Hawaii

Finally hit the road. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! My posse has gone and deserted me, but here are some photo's of the first week. It's been great fun here on Oahu, we did some snorkeling, Jesse and I got our open water scuba diver certification dives under our belts (4 dives), Vern took us on a great hike, and we had Thanksgiving with the Lee family. I learned a bit of hula dancing and we got our beach time in. Top left: Crazy sky on our drive through pineapple fields on the north shore. Upper left: Vern, Laura, Jim, Jesse, and myself after hike, overlooking diamond head and downtown. Above: Jesse and I popping a little of the bubbly after getting our scuba certification dives, and seeing a shark! Below: Snorkeling on our first day at Hanauma Bay. Our second day of scuba diving Jesse pulled out the funky robot. Being under water is so calming and exhilarating at the same time. All you hear is the sound of your own breathing. The water both days was crystal clear, you could see 40+ feet easily! Good times in Waikiki.

Sights along our drive to north shore.

What a way to start a trip. I'm really glad I was able to spend some time with friends and family before setting out. Got a couple more days on the island then off to New Zealand! See link for more pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ethan.ahlberg/Hawaii2006