DC Evening in the Bermuda Triangle

 

We fished DC Tuesday night and did quite well in our new area deemed the Bermuda Triangle. We had 10 fish on, put four in the well. All about the same size 18-20 inches and around 2lbs. We had a couple nice ones on right at the boat and they bolted when they saw the boat and broke the line off. We fished until the sun was down and loaded the boat in the dark. Good thing Rex knows how to load a boat. We also got a little wet it rained on us for about a half hour, I said to Rex we can go in when you are ready, he had already caught his first fish. We were both in it for the long haul and it turned out to be a very nice evening. We were trolling rainbow and brass/red black dot pop gear tonight both were getting good hits. We got stripped a number times still can't figure out how the fish can strip the worm and not get hooked up. Trolling through our new area with the right depth and speed with 3 colors out was the ticket for the evening. We started out trolling along the west bank of Wallsburg island trolling back forth across the ledge and got one hit in three trips so that is when I decided to go try the Bermuda Triangle. Rex caught the first fish and it was a nice rainbow with good thickness. I caught the next couple and then Rex got into a big rainbow and got it to the boat and it darted and snapped the line quickly, we were both bummed it was a nice fish. We had plenty more hits and hook ups but only landed the four. Great evening on the pond!

Bermuda Triangle

Fishing was spotty at best but we had plenty of hits and hook ups.  We lost a number of fish at the boat and by break offs.  We were trying a new line by Berkley for our leader, don't use Vanish, we lost numerous hooks and fish.  We found one pocket of fish that was red hot for about an hour or so, Jimmy deemed it the Bermuda Triangle, every time we went into the area the radio died and we would catch fish.  I think we also had a lot of false hits.  

The water was a mess with recreation boaters.  One thing for sure the laws of boating have no meaning in the state of Utah we had people literally within 15 feet of our boat at full speed, the DNR was of course nowhere to be found except at the dock sitting in there A/C truck.  Okay off the rant.  We should have had a limit on board by 10:30 if we could have landed all that we hooked up.  We finally got 8 to the boat and kept 5 in the well 2 were gilled and couldn't be returned.  

Jim and Parker were having fun jumping back and forth between the poles in the back and I was running a single line out of the front.  The fish were hitting rainbow most consistently, but also brass/red with black dots on it.  JoD's were not as hot today but got some early hits on it.  The fish are deep and right on the drop offs, you need to use your electronics to your advantage this time of year.  Nothing big was caught, a couple 18' rainbow were landed.  We had a good day but it is time to find somewhere with less traffic until the summer cools off to fall.  

Helluva Day!!

Helluva day sums it up!  We started the morning off good, got on the road by 6 and met up with some guys at the Mav that told us fishing at Strawberry is real good right now.  We got a little breakfast and headed for DC.  Parker launched the boat and I parked the truck.  I came down the ramp and saw Parker in the front of the boat and I was thinking, what is he doing!?  I called out to him and asked just that, he responded the battery is dead.  I’m like what!?  Parker “Yeah the battery is dead it won’t turn the motor over”.  Parker then told me the fish finder was on, when I launched him he said it started picking up fish, he cranked the motor and everything died.  That is when I remembered the last thing leaving Yuba asking is everything turned off?  Yes, was the reply, but I should have double checked!  This morning as I was loading the poles in the boat I heard a clicking noise coming from the transducer of the fish finder and I was thinking is this still on? Again I thought that is weird but did not check anything.  So Parker was setting up the trolling motor to come in and get me.   Right then I knew I should have went to the truck and got the jumper cables to jump start the boat.   I didn’t and wished later on I had.  We decided to go fish with the trolling motor and worry about the battery later, yep famous last words.  We did fish from the dock all the way to the Island, which is when we wish we had gotten the big motor running, because of course the wind kicked up and started howling.  In the meantime Parker had landed one fish on the JoD, a nice football sized bow. One fish in 3 miles of trolling!  We were beginning to wonder if we were going to catch any at all.  Parker exclaimed “the summer doldrums are upon us.”  Back to the wind!  It was pushing us all over the place and just as I am getting real tired of the wind and wake boarders coming within 30 feet of us.  I am ready to call it because the trolling motor was not handling the wind and extra wakes of the boats and I get hit hard, it was running back and forth and the boat was going all over the place.  We landed tis football, but I did not even care I had, had it.  I put my pole away and was done.  We started toward the dock.  We were still 3 miles from the dock and the trolling motor was keeping us steady in the wind but not moving us forward.  I decided that was it I am changing the battery from the trolling motor to the big motor and going home, all we had on board were some small leatherman pliers.  I was working at getting the battery disconnected and then Parker remembered our big set of leatherman pliers in the tackle box we use for catfishing.  Sure enough they worked at getting the two batteries disconnected and setting up the trolling battery on the big motor.  Parker kicked it over and the motor started right up.  I was frustrated and being very grouchy at this point but noticed as long as the wind was pushing against us we could still troll with the big motor.  I told Parker, I am fishing we came to fish and I am fishing.  He followed suit, feeling more confident that we could get off the lake in a hurry if need be.  We trolled back into Rainbow Bay and I get a fish on, a little planter which we quickly released.  This was caught on prism cowbells.  We landed it and quickly released it, we decided not to keep any today.  We got things back in order and was going along when I get another big hit.  This time I gave the controls to Parker because I could tell this one was a nice fish, I was thinking it was a big brown because it was not jumping and staying down.  Got it to the surface and it was another football shaped rainbow, this time I took a pic with it and quickly got it back in the water.  We trolled for another half hour or so and had no more hits.  We needed to be off the water by 11:30 to get Parker home for the day’s activities being it is Pioneer days in Utah.  We loaded put the batteries back in their proper places and made sure everything was tuned off and loaded up good.  I have now put a socket and wrench in the boat that fit the battery cables!  Put the charger on the motor battery and charging it.  Other items that we took care of during the last half of our fish, Parker loaded a speedometer app on my phone so we could tell how fast we were going since the batteries in the GPS went dead and I had no more to put in it.  Yep Helluva Day!!  It turned out great, but I was too stressed out about things I could have corrected and didn’t, totally my fault on all points.  Next time we will be ready for little annoyances though.

