Hiking Diamond Head

Below in the distance is Pearl Harbor and the foreground is Honolulu and Waikiki Beach.  This is of course from the top of Diamond Head, the mountain formed from a caldera that is the landmark for the city and also an old military installation.  

 The view is stunning over the Pacific with multicolored waters.

And here is the caldera — it is really dry - 

 The trail up the side of the mountain is a real hike and very popular as is evident from the trail of people marking the trail.  To reach the actual summit involves several long series of steep steps and crawling through pill boxes as the top of the mountain was a defensive position for the military.

 In the background you can see the trail with people marking where we have come from.  The kids were great hikers, though Justin did carry Eric all the way to the top.

 He walked most of the way down.

 and I had a great visit on the way down too.  

Waimea Beach for Sunrise

This morning early, we got up early, real early, (six hours of time difference will help you do that) and went to the north west shore of Oahu to see the sunrise and the big waves at Waimea Beach.  It is an impressive place.  

We climbed up onto of a large rock that is out in the ocean a bit to get a better view of the beach and waves.

 The waves were fun to watch and did not disappoint 

Some of them would hit the beach with such force they would create a slight wind from the break and of course the sound was impressive.

Here you can see a group of soldiers getting ready to try to out run the wash of the wave to the dry sand. ( that large rock that we climbed on top of is in the back ground.) 

There was a company of soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division doing their morning PT and 

there was a bunch of them.

Just think they could have been running through a pine forest in eastern North Carolina. 

time for a change

Patt and I have been amazed at the beauty of Hawaii as seen through Julie's blog these past few months and - well - she has it right on.  This is at KoOlina Beach, a series of beaches as a result of breaks though the lava shore where delightful pools exist for swimming and snorkeling.  Yes the tropical fish are indeed plentiful and beautiful. 

Mark, Justin and I swam out through the first gap seen below or the one on the extreme left in the photo above.  We returned through the next gap over.   The current was coming in so it was a bit of a swim.

We were able to stand just to the inside -right of the coral / lava flow line that comes from the lower left of the photo.  Water was about chest deep and a bit difficult to stand when the waves were coming in.the left

The bunch of us walked along the shore line just behind the lava edge just kinda exploring and stopping to look into the little pools of water in the formations of the lava.

Here is Julie in one of the large formations near the edge of the lava flow — The formation she was standing in looks like it was from a bubble  and there were lots of them.

I convinced her to come one bubble or little pool closer. noticing that the rocks were wet and suggesting that we might just get sprayed by a wave if we did.

 Bingo- after several close calls, Julie did some great camera work and that was fun.

Eric was not impressed.

The next little cove or beach down the beach was a Marriott Resort, then a Disney Resort, then another Resort.  Mark, of course is doing a good bit of the Grandaddy thing — -and I am having such a hard time at not answering to that name articulated in that child voice.  But I do like the Uncle Paul too- and am being very well treated.

Of course we were not the only ones who thought this was a nice place for a photo.  This poor couple was here being photographed when we arrived in the morning, and were still being photographed when we left.  (some of the time was in the chapel just off the beach) The entourage with them was impressive.  Their stamina for being photographed reminded me of Stephen and his delight at being photographed.

look at that sky, the water, — pick a photo — any photo --- all of them, yes it is that nice.

Gettysburg

 Suppose you thought you needed to see cannon and blocks of granite.  Well I have a place for you.  Gettysburg would be it.  Lots and lots of both.  And very somber too, much like Antietam.  Over three days, July 1, 2, and 3 in 1863 the Army of Northern Virginia lead by General Lee battled the Army of the Potomac lead my General Meade.  Again, much as I would like to share a bunch of history I will refrain -- however  for history - look it up, and you should -- at least google images.

We were there again on one of those beautiful days just after a rain storm -- see previous post - and had benefit of rapidly changing weather fronts.  We took a very good tour and then drove ourselves back around the site -- and stayed all day.  We also saw the Cyclorama and a movie narrated by Morgan Freeman - and he can-narrate-a-movie.

 The battlefield became an obvious point of pride and commemoration for the North (well duh) - it was a the key victory in the war and was celebrated as such.  Many state regiments held reunions at the battlefield and dedicated monuments at said occasions marking where they were engaged in battle.   This one below is to the Iron Brigade, the 24th Michigan, one of the more famous units of the Army of the Potomac.

This is Union General George Meade,  on Cemetery Ridge and was erected in 1896, when many of the monuments were established.  The late 1800's and early 1900's were when most were put in place.

Here is Patt atop the "Devils Den." Little Round Top and Big Round top are in the background.  These sites along with the  "Wheat Field" and Peach Orchard" were locations of the fighting on the second day.

