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Our departure from Santa Barbara, California on January 10 was followed by five days at sea. During this time, Russell delivered his first three lectures and Gail delivered an introductory overview of her 3D needle felting workshops. It used to take about 10 days aboard ship before guests knew who we were. Thanks to effort and experience, we have reduced that time to two days.
On January 16, we arrived in Honolulu in the Hawaiian islands for an overnight stay. Oahu is Hawaii’s third-largest island. The area is known for Diamond Head volcano and crater, Waikiki Beach and Pearl Harbor. We have been here several times before, so we went beyond the normal tourist attractions.
Russell took a “Diamond Head Hike” excursion. He ascended more than 500 feet through a path of paved trails, switchbacks and staircases. For the descent, he had a choice of doubling back on the trail… or descending a three-story spiral staircase and a 99-step stairwell through the 1910 Fire Control Station. He descended through the Fire Control Station, re-ascended to the peak through the Fire Control Station, then re-descended down the normal path.
Gail took a “Tropical Rainforest Nature Walk” excursion. She took a scenic drive into the lush Mānoa Valley to Lyon Arboretum, managed by the University of Hawaii. She enjoyed a walk through the botanical garden, home to 5,000 different species of tropical and subtropical plants. Hawaii does not have mammalian wildlife as other rainforests do, but there are many tropical birds.
We also took advantage of our last American port to get more supplies. Russell walked back and forth to the Ala Moana shopping mall twice, clocking in more than 10 miles over the two days.
We will spend six more days aboard ship at sea before we arrive at our next port. Russell has two more lectures scheduled, while Gail will teach her first crafting project: Norwegian gnomes!
