I went to Hawaii for the first time in 2012 with my son Shelby for a week vacation of exploring Honolulu along with the Big Island. After a bad breakup that I had just gone through, I needed to get away to mend my heavy heart. I was lucky to stumble upon a great price on tickets leaving out of Dallas for only $450. It was something I could not pass up at the time. How do I get such good deals is a question I get asked all the time. My trick is to just sign up to get emails to some of the top discount airline sights that sent out a weekly discount airfares from your home base airports. The best site that I have found that offers some amazing deals is www.airfarewatchdog.com. With such a cheap priced airfare to Hawaii, I was able to take my son along with me. Staying in a cheaper hotel downtown and with the awesome airfare price we got, made this vacation very affordable. Being in Hawaii for a week was defiantly a dream come true and was exactly what this Texas girl needed at the time.
When you dream of relaxing on a beach in Hawaii, Hanauma Bay is the beach you need to go to. It is the most beautiful beach I had ever seen, with clear calm water for you to sock up the sun. I think my son and I just laid on this beach for hours enjoying the view. And to think for a few dollars we got here by using the city bus system that is available in O'ahu. A one way fare is only $2.50 , a four day pass is $25, or a monthly pass is $60. Having a car here is more trouble then what it's worth, so skip the car rental while in O'ahu and just take the bus. I believe in visiting like your a local.
While I was in Hawaii, I met up with another traveler who took me and my son to a luau with Paradise Cove. This was the view as the sunset that night. We had the traditional Hawaiian meal with smoked pig, white rice, and poi. Never could find myself liking the poi, but I did fall in love with dragon fruit. The futuristic looking fruit had the sweetest meat inside of it. Defiantly the strangest fruit I had ever seen before.
Here we are on top of the world on Mauna Kea on the Big Island. The summit of Mauna Kea hosts the world's largest astronomical observatory, with telescopes operated by astronomers from eleven countries.At 14,000 feet, there is 40% less oxygen than at sea level, so we had to make sure we acclimatize to the altitude before proceeding further up the mountain. When we finally made it to the top, it was as close to being on the moon as I would ever experience.
Another part of the Big Island I was dying to see was the Volcanoes National Park. Getting in to see the volcanoes was by far cheaper then getting to the top of Mauna Kea, but still just as exciting.
The volcano park was endless with so much to see. You really could spend a few days walking the many different areas of the park. We almost made it out to the edge of the sea as we walked around exploring the Mauna Iki volcano eruption. But it's size can be deceiving to your eyes and we felt like we'd never would make it to the water.
Hawaii really is full of every color beach you can think of, from black, to green, to white, to red in color. Some of the most beautiful beaches are located here. This was an amazing vacation with so much to see and do in only 9 days. Just not enough time to see all that the Hawaii Islands have to offer. I'm putting it on my list of places I must return to one day soon.
While on assignment in Wausau, Wisconsin, I drove to see one of the most beautiful places located in this state called Door County. I felt like I was discovering a well kept secret of the Midwest, a retreat for the locals to get away from their everyday lives. This was the first time I had seen Michigan lake and how beautiful it is with it's clear cool blue waters. With only a weekend to explore, I didn't want to waste a minute of my time and miss out on anything. I took off with my camera to capture everything that Door County had to offer.
My first stop was at WhiteFish Dunes, 867 acres of national state park full of nature walks, trails, swimming, canoeing, and boating. This is one of the most beautiful parks located in the U.S. In the wintertime you can do some skiing on the 8 mile path located in the park, but summertime is by far the best time to visit. I sat on the rocks for hours and looked out at the beautiful clear water of Michigan lake. I could of stayed there forever by myself meditating in peace.
Door County has a total of 12 lighthouses. This is just one of the lighthouses that I visited and took pictures of while I was here for the weekend. It's located on Cana Island just North of Bailey's Harbor. When I went out to take pictures of this lighthouse not a soul stood on the island. Just me and my camera were there standing at the edge of Lake Michigan looking up at the 89 feet tower that was first built in 1869. After awhile I started to feel weird being all by myself on this deserted little island and felt it was time to move on.
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
This beautiful red lighthouse is located at Sturgeon Bay ship canal pier, built in 1882 in order to help ships avoid the dangerous passage to Green Bay called "Death's Door." Today the U.S. Coast Guards stationed at Sturgeon Bay maintain the lighthouse.
This very colorful warehouse located in Ephraim, Wisconsin was originally built in 1850. This barn looking building has been the backdrop of many engagement and wedding photos. The Anderson warehouse is famous for all the handwritten graffiti covered walls from land and water visitors to the dock. I was excited to take pictures of this famous building while I was there. I was very proud when one of my photos I took made it to the front cover of Healthcare Travelers Magazine in the June 2013 issue.
Front Cover of Healthcare Travelers Magazine: June 2013
Door County is famous for all the cherry orchards and the many different productions of cherry wine that it makes. There is seven different wineries located here on this tiny peninsula. Not only will you find cherry wine, but cherry salsa, cherry pies, and chocolate covered cherries. Never was a fan of cherries until I came to Door County and unexpectedly I fell in love.
This place reminds me of a small Nantucket, only it's located at the peninsula of Wisconsin. A great weekend get away for Wisconsinites and those that live in Chicago. I'm so blessed to have found this little piece of heaven not so far away from my assignment in Wausau. Going to make sure I get back there one day soon.