"PVHT" Pahvant Valley Heritage Trail

I take my father on a ride for his birthday, and each year I try to find something that will blow his mind.  In the past I have taken him into the Manti La-Salles, through the San Rafael Swell and into Goblin Valley. Each place he had never been to and was curious about it.  This year was something unknown to both of us.  I knew about hot springs being in the west desert outside of Meadow, UT and I was curious to see if they were as neat looking in real life as the pictures showed.  The area west of Meadow and Fillmore UT is laden with volcanic cones and lave runs, and I had never ventured into that area.  They have lava tubes and cinder cones pocked all the way through the basin and they did not disappoint.  We traveled overall 330 miles and 2/3 of it on dirt back roads.  We found a mountain of pure white sand dunes and more sand dunes all the way through the trip.  We took side roads leading us to nowhere at times and then sometimes some amazing scenery.  Dad is not in the best of health nowadays, he has hard time getting around and especially in and out of the Mule, so most of the trip he stayed in the truck which meant I took some risks I might not have in other circumstances trying to get him the best view of the areas we were visiting.

Let’s get started, I picked dad up at 7 am he was waiting in his willow chair that Don De St Jeor made for him.  We loaded up and took off for Fillmore.  On our way dad asked about Burraston Ponds, so that was our first pull off and look around.  This is how it all started, we were on a ride and he said that looks cool and I pulled over and now every time he asks or says that is cool we stop and look around.  So first stop Burraston Ponds, it had been a few years since I had been there and it has changed in some ways, and not in some ways, it is still trashy but they have put in more spots and tables for people to leave their crap around.  Stopped at Nephi to get breakfast at the “One Man Band” it was okay but the biscuits were frozen and not fresh.

We loaded up and headed south, we talked and he slept a bit an hour later we were pulling into Fillmore, UT.  Stopping to top off the Mule it was $3.99/gallon at the North end of town, we pulled under the freeway into town and it dropped in a matter of a few hundred yards 15 cents, we left town on the south exit and it was $3.71/gallon.  All I am pointing out is fill up at the south end of town it is nearly $.30 cheaper/gallon!!!  Okay off the rant, we pulled into town and went to the “Territorial Statehouse Museum” dad likes old building and history but in his current state of mobility he didn’t feel he could make into the museum, but if you park at the North end of the parking lot the walk is cut significantly shorter.  I went in and asked around about some things and the receptionist was very nice and helpful.  We took some pics and went to the market at the south end of town and got some supplies, water, snacks, etc. and left for Meadow a small town off the freeway and at one point and time we had a number of relatives that lived there, but they have since moved on. 

We pulled off and drove through Meadow just outside of town to the south there is a road that heads west and goes over the freeway.  We took that road in quest of the hot springs, having never been there I google earthed it and found them and thought I knew the way.  However I was just a little off and went south before I should have, but it was okay we went through a huge outcropping tufa rock, spring rock, and I got dad a nice piece that was orange in color.  We got back on the original road and went to the end of it and what do you know, there were the springs.  The sign is funny! 