Pennsylvania went all out on monument building and on the bit on the overboard side along Cemetery Ridge.  Being home state and having the largest contingent of soldiers engaged in the battle may have had something to do with it too.  

Minnesota chose an action figure - as did several other states.  (see also NC)  Note Pa. in the background.  Cemetery Ridge was the site of the engagement as on the third day this was the destination of "Picket's Charge".  The last offensive effort to win the battle made by the Southern forces and actually the last major Southern offensive effort of the war.

It is actually quite a moving location, we went by twice during the day as we also did on the side from which the South launched the attack.  During the three days of fighting here over 50,000 men were casualties.  The field in front of and the fence line along Cemetery Ridge was the scene of a great number of casualties on both sides during the fighting here.

Here are Patt and I in front of the North Carolina monument.  One in four of the Southern casualties at Gettysburg was from North Carolina.  There are few southern monuments--

Though Virginia did have a rather large one.  That would be General Lee of course on top.  

These cannon  under these trees (or 150 cannon like them) fired for two hours on the Union lines prior to the attempt to take Cemetery Ridge.  Sunset was really pretty along the Confederate lines the evening we were there.

Ray Diane Wedding in Pa.

Ray and Diane own a house on the banks of the Conestoga River a little outside of Lancaster, Pa.  Their backyard kinda evolves into this beautiful area that is sorta like their own little park.

It was a gray and rain threatening afternoon, and the rain did not disappoint as it came hard and heavy.

 There was time to get in the photos.  Here is the group breaking up after photo taking time prior to the wedding which was held in the reception tent rather than the outside and on the little rise that bordered the river from which previous photos were made.

 The obligatory wedding party photo, I got in a pretty good shot prior to photographer finishing arranging the group.

 and I did the same with the two nieces with their husbands and Melissa and Corey's baby.

The reception dinner, dancing and post wedding activities were all a lot of fun and undocumented by me as I just stopped taking pictures.  It did rain and rain hard, the tent kept those under it dry, the food was very good ( Amish -- and plentiful ) and the DJ was entertaining and had some good music too.  

we statyed late for us -- I am gong to guess 9:30ish - perhaps looking towards 10:00 but not by much.

Antietam

If you are familiar with the Civil War, you have seen photographs and paintings of this bridge  over the Antietam Creek outside of Sharpsburg Maryland.   It is called Burnside's Bridge - named after the Union General who commanded the troops at this location.  It is quite beautiful, obviously even for me, picturesque, as well as a much fought over strategic part of the battlefield. Much as I would like to share with you I will refrain.  You will have to go elsewhere for the history and strategy, but Patt and I had a great day here.   

Pennsylvania and New York Regiments finally succeeded in crossing the bridge from the far side and driving back the Georgians at the top of the ridge on this side of the creek.  That big tree on the far side of the creek is a "survivor tree and was there then. - Well a little history --

It was a post card kind of day.

 Here in photo below is a view from the observation tower of a look down the "sunken road" or "bloody lane" where Alabama and North Carolina troops fought against Union troops mainly from Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and Connecticut who came from the right side of the picture.  This was another of the key components of the battle as it developed during the day.

You will note from the crowd in the parking lot, there were not a lot of visitors joining us this afternoon.

That is the observation tower is in the background at the top of the ridge behind Patt who is standing on the side of the sunken road.

 This particular monument erected in honor of the 14th New Brooklyn is in the middle of the "Cornfield" which was a major fighting location during that day.  I read lots of the plaques on these monuments and this one is notable as General Doubleday was the commander.  And General Doubleday also is famous for ----- baseball -- that's right.  These guys that fought here probably played baseball-- like the very first guys to play baseball.

 We of course enjoyed the car and top down for the day

The huge national cemetery was quite pretty and had only Union graves.  Confederate dead were moved to Hagerstown.  No other single day in American History has seen America suffer as many casualties as here on September 17, 1862 when over.23,000 were killed or wounded.  Clara Barton ministered to the wounded here after the battle.

There were cannon and other relic type stuff scattered all around the very large battlefield which remains much like it was 151 years ago.  The battle was fought September 17, 1862.  So our visit was almost to the day, 151 years later.

 There were also lots and lots of monuments with statutes of guys in Civil War garb standing on top.  These guys were in the "cornfield".    It appears to me that the various States put up the monuments to commemorate their various regiments.  Pennsylvania went all out and around the turn of the last century really put up a bunch with regimental histories on them.   For example if I recall correctly I think the regiment in the foreground is the one that dug the tunnel at Petersburg.

 there were also a historical markers locating sites of regimental headquarters, encampments, actions and so on.  You could find out stuff if you were so inclined.