O’ahu , Pali Lookout

Posted on November 10, 2011November 10, 2011 by Dusty Roads

I’m not sure where I heard it but it seems to me someone told us that one of Oahu’s nicknames is the Rainbow Island and it was easy to see why. Each morning there were rainbows and again each afternoon. Our recreation deck was on the 29^th floor. The pool, hot tub and grills were located there. The first morning we were there I headed up bright and early and there it was…an almost perfect rainbow arching over the building. There was always a wonderful breeze thanks to the trade winds so even at 80 degrees at 8:00am, it didn’t feel hot. When you look from the 29^thfloor toward the ocean and Waikiki beach, you can see the pink building that is the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The Royal Hawaiian is an icon that has hosted such guests as Babe Ruth, President John F. Kennedy and numerous Hollywood Stars.We started our first full day in Honolulu by doing a little exploring on foot. We walked down to Waikiki Beach first and then worked our way back to the condo by going through the International Market Place. Every kind of souvenir and T shirt was available here. There were a couple of men with parrots outside and we spent some time with them taking pictures.

There was also a gorgeous mosaic wall that we just had to take pictures of too.

Then back to the condo to pick up the car and drive around a bit. We followed the coastline taking time out and stopping at every Scenic Overlook. It was just so beautiful. One spot that was a must see was the Pali Overlook and it did not disappoint. The views from here are magnificent! The official name is Nu’uanu Pali Lookout. Pali means cliff in Hawaiian. It was here that Hawaiian Warriors fought for control of the island. The King of O’ahu who also ruled Maui, Moloka’i and Lana’i sought to defeat Kamehameha, the ruler of Hawai’i but that wasn’t how things worked out. Kamehameha’s warriors forced the defenders of O’ahu back to the Nu’uanu Valley until they reached the Pali where many warriors refused to surrender, instead jumping over the cliff. With this victory Kamehameha gained the momentum he needed to unite the islands. This unification was completed around 1810 when Kaua’i (which was never defeated in battle) joined by treaty.

A century later when the first paved road was built through the mountains workers uncovered an estimated 800 skulls at the foot of the cliffs, the remains of those Hawaiian warriors lost in that fateful battle so many years before. There are story boards at the lookout that commemorate this event in Hawaiian history.

I took many pictures here because of the spectacular views and was pleasantly surprised when I was given a calendar with Hawaiian photographs to see that I had taken an almost identical picture of the Pali to the one in the calendar! Nice to know the pros liked that shot too .

After the drive we stopped at Hilo Hattie’s and that turned into a real shopping spree.
Hilo Hattie’s is the flagship store for Hawaiian apparel. I still visit their web site regularly.
Back at the condo we spend some time in the pool and hot tub before we headed down to dinner. There’s a buffet on the corner near us called Smorgy’s so that was our stop for dinner. Very convenient. There was a brook running through the restaurant and it was only partially roofed. The windows were open so birds flew in and out even joining us at the table. Might not be the most sanitary way to have dinner but no different than having a picnic and it was fun.

It doesn’t sound like we did all that much but in fact it was a very full day.

How we Spent our Morning In Brewster, MA

Posted on August 24, 2011August 24, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Brewster Ma is located on Cape Cod, a wonderful place almost anytime unless you dislike snow. But spring, summer and fall are certainly beautiful times to explore the Cape and Brewster is right in the middle.

Mapquest wanted us to get there by following route 6A. This is a great way to see the sights as the little country-style road meanders through all the little hamlets and towns along the coast of the Cape. However we had two young children in the car (Can you hear the famous query? “Are we there yet”) so we chose to take the Cape Highway also known as RT 6. It’s not as scenic but it’s certainly faster. We got off at the Dennisport exit and crossed the cape back to 6A South for our last little bit to our destination.

We were heading to the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.

The Museum is pretty tiny but it’s really well-appointed. The mission statement or purpose is to increase awareness of the environment around us.

There’s a library for research, an activity room where the kids can look at terrariums with snakes and toads, or enjoy the stuffed animals and birds in glass cases.

There was a video feed from the Osprey nest and a large window looked out on bird feeders and bird baths. There were binoculars supplied to help with the bird watching.

In the short time we were there I spotted a family of cardinals, a yellow finch as well as an assortment of sparrows. The chipmunks were in attendance too.

There’s also a long activity table where the kids can color or trace the animals etched on the surfaces.

Downstairs was a small aquarium with local fish, crabs, lobsters and turtles. The jelly fish tank is a see through tank. Everyone was taking pictures through the tank, myself included.

A large shallow tank that looked like a “touch tank” was really a “No Touch tank” which was monitored by a volunteer who answered questions and pointed out the various creatures.

She also made sure that no little fingers made their way into the tank. This was a bit of a disappointment for the kids but there were quite a few animals in this tank that would not do well with handling.

