourists. Now it is starting to resemble a theme park. You can see pineapples in the fields if you pay to ride their train. There is a garden with various types of pineapple plants you can see for free.
The butterfly just happened to be there. I don't think the Dole folks charged it admission.
Bananas.
This is our third visit to the site. Weather, the sea and millions of visitors took their toll on the Arizona Memorial. The landing dock is not yet repaired. You can journey out to the area on a Navy operated ferry. You can't get onto the Memorial itself.
But, this is a tropical paradise. Once you get over the fact that the mountain ridge in the distance holds 8 million barrels of oil, you can get back to appreciating the climate and vegetation. Perhaps I should explain. Before World War II started the Roosevelt Administration calculated correctly that Japan needed oil and badly. To make it harder for them to find or "win" as the result of war, the volcanic mountain range in the distance became an underground oil storage depot. Navy engineers jack hammered tons of volcanic rock out and created natural tanks. They even worked through the bombing of the harbor. The oil is still in there.
Now back to paradise. The official symbol of Hawaii is the rainbow. The official flower is the hibiscus. Here they are. In the wild.
We headed out to the Dole Plantation in the afternoon for our third visit. Dole grows lots of pineapples as you would expect, but also other things. In retrospect, two visits were probably enough. In our very first visit the plantation was a tranquil farm with a handful of curious tourists. Now it is starting to resemble a theme park. You can see pineapples in the fields if you pay to ride their train. There is a garden with various types of pineapple plants you can see for free.
If you want to see other types of vegetation you can buy tickets to walk through a tropical garden. Download the app and there is a tour with explanations of what you see.
Coffee beans.
Wife.
This evening we capped off a productive day with dinner at DK's Steakhouse, which is part of the Marriott complex where we are staying. We sat outside on the terrace and watched a sunset. The food was great. The name might frighten non steak eaters, but they served Jan a delicious piece of fish. I tasted it. The menu is diverse enough for most dietary interests. And then there is this:
Aloha ahiahi.
Comments
Post a Comment