I haven't posted here in a couple of weeks because I've been traveling. It was time to check out the other side of Oahu. We have spent a lot of time at Waikiki and have visited sites like Pearl Harbor and the Punchbowl. But the other side of the mountains holds a few surprises. The north side is the wet side because the trade winds bring moisture from the northeast and deposit it on the windward slopes.

We took The Bus from the Ala Moana shopping center and traveled through Honolulu and up the Pali Highway. The rain forest begins before you get to the crest, but the lush vegetation gets thicker and greener on the northern slopes. The highway passes through a couple of tunnels before the spectacular view of the coast begins. Usually, clouds are in the way at first, but the lower you get the more you see. The water varies in color depending upon depth and the color of the bottom in shallow areas. From the highway, you can see waves breaking on the beach and on the barrier reef offshore.

We headed to Kaneohe where my sister was staying (she got there a week earlier). She had rented a Subaru all-wheel drive station wagon and she, my wife, and I were all ready to explore. Our first destination was the famous Northshore where the 30 foot waves attract surfer dudes from all over the world.

We took highway 836 up the coast toward Heeia Kea Harbor with Moku O Loe (Coconut Island)just off shore. Continuing northwest, now on highway 83, to Kahaluu, the island of Mokolii came into view. Because of it's shape, it is usually know by its English name, "Chinaman's Hat." On our left were the steep, fluted clifts (pali) that are the remains of the volcano that built Oahu about a million years ago.

After passing through Waikane and past the ruins of an old sugar mill, we stopped at a macadamia nut farm. I got some great pictures of all of this. Next came villages such as Kaaawa and Punaluu. Yes, Kaaawa is spelled correctly.

We went by the Polynesian Culture Center that first time, but a couple of days later, we went back to spend the whole day there. That's another story.

After passing one beautiful beach after another, we finally came to the fabled North Shore where the fabled surf was running three to four feet instead of thirty. Also in this area, there are some famous golf courses and prawn ponds where shrimp are raised. I never have learned the difference between prawns and shrimp. They look the same on a plate in Waikiki.

From Turtle Bay and Sunset Beach, we traveled southeast across the Kamanauni Stream to Haleiwa, the only town in the area big enough for a bypass.
Then we turned inland down through the valley and its pineapple fields to Pearl City. That put us back on the dry side near Pearl Harbor, so we got on Interstate H3 for a quick trip back over (and through) the mountains to Kaneohe.

All of Hawaii's Interstate highways are on Oahu where 80% of the people reside. The local joke is that they won't be true Interstates until the bridge is built.

More on Oahu later. I need to get my pictures processed and posted first.

How"jetlag"ard