15 bottles of vodka

Haleiwa Squared

7/30/2014

So this day we decided to split up. Min and I just wanted a chill day on the North Shore but we also wanted Mike and Kailey to hike Diamond Head and experience the great view and snorkel at Hanauma Bay. We started the day off right with a quick swim out front while Mike and Kailey headed south.

They're off exploring places we've been before meanwhile we're just trying to decide what to get for lunch. Hawaii, unsurprisingly, does not really do Mexican food particularly well. Luibueno's in Haleiwa, however is a place where you can get a basket of chips and salsa that would make any Texan feel at home.

Having a shitty parking situation is one of my pet peeves and this always seems to be an issue on Oahu, but thankfully the shopping center where Luibueno's can be found, at least for now, is an exception to the rule.

"quit taking pictures of the food, you're embarrassing me" or something like that...

Fresh caught grilled Ahi in burrito form? YES. Oyster shots? YES.

With photographic evidence the only thing I have to rely on at this point (3 months later), I am not sure where the rest of this day went. I know I tried to back up all the pictures and video with and that failed spectacularly. I also know Mike and Kailey showed up just in time to grab another sunset.

...and then we got the bright idea to head back into Haleiwa to see if Opal Thai was still doing his thing.

Preface: Set aside any preconceived notions you might have of Guy Fieri and his Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives show.
-Thanks, Management

Opal sits down at your table and tells you that you dinner this night is totally up to him; the menu is just there for show. He runs a quick casting couch interview asking about your preferences/familiarity with Thai food and then goes back into the kitchen. Whatever he decides to make comes out in a few courses and at the end he brings out a very modest bill. Opal hasn't let his fame go to his head, he keeps it one hundo.

Did I forget to mention it's BYOB and the Long's Drugstore steps away sells alcohol? BEWM.

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THE DAY I ALMOST DIED

7/29/2014

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headed up the pali highway to lanikai for an adventure

So this day was bittersweet. I finally achieved a goal I set two years ago (and got to share it with family) but it was tainted by.. an issue. We'll get to that later.

We headed down the H2 and went up the Pali to hike the Lanikai Pillbox trail. This is a short hike that gains elevation at basically a 45* for the first half and levels out a bit after. The reward at the top is an amazing view of Lanikai, Kailua, the Mokes and Flat Island. You start in a neighborhood that overlooks a country club and parking is severely limited so if you don't get a spot here.. well.. you'll be walking a bit.

If you find this you're good. There are people that live here that have to deal with hikers that may not be as respectful as they should. Don't be a dick. Don't litter. Don't be loud.

we cute as shit doe. what up mokes!

what a crappy time for sunblock to get on the lens. the pillbox ledge is ~600 feet above a bunch of super rich people's backyards.

oh god what am i doing here i am not good with heights.

mike and kailey take a picture of me and min taking a selfie. flat island in the background. oh and that tiny rock top right is nicknamed "bird shit island" LOL

looking south you'll see rabbit island and makapuu point.

pillbox hike conquered! we're out of water and ready to continue the day's adventures.

So after we left the pillbox hike things went downhill (for me) without anyone knowing. We stopped by starbucks and I unknowingly drank a cup that was basically 13 shots of espresso. We headed over to Kailua Sailboards & Kayaks because no day is complete without kayaking half a mile into the open ocean!

I will spare you the crap involved in securing two two person kayaks on the top of a jeep but we made it to Kualoa Regional Park in once piece with two intact kayaks. We were ready to kayak far enough into the middle of the open ocean that getting caught in a current and being flung out to sea is a distinct possibility. Credit to Min for taking this picture just in case we never returned. Someone would have most likely found our camera in its waterproof housing and been able to document our loss at sea.

it doesn't LOOK that far... right?

HALFWAY THERE BITCHES!

I have a friend that lives here that let us know about the currents in this area that would sweep you south if you paddled straight out. We needed to start much further north than looked logical so we wouldn't have to fight the current to land on the island. We ended up in a rocky area where we just had to pull the kayaks up on the rocks... no beach to be found.

the mountains look ridiculous from this perspective.

the summit was not conquered. we found out later the other side of this is much less steep. doh!

looking across kaneohe bay from the "secret" cove/beach where we ate lunch. in the distance you can see the marine corps base.

the tidepools here had some fish in them hanging out waiting for the next wave to wash across so they could escape.

these F-22s flew over us 5 or 6 times. pretty cool to see.

going always seems longer than coming.

