Haleakala

Posted on November 11, 2016November 11, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Leaving the Banyan tree behind we started for Paia. But sitting at a stop light we saw a sign for Haleakala National Park. You guessed it…diversion #2. It was about 10:30 am by now and we thought it would be a just a quick side trip. After all, we weren’t going at sunrise or sunset, the 2 most popular times to visit.

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The airport shuttle driver in Albany had told us that we should make the drive because we could see the whole island from the summit and it would be worth it. As we entered the park a sign warned that there was no gas available in the park. I looked at our gas gauge. It was 1/2 full so I figured that should be enough. The sign also said it was 22 miles.

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Haleakala, aka “House of the Sun”, is a dormant volcano that is famous for its sunrise and the people that take the bike tour to see it. They take a van to the summit and after they watch the sunrise they bike down the mountain.

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The operative word here being “down”. They really fly! All along the road were warning signs to watch for bikers. There were a few hard core bikers that were going up. I guess there are always going to be a few people that have to do it the hard way!

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We made it to the first check point with no problem. Sandy had a National Park Pass so we only had to stop at the gate to pick up our brochure and show the pass. The entrance fee without the pass is $20.00 per vehicle in 2016. The price is scheduled to go up in 2017 to $25.00.

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2nd stop was at the first visitor center.

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Here we made a rest stop and chatted with the rangers. We learned that the park is home to the Nene, the Hawaiian Goose and state bird. There is a pair that lives near the station but they only come out when it rains to play in the puddles. We didn’t see a Nene but we did see some little birds that seemed to be hunkered down. 017

Still we were cautioned to drive slowly. We wouldn’t want to be responsible for the loss of a goose when it’s so endangered.

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Gas check…It looks like we’ve used almost 1/4 of our gas. All this uphill driving must be taking a toll.

In The Morning Light

Posted on November 8, 2016November 8, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Maui is beautiful.

Ka’anapali Shores is beautiful.

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I got a good nights sleep. Woke up at 6:30 am Maui Time, that would be like 11:30 am east coast time. At first I couldn’t understand why I was seeing my co-worker’s text. Then I realized it was Monday and I was waking up in Paradise.

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To prove it I stepped out on our balcony to check out our “ocean view”.

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Our alarm clock was the best kind. The natural kind.

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The birds.

Mystic Aquarium

Posted on August 21, 2016August 21, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Its still, as the weathermen say, HHH. High Pressure, Hot, Humid, 3 H’s. I like the heat but I will admit the humidity is starting to wear me out. The forecast was for a break in the humidity if not the heat so Nancy and I decided to take the kids to the Mystic Aquarium. I was thinking it would be inside so we’d avoid the oppressive outdoors anyway. I’ve never been to Mystic Aquarium so what did I know. I based my opinion on Boston’s Aquarium.

Anyway, quite a bit of Mystic Aquarium is outside and to my way of thinking some of the most unique and best exhibits.

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It’s not a bad drive to Connecticut and we made it right on time according to the On Star directions and that was with several minor traffic back ups.

The Beluga exhibit is right there when you first go through the entrance.

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I could have spent the whole visit there even though it was hot and humid. The whales are sometimes called the Canaries of the Sea because of the multiple vocalizations they can make. They did not disappoint us. They blew and chirped and stuck their heads out of the water.

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At the observation windows they seemed as fascinated by the humans as we were of them.

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Following the path toward the Penguin exhibit we passed the seals & Sea lions.

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Then it was decision time, right took us through the “Marsh” on a boardwalk and left took us to the Penguins. The kids made a bee line for the boardwalk and eagerly inspected the duckweed and plants for turtles and frogs.

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I really liked the boardwalk. We spotted quite a few creatures once we adjusted our eyes to finding them in the weeds.

Frog in Duckweed

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We had an audience of 3 little ducks too that added comic relief.

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Next up was the Budgie Tent.

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Those birds are always fun.

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There were cockatoos and other small birds native to Australia as well as the Budgies.

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By then It was time for a break and we hadn’t even gotten inside yet!

And That’s All There Is!

Posted on August 7, 2016August 7, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Once we left Seal Island and the Puffins I was done in. The fresh air, the early start, the excitement of seeing these adorable little birds up close and the boat ride had zapped me of the rest of my energy. Once we arrived back in Cutler it was lunch time and starting to rain.

The gathering

The Church in Cutler offered us the use of it’s basement which was set up with tables and a kitchen. Plus there were bathrooms. Following lunch it was off again, this time to Boot Head Preserve.

When we found the trail head to Boot head preserve I decided to give up on keeping up. I stayed in the car and took a nap. It was lovely.

We returned for dinner at Helen’s Restaurant at 6:30 before retiring to our rooms to pack.

We all met at the vans at 6 am for breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and a trip Machiasport- Pot Head. I didn’t lug the camera this time. I had what I came for and as is usually the case when you don’t have the camera, I missed a beautiful shot of 3 deer.

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They stood on the dirt road watching us. It was like they were frozen. There was plenty of time for a picture if I’d been prepared. Finally the first 2 crossed and disappeared into he woods. I thought the 3rd had gone back into the woods where it had come from when it came flying out like it was shot from a gun. It literally flew across the road in one bound.

We spotted 2 bald eagles and bunch of smaller birds but by this time the deer were the highlight of the day for me. Puffins, deer, eagles, some of my very favorite things.

This was a good trip.

Thanks Mass Audubon for a great time.

A few More Puffins

Posted on August 4, 2016August 4, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Ok , after all that build up one little Puffin picture was probably a bit anticlimactic so here are a few more. I took over 100 so there’s plenty to pick from.

Puffin portrait

We were in the blinds for a little more than an hour. There was a lot of activity.

On Watch

Puffins flying in and out.

The Landing

They were quick. Those of us taking pictures were trying for that iconic shot of a puffin with fish in its beak but that was harder than expected.

Stike a pose

We’d see the birds flying in from a successful fishing trip but they immediately popped into their burros. Once they had fed their little puffins and came back out they stood around and photos of empty beaks were easy.

Eye Contact

Puffins make their nests in holes in the ground that they dig with their claws. They also makes nests in the rocks.

In the Rocks

Because they are little, the other birds try to steal their catch so they waste no time above ground. The best I was able to do was get a picture of a Puffin with a beak-ful of shrimp. No fish.

Shrimp Take Out

The other photographer in the blind with me did get a fish shot. You can see her beautiful pictures at www.mywildlife.zenfolio.com.

The gathering

One of the most fun things that happened while we were in the blind is suddenly we heard a tapping. At first we thought they’d come back to get us out of the blind but then we realized the sound was coming from over our heads. The birds were landing on the roof of the blind and it was their little feet we were hearing.

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Puffins make the strangest call. For a little bird its terribly guttural, not pretty at all. When I’d see one calling it reminded me of a donkey braying.

Can You Hear me now?