I opened the gate and drove through to the hot spring in that complex.  It was as pretty as the pictures showed it to be and it is the perfect temperature for just lounging.  I tried to get dad to take of his shoes and join me in a soak but he refused to.  This place I will return to, we only seen the one hot pot and there are several in the area that are bigger.  After looking around and enjoying the springs we loaded up and headed north to our next destination.

The Lava Tubes was our next stop.  We drove along the Pahvant Valley Heritage Trail and along the way ran into a mountain of white sand, looked like a beach right out of Florida!  We continued to the turn off to the Lava Tubes, from there it is 2 miles to the tubes.  As we drove down the road we started seeing what looked like old asphalt everywhere but it was lava rock that was heaped up and cracked.  We arrived at the tubes and I got out and looked around and took pictures into the tubes and surrounding area.  Dad again was not wanting to attempt walking on the rocks.  We drove along the trail a bit further and found the caldera of the Lava Tubes, this is a very cool area.  The walls are about 40 feet straight down to the floor of the caldera which had fissures running through it and you could see down into them.  We stopped and looked around for a bit then headed back out to the trail.  This is totally an area I will return to, not in July but in a cooler month, maybe the transition months between ice on or ice off.

Making it back to the Pahvant Valley Heritage Trail we made our way North and then came upon an interesting sign, “Hole in the Rock”, well you know we had to go investigate this.  We drove 9 miles through desolation and came to a sign marking the “Hole in the Rock” I ventured through the tumble weed infested fence line and went to the top of this hill and seen nothing!  No hole in the rock nothing!  We were dumb founded that they had this marked not having researched it or knowing what we were looking for.  This is why they have it marked but I could not see any of the art, I will need to go back now that I know what I am looking for. Hole-in-the-Rock Petroglyph Site - Connect to the past and imagine the future on a trail that winds through a large rock art site and ends at a panoramic view of the 2007 Millford Flat Wildland Fire, the largest fire in Utah history.  Please stay on the trail to avoid damaging fragile rock art.”  Back on the trail to Pahvant Butte this is a few miles down the trail.

“

We could see the butte in the distance and just drove toward it.  We made it about a half hour later to the base of Pahvant Butte.  There are remnants of an old, very old, wind farm on the ridges.  We drove up into the caldera of the butte but only made it a little ways into the trail and the truck began to sink in the soft black sand, and dad was getting very nervous so I turned around and went back to the main trail.  We went to the north end of the butte where we found the “Lace Curtains”.  This area was the final stop on our tour of the Pahvant Valley Heritage Trail, and it was a great end to our sightseeing. 

This place is totally unbelievable.  First it is out in the middle of nowhere and nothing around it.  It is the remnants of the volcanic rock that spewed from the butte, as it cooled, the rock melted into this eerie looking form of dripping rock formations.  Totally awesome!!  We spent a good hour looking around this area and just admiring the beauty of it.  Dad is going to paint one of the pictures I took.  He was blown away by this sight.  The best way to end our tour!

We left the Lace Curtains and headed for what I thought was the road to Delta.  Yep took a left when I should have stayed right, I could see the highway about a mile north of us and figure hey the road is heading toward the highway it has to end up there…..famous last words.  We got to the end of that road out in the middle of a salt marsh.  There was a road heading east, looked like a good road so we took it and drove for about 4 miles and it ran into a sand dune that was 4 feet high and filled the road completely to the point you couldn't see the road anywhere.  We turned around and took another off shoot road that headed toward the highway.  Yep same deal it just ended in the middle of nowhere.  We turned around, by now dad was a little nervous….lol.  I got us back on the road that we took east and went to a turn off that headed back toward the butte.  We ran into our original road that took us into the marsh and went back to the main trail and turned east on it, it followed the power lines back to highway 100.  Along the way we ran into that sand dune, it had the road covered but this time I told dad to hold on and floored the Mule, it fish tailed a little but got through okay.  We managed to finally land on pavement and headed toward 50.  We went to Delta and got a bite to eat finally, it was 3 pm the snacks had worn off a while ago.  We ate at the local burger shop, loaded up and headed for home on 6/50 going past “Little Sahara” I asked dad if he wanted to stop and he was fine not seeing any more sand dunes.  We arrived home around 5 pm.  What an adventure!!  We saw things neither of had seen before and enjoyed our ride.

