USS Arizona

Today we woke up before the sun and got ready to stand in line at Pearl Harbor for an hour. Amazingly we were one of the first people there in what would be a line of at least a thousand. Once in, we got to look around a little before watching a short film about the background of this preserved cemetery and then boarding the boat to take us out to the site. Thanks to Mr. Messner's previous trip we knew where to sit so we would be the first ones on. I got an amazing picture of just the memorial structure with no one in it. The whole thing was very solemn and beautiful. Oil continuously bubbles up from the depths of the ship and the sheer mass of the boat was mind boggling. The coral that had grown on the boat was more vibrant than any I had seen in Hawaii. We were taken back to land and walked through a few more museums before leaving. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at Punchbowl cemetery and quickly drove by the beautiful structure. Once at the hotel William and I took a short nap before getting ready to go parasailing. We were put on a boat with a nice family from Phoenix and although the time we were up in the air was short, it was a truly magnificent experience that I am glad I had. After parasailing we got dressed up for dinner and I packed all my stuff in preparation for my flight. The rest of the gang watched the Friday fireworks and I met up with them on the beach after. We all walked to Dukes from there which was a nice half hour walk. It was good we had made a reservation because it was packed and I quickly found out why. The food was amazing and it was a great place to go for our last meal in Hawaii. We even pretended it was Brenna's birthday to get a free piece of their famous Hula pie. With out stomachs full we walked back to the hotel and went to bed for the last time in Hawaii.Read more