The museum is set on the edge of a salt marsh and mud flat but there is no admission for the trails. The only admission is charged for going into the museum itself. Even that is nominal, less than $10.00 per person.

You can go through the museum fairly quickly as we did with 2 energetic children towing us along but if you are an adult and go without the kids , you may want to linger at some of the exhibits or sit in the comfy chairs in front of that big window and spend some time bird watching. I could have spent more time there without question. But today’s trip was for the kids and we moved at their energetic pace.

If you get to Brewster this is definitely worth a stop.

Audubon Education Center, Bristol RI

Posted on August 18, 2011August 18, 2011 by Dusty Roads

I finally took the time to try to find the Audubon Education Center again. Last time I tried to find it was back in the spring and I never did locate it. Got some great pictures of swans but didn’t find the center. So Today was a beautiful day, low humidity, a nice breeze, sunny, 80+…what more could you ask for on a summer afternoon? A good day to get lost…correction, go sight-seeing.

According to mapquest, and anyone who has ever used mapquest know that’s not the most reliable source, but anyway, according to mapquest the Center is about 30 minutes from my home. Perfect. So after lunch at about 1:30 I hopped in the car and headed off. Everything was fine until I got to the intersection of RT 103 & 136. There was supposed to be a RT 114 but there wasn’t any. I know where 114 is near the MT. Hope bridge so I drove down there.

I even crossed the bridge but there was no Hope St. I turned around in the parking lot for Mount Hope Animal Hospital so I decided to stop in there and ask.

It was back over the bridge but just past Roger Williams University I took a left fork. That was RT 114 North. It’s a beautiful road. In fact the sign called it Scenic RT 114. It is also Hope St! Yeah, making progress, sort of. I was on the wrong end. The house numbers were in the 200’s. I was looking for 1401. Got a ways to go. Good thing it’s Scenic. 🙂

I made one stop because I spotted a great white egret in a pond by the side of the road. It was wading around and catching fish. It was getting a very good lunch. I sat on a stone wall and took pictures for a while.

It reminded me of my last trip to Florida. Finally I figured it was time to move on or I wouldn’t get to the Center today either.

The road follows the coastline and then turns inland a little to pass through a section of little shops.

Leaving the “village” behind I eventually spotted the sign for the Audubon Center.

It’s a beautiful new building with class rooms and a gift shop. Adult admission is only $6.00 and if you have AAA you get $1.00 off that. After I paid my admission I talked with a volunteer for a bit. Turns out that I didn’t have to pay the admission if I only wanted to walk the trail. That’s free. The admission is for the exhibits.

I didn’t mind paying it this time as I wanted to check everything out. The first exhibit was really cool. I could see kids getting a big kick out of it. Behind a darkened glass is a diorama of a cornfield. There are 3 lighted buttons. When you press them a section of the cornfield lights up. There’s skunk, an owl and a 3rd animal. Then there is the meadow exhibit and a Woodchuck Den that you can walk into and look around. There’s a salt marsh

and a tidal pool.

They have raptors like hawks

and owls.

There’s a sculpture of the seals

that make their home in the bay and a huge Right Whale. The fish exhibits are live fish.

Leaving the center you follow the path to the trail and travel through all of the different habitats.

They have a butterfly garden too.

You enter through a hedge tunnel and find little benches where you can sit surrounded by flowers and watch the butterflies and bees. I saw loads of Monarch butterflies and even one yellow Swallowtail butterfly.

Growing up I collected butterflies and I would have loved to see a Swallow Tail alive like that.

I wandered down past the meadow

and as I approached the woods that led to the marsh I spotted a large bird over the tree tops. I wasn’t sure if it was a hawk or an ospry but it was clearly a predator. I suspected a hawk because I think it was too far inland for the osprey but I could be wrong. It was out of sight very quickly so I turned my attention to the path entering the woods.

I liked the boardwalk over the marsh. It’s the longest part of the trail. It ends at Narragansett Bay. The grasses are taller than I am. There were wildflowers sprinkled through the cattail and sea grass.

The trail is about 7/10 of a mile so it isn’t long or hard, perfect for a leisurely stroll.

I watched some boat traffic on the bay and then turned around to retrace my steps.

As I looked at the green algae-covered marsh I wondered if anything was alive in there with the water so low. As if in answer a little head poked up and there was a frog.

I looked a bit more and spotted several other frogs. In the brush by the water I saw some kind of bird moving too.

As I left the forest to rejoin the meadow I spooked the same hawk again. This time it was a lot closer. It took off from the tall grass and brush right in front of the trees. I must have jumped a mile, I bobbled the camera and when I actually got it in my hands realized it wasn’t even turned on. Mr. Hawk wasn’t waiting around for me to get my act together so I missed a great shot.

I continued to trudge up the path as I mentally chastised myself for such a stupid mistake. Some wildlife photographer I’d make! Past experience has taught me to always be ready with the camera ON! See what happens when you break that basic rule?