046-135-137-503 Trails

Today we went for our final trail ride recon for our excursion next week.  We found the trail loop that we had been looking for.  It is approximately 12 miles in length and does not have any real technical areas.  It is rocky!  The trails are clearly marked and has lots of pullout areas for viewing and resting from the 4 wheelers.  We took about 3 hours to complete the loop and finished it with lunch at the Lodge Pole Grill at Daniels Summit Lodge.  Trail 046 is Main Canyon road it will take you to Wallsburg and into Round Valley, we started on this trail and traveled about 3 miles and took Trail 135 which is Strawberry Ridge trail it goes through pine into aspens and into large meadows topping out at a beautiful peak overlooking all of North Central Utah.  We could see down into Fairview and the Manti La-Salles, Nebo, Mt. Loafer, Provo Peak, Cascade, Timpanogas and Utah Valley in the background looking down through Provo Canyon. 

Wrapping further North into Devils Castle, Snake Creek, Brighton, Jupiter Bowl, the West end of the Uinta’s into Current Creek and finishing out with a great view of Strawberry valley.  This place will be perfect for everyone to enjoy and take pictures.  The bugs were out and plentiful, lots of butterflies!  Bluebirds everywhere and the flowers were actually very colorful today.  From the ridge were traveled to trail 137 the East end of Strawberry Ridge, it travels through aspen groves and large stands of pines, the pines have been decimated by beetles too bad they can’t let the logger clean it up.  We met up with trail 503 which lead back to Daniels Summit having been on this trail a few times we cruised back pretty quickly.  The lunch was good and not too pricey.  This was an enjoyable albeit rocky ride but the scenery overwhelmed the trail and made it a very nice trail ride.  The Can Am ran great after last rides episodes I took in for maintenance and they cleaned up some things and it ran great.

Northern Pike hunt!

Yuba was calling our names for the past couple weeks so we finally took advantage of some extra time we had.  Yuba holds some very nice Northern Pike and we were ready for the hunt.  We left the valley at 5:30 am and made it to Yuba for our Northern Pike conquest.  We were on the water at Yuba by 6:45 am and fishing by 7.  We went straight out from the dock across the lake to some man made rock structures and started casting, I was throwing a red daredevil and Jimmy put on a Perch Rapala.  Kid you not he got hit in 10 casts and sure enough it was a Northern Pike!

 Not huge, but not small, about average for Yuba, 24.5 inches and about 3 lbs.  He was ecstatic, I was very pleased too.  We had our first of 40 that could be caught in the boat and ready to catch more.  We fished for the rest of the day and got a few hits even had three near the boat and quick released on us.  I threw all sorts of gear at them, Jimmy stayed with the Rapala and got hits and a couple on but could not boat them.  I did catch a fish, of sorts, a 7 lb CARP!  I have never caught a carp on a spoon before, but sure enough, I thought I had a big Northern Pike on the line but no it was a carp and it was hooked in the lips.  We fished the entire lake except for the area they had closed off to boats!  Have no idea why they have shut down the east end of the lake right after Red Rocks marina and campground.  The buoys are set and say "boats keep out", no idea why the water is low but it is always low back in there.  Finds for the day included a big fishing net and child's life jacket both sitting on the shore completely away from anyone.  The net was obviously dropped earlier in the season in the rock piles.

The life jacket, no idea, but it was beached probably 10 feet out of the water.  We did get entertained by some folks jumping off the rocks at Red Rocks, the higher rock ledge was about 30 feet, and got video of this you can check it out at http://youtu.be/lZ-9-NXD7uM.  Back to the fishing report, we hit every rock pile and out cropping on the lake that was accessible.  Like I say we had numerous hits, just like the Northern Pike to play with their prey before attacking it, and had the three at the boat well enough to see they were Pike.  The day was a breezy which kept it cool, with a small ripple on the surface and blue skies. There were people everywhere on the lake, running every type of water vehicle possible.  Most of the fishers were having the same type of day we were, but one boat said they had landed 11 fish, we didn't ask if they were all Northern Pike.  We made it back to the dock around 2 pm and loaded and headed for home.  Great day on the water learned some good things from the adventure that will help us for next time.

Strawberry with Shifty

Today Misty Mtn Adventures teamed up with Shifty Outdoors and ran up to Strawberry Res.  Looking for fish, fish and some Kokes.  Shifty Outdoors purchased a new play toy and this was its maiden voyage.  A beautiful 16' Tracker boat with all the fixin's.  Shifty asked if I would go with him and work through the break in with him.  I must say we broke it in well , I got the first fish on board so I got to christen it.  :)  The boat is set up very well with a bow mount trolling motor and live well and plenty of storage space with a 40 hp motor pushing through the water.  We put the trolling motor in and started trolling just outside the marina.  I started with brass butterfly blade and red with black dot pop gear at 30' ft in depth, not to long out I was hit by a decent cutthroat.