We loaded everything back up, dropped the Kayaks off and headed towards Sunset Beach to catch a sunset and unwind.

(Warning, the video above is 8 minutes of us just sitting there commenting on the scene unfolding in front of us. Don't expect any action!)

So about the almost dying part. We got home and unloaded the jeep, took some showers and cleaned up. Well, those 13 shots of espresso somehow decided to wait until then to kick in. I laid motionless in bed with my heart pounding until 4am. NO BUENOS. I decided this would be a good time to cut back on my caffeine intake. Anyway, sorry for the delay in updates. We've been busy with house stuff lately. See you next time!

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Cliff Diving and Offroading

7/28/2014

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Today we decided to head out early to Waimea Bay to get our snorkel on and to see if we could find the courage to jump off the famous rock that towers 40ft out of the ocean. BROTIP: GET HERE EARLY. The parking situation is garbage and this place fills up super quick. Once it's full your only choice is to sit around hoping someone leaves (they won't) or drive to the Waimea Valley parking lot then walk half a mile to the beach with all your stuff.

This beach is massive and the sand is scorching on a sunny day. Wear flip flops.

The jump rock, some large rocks in the bay that you can swim out to and an area near the shore that seems to attract honu are all on the west side of the beach. I'm not sure why this side of the beach is less popular but I am not complaining.

The rock and it's "this is dangerous, don't do it!" sign that everyone ignores.

Honu eat seaweed off the rock in the foreground. You can safely snorkel out to the ones in the background. On clear days you can easily see the bottom 40+ feet below you.

We found an emtpy spot, popped open a couple beers and surveyed the scene while eating sandwiches we picked up on the way from Foodland. The rock would be conquered first and then we would see how the snorkeling was and swim out to the rocks in the bay.

The first jump is always the scariest....

With a few jumps under our belts we put on our fins and goggles to see if the visibility got any better away from the beach. Unfortunately, it didn't so underwater shots were a waste of time. We did see a honu in the same spot I mentioned earlier but the water was too murky here to get a pic. Boo.

Min took this looking back towards our spot.

After Waimea we headed back to the Honu House to clean up and grab some gear before heading out to Ka'ena Point. This is the northwest tip of the island and said to be a sacred place where souls jump off into the afterlife. These days it is a protected seabird sanctuary as well.

Once the road ends you're looking at a ~3 mile trail that can be walked (don't, we did this in 2012 and it sucks bad.) or (if you were smart and rented a Jeep or other capable SUV) driven carefully. Don't pop a tire out here or get stuck and expect to call for help; you're violating your rental agreement.

How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a football over them mountains?

The fence and it's an "airlock" of sorts meant to keep animals out.

Yes, I am wearing two hats.

Oahu doesn't get more remote than this.

This looks like it used to be upright.

North Shore on your left, Leeward side on your right.

Time to leave, driving back in the dark will be fun!

...annnnd we're done.

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Jet Skis and Stuff

7/27/2014

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Today we split up for the first part of the day. Mike and Kailey had expressed interest in doing a shark cage dive, so just like with Paradise Helicopters, I suggested the dive operator we used back in 2012, North Shore Shark Encounters. We slept in a bit (which means maybe 6:30am when you're here) then went took a peek out front. There's a reef about 200 yards out from the beach in front of the house that makes the snorkeling here relatively safe and free from surprises. Our next door neighbors for the weekend were taking advantage of low tide and had hopped up on the reef to fish.

In 2012 when we were landing at HNL I saw what looked to be jet skis racing around below. I looked into it our first night at Turtle Bay and found a company called Aloha Jet Ski that promised new jet skis, fast jet skis and the longest rides on the island at 45 minutes. We booked an outing and had a great time. We repeated it in 2013 and I figured it would be even more fun with Mike and Kailey, so off we went.

Look to the lower right and you'll see the wake.

