Hiking in Hawaii
On Thanksgiving day, my daughters and I hiked the Hawaii Loa ridge trail. I thought it would be a good way to get a little exercise before Thanksgiving dinner. The trail is located at the top of Hawaii Loa ridge. There’s a park/bar-b-q area at the end of the road. Just past the park is the start of the trail.
The trail is relatively easy. We can’t go on any difficult trails since my younger daughter is only 6 years old. It’s a little steep in some areas, but my daughters had no problems going up. Coming down was a little harder for them since the trail was a little slippery from the previous day’s rain.
We hiked about an hour in, and then turned around. I’m told that it takes about 2 to 2 1/2 hours to hike to the top of the ridge. Plus, it gets much steeper towards the top. We’ll have to try the trail again when we have more time.
We’ve been hiking quite a bit over the last year or so. We’ve done the Diamond Head trail, the Makapuu trail, the Pacific Palisades trail, the Mariner’s ridge trail and the Kamehame ridge trail. On the Mariner’s ridge and Kamehame ridge trails, we were able to make it to the top. It’s a nice view of the windward side from the top. The Makapuu hike also provides a stunning view Makapuu beach and the Waimanalo coastline.
My daughters seem to enjoy the hiking, so I’m sure there will be more hikes in the future! Please comment if you know of any other kid friendly trails. I’ve hiked the Aiea loop trail in the past, so that might be our next hike.
Family Trip to Disneyland
Disneyland!!!!
I just came back from a family vacation at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. I must say that this was one of my more enjoyable trips to Disneyland. Over the years, I have visited Disneyland as a child and as an adult. This was the first time that we went there as a family.
It had been over 10 years since I last visited Disneyland. I was dating my wife at the time and we went with my friend and his girlfriend. We went during off-season, so the lines weren’t long. Also, the weather was pleasant.
On a previous trip to Disneyland (maybe 15 years ago), we went at peak time. Lines were unbelievably long. I think on one day we only rode two rides. The rest of the time was spent waiting in line.
I had heard from co-workers that the peak times coincide with school breaks for the kids. My wife and I decided to pull my older daughter out of school for a few days so that we could go to Disneyland during an off-peak time.
It turned out to be a great choice. In addition to the pleasant weather — mid 70s during the day and lower 60s at night — we also enjoyed short lines. The majority of the popular rides were no more than a 20-minute wait. Some of the rides were 5-10 minute waits for all the time we were there. The longest wait was an hour for the Finding Nemo submarine ride (probably the most popular ride at this time).
I guess the question is whether or not it’s worth it for us to take the kids out of school for a trip to Disneyland to enjoy the off-peak benefits. I know the schools do not tolerate this. The teachers really disapprove of taking days off for a vacation. My younger daughter will be entering elementary school this fall, so we will have to take both of them out of school in the future.
To me, the benefits outweigh the negatives. I’m not planning to take my daughters out of school every year to take advantage of off-peak times, but maybe once every few years!