  We continued on and another cutthroat hit the same rig.  I was actually looking for kokes and started trying all sorts of combinations to see if I could get one to hit.  We went from Strawberry Marina all the way back to Renegade bay out into the meadows and back into Strawberry Marina we were on the water by 6:30 am and we took out at 1:30 pm.  The Minkota trolling motor didn't miss a beat and kept the running smooth through the water.  Shifty landed a small cuttbow by the old dam.  He was trying all different combinations as well trying to get the hits going.  As we fished I put in a second pole and really got nothing until I put on a red/silver leaf blade pop gear and worm.  It had better success than anything else I was running on the second pole.  All in all I ended up with 8 fish in the boat and a couple the Long Distant Released on me.  Shifty had a number of hit on frog pattern flat fish but couldn't get them to the boat.  We were actually catching at the same rate as those around , as I mentioned earlier another post the summer doldrums are upon us and you need to keep moving to find them.  The boat performed great,impressive boat with lots of cool features.  Misty Mtn and Shifty Outdoors will be joining forces often between the Fish Steeler and their new ride.  We docked and loaded, the wind had come up and for a first load it was smooth.  We stopped at the Strawberry Wobbler Cafe for lunch.  Thanks for a great outing Shifty!!

Trail Report 046 Wallsburg

We took a ride on Trail 046 out of Daniels Summit Lodge and onto Main Canyon Road. This trail winds through big standing pines and into Aspen groves and tops out into a very nice meadow. From there it travels downhill through a steep canyon with a nice stream that runs through it. We didn't see any fish in the spots we stopped but I am sure they are there. This is the Wallsburg stream that feeds into Deer Creek to the west.

Small stream we followed

  The stream has big browns at the mouth where it dumps into Deer Creek Res. The trail itself from the beginning to the meadow is relatively mild with a few rocky spots but nothing challenging. From the meadow to the mouth of the canyon at Round Valley it does get steeper with sharp drop offs into the creek. The rock become more intense and larger. The trail has two cutoff trails that lead to the trail 135 - Strawberry Ridge we didn't venture onto them today. We rode for approximately 10 miles in about 3 hours. We cruised on the return trip as the trip back going up the canyon didn't seem as challenging as going down but maybe it was due to the fact we knew what was coming. It was a bluebird day on the mountain. We didn't have traffic until the return and we ran into more ATV/UTV parties coming up. We were at the tail end of the weekend when we rode the trail, but all indications pointed to it being a very heavily traveled area. There were tent and trailer cities along the road at the beginning of Main Canyon road off of Highway 40 at Daniels Summit. We had the intentions of taking Trout Creek trail to scout for upcoming trail ride with the district administrators, but figured it was too far for them to travel with time given. We had a great day on the trail, but keep in mind that the area does get a lot of traffic on the weekends and become very dusty quickly.

View up the canyon

Yours truly just enjoying the day

My sweetheart taking in some sun

Strawberry Ridge Trailride

Where to go?

I am leading a trail ride for our school district in a couple weeks and I have not really been in the area they want us to ride in so my wife and I are doing some trail recon to make sure we know where we are going and to see if where we are going is safe enough for those in attendance. Today we parked at Daniel’s Summit Lodge on highway 40, unloaded the ATV, We ride a 2010 Can-Am 500 Outlander with a new motor in it. We purchased it from Uinta Recreation in Heber, Utah, Adam Pulley the owner is a good friend of ours, he rents ATV’s, UTV’s, and all sorts of outdoor recreation equipment, look him up when looking for some excitement while you are in the area and tell we sent you. Back to our trail ride. We left the parking lot going east behind the general store and following the trail to the Main Canyon Trail, after going through the property gate we were on our way to our adventure. We rode for three hours and stayed on trail 503 until it ran into trail 135 which is Strawberry Ridge trail. We rode to the top of a lookout that took in a 360* view of the Strawberry Valley and reservoir, Diamond Fork Canyon, Trout Creek area, and Wallsburg or Round Valley.

This little side trip was a nice steep hill but very short and the view was well worth venture.  We met up with a couple on the trail from a local town and they told us many other areas to venture into that are nearby.  We will be doing more trail recon in the next few days to make sure we have an appropriate trail for comers to enjoy.  Plus it just gets us outside for a while.  My wife enjoys ATV riding and getting out in nature.  So we ride as often as possible so look for more trip reports from ATV adventures.  The trail was a rocky and windy trail for the most part when we reached the top of the ridge it smoothed out into a dirt trail.  For the most part people have stayed on the designated trail and not created too many bypasses.  The trail was never harsh enough to really need the bypasses but it was dry for our ride.  We made it back Daniels Summit Lodge by 1:30 due the fact we had a birthday party for my 109 year old grandmother, I know crazy stuff living to be that young!  We loaded up and headed home, honking as passed by Uinta Recreation in Heber.  Heber has one of, if not only place that I know of that runs non-ethanol gas for your ATV’s just as you leave town going east is the Eagle Gas station, they know they have a corner on the market and the fuel is marked up and pricey but for the peace of mind for your motor it is worth the extra cost.  We will venture out again real soon and report on the next rail we take.  This one may be a little rugged for some of our trail partners.

