Thursday
Like a kid waiting for any big day, I couldn’t sleep and got up at 3am. The alarm was set for 4:00 anyway. We took our 7am flight to Honolulu
We had decided to go see the Pearl Harbor exhibit again after 25 years since Midway was also very historic in terms of the Pacific in WWII. Fascinating place and very busy – the week before had been the 70th anniversary of the bombing that took place there.
Memorial building directly over the sunken hull of MSS Arizona - bombed in 1942
Beautifully made as a memorial to those who died and those who survived, it soon became apparent it is also a celebration of war, note very current destroyer on left . We took a city bus to Waikiki to find some lunch and also a sandwich for the flight. Ala Moana shopping center is great for people watching. From there, Beth Flint picked us up in the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) van and we returned to Bradley for orientation and meeting up with the other volunteers, 15 total.
Beth Flint - Biologist over seabirds throughout Hawaii and the remote islands of the Pacific
Private charter - edge of main airport
Gil boarding with pilot standing by
Couches front and rear with forward seats in middle - very excited folks buckling in!
We took off at precisely 5:30 expecting a 3 hour flight even with headwinds. It was 3 hours 20 minutes. The little jet flew too high to see the other islands once we passed Kauai and Ni’ihau but we had an almost endless sunset in the air. Midway is an hour earlier than Oahu so we set our clocks back.
Ni'ihau - last land we saw until Midway, 1200 miles away
We landed in the dark, got rides to Charlie Barracks in carts passing hundreds of albatross along the way, and returning petrels darting like crazy overhead. We had another orientation and went to bed.
Sharon and Gi-What a crazy adventure! We sure live on a unique and amazing planet. Have fun! Julie
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