A Paradise Sunrise at Makapu'u Hawaii (LOCALISM FEATURED)

It's 4:05 am on July 4th, 2008 and he gets up and stumbles to the bathroom. After he's finished he climbs back into bed and snuggles close to her. Just when he's starting to doze off again she startles him wide awake with a "let's get up and drive to the other side of the island to look at the sunrise"!

Huh? He rubs his eyes and asks her, "Are you serious?". YUP!

She jumps out of bed and hops in the shower with the poochie running after him while he turns the automatic coffee pot to 'brew' NOW.

They check their emails and sip coffee for a few minutes and he hops in the shower. She gets off the pc and finishes getting ready.

Cameras...check. Flip Video .....check. Put a puppy pad down and feed the dog. Check.

Off we go! It's 5am and we're on the road. A cool crisp morning and it's still dark riding along the freeway from Central Oahu to the East Side of Oahu chasing the little sliver of light. That hint of light behind the clouds that tell us where the sun will be rising.

We arrive....at Makapu'u Beach, Oahu, Honolulu County, Hawaii. Makapu'u (Ma ka poo ooo) is Hawaiian for "Bulging Eyes". Right off shore is Manana Island or more known as Rabbit Island for it's shapely rabbit looking features. It was nicknamed Rabbit Island because a rancher had released rabbits there who lived there many years. It now serves as a seabird sanctuary.

Makapu'u Lighthouse sits atop the mountain overlooking the beach, Rabbit Island and far off in the distance you can see the island of Molokai. The lighthouse was built in 1909 and automated in 1974. There is actually a trail leading to the lighthouse and about a 2 mile hike. Too steep for me!

This is how we spent our Fourth of July morning.

It felt like Independence Day. Free and spirited for the land I love.

Enjoy the following video of the sunrise. In this sunrise you'll see a distinct black dot. Hmmmm???