by David Kroese | Dec 19, 2018 | Book Excerpt, On this date
Standing on the memorial, I can see and smell the oil slicks floating on the water’s surface below. The heavy oil smell hangs in the air. Reflecting on the lives lost, young men cut down so early in life, saddens me. The rusted ship below us, a metal tomb for many of...
by David Kroese | Dec 19, 2018 | Book Excerpt, On this date
Thursday morning, I have an 8:30 a.m. flight to Molokai and Kalaupapa National Historical Park. Kalaupapa contrasts striking natural beauty with the park’s profoundly sad story. The highest sea cliff in the world, varying from 1,600 feet at the point where a trail...
by David Kroese | Dec 19, 2018 | On this date
My centennial visit to Haleakala included a 4.5-mile hike on the Sliding Sands Trail into the summit crater. Though it resembles a caldera, the crater formed as heavy rainfall carried by trade winds eroded the mountain’s core. The trail offers views over a...
by David Kroese | Dec 18, 2018 | On this date
During the final centennial park trip, the second day in Hawaii Volcanoes topped a year hiking in the parks. I ended the day having covered over 18 miles. The Kilauea Iki trail made up 4.5 of those miles. The November 14 to December 20, 1959 eruption threw lava and...
by David Kroese | Dec 14, 2018 | On this date
I landed on the island of Hawaii on my birthday during the centennial. The mid-day landing at Kona left time for to visit the first of three historical park units on the island’s west coast. Pu’ukohola Heiau was constructed in 1790-91 at the direction of...
by David Kroese | Dec 14, 2018 | On this date
On this date in 2017, I visited my 417th and final NPS unit at Reconstruction Era National Monument in Beaufort, SC. A wonderful group of National Park Travelers Club members joined me for a celebratory weekend. The end of my park journey coincided with my 47th...
