Hawaii Vacation - Day 03: Pearl Harbor

 

Sadly, this was as close as I was going to get to the USS Arizona this trip.  The wind was too gusty for the ferries to transport people to the memorial.  Yet, this was an enjoyable excursion.

But first....

Unlike yesterday, it was much harder to find something to eat.  Unless one remembered that there was a Mickey D's about a block away, the only dining options were a sit down "diner" and a coffee shop inside the hotel building.  This meant that I would go hungry and thirsty if the ABC store downstairs didn't open up before 7.  As was my luck, the store opened up at 6:30 am, and I was able to eat the egg sandwich on the bus to Pearl Harbor.

Ever since 9/11, the military insists that a "no bag" policy is observed, save for clear plastic "stadium bags".  I was lucky to know about this, as I bought such a bag before the trip.  Today, I packed much of the stuff I normally keep in my handbag into the stadium bag, and was ready for today's excursion.  First stop was at the visitors center where security "inspected" the bus for contraband before entering the base. And then, it was off to the USS Missouri.

The "Mighty Mo," as the battleship is called, has an interesting history.  It was built at the beginning of WW2, and the war ended with the Japanese government signing a peace treaty on its decks.  The ship was mothballed, only to be reactivated for the Iraq war. Now deactivated again, it has become a living museum.  It was nice to be able to see this ship in person, but felt a little sad that something like this now only serves historical use.

 
Next, it was off to the Pacific Aviation Museum to see all the old military aircraft.  This was interesting, but marred by one incident.  Stuff started spilling out of my stadium bag (I didn't zip it up right) and I dropped a water bottle on the floor.  I'm glad that it was only water!  So I got out of Dodge, and went to another area of the museum where restorations were going on.  And then, it was off to the USS Arizona. (Or, I should say, it was off to try and see the USS Arizona Memorial.)

The USS Arizona has an interesting history, but it is best known for being sunk on 12/07/41.  The Memorial was built above the ship, but not touching it.  The only way to reach the memorial is by ferry, and they weren't running because of gusty winds.  So, I decided to have lunch, then explore the USS Bowfin. 

 

The Bowfin is a typical WW2 submarine.  Having been in one before (in San Francisco), I knew that space would be tight - and it was.  Since I had 3 hours to kill, it made sense to explore the sub, then go back to the tour bus a little early.  This time, the bus was parked way off to the side, and I couldn't find it at first.  At least, I knew enough to ask questions.  I walked over to the bus and relaxed until it was time to leave.

Once back at the hotel, I decided to take a second shower for the day and make myself look pretty.  I was getting together with my late therapist's wife and son, and I wanted to make a good impression on them.  She came at 7 pm, and it was off to dinner.  The conversation could have gone on forever.  But this is typical of people who may never see each other again, but have a common thing or person to talk about. It was nice to find out things about my therapist that I didn't know, including the good and bad things that I would have found out had his demons not got to him when he left his New York support structure.   Also, it was nice to tell the son about his dad, sharing things that he may never have heard from someone who wasn't family.  Hopefully, the son will turn out to be as good a person as his dad was, without the issues his dad had. 

All too soon, it was time to go back to the hotel and pack for the next 7 days on board the cruise ship.  Hopefully, I won't have this much trouble when I have to pack to go home....