Traveling around the Island

Once we got a set of wheels, we were off to see the Oahu outside of Waikiki. It's so beautiful! I got to see some of the places I remember from when I lived here 8 years ago (time flies). I got to drive on my favorite road in the world! :)
This one is a view from that road:
Waimea Bay: huge waves make this spot SO much fun to swim in!
This is on the North Shore at the Pipeline Masters. The waves are crazy big this year. I could watch them and the surfers all day...


East coast:
West coast: (we really did travel around the island!)
This is the Byodo-In Temple. It's on the East coast of the island in the Valley of the Temples. It is a very peaceful place to visit. It is suggested to go at sunrise to see the sun shine on the mountains behind it and on the 30 ft. Buddha inside.

Waikiki

Drew and I arrived in Honolulu just in time for the cold to hit Minnesota. After we landed, I got a text from the city of Minneapolis telling me that I should be aware of where my car is parked because of a snow emergency. We don't have to worry about that this year! We had other things to figure out: getting a car, finding a place to stay, and planning a wedding (and possibly getting a scooter and finding a place where we can surf...)! One thing at a time! Plus, we have to enjoy this beautiful place! The weather in Waikiki was perfect every day. The city is bustling with tourists and locals. I love traveling and meeting people from all over the world. There is a high population of Japanese tourists in Waikiki which is very cool and means there is a lot of sushi in this town! ;) The beach and ocean is constantly full of people soaking up the rays and playing in the water. It's a playground for all and is fun to watch and take part in. We spent almost a week hanging in Waikiki before we headed up to the North Shore. Here are some pics from the big city:



This is the outside of the Royal Hawaiian. It is a hotel that has catered to the luxury traveler for 80 years. You can't miss the beautiful pink building.
Here is a view from one of the rooms. How much would you pay for that view? Say $1000 plus tax and fees per night? (We obviously didn't stay there - we took a tour and got to see one of the rooms. They have tours everyday at 2pm.)



Is that some sort of Spam sushi??? That's right.


There is so much energy and playing going on! Love it! :)

New Mexico

We were able to see quite a bit of beautiful New Mexico on our road trip. It ended up being a lot colder than we had thought it was going to be - we did not expect to see so much snow! Working around the cold, we had to adjust touring the cities a bit, running inside to warm up every block or so. Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces were such cool cities to visit. They have a Spanish and Native American influence that can be seen in the style of buildings and art. Santa Fe is the second smallest capital in the US with a population of 70,000. They have tons of museums and art everywhere. It is in the mountains and gets the weather coming off the Rockies.
Everyone we met in Las Cruces was super helpful and sweet. This is a great town to visit. They have a great old town and the scenery is inspired. Plus, they make some great wine! We got to taste a few and went to a Christmas tree lighting festival. I love exploring cities like this! It was a quick 4-day trip through the state and was soooo much fun. Bring on the road trips!

I tend to take a lot of pictures of churches when traveling.... This one is in Albuquerque:

A Presbyterian one in Santa Fe:

The Cathedral in Santa Fe. It was beautiful!

Look for a reflection in this one:

Adobe style:

Yes, there is a city named Truth or Consequences.

Cactus with snow!?!

Cute or creepy? Not sure...

A very nice wine shop and tasting room in old town Las Cruces:

At the tree lighting ceremony:

Road Trip!

We are on a great road trip in the Southwest! We left Phoenix and drove up through Flagstaff and on east to New Mexico. After having a perfect lunch in Flagstaff, we went to the Petrified Forest National Park and Painted Desert. It was so amazing!

This was a hotel that we saw on Route 66. Have you slept in a Wigwam lately?

This is Doc Hudson. The movie Cars was inspired by this area and possibly by these old cars.
The Petrified Forest was so cool! Nothing like I've ever seen...










The Painted Desert:


Petroglyphs: