Haleakalā: The Mountain That Stole My Heart

Posted on September 21, 2026September 15, 2026 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

A Trip Back in Time

I’ve been deep in my Hawaii Photo Tagging project, reliving a trip from November–December 2016 with my sister and cousin. Spending time immersed in those photos is like stepping into a time machine. It feels like yesterday… until I remember that 2016 was ten years ago. Ten! Impossible, yet here we are.

So what I’m about to share may be “outdated,” but it’s still absolutely fresh in my mind. Today, we’re talking volcanoes — specifically a mature, stately mountain, not that fiery upstart Kilauea. Those stories will have their own day.

Meeting the Giant

First of all, Haleakalā is majestic. This isn’t a cute little cone volcano. It’s a full‑fledged shield volcano. Officially, Haleakalā rises 10,023 feet from sea level to summit, but in truth it’s closer to 30,000 feet from its base on the ocean floor. You don’t grasp its size until you reach the summit, look out over a layer of clouds, and realize you’re standing above them.

Topographic map showing a winding mountain hiking route with labeled waypoints including Lava Tower, Barranco, Karanga, Barafu, and Uhuru Peak.”

Driving up is an adventure in itself. The road zigs, zags, and switchbacks so you’re never heading straight up. You get glimpses of the valley as the road twists, but honestly? I was driving, and those hairpin turns encourage you to keep your eyes firmly on the pavement. Add in the bicyclists — yes, the pedal kind — who pay good money to huff and puff their way to the top. I guess the exhilarating ride back down makes it worth it.

House of the Sun

Haleakalā means House of the Sun in Hawaiian, and since the 1800s it’s been a tradition to visit the summit at sunrise. I’ve never done it. Between jet lag and the 3 a.m. start time, I’ve always passed. It’s become so popular that the National Park Service now requires reservations for sunrise viewing.

“Silhouetted group of people watching a dramatic sunrise above a glowing cloud layer, with golden and orange light illuminating the sky.”

Dormant, Not Dead

Haleakalā isn’t about to erupt under your feet. It’s considered dormant, not extinct — meaning it could erupt again someday. The last eruption, as best anyone can tell, was between 1750 and 1790. Not long ago in geological terms, but long enough for me to feel perfectly safe wandering around.

The Summit That Captured My Heart

The summit is home to the Haleakalā High Altitude Observatory, built there for the purity and clarity of the air. I didn’t climb up to see the observatory. I was too mesmerized by the landscape.

Haleakalā has more of a moonscape than a landscape. Plants are few and far between, and the browns, reds, and blacks paint a surreal, velvety picture. My mind knows it’s sand, dirt, and ash — but it looks soft enough to touch. I imagine a giant hand reaching out to stroke the terrain.

It’s not waves, water, surfers, or sunny brilliance. It’s moody. Dramatic. Dark. Dotted with cinder cones and caldera cliffs. I don’t know why I love it, but I do.

A Rare Treasure: The Haleakalā Silversword

While you’re wandering around the summit, keep an eye out for the Haleakalā Silversword. These plants are found only here — nowhere else on Earth. They flower once in their lifetime, sending up a spectacular, towering bloom, and then die soon afterward, scattering their seeds to the wind. If you’re lucky, you might catch one in bloom during your visit. It’s a sight you won’t forget.

Step Into Another World

So next time you’re on Maui, skip the beach for one day. Make that twisty drive up the mountain. Stand above the clouds. Let Haleakalā wrap you in its quiet, otherworldly beauty.

It’s worth every mile.

“Rugged volcanic crater landscape with rocky terrain in the foreground and tall peaks rising above drifting clouds under a bright blue sky.”

WMEO Weekend Update – Fat Bears Are Back

Posted on September 20, 2026September 18, 2026 by Dusty Roads | No Comments

WMEO Weekend Update – Fat Bears Are Back- We Meow, You Listen

Banner: Good evening, Taunton — the salmon are running, the bears are bulking, and Fat Bear Week is lumbering back into the spotlight.

Balboa: And some of these guys are so round they need their own zip code.

Banner: Fat Bear Week runs September 22–29 this year. It started in 2014 as an annual competition celebrating how the brown bears of Katmai and Brooks Camp pack on weight before settling in for their long winter sleep.

Balboa: Pack on weight? These guys carbo‑load like they’re training for the Salmon Olympics. They add blubber faster than a whale on cheat day.

Banner: Park Superintendent Mark Sturm says Brooks Camp has more cubs this year than they’ve seen in a long time. The new generation is off to a strong start.

Balboa: Strong start? They’re practically born into a bracket. Last year, over 1.7 million votes came in from more than 100 countries before Bear 32 — “Chunk” — took home the crown.