Anyway a little farther up the path was a bench. I thought, I’ve seen him twice. He was clearly feeding this time. If I sit quietly could I be lucky enough to see him a 3rd time? I decided to give him 1/2 hour to return. I got the camera ready and settled in to wait. It didn’t take 1/2 hour. It was only about 10 minutes when I spotted him winging back toward the brush. Unfortunately he was keeping the trees behind him and staying in shadow. No way to get a picture.

He flew into the trees and I just sat quietly waiting. Another 10 minutes went by. I was just about to give up when he shot out of the trees and up into the sky giving me a clear shot. Because of the angle of the sun it would have to be a silhouette but I’ll take what I can get.

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That was the last chance. He made a couple of passes over me and then took off behind the tree line.I could hear his “keee keee” call so I knew he was gone for now. It was almost 5 pm anyway and the Visitor Center hours end at 5 pm. Time to head home.

Going home I followed RT 114 north through East Providence until it crossed RT 44. I made a right on RT 44 and was homeward bound. Much easier if a little longer than Mapquest’s directions.

The Audubon Educational Center is located at 1401 Hope St, Bristol, RI and is a great place to spend an afternoon.

Massachusetts Urban “wildlife”

Posted on August 17, 2011August 17, 2011 by Dusty Roads

My day trips have been cut a bit short because one of my kitties may be sick. I say “may be” because there are a bunch of subtle signs which may or may not mean anything. Like me, they are getting older and a bit more “creaky”. Complicating the puzzle is that I don’t know which kitty is having the issues. They are both acting pretty normal so this has prompted a visit to the vet and blood panels. Not cheap.

Editor in Chief

Rocky, our Editor- in- chief, went first. I should have preliminary results in a day or two.

Then it will be Smokey’s turn. Smokey is actually the older of the 2 cats so statistically , he should be having age related issues before Rocky but who knows. We all age differently.

Smokey

So between worrying about the “boys” and finding myself cash poor from the vet bills, I haven’t been able to explore too far from home.

But even with those restrictions I still managed to run across a bit of urban wildlife. Last year I watched a Ground hog all summer as it nibbled the grass right next to busy route 44.

I saw it a couple of time this summer but not as often as before…until today. I think I know why it hasn’t been quite so prominent. It has a family. Today there were 3 of them. One larger one and 2 smaller ones.

I’d tried to photograph them before but they seemed more skittish this year than last so I tried something different today. I parked across the road in the Wendy’s parking lot and tried to time the pictures between the passing cars.

The bigger one has a much darker face and head. It’s a big one!

Something scared them off before I got the camera set up but I waiting around and pretty soon 2 of them came back out. Clearly the traffic doesn’t bother them.

I didn’t see the third one again.

A Favorite Repeated~Hawaii

Posted on August 8, 2011August 8, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Back when I was just trying out this blogging stuff I was using a different platform. I thought that it might be nice to share some of those old posts now and then. I’m dipping into that now as I just did not have time to put the finishing touches on my post for today. At lot of changes were made at work while I was away and as I try to wrap my little brain around them I’m finding that I am coming home to brain fog, no clear thoughts to write about. I have today off so hope I’ll get back on track but in the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy a story from the trip to O’ahu that my sister and I took a couple of years ago.

O’ahu , Pali Lookout

There was always a wonderful breeze thanks to the trade winds so even at 80 degrees at 8:00am, it didn’t feel hot. When you look from the 29^thfloor toward the ocean and Waikiki beach, you can see the pink building that is the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The Royal Hawaiian is an icon that has hosted such guests as Babe Ruth, President John F. Kennedy and numerous Hollywood Stars.

We started our first full day in Honolulu by doing a little exploring on foot. We walked down to Waikiki Beach first and then worked our way back to the condo by going through the International Market Place.

Every kind of souvenir and T shirt was available here. There were a couple of men with parrots outside and we spent some time with them taking pictures. There was also a gorgeous mosaic wall that we just had to take pictures of too.

Pali means cliff in Hawaiian.

It was here that Hawaiian Warriors fought for control of the island. The King of O’ahu who also ruled Maui, Moloka’i and Lana’i sought to defeat Kamehameha, the ruler of Hawai’i but that wasn’t how things worked out. Kamehameha’s warriors forced the defenders of O’ahu back to the Nu’uanu Valley until they reached the Pali where many warriors refused to surrender, instead jumping over the cliff. With this victory Kamehameha gained the momentum he needed to unite the islands. This unification was completed around 1810 when Kaua’i (which was never defeated in battle) joined by treaty.

There are story boards at the lookout that commemorate this event in Hawaiian history.
I took many pictures here because of the spectacular views and was pleasantly surprised when I was given a calendar with Hawaiian photographs to see that I had taken an almost identical picture of the Pali to the one in the calendar! Nice to know the pros liked that shot too .