Pirates Leave Paradise
March 09, 2010 | Softball
March 9, 2010
Pirates In Paradise - Day 4 | Pirates In Paradise - Day 3
Pirates In Paradise - Day 2 | Pirates In Paradise - Day 1
Aloha Pirate Nation,
After five days, the East Carolina softball team's trip to Hawai'i has come to an end. I've been told many times that all good things do come to an end, but that didn't make it any easier to fly away from the sunshine, beaches, warm weather and family atmosphere the Aloha State provided.
First, let me apologize for a delay in getting this message out to you all. Sunday was spent playing the Hawai'i and Seattle games and catching up on some sleep. I also did not feel on top of my game and when I was trying to write a short blog entry, my computer shut down on its own ... twice. I took that as a sign that I was not meant to write anything Sunday except the game recaps.
Monday provided a great way to end the trip, but I did not have any access to the internet as I went to Pearl Harbor in the morning, traveled to White Plains Beach in the afternoon and ate at senior Kaui Tom's house for dinner before heading to the airport to fly to San Francisco via Salt Lake City on a red eye. We just arrived at our hotel in Fresno, Calif., to get ready for tomorrow's doubleheader against Fresno State and this is the first opportunity I have had to post anything. Again, my apologies for the delay, but I think you'll enjoy this final Pirates in Paradise entry.
Pearl Harbor
I have been trying to think of a word to sum up my trip to Pearl Harbor and what I've come up with is powerful. It was a great way to see and experience one of the most important events in United States history, but it came with a very serious mood.
We arrived around 7:30 in the morning and were lucky enough to get a close parking spot right across the street from the entrance. When we arrived, we were one of about five cars in the lot. By the time we left, our lot, and about four others surrounding it, were full.
Because of our early arrival, we were able to get a ticket on the second boat across the water to the USS Arizona. The boat departed at 8:20, so we had roughly 45 minutes before it left. We walked around for a while and looked at some of the replica torpedoes that were on display and at some of the commemorative signs for the ships that were attacked at Pearl Harbor.
After walking, we watched a movie explaining the history of Japanese-United States relations, the Japanese plan of attack in the Pacific during World War II, the way Pearl Harbor was laid out and what happened the morning of Dec. 7th. I always find it fascinating that the U.S. radar picked up the first wave of Japanese planes, but thought it was an American fleet that was supposed to arrive from California the that morning and thus did nothing to stop the incoming planes. The Americans also did not think an air attack was the greatest threat to the base.
After reviewing the history, we got on the boat and headed to the USS Arizona memorial. (If you think it's tough to parallel park a car, try parallel parking a boat.) We got off the boat and walked inside. My first thought was that I could not believe how little of the ship was left. There are only four pieces above the water of a ship that was once 600 feet long and weighed 34,207 tons and up to 37,654 tons fully loaded.
When you stand on the memorial and look out to the right and left, buoys mark where the end of the ship used to be. It looked like we were miles away from where it originally ended. You can look under the concrete of the memorial and see more pieces of the ship at sea and every once in a while, you can still smell the oil in the water. There was also a wall inside with the names of every Navy and Marine member who died Dec. 7. It was moving to see a list so long.
We left the memorial and headed back to the land, where we looked at a few more commemorative plaques that recognized each military person or civilian who died during the attack. There was also a three-dimensional model of Hawai'i that helped explain the geography of the state and where the Japanese attacked in relation to the rest of the island.
It was a memorable learning experience and one that gave me a new sense of appreciation for the events that occurred that Sunday morning in 1941.
White Plains Beach
Following the Pearl Harbor trip, we headed back to the hotel, packed our bags and left for a day at the beach. It was a beautiful drive as the sun was shining and there did not appear to be a cloud in the sky. Senior Cristen Aona was in my van and pointed out numerous buildings, including Tom's high school. We also drove past freshman Kai Clark's high school.
Once we arrived at the beach, the team spent some time soaking in the sun, surfing and enjoying the waves. Tom and classmate Charina Sumner can certainly handle the ocean on a surfboard. Overall, the players appreciated the time to relax in the water and sun.
From the beach, we could look to the left and, in the distance, see Waikiki, where we had stayed this week. Diamond Head stuck out to mark our previous location. The water was beautiful and blue at White Plains with the bright sun shining above us, making a great trip.
And yes, I did (and, much to my chagrin, still do) look a little like a lobster when we left. I single-handedly increase aloe sales when leaving after a day at the beach.
Final Cookout
We concluded our trip to Hawai'i with a cookout at Tom's house. It was the perfect way to end the journey as all the families were there. We ate all kinds of good food like beef stew, rice, macaroni salad, rolls and extra-moist chocolate cake for dessert.
While the meal was good, the company was even better. The Hawaiian players' families and their kindness really made the trip. Everywhere we went, we felt a sense of family with us along the way. It was wonderful to be a part of such a loving and caring group of people. They all opened their homes and hearts to us for the week and made it a truly special experience.
That'll do it for our trip to Hawai'i and Pirates in Paradise, but Thursday and Friday junior Toni Paisley will join me to blog about the second half of our trip, to California.
Pirates In Paradise - Day 4
Pirates In Paradise - Day 3
Pirates In Paradise - Day 2
Pirates In Paradise - Day 1
