Across the Gorge

Posted on January 17, 2017January 17, 2017 by Dusty Roads

As you have probably figured out from my recent posts, things are a bit slow around here. I think even the new stations are having a tough time. Today the lead story was a fire in Seattle, 3000 miles away!

Around here the weather is unseasonably warm and any precipitation has been rain. In fact our f00t & 1/2 snow storm has all melted away. The landscape now is brown and drab. Not very inspiring for photos.

With no new photos to edit I took the time to start working through more of the pictures from Hawaii. Although I took a lot (according to the picture count on the camera over 600), not all are anything I want to share. When we took the trip on the Road to Hana many of the pictures had to be taken while our tour bus was moving and often someone from the other side of the bus would pop up and get in the frame so they could get a picture with their cell phones. There wasn’t much consideration.

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Sometimes the only shots were directly into the sun so exposure was a problem, not to mention that they were taken through the bus windows. I know it sounds like excuses and I still value those shots for the memories but they are not what I would share if I want to “Show off”.

But I did run across one that I really like even if it has some issues. So here it is.

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I like this one because you can see a tour bus pulled over near the bridge. That’s a one lane bridge. We had just crossed the bridge and the road made a hairpin turn setting us up to be able to look back at where we had just come from. Without that bus to give a sense of scale, this would just be another roadside waterfall.

Bye Bye Maui

Posted on December 14, 2016December 14, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Every Hawaiian Island has its own flavor. Different paces and feelings.

The Big Island will always hold a special place in my heart. Maybe because it was the first Island we visited?

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But Oahu was special too. It was a much more urban Island. After all, it’s the “Gathering Place.” But Oahu will always be linked to Pearl Harbor for me. Very emotional. Everyone should visit the Arizona Memorial. Watching the History Channel specials about the Pearl Harbor attacks took me right back to the feeling I experienced the day of my visit.

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Maui falls somewhere in between. It seemed to have more commercial/urban areas but there was a lot of unspoiled area too. Of the 3 islands Maui was the hardest to drive around. The “Road to Hana” was without question the most dangerous and challenging. Its the only island I did not drive around completely myself. We took the tour.

We didn’t get into the interior too much. That area is the wet section and is probably similar to the Hilo area on the Big Island. The road to the interior was washed out and closed. I hope to explore it more when I go back in February.

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Maui was filled with things to do. We kept busy on the sea , in the air and under sea. We filled our days with sunset dinner cruises and luaus, helicopter rides over Haleakala and a submarine journey 127 ft under the sea. Great adventures all. And all in a tropical paradise.

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So which Island do I like the best now? I’m still not sure. I’m beginning to think it depends on what I want out of the trip.

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Its interesting that Sandy said the one regret she had about this vacation was that we didn’t go on the whale watch. That had been high on our must do list but the whales were just arriving while we were there. We probably would have seen some but the general scuttlebutt when i asked was that it would be a blow or a tail here or there. Not the wild antics Hawaii is known for. That comes later in the season. So we, or maybe it was me, made the decision not to include a whale watch trip this time. Maybe with the wisdom of hindsight, that was a mistake.

We’ll just have to time it better next time we go. And there will be a next time!

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Some Final Thoughts on The Road to Hana

Posted on November 26, 2016November 26, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Early on in our drive we stopped at a park. I wish I had written down the name for you. Sandy and I had found it the week before in our explorations. It’s on the left as you travel toward Hana. If you like big waves, this is a spot to check out. When we first found it, it was so wild that there weren’t any surfers but the waves were mesmerizing.

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It was a calmer day when we stopped with the tour and surfers were out in force. Some were very young.

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There were also vendors with things like jewelry and souvenirs on display.

We made a stop at a red sand beach. It gets its color from the iron in the sand. It rusts!

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The little coral church we stopped at is Palapala Ho’omau Church, built in 1857, it’s known as the burial ground of prominent aviator, inventor, explorer, author and activist Charles Lindbergh.

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Forty-one years after his infamous non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, Charles moved to Maui and settled in the remote area of Kipahulu, seeking privacy, beauty and simplicity. You can find the grave of both Charles and his wife under the shade of a Java plum tree at the limestone coral church.

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A small choral group was practicing when we arrived. It was beautiful. We all stood respectfully while they sang Amazing Grace.

047 Our guide skipped the Garden of Eden stop which surprised me. I’d heard a lot about this attraction. Maybe he skipped it because there is a fee.

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“It’s worth paying to enjoy walking the grounds, which are immaculately kept up and offer all kinds of photo opportunities. Here you can see an 100 year-old mango tree, bamboo, ocean views and Puohokamoa Falls.”

You can find a list of stops online and many shops sell ‘Guided tour” CD’s but everything takes time.

Our guide did as best he could with the amount of time allowed. The 8 hour tour ended up being 12 hours so I’d have to say we got our money’s worth.

The Road to Hana

Posted on November 25, 2016November 25, 2016 by Dusty Roads

The Road to Hana has to be the number 1 attraction in Maui, or at least close to it. Everyone knows about the Road to Hana.

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To drive or to tour, that was the question. If we toured I could enjoy the scenery too. If we drive that would be out of the question. Then our concierge told us it was an 8 hour trip depending on how many stops we made. I like driving challenging roads but 8 hours? I could feel my shoulders get tense just thinking about it so tour it was. Another guide reminded us to take our Dramamine. Many Hana trekkers have been done in by car sickness on the bumpy, windy road.

Bright and early Sunday we were picked up in front of our resort. At first the road looked very familiar. It wasn’t long before we were passing through Paia. There was Mama’s Fish House on the left. I spotted the little roadside stand where we had turned around on our previous adventure looking for “Jaws”.

As we continued on the road became even more narrow. At times dropping to one lane wide.

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All of the bridges (there were 54 in all) were one lane so if you met another car someone had to wait but most bridges had a waterfall or deep gulch at the least.

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Once in Hana we stopped for a picnic lunch and a bit farther along a roadside stand to stock up on banana bread and Maui honey. There is nothing quite like Hawaiian Honey!

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We stopped at an ancient church made from coral that had survived devastating storms and tsunamis.

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At the 7 Sacred Pools our efforts to see them were thwarted.

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We only had 45 minutes and from the parking lot it was a good 15-20 minute hike. I talked to someone who tried to make it and he said he only had time to get to the top pool. Returning would have been all up hill. Of our tour group only 1 couple actually made it all the way down and back and they were late returning.

On the backside of Haleakala we hit the bumpiest section of the road. At one point we were right on the edge staring over a huge cliff.

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At another spot we got out to look out over deep gully. The trade winds were blowing with enough force to knock you over. There at the bottom of the ravine was an upside down crushed car. The driver had survived thanks to a passing guest on a tour like ours who spotted the injured man. It was a sobering story.

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Our tour lasted 12 hours. We arrived back at our resort in the dark; a long day. My take on the Road to Hana? Everyone should do this once and a tour is definitely the best way. If I go again I’ll drive but I won’t cover the whole distance. I’ll stop often so I can get the best photos and maybe stock up on more banana bread and honey.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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