Hawaii - Mt. Kilauea

Nita, Chay and Betsy walking to Crater.



These flowers were place here to honor the volcano.

This post was stuck down in the ground and steam was coming up from the hole. You could see and feel the steam coming out. It was so hot that it has burnt this post.


Ya think!


I don't know if these were planted after the lava flow or if they survived. Either way it was strange to see mature palms on the cliffs in the middle of a lava flow.


Close up of Steam Plume from lava entering the ocean.



Arch Rock


Chay standing on lava flow over road.



















Riann sitting on lava flow over road.



















Partridge Pea growing in lava.


















Lantana, yes Lantana, growing in lava.













Ferns growing in lava.

















This lava is dry. Notice the colors that still remain.















When the lava flows it will get oxygen bubbles in it and when the lava cools the holes remain and eventually cave in.

Here you can see the steam plume from the lava flow into the ocean.













On some computers if you squint your eyes you can see the red glow of the lava flowing into the ocean. It's at the bottom middle of the pic. It will help if you click on the pic and get it as large as you can.

Hawaii - Cemetery of the Pacific 3/4-11/2006

~CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC~

I rounded out my journey in Oahu with the Cemetery of the Pacific. This was not on my list of things to do until I arrived at the Honlulu Airport. As Betsy stood in line to catch her next flight, she told me that she worked with a woman whose father was killed on the USS Arizona. She wrote his last name and plot number on a post it and handed it to me . Betsy said, "Georgia had asked me to visit her father for her but since I can't, will you?" I took the note and knowing how emotionally heart wrenching this would be for me, I said, "Yes, it would be my honor." Not knowing how to find the cemetery, I asked the park ranger at the Pearl Harbor Memorial where I could find him. I explained that I was only in town for a few hours and all I had was a name and a plot number. He explained to me that almost all military personnel who died that day were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. It is dedicated to those who fought and died in the battles of the Pacific Ocean. The park ranger told me that the cemetery was 30 minutes away and closed in an hour. My thought was that I had no idea where I was going and with 5 o'clock traffic I would never make it. Believe it or not traffic in Honolulu is just as bad as Houston or New Orleans at rush hour. I asked the ranger if he thought there was a chance I could make it. He just smiled at me and almost knowingly said, "There is always a chance."

As I entered the cemetery, I wondered if Georgia has had the opportunity to visit the cemetery? I wondered if she remembered her father or if she even met him? How old was she when he died? So many questions went through my mind as I found my way through the cemetery to his grave. As I located each plot number on the upper right corner of each stone I found myself rushing to the next stone hoping this was it. After only a few minutes of searching I found plot number Q530 in the shade of a small but beautiful tree. If you look at the picture of the tree below and find the very bottom of the tree trunk and scan down two rows south and slightly to the right you will see his grave. As I sat there in tears, I told Mr. Branham that his daughter sent me to visit him. I told him that she loved him and missed him. I thanked him for his service in the military and for the ultimate sacrifice that not only he but also his family had to make to keep our country free and safe. As I walked through the cemetery I saw every state and almost every country represented there. It was a tearful, solemn sight. I wish I could meet Georgia and thank her personally for her fathers sacrifice but hopefully after reading this Ms. Georgia will know what a great honor it was to meet her father, if only in spirit. Thank you Georgia.

By the way, Georgia never met her father.

Oregon Pic's

The joys of working in the woods. Pat Ham and I were check cruising outside of Longview, WA when Pat stumbled upon this rare Elk specimen. Most of the time a person will find one antler and if he/she is lucky they will find both antlers. But only on a blue moon is anyone this lucky. After examining the jaw it appeared that the Elk was relatively young. It was probably either diseased or was taken down by something higher up the food chain. Either way, Pat went home with a great story and I just went home! I tried to talk him out of them but he wouldn't budge. I really can't blame him!


This series is obviously of the Largest Sitka Spruce tree in the U.S. It is located on Highway 18 east of Seaside, OR. If any of you are ever out that way there is amazing Historic Logging Camp that is a must see.












This Sitka Spruce tree measures 176.8" in Diameter. That is 14.7 FEET ACROSS!!!


















This is the beginning of the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in my life. There are no filters on any of these pictures. These pics were taken between Newport, OR and Florence, OR.












































This begins my pics of Cannon Beach. This is probably one of the most beautiful, friendliest towns along the coast.
This is Haystack Rock.






Pacific City, OR: This picture was taken at one of the most scariest moments in my life. In most places along the Oregon Coast people are allowed to take there trucks and 4-wheelers on the beach. I decided this was something I wanted to try...in my Weyerhaeuser Truck! This was not the best idea because my truck was stuck in the sand when I took this picture. My truck is a standard, four wheel drive F-150. After all was said and done I could smell my clutch burning, my palms were sweaty and my heart was beating 90 miles an hour! To make matters worse there was a guy on the beach in his truck watching the entire ordeal! I finally got unstuck and over the wall of sand that stood between me and the highway. After I saw this picture I decided it was all worth it!


This is Newport, the second most beautiful place along the coast. The wall I am standing behind runs for several miles along the ocean. If ya wait long enough a cold, salty wave will spray you in the face. I found it tremendously exciting!
If you look a little more than half way up this extremely steep slope you will see a "V" in the side of the mountain...it is the Highway! This is called the "Devil's Churn" and it is near Rockaway Beach.














Winchester Bay is approximately 15 minutes north of Coos Bay. The sunset was absolutely beautiful this day also. The "V" shape along the shore is a Jetty used to point the way into the Bay and it is also an Oyster Bed where the best oysters in Oregon are grown!















This begins the pictures of the trip my best friend from college, Chaffin Bozeman, and I took along the coast when she visited me in September 2004. Somewhere in this picture is a purple star fish. It was the first one she ever saw.


If You click on this pick you an get a closer look at the seal's and sea lions that live on Simpson's Reef at Cape Arago. You can hear them barking for miles around.

The next few pictures were taken 10 miles south of Coos Bay in Charleston, OR. In the 1960's when the jetty was being built, a small rail was constructed thru these giant cliffs to get the huge rocks from the pits to the ocean. Chay and I ventured into one that was about 1,000 feet long and once we took our first few steps into the old tunnel ...all light vanished. It was very scary, the footing was bad, and there were remnants of high school parties scattered throughout the tunnel. I was scared a smelly bum was living in there or something! Alas, we made in thru just fine and this is what we saw on our journey.



















Chay, Riann, and some dudes Rat Bike! The things you see when you leave Mississippi!