Oahu 2023 | Day 3

Continuing the trip with Day 3. The morning was spent exploring more of Oahu’s natural beauty with a hike up Diamond Head. The rest of the day was filled with delicious food and a memorable sunset at Waikiki Beach.

All photos taken with the Fujifilm XE-4, with XF 23mm f2.0 and XF 55-200mm lenses.

Day 3 Wednesday December 27th 2023

• Diamond Head Hike

• Bogart’s Cafe

• Random Beach Next to Diamond Head

• Foodlands

• Pipeline

• Tonkatsu Tamafuji

• Waikiki

Diamond Head Hike

The Diamond Head hike takes you up the ridges of a volcanic cone, giving you panoramic views of the island and the crater itself. The popular hike is paved all the way to the top, along with a few steep staircases.

Bogart’s Cafe

Bogart’s cafe is a tiny order at the counter restaurant that serves breakfast foods and acai bowls. The cafe was recommended for their acai bowls, a refreshing treat after the Diamond Head hike close by.

Beach Alongside Diamond Head

A walk along the base of Diamond Head exposes beaches with surfers and a variety of wildlife.

Foodlands

Foodlands reminds me of WholeFoods. A popular spot for quick poke.

Pipeline

Pipeline is another bakery popular for their Malasadas. It is tough to determine the winner between Pipeline and Leonards.

Tonkatsu Tamafuji

Delicious, high-quality Tonkatsu and other japanese fried meals. The dining experience was one of my favorites, with an array of side dishes, sauces, and sesame you can grind yourself. Reservations are highly recommended, and must be booked months in advanced. For walk-ins, you must come way before they are open, and put your name down on the list. Walk-ins are not guaranteed, and only open up when reservations do not show up.

Waikiki

Waikiki beach is the hub where most tourist will stay. The area is well maintained, filled with shops and beautiful beaches and hotels.

Oahu 2023 | Day 1 & 2

Monday December 25th, 2023 - Tuesday January 2nd, 2024

We visited Oahu for 8 days from Christmas through New Years. The trip was filled with hikes, beaches, and food. Documentation of the trip will be split among 4 blog posts. All pictures taken with the Fujifilm XE-4 with the XF 23mm F2.0 and XF 55-200mm lenses.

This post documents Day 1 and 2. The first two days were eventful, acclimating to the warmer December temperatures, humidity, and the relaxed atmosphere. Whether it was the 80 degree days, or the casual floral prints everybody was wearing, you couldn’t help but feel a change in mentality. A stark difference from a busy city like San Francisco.

Day 1 Monday, December 25th 2023:

• Flight to Oahu

• Punchbowl - National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

• 7-Eleven

• Happy Days Chinese Restaurant

Day 2 Tuesday, December 26th 2023:

• Manoa Falls Hike

• Off The Hook (Poke)

• Leonards (Malasadas)

• Ala Moana

• The Pig and The Lady

• Honolulu City Lights

7-Eleven

The 7-Eleven in Hawaii, much like the ones in Japan, have superior snack options when compared to the 7-Eleven on the mainland. The musubi and various asian/japanese snacks seem more edible than the plain sandwiches and other questionable prepared foods I encountered back when I frequented 7-Eleven in college.

Happy Days

A quick dinner was had in a crowded Chinese restaurant, Happy Days. Restaurant options are limited on Christmas Day as many are closed, but Happy Days happily fed us with classic Chinese food options. The restaurant was vibrant, with loud conversations of families enjoying the night together.

Manoa Falls Trail

Day two began early in Manoa with a hike towards Manoa Falls. The short hike transports you into a lush rainforest with tropical trees covered in opportunistic vines of familiar looking plants. You’ll recognize many of these plants in your local indoor plant shop. The out-and-back trail culminates at the base of the Manoa waterfall, which is now blocked off. The hike can be steep and muddy at parts. Go early to avoid crowds.

Off The Hook

The first poke of the trip was had at Off The Hook, recommended by a local as being one of his favorite spots to get Poke in Manoa. We were greeted with a short line leading up to the storefront door where a display of poke blocks the entrance to keep patrons outside. The patron in front of us was greeted by the cashier by first name, perpetuating a small-town feel. Toppings are included, which enhance the experience by adding texture to an otherwise monotonous mouthfeel. Not sure whether being first played a role, but this was one of my favorite poke spots.

Leonard’s Bakery

Since 1952, Leonard’s bakery has been a popular spot for their Malasadas, a sugary, doughy, Portuguese pastry. Large crowds wait outside the location during the lunch rush, waiting for their freshly fried to order, warm treat. The doughnuts could be enjoyed with different flavored powdered sugars, or filled with custard. The pillowy desserts were delicious, and I still think about them daily.

Ala Moana Center

Ala Moana center is the world’s largest open-air shopping center located in Honolulu.

The Pig and The Lady

Elevated Vietnamese fusion can be enjoyed at The Pig and The Lady. Their Pho broths are flavorful with an enhanced herbal taste. Bowls are filled with large portions of meat.

Honolulu City Lights

Downtown Honolulu was decorated with Christmas decor spanning several blocks.