DC 4SOME!

Fishing tonight was slow but fun.  We targeted Walleye tonight trying to figure them out.  We were told where to find them, how to find them, and what to use to catch them.  Yep, none of it worked fished most of the afternoon into early evening and went to where we had caught a couple before and found fish.  Kelly was on top of, being this is his realm, he caught the trifecta of fish with a Walleye, Large Mouth Bass, and a Small Mouth Bass none were huge but still he caught them using pitch and drag method that he loves to use. 

I was bottom bouncing on a slow, very slow troll with grubs, rapala’s, flat fish.  The only I got was a fouled Perch making 4 different fish for the evening!!  The only pan fish we didn’t catch was a blue gill that I know are in DC.  Kelly was just figuring them out and was getting hits on every cast.  They were hitting him multiple times on each cast as he slow retrieved his set up.  I on the other hand was running two poles by now and on bottom bouncing and one casting into the rocks with spoons and rapala’s.  Yep still nothing for me, I guess the bass gods don’t like me because I have always said they are no bass in DC …….LOL.  Kelly on the other hand was in heaven catch bass again and having fun.  Best smiles I have seen on his face for some time.  We fished until we could no longer due to a storm blowing in from all directions.  We started to get just as we loaded and secured the boat by the time we made it down the canyon to home it was a down pour, great rain for us and we need as much as we can get.  The monsoon season is upon us in UT and every afternoon for a while now will most likely and hopefully be WET!!  By the way I knew there was Bass in DC I just have to give my bass fishing friends a hard time about them J

Oahu and Kauai Hawaii Trip 2014

Took a few days to see a couple Hawaiian Islands, Oahu and Kauai.  Went with my Mrs'. and friends the Mikel's.  We Landed on Oahu and spent 4 days exploring the tourist spots.  After landing we spent the rest of the day walking along Waikiki Beach where we staying, not recommended, good place to drive into and visit but it is a tourist trap and actually filthy.  We had dinner at a local spot called "Lulu's" it was good with good atmosphere and food with a great view of the beach above street level service was not outstanding though.

Day 2 we visited Pearl Harbor, went out to the USS Arizona memorial.  That was a sobering experience to relive the time of the attack through videos and tour guide interps. I was most impressed by the solemn feeling in the memorial as everyone was very quiet and subdued by the feelings.  Feelings of patriotism was strong among the crowd and sadness for the lives lost in that attack.  We also visited the "Punchbowl Memorial".  While there they were holding a service for the lost Korean War veterans, my being a veteran of that war made it special, if he chose to he could be buried there when he passes.  We toured Honolulu city and seen the sights of interest; Iolani Plalace, King Kamehameha Statue, Governors estate etc.. We got of Hilo Hatties and had lunch at Big T's Shrimp truck, I guess it is famous for being in Hawaii Five-0 tv series, it was okay not the greatest. Took the shuttle downtown and we got off and walked around for a few hours just looking and shopping of course. Went back to our hotel the "Aston Waikiki Beach Resort" I would not recommend it. We booked it being right on Waikiki Beach and it was, but it did not give what they advertised, and the breakfast was very weak. We went to dinner that evening at a local restaurant "Side Street Inn" a local restaurant with great food and portions were large, a little pricey but great food I highly recommend. You have to plan on around $60-$100 per meal if you eat at decent restaurants on the Islands.

Day 3 took around the island for a full tour with the Polynesian Cultural Center as our guide. Good informative trip and fun guide. We seen all the main attractions Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Blowhole, Nuuanu Pali Lookout, Turtle Bay, The Dole Plantation, we finished the tour at the Polynesian Cultural Center a must do while on Oahu it gives a great history and understanding of the island people of the southern pacific. Shows are fun and entertaining as well as educational, students of BYU-Hawaii do all the shows as part of their tuition for school so all money benefits their education, which in my book is all the more reason to visit. They finish the day off with a Luau dinner and show and get audience members involved, the food is great and a lot of it, after dinner you go to the main stage and see a show production worthy of the big stages that takes you through some of the rituals that happen on all the islands of the south pacific. The highlight of the show are the fire dancers and fireknife dancers. We met up with the lead fireknife dancer Kap Te'o Tafiti after the show and took pictures, he is also a grad of BYU-Hawaii and an artist. I bought one of his paintings and he autographed it for me. This was a great day busy but so much fun we arrived back the hotel at midnight.

