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Hawaii |
| Maui - Valley Isle Mauis is the 2nd largest island in the Hawaiian chain. Humback whales winter in the waters off of Maui before returning to Alaska. The island is approximately 48 miles long and 26 miles wide, totaling 728 square miles. Maui County includes the islands of Maui, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. |
| Kauai - Garden Isle Kauai is the northernmost and 4th largest of the major Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 550 square miles with 113 miles of shoreline of which 50 are sand beaches. Seventy percent of the island is inaccessible by foot. Mt. Waialeale (3,000ft) is the wettest spot on earth, with over 430 inches of rain per year. Kauai was "discovered" by Captain James Cook in 1778. Polynesians settled on the island in the fourth or fifth century A.D. |
| Big Island - The youngest and largest of all the Hawaiian Islands it is 4,038 square miles (and still gowing) with 266 miles of coastline. Hawaii is the name of the island as well as the state, so to reduce confusion, the island is referred to as the "Big Island". The world's most active volcano, Kilauea, is here as is Mauna Loa (13,677ft), the most massive mountain on earth - consisting of 10,000 cubic miles of lava-rock. Mauna Loa is often considered the highest mountain on earth as it's summit is about 56,000ft above it's base on the ocean floor. Mauna Loa is among earths most active volcanoes, erupting 33 times since 1843. The worlds largest observatory for optical, infrared, and submillimeter astronomy is on Mauna Kea (13,796ft), and just below the summit is Lake Waiau - the only glacial lake in the mid-Pacific. At 13,020 feet above sea level, it is also one of the highest lakes in the world. |
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Oahu - The 3rd largest Hawaiian Island has 112 miles of coastline. The highest point is Mt. Kaala at 4,020 ft. Iolani Palace in Honolulu is the only royal palace in the United States - the last reigning monarch was Queen Liliuokalani who gave up her throne in 1898 when Hawaii was annexed to the US. Oahu is the most visited Hawaiian Island. The North Shore is home to numerous surfing competitions due to the 25-foot winter waves. Oahu (9/18 - 9/28/2004)- This may seem like cheating since it's not really a 'Road Trip'... Oh, what the hell. I'm quazi retired.. Why not! Max and The Coach are back in Lincoln at my mom's house. They wait for me patiently while I spend two weeks on the beautiful island of Oahu. I've often heard how much more beautiful the other islands are and how tourist-y Oahu and Waikiki are... While it is true that there are tons of tourists and buildings and a rather large city on Oahu, it's still absolutely georgous and there are lots and lots of conveniently located bars. A not insignificant detail in my book. At any rate, if and when I get to the other islands I'll give you a detailed comparison. For now I'm going to show you some of the beauty of Oahu... |
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Referrence Material: http://www.50states.com/hawaii.htm National Park Brochures National Park informational posters Tourist Brochures |