After arriving in Los Angeles early in the morning we rented a Chevy Malibu and drove north for about five hours. The previous evening we were in Hawaii and flew overnight to the mainland. We wanted to visit the newest national park in America which is located east of central California’s Salinas Valley. Rising out of the chaparral-covered Gabilian Mountains is Pinnacles (chaparral is a plant community characterized by densely-growing evergreen oaks and drought-resistant shrubs.)...
With a 12 hour layover trying to get to the Big Island, we took advantage of exploring the Island of O’ahu. Alisa’s Aunt is stationed at the Air Force base in Honolulu. We spent quality time with her family as we snorkeled in Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve and watched the huge waves in Waimea. Driving to the north shore and back to the airport took a long period of time. It was Saturday, December 28th and the experience was well...
Our flight to Pago Pago in American Samoa left from Honolulu in the afternoon on Monday December 23rd. We landed in the evening and walked outside to an extremely humid environment. We were about 7,500 miles away from home. Our lodging on this small island was at Sadie’s by the Sea. It was dark as the hotel shuttle bus took us to our room....