We spent our second day on beautiful Kauai was visiting beaches on the South shore. We started in the morning at the aptly named Shipwreck Cove where the waves were huge but the under current quite dangerous. We went in briefly before going down the shore to Poipu Beach which was lovely but a bit crowded. At the suggestion of one of the lifeguards, we went further down the road to Salt Pond Beach which had more roasters than people. The waves were huge and we had a ball.
We left Oahu on Tuesday after a glorious visit to island hop by plane to the island of Kauai, which is actually the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is only 562 square miles but it is far less developed. It is roughly five million years old and often called the “Garden Island” for its pristine beaches and rain forests. Continue reading “Farewell Oahu, Hello Kauai”
Day five on Oahu could be simply called turtles, turtles, and more turtles. One of the reasons that I was interested in staying on the North Shore rather than Waikiki was the abundance of green see turtles. Today we enjoyed watching these magnificent animals at various beaches, including their daily visit at a beach for sun and a feast of sea grass. It was a great way to spend the last full day on Oahu. Continue reading “Day 5: Behold The Green Turtles of Oahu”
Day Four of our trip to Hawaii started early with a trip to the Diamond Head crater. This was my second hike up the crater, but the first such venture for the family. We then had a great lunch at Duke’s restaurant in Waikiki and journeyed on to Pearl Harbor. We finished the day with an evening dip back on the North Shore. It felt wonderfully decadent. Continue reading “Day 4: From Diamond Head To Pearl Harbor”
Our third day in Oahu was spectacular. We started by driving to the magnificent the Waimea Valley and the Waimea Arboretum and Botanical Garden. We then walked to the nearby Waimea Beach where kids jump off a high rock into the surf. It was a great day of hiking and just lying on the beach.
Continue reading “Day 3: The Waterfalls, Water Lilies, and Waterdrops Of Oahu”
We arrived at 6 am (ET) in Oahu, Hawaii and were pretty beat but had to rent a van and drive to the North side of the island. We are staying in Turtle Bay between Protection Point and Kuilima Point on the North Shore of the island of O’ahu. For those wanting to avoid the congestion and tourism of Waikiki, the North Shore is ideal. Despite our late arrival, we got up at 6 am to start what was an awesome first full day on the island. Continue reading “Day 2: Oahu From Turtle Bay To Shark’s Cove”
Today, I am taking most of the family on our first family vacations in years. We are going to Hawaii and will spend time on Oahu and Kauai islands. I will be posting our usual travel blog on the trip with discussion of sights, restaurants, and adventures for any readers who might benefit from the experience and photos. As always, I may be a tad delayed in posting depending on wifi and conditions. I will be posting the travel blog at the end of each day. However, we take off this afternoon and will arrive in Honolulu around 9 pm local time. Unfortunately, my son is doing pre-med studies and staying behind, though he and my brother-in-law are cheap house and dog sitters at the homestead! Continue reading “Aloha Hawaii”
As is often my practice, I used an out-of-town speech this week to experience another of our wonderful national parks. With my keynote to the Ninth Circuit scheduled for Monday, I used Sunday to explore the rough remote areas of the Cleveland National Park. I decided to get up early an hike the San Juan and Chiquito Falls trails. It would turn out memorable beyond all of my expectations. With a heat wave hitting the area, the hike in the desert environment was well over 100 degrees with no shade. Despite bringing over a gallon of water in my camel back, I ran out of water on the return of the long hike and ended up with heat stroke . . . and had to be airlifted out after taking a tumble into a ravine. More of that rescue later. All I can say is that I can never repay the Orange County rescue team of the Sheriff’s office and fire department. While I wish I was not the subject of their work, meeting these incredibly heroic first responders was an inspiring experience. I will be writing about that experience separately. While I am now recovering from heat stroke in my hotel, I wanted to share some of the pictures before my embarrassing failure just short of the trail head. Continue reading “My Wonderful, Inspiring, and Embarrassing Hike In the Cleveland National Forest”
As I mentioned yesterday, the highlight of my recent trip to New Orleans was my visit (with my son Jack) to the greatly expanded World War II Museum. I have visited the museum repeatedly since it was first opened. As someone who continues to study and write on military history, this museum has been a joy to watch expand and improve through the years. It is now the greatest military museum for the greatest generation. It is easily on par with the great museums of Europe like Musée de l’Armée at the Les Invalides in Paris. It should be a point of pride for all Americans in its expanding and unique collection of artifacts and weaponry from World War II. Moreover, it is expanding even further and is now composed of multiple buildings and soon will be joined by The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center along with the massive Bollinger Canopy of Peace that will cover all of the buildings. The result will certainly be a truly unparalleled facility committed to military history. Continue reading “THE GREATEST MUSEUM FOR THE GREATEST GENERATION: A TRIP TO THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM”
I recently visited New Orleans for a speech during the celebration of its 300th anniversary. It coincides with the French Quarter festival and my son Jack and I had an absolute ball. I lived in New Orleans when I taught at Tulane Law School (after clerking on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit). I still have tremendous love for this unique city and its wonderful people. Unfortunately, due to events in Washington, I have been delayed in posting some of the pictures. Tomorrow I will be posting the pictures from my visit to the greatly expanded World War II Museum. As discussed below, my only negative review is the Royal House restaurant, which was truly abysmal.
Continue reading “New Orleans at 300: Aging Gracefully Along The Banks Of The Mississippi”
I am in New Orleans this week to speak at the Academy of American Appellate Lawyers (on Saturday) and celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of this great city. I lived in this wonderful when I taught at Tulane Law School. It is always a joy to be back but particularly fun on this historical anniversary with my son, Jack, with me to enjoy the food and culture.
I am in my hometown of Chicago this weekend — still recovering from the loss of our Cubs to the Dodgers (who cheated by hitting the balls outside of Wrigley where our players could not catch them and throwing the balls really, really fast so we could not hit them). Returning home for me continues to be rejuvenating, particularly with this unseasonably warm weather. I wanted to share a few pictures of our beautiful city to counter the dire descriptions that have been raised in the political forum. Chicago is experiencing a terrible violent crime wave, but the city is not the hellscape that comes out of some political exchanges. I will readily admit that I am biased. I have always been proud to be a Chicagoan and raised in this resilient city. I hope that people will come for themselves to experience the wonderful lakeshore, restaurants, bars, museums, architecture, boating, sports, and sights.
I am leaving Spokane, Washington this morning after a glorious time exploring the woods of the Pacific Northwest. After coming out for a speech to judges and lawyers in this district, I was able to get in three days of hiking. Spokane is one of those cities that is a dream for hikers. In literally just 20 minutes, you can find yourself in the hills and mountains of Washington.
My trip to the islands over the last two weeks included a major bonus for me in addition to the military history, hiking, great foods, and great friends. The visit to Hawaii means that I have now visited all 50 states. Indeed, I have now hit most of the territories with the exception of American Samoa (which is long over due for a constitutional lecture).
Day 12 is my final day on Oahu and my departure to the states. I spent the hours before my flight in a mad search for gifts. It tried last night without success but had more success today. The last roughly two weeks have been an amazing experience in visiting Guam, Saipan, Palau, Tinian, and Hawaii. My greatest hope is that the travel blog might inspire some of our readers to travel this far into the Pacific. It is worth it. Trust me.