Thinking about Hawaii

Posted on May 22, 2016May 22, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Hi everyone. It’s been a crazy week. I thought I’d have a quiet work week with my main agent on vacation but surprise, surprise. She created an out of office message telling everyone to contact me! My quiet week turned into work HELL!

I also found out I am getting another agent because one of the new support people isn’t keeping up. Transitioning the new agent over starts Monday.

I’ve also been trying to get the release from the bank for my car’s title. Can you believe that when I requested a duplicate so I could donate my old car that the bank never removed the lien!? The car has been paid off for at least 10 years. What a mess!

So in between all this I started researching things to do on Maui HI. I know that trip is quite a way in the future but it was relaxing to poke around for things to do. Of course the number 1 thing I want to do is Whale Watch. The season is November to May so it will be early in the season (November) but we can hope there will be some action.

humpback_breach

The number 2 thing is “The Road to Hana”. Do I drive or tour??? If I drive we can stop where we want , when we want but I won’t be able to enjoy the scenery while I’m driving. If we tour we give up control but I can see everything. Maybe I should do it twice, once as a tour and once as a drive. Anyone who has been there and done that? Any suggestions?

photo_road_to_hana_aerial

The number 3 thing on my list is snorkeling at Molokini, a crescent shaped crater that is the premier spot for snorkeling, snuba and scuba. That’s as far as I’ve had time to get.

molokini-medium

snorkel

I know a big attraction is sunrise on Haleakala. I’ve read a lot about that. One article even said the best day to get up for the sunrise is your first day on Maui because you won’t be on Hawaii time yet.

Haleakala

Right now I’m just working up my rough to-do list. We have almost 2 weeks there, 11 days so there’s lots of time to fill. I hear the Maui Ocean Center Aquarium is another must-do.

Hawaii-0802

I’m sure you will see many more posts as I get this trip sorted out. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Aloha

Posted on February 18, 2016February 18, 2016 by Dusty Roads | 8 Comments

We’ve been to Hawaii…in fact we’ve been twice. Once to the Big Island and once to Oahu.

akaka falls

When we were on the Big Island we went looking for a Green Sand Beach. We never found it but I finally met someone who did.

green sand beach

She said they got there by off roading so we must have been on the right track. We drove as far as we could in the rental and then I (the driver) chickened out as the road disappeared and got all rocky.

I recently found this guide book description of the road to the beach in question.

Keep in mind, driving to the actual beach is out for all but the most experienced off road drivers. Instead, most opt for a 2 1/2 mile hike each way along the wind swept and hot dusty deep rutted jeep roads.

Too bad. Would have loved to find that!

I wonder if there is a green sand beach on Maui?

Maui Wowie

Posted on April 5, 2014April 5, 2014 by Dusty Roads

You remember how I said once you book a trip you start to hear about the location all the time? It’s true. Since booking the trip to Tennessee I’ve seen ads for Tennessee Whiskey and an article about the Chattanooga Train Museum.

And Las Vegas made the news. They just opened a huge Ferris Wheel, the World’s tallest! There are 28 glass enclosed gondolas that are fully air conditioned. A full rotation takes 30 minutes.

Now I’m wondering if I should start thinking about Hawaii again. Actually I never stop thinking about Hawaii. I love it there but I have delayed a return trip in hopes of seeing more of the as yet un-visited states. But along with the Tennessee and Las Vegas news I keep finding things about Maui, HI.

Last night Wild Hawaii was on Nat Geo Wild. It was all about the ocean around Maui and a large segment concentrated on the humpback whales that migrate to Hawaii to give birth and mate. The show was filled with shots of whales breaching and fins slapping.

That show was followed by another episode but this time about surfing. After the show covered California surfers it segued into “Jaws” and not the shark. Jaws is what they call the huge waves that roll into Maui, HI. in the winter each year. Championship surfing at it’s best.

I picked up another magazine and the feature story was “The Road to Hana”.

Then the science channel had a show about volcanoes and Haleakala was discussed.

Seems to me the universe is lining up to entice me back to the Aloha State. Something to really look forward to. 🙂

Dreaming the Hawaiian Life

Posted on January 23, 2014January 23, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Since my 2 vacations in Hawaii the idea of living there is never far from my mind. Lately I’ve been missing Hawaii even more because there’s a great show about Hawaiian Real Estate on HGTV.

Hawaii is known to be an expensive place to live. As an island everything has to be brought in from the mainland. One of the largest and oldest cattle ranches in the United States is located on the Big Island. Known as the Parker Ranch is was founded in 1847, almost 30 years before most of the southwestern ranches on the mainland.

The ranch is a working cattle ranch even today and is now run by a charitable trust. The Ranch owns approximately 26,000 head of cattle, mostly Angus and Charolais breeds, with 17,000 pastured on the Ranch at any given time. The rest are in pasture or feedlots on the mainland. With about 300 breeding bulls, the cowherd is divided into two breeding seasons, winter and summer, with about 50% of the herd in each season.

When we visited the Big Island we drove past sections of the Parker Ranch but we didn’t take time for the tours.

One night we stopped at a local grocery and bought a steak to grill. Since we were on vacation I didn’t hesitate to buy it but I did notice it was expensive. It surprised me since we’d just heard about how big the Parker Ranch was and how much cattle was raised there.

Never being shy, we asked about the high price of beef and milk and were told that the Parker Ranch sends just about all of it’s beef cattle to the mainland for slaughter and then the butchered meat is shipped back. That extra step is the added cost but I will tell you it was one of the best steaks I have had in a long time. Well worth the extra money.

Back to the show, Hawaii Life, I was surprised that they show case many affordable homes less than $500,000. It looks like the real estate market is comparable to the Boston market. Of course , there are the million dollar homes too. 🙂

Anyway, in our meeting yesterday at work, our manager said the company is planning to expand into Hawaii. Of course that is on the drawing board and no one knows how soon it will actually happen, but maybe my dream of living there isn’t so far fetched after all!

Where Oh Where Has the Warm Weather Gone

Posted on January 9, 2014January 9, 2014 by Dusty Roads

It’s freezing everywhere! Even Florida is reporting record cold. Watch the price of orange juice soar now!

I thought maybe it was time for a little daydreaming. Warm sand, balmy breezes, glorious sunshine…believe me, I’d be headed south right now if I could – but I guess that wouldn’t save me since it’s cold there too. Anyway the next best thing is thinking about the warm and remembering.

There was Arizona. It was warm when I went horseback riding in Sedona.

Florida. It was warm when I visited with the Mouse at Disney

and when I rode the airboat at Holiday Park and hob-nobbed with the alligators in Shark Valley (Everglades).

And of course, Hawaii. It was nice there too. The first trip the native Hawaiians told us how hot and humid it was but to us northerners it was beautiful.