A large brown bear stands in a rushing river near a small waterfall, its fur wet and heavy. The bear faces forward with a piece of fish visible near its mouth, surrounded by flowing water and rocky terrain in a natural wilderness setting.

Banner: The 2026 Fat Bear Week bracket dropped Friday, September 18. Voting runs September 22–29 (no weekend voting), and the champion will be crowned September 29.

Balboa: Chunk is back to defend his title. And remember — these bears gain most of their weight by eating fish. Fish! One of humans’ favorite diet foods. Do we need to rethink everything.

Banner: If you want to be one of the more than 1.7 million people who voted last year…

Balboa: From more than 100 countries!

Banner: Yes, from more than 100 countries — head over to the Fat Bear Week website, meet the bears, and vote for your 2026 champion.

Balboa: My money’s on Chunk. Two‑time champ material right there. And remember — Chunk may be a champion, but he’s no teddy bear.

Two cats sit behind a news desk labeled “WMEO 9 – Thank you for watching.” The orange cat on the left and the black cat on the right pose like news anchors. A small gray toy mouse and a light‑brown teddy bear rest on the desk in front of them, with paw‑printed papers nearby. The background shows a softly blurred newsroom with glowing blue and red lights.

Banner (closing): That’s your WMEO Weekend Update — stay curious, stay chunky, and remember: in Katmai, size does matter.

Balboa: And so does the salmon count.

Ketchup or Catsup? Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Posted on September 20, 2026September 14, 2026 by Dusty Roads | No Comments

Eight different ketchup bottles from various brands arranged side by side against a solid red background, showing the variety of packaging styles and labels.

🍅 The Great Ketchup Debate

Every household has its battles. Some people argue about politics, some about the thermostat, and some about the proper way to fold a fitted sheet. But there’s one debate that has been simmering for generations:

Is it ketchup… or catsup?

Once upon a time, “catsup” was the popular spelling. Heinz even used it until 1988. But somewhere along the way, “ketchup” won the popularity contest, and now “catsup” mostly lives on in crossword puzzles and old cookbooks. Same condiment, different spelling — and people still have opinions.

And speaking of opinions…

To Refrigerate or Not to Refrigerate

Restaurants leave it out all day. Half the world leaves it out at home. Heinz says “refrigerate after opening.” Most people pretend they didn’t see that.

The debate continues.

Ketchup as Medicine?

Believe it or not, ketchup started out as a health food. In the early 1800s, it wasn’t even made from tomatoes — it was a concoction of mushrooms, walnuts, or fish, and doctors prescribed it as a digestive aid. Someone even tried selling ketchup pills as a cure‑all.

Imagine going to the doctor and being told to take two ketchup tablets and call in the morning.

What’s With the Number 57?

Heinz didn’t have 57 varieties. He just liked the number. It sounded good, looked good, and stuck. Marketing magic at its finest.

The Glass Bottle Struggle

If you grew up with the old glass bottles, you know the dance:

Tip the bottle
Shake the bottle
Plead with the bottle
Suddenly get half the bottle at once

The secret? Tap the 57 on the neck. That’s the sweet spot Heinz designed to get the ketchup flowing. Today everything is a squeeze bottle, but the memory of that struggle lives on.

What People Put It On

This is where things get personal.

Some folks put ketchup on eggs — scrambled, fried, omelets, you name it. Others think that’s a crime against breakfast.

Meatloaf? Ketchup isn’t just a condiment there — it’s practically the main ingredient. Mixed in, brushed on top, baked into a glaze… meatloaf without ketchup is just a loaf of meat trying to find itself.

And then there’s the hot dog debate. Are you a ketchup person? A mustard person? A “both, please” person? Chicago says ketchup is forbidden. New England says “put whatever you want, we’re not judging.”

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

So where do you stand?

Ketchup or catsup? Fridge or counter? Eggs or no eggs? Ketchup or mustard on hot dogs? Tap the 57 or shake the bottle like it owes you money?

One little red condiment… so many opinions.

A sliced meatloaf sits on a white plate, topped with a thick, glossy red glaze. The inside looks moist and finely textured, with small bits of seasoning visible. A fork rests near the edge of the plate, suggesting it’s ready to be served.

When a Chore Turns Into a Treasure Hunt

Posted on September 19, 2026September 16, 2026 by Dusty Roads | No Comments

Two deer standing in a sunlit grassy clearing surrounded by dense green foliage.

Rediscovering Hidden Gems in My Photo Archives

Dolphins swimming together at the ocean surface with their dorsal fins visible above the water. When I started The Great Photo Tagging Project, I was doing everything I could not to feel overwhelmed. My archives had grown to more than 10,000 photos, and most of them weren’t tagged. Any time I needed a specific picture, I had to scroll endlessly—unless I happened to remember the exact year and month I took it.