Olympic National Park 2023 | Day 3

This is a continuation of our trip to Olympic National Park. Day 3 began with an early 6am drive to Hurricane Ridge. Because of recent wild fires and infrastructure damage, the Hurricane Ridge area of the park has limited access to the first 350 vehicles. By the time we arrived to the trailhead parking lot at 7am, the upper lot was already full. Luckily we snagged the last parking spot in the area.

Hurricane Hill

Possibly one of my most favorite hikes to date, hiking Hurricane hill via Hurricane Ridge filled me with joy. The trail starts surrounded by Christmas tree like flora (Pine trees). The trail quickly opens up to expansive views of snow capped mountain tops covered with massive pine trees. Pictures do not do justice to the scale of these mountains, and the number of trees covering them.

The hike quickly ramps up with steep ramps that climb to the mountain top. The trail is fully paved, making the ascent bearable. At the top of the mountain, you get 360 degree views of the park, as well as views to Canada.

Animals seen included tiny chipmunks, rabbits, various birds, and marmots.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/hurricane-hill-via-hurricane-ridge

Mount Storm King

Hiking Mt Storm King was a humbling experience. This popular trail ascends in elevation with a 2,000 ft gain. Most of the hike is climbing steep switchbacks that tests your endurance and willpower.

The hike starts at the base of Lake Crescent, and goes all the way to the top of the mountain where you get a birds eye view of the massive Lake.

The last portion of the hike gets dicey, with signs warning that the top of the trail is not maintained. This portion is steep, very close to the edge of the mountain, and is dangerous. Ropes are anchored to trees and are the only mode of balance and transportation up and down the tip of the mountain.

We made it through 3 parts of rope trail, but were unable to reach the very top where the height got to us. Many hikers turn around at this part of the hike.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/mount-storm-king

Lake Crescent Lodge

After the long and arduous hike up Mt Storm King, we were excited to relax at Lake Crescent. This is a popular area for families to hang out by the lake. Lodging is provided at the Lake Crescent Lodge.

Lake Crescent

Swimming and enjoying the summer energy at Lake Crescent was the best way to end our trip to Olympic National Park.

Olympic National Park 2023 | Day 1 & 2

Wednesday August 2nd, 2023 - Sunday August 6th, 2023

Our recent trip to Olympic National Park marks the 6th national park visited, and the 2nd out of 3 visited in the state of Washington. Our previous visit to Seattle and Mt. Rainier National Park was at the end of May in 2022, when the weather was still gloomy and mountains still covered with snow. Visiting the pacific northwest in August is the optimal time for the best weather.

Olympic National Park is known for it’s diverse ecosystems, including glacier covered mountain ridges, rocky pacific coast beaches, and old-growth temperate rain forests. We were able to visit all of these ecosystems in a short 2.5 days thanks to a tight itinerary with early morning starts.

The diversity in what we were able to experience at Olympic National Park puts it high on my list of favorite parks.

This blog post covers Day 1 and Day 2 of the trip.

Itinerary:

Day 1:

• Fly out to Seattle, Drive to Forks, Washington (fun fact: The Twilight films were shot here)

• Visit Rialto Beach during sunset, stay overnight in Forks, Washington.

Day 2:

• Early morning drive to the Hoh Rainforest

  • Hike Hall of Moss

  • Hike 5-mile Hoh River Trail

• Drive to Sol Duc Falls, hike

• Drive to Port Angeles where we stayed the night

Day 3:

• Early morning drive to Hurricane Ridge

  • Hike Hurricane Hill

• Drive to Lake Crescent

  • Hike Mt. Storm King

  • Hang out at Lake Crescent

• Drive back to Seattle

Rialto Beach

Rialto Beach is unlike any beach I’ve seen in the Bay Area, California. The beach is filled with giant fallen driftwood, and scattered with small and large smooth rocks. Massive sea stacks (giant land mass/rocks in the ocean) make up the iconic landscape of the beach, mirrored by the forest of spruce trees on land.

A popular hike or walk along the beach to do here is towards ‘Hole in the Wall’, a huge section of the middle of a cliff eroded, creating a hole in the wall. Spending time during low-tide checking out the tide-pools filled with starfish, crabs, fish, and more aquatic life is a common activity here.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/hole-in-the-wall-trail

Hoh Rainforest

The Hoh Rainforest is one of the largest temperate rain forests in the United States. The lush forest is filled with moss covered spruce trees and big leaf maple trees. A single road leads to the park’s entrance to the Hoh Rainforest. A helpful tip is to go as early as you can, as traffic through the entrance can span hours if bad enough.

Hall of Moss

The Hall of Mosses trail is a popular short hike that is kid friendly. It gives you an easy access to old giant trees covered with Moss.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/hoh-rain-forest-hall-of-moss

5-Mile Hoh River Trail

The 5-mile hike takes you deep into the Hoh Rainforest. Peeks of the glacier blue Hoh river can be seen through some parts of the hike. As you reach the 5 mile mark, the trail opens up to reveal a large flowing river.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/hoh-river-trail

Sol Duc Falls

This short quick hike takes you through a wooded trail towards Sol Duc Falls.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/sol-duc-falls-nature-trail

This concludes Day 1 and Day 2 of the trip. Day 3 can be found in a separate blog post.