It takes forever to get there

We went to Pearl Harbor today. And it only took 90 minutes on The Bus.

Getting off the bus at the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial was a bit of a surprise. The area is sacred. I understand that. I believe that is should be. But it seems...neglected. I just wish the government would allocate a couple hundred million to the memorial and give it a face lift, add some size and give it the proper attention it deserves.

And it's way smaller than I thought it would be.The harbor itself isn't very big at all. There was only one gunship and one submarine (the sub was a museum) in view, which was not what I was expecting. I suppose on my part a little more research would have made things better.

Something that I thought was a bit funny at the memorial: Bags, purses, backpacks, shopping bags, etc. aren't allowed. You have to check them in some lockers across the parking lot. So, when you walk in, a park ranger gives you your ticket and tells you it's going to be about three hours until you can see the movie and take the boat to the Arizona. But, feel free to visit the museum, shop and the submarine next door.

Here's the catch--if you go to the gift shop at the Arizona and walk over to the sub, then try to get back in to see the movie, you have to check your bag. The same bag you just took out of the building. The bag with the deadly postcards and t-shirts.

Well, we're off to try this funny thing called "relaxing." We're not good at it, so it's going to be a stretch. But I'm willing to give it a shot.

One more thing. I wanted to show you this bad photo for one reason. See the haze on the mountains? It's from the volcanoes on the Big Island. The tradewinds aren't blowing today, so the volcano gasses drift over the other islands.