Take Hawaii, for example. I started traveling there in 2008 and went annually for years. I have hundreds of photos from those trips, but no clue which year a particular shot belonged to. Finding one specific image felt nearly impossible.

To make matters worse, I didn’t know about tagging when I began blogging. I’d find a photo, use it, and then toss it right back into the black hole of the untagged archives. So when I finally decided to tackle this project, it felt daunting.

The Slow March Through the Backlog

At first, everything went smoothly. I was happily tagging away, and I made a rule: any new photo gets tagged immediately so I don’t add to the backlog. Somewhere along the line, though, the fun faded. Tagging became a chore.

Still, I was determined. I’d skip a day or two, then come back and knock out a page of 20 photos, slowly working my way backward through the years.

I’m currently in November 2016, inching my way toward the very beginning of the archive—January 2011. Some months are easy with just 10 or 20 photos. But then I hit a trip month and suddenly I’m staring down 300 images. Momentum? Slowed.

When the Chore Became a Treasure Hunt

But recently something unexpected happened. Without a car, I haven’t been able to get out and take new photos, so I’ve been relying on the archives. And as I started reviewing images in small batches, I began noticing things I’d completely missed before.

Treasure #1: The Puffin

I once waded through more than 200 puffin photos during post‑processing and somehow missed a gem. But while tagging, I enlarged one tiny puffin and—there it was—the iconic mouthful‑of‑fish shot I thought I’d missed forever. My first treasure.

Close‑up of an Atlantic puffin with a mouthful of fish, revealing details missed in the original thumbnail.

Treasure #2: Haleakala

I’ve always loved my Haleakala photo, but my artistic eye said it was a little flat. When I rediscovered it during tagging, I decided to give it a little post‑processing love. Suddenly it had punch, depth, drama. Treasure number two.

Vibrant, enhanced photo of Haleakala’s volcanic terrain with sharp detail and dramatic cloud formations.

Treasure #3: The Submarine Shots

Then came two photos taken from a submarine. Shooting through thick porthole glass isn’t ideal, but with a little editing magic, those images transformed from “nice memory” to “something really special.”

The transformed shipwreck image showing rich color, marine life, and dramatic underwater detail after post‑processing.

Vibrant, enhanced photo of three spotted eagle rays swimming across the ocean floor, showcasing their patterns and graceful movement.

Finding Beauty in the “Ugly Ducklings”

Now I’m energized again. I’m not just tagging my inventory—I’m hunting for hidden gems. I’m looking for those overlooked, imperfect photos that just need a little love to become beautiful swans.

And honestly? I can’t wait to find my next treasure.

What about you? Have you ever looked at an old photo with new eyes and discovered a treasure hiding in plain sight?

WMEO — King Richard’s Faire Update

Posted on September 18, 2026September 16, 2026 by Dusty Roads | No Comments

This is a WMEO Faire Update- We Meow – You Listen

WMEO BREAKING NEWS: King Richard’s Faire Update live from the WMEO News Desk, where professionalism rules and metal clothing is strictly off‑limits.

Banner: King Richard’s Faire is now in full swing in Carver, Massachusetts. The kingdom is open weekends only — Saturdays and Sundays — through October 25. There’s one remaining Monday opening on Columbus Day, October 12, for those who enjoy jousting on a federal holiday.

Please note, that means no weekday jousting. If you show up on a Wednesday, you’ll be dueling with the empty parking lot.

Banner: What medieval mischief is this now?

Balboa: I am Sir Balboa of the Shiny Shirt, Protector of the Realm!

Banner: You look like you lost a fight with a colander.

Balboa:At least I dressed for the Faire. You dressed for a tax seminar.

Banner: I am dressed for journalism. You’re dressed for a Renaissance‑themed tin can recycling program.

Balboa: Jealousy is unbecoming of a peasant.

Banner: Call me a peasant again and I’m reporting you to the Department of Cat Armor Safety.

Final Notes on King Richard’s Faire

Banner: King Richard’s Faire continues every weekend through October 25, featuring jousts, artisans, food, entertainment, and questionable fashion choices. Review ticket prices for your chosen date, enjoy free parking, and pick a costume that won’t make you sound like a bag of forks falling down stairs.

Balboa : Duty calls. I’m off to the jousting tournament — someone has to defend the newsroom’s honor.
>Banner: Just don’t poke anyone with your lance before the credits roll.

Banner : This has been your WMEO update. May your turkey legs be large, your jousts be loud, and your cats be… less like this.