Day 4 we took a real adventure for most of our group and went on a snorkel tour of the west shore at Ko'Olina. It was great, although the Mrs'. got sick after a little while in the water, she did get to see a Green Sea Turtle which is what she wanted to do. I stayed out as long as they would let me on both dives. Ko'Olina Ocean Adventures treated us well we did two areas on the west shore and seen all types of fish and ocean life. Spinner Dolphins were abundant and plenty of Green Sea turtles and more tropical fish than you could count, I also seen an eel out searching for food. The boat Holole'a kai is a large catamaran with great amenities. Capt. Adam and crew made sure we were well taken care of, even the Mrs'. after she fell victim to the waves. The one thing I recommend is pay the extra for the snuba experience, I was envious of those that were doing it, but I knew we had it set up for Kauai. They had an on board photographer that takes plenty of pics and if you want you can purchase his DVD of the trip. After returning to the hotel that day we went to the beach and just relaxed. We had dinner that evening at another local spot "Uncle Bo's" real good food and great service a Korean/Hawaiian mix again a little pricey but well worth it. the restaurants are all within walking distance of the hotel we stayed at. The Honolulu zoo was across the street from our hotel, but we did not get a chance to visit.

Day 5 transfer day we loaded up and went to the airport for our transfer flight to Kauai. We boarded a turbo-prop jet and in less than hour we were on Kauai, in flight I asked our steward who was from Kauai where should we eat, beings we didn't get breakfast and it was close to lunch time and we had 3 hours before we could check in. He told of us a great "Mexican" spot in Kaapa called Monico's. It was not a disappointment. Real good salsa and chips and the fish tacos were outstanding with fresh grilled Ahi. The only let down was they charged for extra chips and salsa. We rented a car for Kauai very recommended, but not for Oahu it cost more to park the car than to rent it. We drove out to our hotel "Grand Hyatt Resort and Spa" in Poipu. This place is heaven compared to the place we stayed in Waikiki. The GHRS was outstanding with all the amenities you could want. The only thing they could have is a shuttle service for those rooms on the outer reaches of the property, which we were. The last room on level one, beautiful setting right on the beach. The beach is the resorts we could listen to the waves crashing in from our room. After arriving we set our excursions for the next 3 days, Grand Canyon, sunset dinner cruise, river cruise, helicopter tour, we already had the snuba adventure set up. After relaxing in our plush rooms, we went to dinner at Merriman's in Poipu. We ate at the pizza/burger side of the restaurant good food I tried their lamb burger and was not disappointed. After dinner we relaxed in one of the hot tubs on the property.

Day 6 we drove to the top of the Waimea Canyon the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" it was not disappointing. The colors and waterfalls seen on this drive and small hikes tour were amazing red rock formations covered in lush green foliage was spectacular. We hit many pullout overlooks and hiked small distances to see the views from each. Reaching the top there was a cafe and large camping area, this is a local hunting and fishing area as well. Plenty of traffic on the road, steep and winding at times. We reached the final lookout and hiked to the top of the canyon at 5,140 ft. and looked down the steep cliff lines into a valley covered in green foliage. We learned later that this valley was the first inhabited area of the island. The views were magnificent and a must do on the island. Mary sis not attend this with us fearing she would get car sick, and she would have with the lay of the road. We took Bob back to the hotel and we went out touring and shopping. We went to see the falls on the North Shore, Wailua Falls and Opaeka'a Falls. both were off the main highway but worth the ride. Both had parking areas with short walks to the viewing areas. Wailua Falls you could hike down to but only recommended for those hearty enough and with strong enough ankles and knees to handle very steep and slippery trail. We went to a flea market in Kaapa and bought some souvenirs toured the back roads of the north shore area and seen the mountain used for filming King Kong up close. Kauai has been used extensively by Hollywood in many films. We picked up the Mikel's after touring and shooping the rest of the afternoon and got dinner at Keoki's Paradise again okay food, good atmosphere but get reservations sit on the hamburger grill side and you can order from both menus and suffice all group members in their choices. Ask for a table in the atrium. Another relaxing sit in the hot tub and day 6 was over.