There's a runway directly in front of us in this picture. Mike and I saw five F-15s and one C-130 take off while waiting for the ferry. From here it's only a 10 minute pontoon boat ride to...

...this floating platform in the middle of the bay. The owner is really chill. He lays out the rules and the course then tells you to go do your thing for 45 minutes.

After hitting 65+mph multiple times on the water and scaring the shit out of Min, we decided to head over to Nico's at Pier 38. I had heard great things about this place. I thought it was good but not great. There are places on the North Shore that do better for less .

Grilled Ahi Sandwich - Fresh tuna ahi steak grilled and served on a French baguette with spicy wasabi aioli, tomato and arugula.

We headed home to relax and catch another amazing sunset.

This...

...turned out to be one of my favorite pictures from our entire trip. This shit is going on my wall.

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Off to Turtle Bay... BUT FIRST...

7/26/2014

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(So I started this whole thing as a bit to poke fun at a friend's blog that got 2 or 3 posts in before being abandoned. Now that we're settled back in at home, I figure I'd actually put some time in to updating it.)

This is E Komo Mai Hale Honu.

We did a helicopter tour with Paradise Helicopters in 2012 on our first trip to Oahu and it was an amazing experience. Mike had talked about wanting to do a helicopter tour so of course I recommended them without hesitation. Paradise Helicopters is located on the Turtle Bay Resort grounds so we took a trip to visit some old friends.

We posted up on the beach in Kuilima Cove, a reef-protected cove that's on the right side of the property while Mike and Kailey did their helicopterin'.

After they made it back safely we met up Justin, a great dude and a bad ass bartender we have met up with every year since 2012 and had a couple Mai Tais before heading out to Kawela bay. Justin usually can be found in the lobby bar with a smile on his face and plenty of advice for vacationers that don't want to stick to the usual.

Kawela Bay is a sacred and secluded place on the North Shore. The bay is calm enough for snorkeling year round. It is home to many honu and the forest behind the bay is an ancient Hawaiian burial ground. There are two ways to get here and neither of them are easy or convenient, which is why you will probably be completely alone on this beach should you decide to visit.

The first way is to park at Turtle Bay and walk around 1 mile along the beach / through the spooky forest.

The other way is to park on the side of the road opposite Kahuku Land Farms and do the whole thing through the spooky forest. I am told there's a creepy homeless lady that lives in the woods so we always decide to take the longer route.

On the way back we ran into a giant endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, which was a first.

We stopped by Three Tables to catch the sunset before heading home. It's named Three Tables because there are three large and relatively flat rock formations that off the beach that somewhat resemble tables (uhhh... use your imagination). It is just south of Shark's Cove. These two places are some of the best places to snorkel on the entire island.

...and later I tried my hand at long exposure star photography. I might need a little more practice but hey, go easy! This was my first attempt.

More to come!

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a new addition to the family

7/25/2014

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So the secret is out. Mission accomplished. She never suspected a thing. In other news the house is absolutely amazing, This beach is directly in front of our beach house. There are a couple neighbors around but zero tourists. Perfect.

Our sunsets are pretty amazing to say the least.

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last night in dallas for two weeks

7/24/2014

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We're almost on our way to the North Shore of Oahu for the Third Inaugural Hawaii Summer Vacation. Turtle Bay decided their "EPIC" remodel made their rooms worth their weight in gold, so we opted for a less expensive option this year. The E Komo Mai Hale Honu is a 2br/2ba beachfront home in Mokulēia with unobstructed views and absent owners. Most other houses in this area are either larger and more expensive as Turtle Bay or they are small 1br/1ba guest houses situated behind the main home that owners are actively living in. No patio/balcony sunsets? Small talk with strangers that you may or may not click with? No thanks. Oh, did I mention we have guests this year? My cousin Michael and his girlfriend Kailey are coming too and staying with us for the first half of our trip and we're excited to share some of the amazing places we have experienced the past two years with them.

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Haleiwa Squared

THE DAY I ALMOST DIED

Cliff Diving and Offroading

Jet Skis and Stuff

Off to Turtle Bay... BUT FIRST...

a new addition to the family

last night in dallas for two weeks

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