The first day was spent walking around DC. We clocked it at 14 miles of walking (Kevin wore his Garmin). So many amazing things to see. We didn't even begin to scratch the surface. We saw all the monuments and famous buildings, went to the National Archives and saw the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights (so damn cool!), walked up the steps of the Supreme Court to the front door (didn't know you could just do that) and saw many, many armed guards on top of the White House. 
The Lincoln Monument was truly impressive and standing at the top of the stairs on the very spot where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech and getting this view of the Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument actually choked me up a little. Stunning.
Great words of wisdom from FDR at the FDR Memorial which was my second favorite memorial in DC. These guys are statues of men waiting in a soup line during the Great Depression at the FDR Memorial.
Kevin and George Mason both deep in thought. George contemplating freedom, Kevin contemplating lunch.
The Korean War Memorial. 
The White House. Soon with new and improved occupants!
On the Baltimore day we went to Fort McHenry and got to walk around the fort and walk on THE ramparts mentioned in the national anthem. I admit to being clueless as to what a rampart was before this trip. Now I know. Here is a picture from the top of one!
A bomb that did not burst in air that night.
On our one afternoon in downtown Baltimore I made sure we got to bring out my inner baseball dork and go to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Being October and Baltimore, there weren't any games going on. Much like the Mariners, it will be many years before the O's see October baseball. However, it was still a beautiful park and I can't wait to come back and see a game there. Useless factoid: Babe Ruth was a Baltimoran. They have a statue of him outside the park.
We also got to spend the day at Gettysburg! For you history folks this is the view from Little Round Top looking out at Devil's Den.
Civil War cannon.
Civil War cannon on top of Devil's Den.
I am completely envious of the history that they have on the East Coast. We have the stunning natural beauty in the west (but enough about me) but they are surrounded by important American history. His friends live right near Gettysburg and frequently eat at a house that was built in 1776, served as a hospital during the battle and was also a stop on the Underground Railroad. I get to eat at a pizza place in Ballard that might have been a brothel once. They win.The one thing Kevin insisted I must have before leaving Baltimore was steamed blue crabs. I have been hearing how fantastic these little buggers are for two years so I had to give it a whirl. Baltimorans are crustacean obsessed people. Crabs and crab related items are everywhere. Dig the hat?
On a sour note, my budding career as cookie decorator took a hit when I realized that I had inadvertently made a herd of
Ku Klux Donkeys. TOTALLY not my intention. 
Post luau Hawaiian overkill.
Kona is filled with these darling little guys.
Geckos everywhere! They were all over our B&B that we stayed at. This little guy was at a craft booth we found. One of the ladies there feeds them every day by opening little single serving size peaches and the geckos come down and drink the peach juice. We took a long walk all around Kona including a few beaches with a few more sea turtles. That night we went to Kona Brewery for delicious food, great service from an English guy who knows his beer and many, many tasty beers for Kevin. Although, as he will point out, he never even had a whole beer. These were merely samples. Lots and lots of samples.
He was relieved to finally be able to find good beer because the islands are mostly filled with Budweiser, MGD, and Corona type beers which he hates.
Wow. Huge difference. I always have to doctor my coffee up with milk and sugar but this was so smooth and not bitter that I drank it black. True Kona is definitely worth more money. However, maybe not what they charge for it.
The rangers say that in this new crater the magma is only about 300 feet from the surface. At night you can see the glow from the steam vent. Watching the steam continuously curl and swirl and rise from the crater is mesmerizing. Kevin and I could have pulled up chairs and sat and watched it for hours. 
This is one of the best views from any restaurant I have ever been in. You get to eat your breakfast and look out on a volcanic eruption. How freaking cool is that?! You can also stay here at the Volcano House and some of the rooms have crater views. We opted for more frugal accommodations and were in darling little tiny national park cabins instead. View not so good, price so much better.
The view from Kileaua Iki crater rim with the current steam eruption from Kileaua in the background.
At night we drove out to the ocean where the current lava flow was entering. They keep you about 3/4 of a mile back from the flow but we got to see the steam cloud from where it was entering the ocean and the glow from the lava. As the night wore on and it got darker we were able to see globs of lava shoot up into this cloud every so often. We sat there on a previous lava flow from the early 90's through intermittent heavy rain showers for about two hours to watch this. Phenomenal. Awe inspiring. We were seeing new land being created. 
If Hawaiians who were in danger of being killed could make it to this place alive they were absolved of whatever sins they had committed and were allowed to live. Sins could be something as simple as looking at the chief or walking in the chiefs footsteps. Pretty strict society.
The next day we left the hot, dry western side of Maui and drove towards the warm, wet eastern side. On the way I made Kevin stop at the Surfing Goat Dairy because I felt the need to commune with the goats. We ate tasty goat cheese and got to hang with the ungulates for a bit.
We then drove up the windy hills to Haleakala National Park. Views from the top were almost non-existent because we were at about 10,500 feet and above the clouds but it cleared for a moment and we got to see some of the crater on Haleakala. 
On the way back from horseback riding we stopped and swam in the famous Seven Sacred Pools which are neither sacred nor seven. The next morning we stopped at the black sand beach in the state park where we stayed. Stunning. Oh my God was this beach was beautiful. This state park is also where we saw the first of many, many mongoose (another invasive species). It is also the home to cabins that looked like the perfect place to unwittingly star in a horror movie. I will stay almost anywhere but that place really freaked me out the first night. 
We found this little critter/turd on the beach and tried to "save" him. After chucking him back in the surf and watching him bob on the surface it occurred to us that perhaps we just committed sea slugicide instead. I think we would be acquitted on some sort of marine life good samaritan clause though.