Day 7 was packed! We started off with out Snuba adventure with Snuba Tours of Kauai, Kevin Cram is the owner and good friend. He treated us to a spectacular adventure. Bob and Mary were with me, the Mrs'. having gotten sick on the snorkel opted out. We had two other patrons join us. I had my own air tank which was nice. Mary ended up with her own as well, Bob could not handle the waves and swell and was very exhausted at this point of the trip. So we went out. I got to do my own thing for the most part. I assisted our two other divers and Mary was taken care of by Justin and Sean, Kevin's assistants. Kevin wore Scuba gear and was leading our tour and made sure we all seen and enjoyed our tour. Sean seen an octopus go into his hole, he pointed it out to Kevin, who took us over to it. Kevin got the big guy out, it sprayed ink everywhere trying to escape his grip, he sprayed multiple times and almost succeeded but Kevin managed to keep him in front of him. After the octopus figured out we weren't going to harm it he settled down and let each of us touch and handle him, very cool experience! I have fed many eels in the wild but having this guy grip onto my arm and crawl around was amazing! We took pictures and videos. We were on the tour for almost an hour to our surprise, felt like just minutes but what an experience and highly recommended! Kevin is the only Snuba provider on Kauai so book an adventure with him. We were elated with the tour. Back at the hotel we picked up Sally and made our way to our next excursion. Sunset dinner cruise on a 65 ft. catamaran. This was with Capt. Andy's tours, our Capt. Kerber and crew did it right! We had a most enjoyable experience on the ride and tour. We had the great chance of having 2 Bottle Nose Dolphins join us, a very rare sight on a cruise. They jumped and played for us around the boat for 10-15 minutes. The one was using the hull of the boat to scratch its belly and back what a treat. The dinner was spectacular with 2 inch rib eye steaks and skewers of shrimp all prepared right there on the boat. This cruise took us along Na Pali coast line which is where the island was first inhabited by the Hawaiians and met up with Capt. Cook. The scenery and narration form the crew was great. We seen water falls, coves camp sites and hiking trails, no roads in this area. The history of the area was inspiring. Movies have been filmed on this coast; Pirates of the Caribbean, 7 days and 7 nights and more. The waves at this point were getting rather large and the capt. decided not to push it any further and turned around. That is when the sails came out. The Catamaran became quiet and smooth. We sailed during dinner service and for another few miles before he kicked the motors back on. I talked with folks from AZ and Toronto and had a great time. The rest of my crew was hanging in there. After dinner and conversations I moved back to the front of the boat with Sally and enjoyed the trip back to the harbor. At the right time Capt. Kerber turned us around to watch the sunset. Got some great pics! Watched the sunset with my sweetheart. We made our way back into port and debarked for our trip back to the hotel, only after stopping at Mickey D's for something to eat for the Mrs'.....lol, she didn't dare eat on the boat. Another relaxing dip in the hot tub and day 7 ended.

Day 8 our last day in "paradise", I quote it because for us desert dwelling folks the humidity of the islands can be overwhelming at times. However it was beautiful!! Day 8 took us on a helicopter adventure tour of the entire island. Over 70% of the island is not inhabited and can only be seen by helicopter. the tour was good and we did see some beautiful country and water falls. The pilot was good and gave us his own history of the area having grown up on the island. We were in the air for over an hour and had a wonderful time. First time for me and the Mrs'. being in a helicopter. We landed and went back to the hotel to check out and clean up. We made our way back to the north shore where our last adventure was happening on the Wailua river and going to the "Fern Grotto". We made our way to the boat dock, got a few treats, boarded our boat and took off. The boat is a large flat bottomed barge pushed by diesel engines. We were happy to be on the covered boat as it poured down rain for about 10 minutes. On our way to the grotto we were entertained by the crew with a hula dance and song show. We made it to our destination the Fern Grotto, a short hike up a paved trail. We were again entertained by a host who gave us the history of the grotto and then by the crew with song and dance of the wedding hula. Back on the boat we went to the dock. Heading farther up the North Shore we stopped to see the Kilauea Light House and wildlife refuge. Princeville was our last stop. I have a friend that I skied with living in Princeville and we met up with him and he gave us a short tour of the area and took us to his favorite beach a pier. We talked and reminisced for a few minutes before he was called back to work, bu the did give us a place to eat our last meal on the island at. Kalypso a local grill and pub in Princeville, good choice to end on. Making our way back toward Lihue where the airport is located we reminisced about our trip, giving our best and least liked part of our adventure. Laughing at our follies and enjoying our last few minutes on the island. We boarded for our 6 hour flight home.

What a trip! Many pictures were taken over 700 to be exact with a few minutes of video in there as well. This was a bucket list of ours and hope to return to hit a couple more of the 132 Hawaiian islands at a later date.