Maui: Monday, December 7, 2009

Today we woke at the crack of dawn – well, 6:30 isn’t so hard I guess when you’re still used to Phoenix time. Being Pearl Harbor Day (and the 2nd consecutive year I’ve spent this official holiday on the Hawaiian Islands) it would be fitting to go visit the Arizona Memorial. However we weren’t staying on Oahu and an expensive day trip there just didn’t seem worth it, so we’ll have to do that on our next visit instead. :)

We jumped in the car and drove up to Haleakala Crater. If you’ve ever made that drive, then you know that it’s lovely. With a lovely drive often comes a nail-biting, cliff-edge-with-no-guardrail experience, and this was no exception. Additionally, the drive was a lengthy 2 hours, though only about 45 minutes of it was so harrowing.

Once we finally arrived at the trail head on top of the volcano (elevation 10,000 feet) we met our guide Ra, who helped us and three others in our group mount our horses. Mine was an appaloosa named Lucy Liu. Terry rode a beautiful and stocky Belgian draft horse named Chuck. We learned from Ra that Chuck is a big fan of beer, which seemed fitting.

Ra, on Flash, led us on the 2-hour ride down the crater wall to the very bottom. At times even our horses didn’t want to step down the rocky ledges and admittedly sometimes I had to close my eyes. Even the smoothest paths were lined on one side by a steep, rocky hill and on the other by a steeper, ashy descent to the crater floor.  Just one slip of a horse’s hoof and both horse and rider would easily plummet down the crater wall with nothing to stop them until they get to the very bottom.

Some of the path was smooth, rocky steps that the horses had to use as a staircase to the next portion of the trail. I could always tell when we were coming to a scary step because Lucy just stopped on the path and made me wonder if she might be part stubborn donkey. Many kicks and sometimes a crack of the reins got her going but it seemed strange to me that I had to coax my horse down a path I myself really didn’t want to go. At one point she even kept looking back at me as if to say, “are you serious?”

Terry was much more fortunate – Chuck was a good horse and seemed to be predisposed to the Hawaiian laid back, take it as it comes philosophy. Didn’t have any qualms about going where he was supposed to, didn’t try to eat any bushes or wander off the trail. The only time he gave Terry any trouble was when Terry forgot the guide’s implicit instructions not to remove his hat. Horses have a 360 degree line of vision and when they can’t immediately identify an object they are “hard wired” as Ra says, to assume it’s a predator. Well Chuck did freak out, causing quite a ruckus, enough for Terry to meet some fortunately soft volcano ash on the crater floor. Lucky Terry, it happened on the softest and widest part of the trail – no sharp lava rocks (which resemble ocean coral) and no endless slope to slide into oblivion as in most of the rest of the trail. Terry was up, unscathed and back on Chuck within minutes with nothing hurt other than maybe his pride.

The scenery from the crater was very strange. Lava rocks were the overall appearance of the moon, but the colors (blacks and deep reds due to iron) were more like what you’d expect on Mars. The mountains were smooth and soft, and puffy white clouds gathered among them in the distance.

Finally, 2500 feet below our starting point, we reached the volcano’s floor and enjoyed a picnic lunch of sandwiches, chips and fresh pineapple. It doesn’t sound like much but we were ravenous and that combined with the atmosphere just made it a lovely experience. We did have to fight off some pesky nene (birds) who greeted us immediately upon our arrival. I had a feeling they knew it was chow time and any time one of us turned our backs on our food there were upon it, ready to feast on whatever they could.

Aside from the birds’ coos and our own chatting the crater floor was nothing but silence until we were just packing up and heard some hikers coming down in the distance. The acoustics were incredible – the shape of the slopes, along with the lack of wind and other noises allowed us to hear them when they were in the far distance.

We packed up our stuff, visited the mens’ and ladies’ bushes and headed back up the long trail for another 2 hour ride. Although it was easier for us going up than down, I think it was harder on some of our horses, especially Lucy who was sluggish and even more stubborn than before. Poor girl. As we neared the top of the trail our guide told us we only had about a mile left to go. It was about then that I started feeling ill, as if I was going to throw up and something else I can’t describe other than I just didn’t feel “right”. That on top of the extreme pain in my ankles, knees, calves and thighs made me very glad that end was near, but that last part of the ride was definitely the longest. At one point I thought I might have to jump off the horse and puke onto the side of the trail, which was really gross because there weren’t any bushes or anything to hide behind.

Finally we made it back to the top but both Lucy and I were more than ready for it to end. I had a hard time dismounting and then immediately felt the need to sit down. I noticed my hands were shaking and had that sick feeling worse than ever. Ra recognized it as elevation sickness, something I never experienced before, but then never had the occasion to. He recommended we leave and get down to some thicker air before it got worse, so we said farewell to Ra and the horses and made our way down the curvy road.

As we descended the volcano mountain, I started feeling better. The view was lovely – we were high above the cloud line and at one point I even saw a jet plane flying lower than us. It was a long drive back to the hotel but we made it, very tired and very sore. We decided there was no way we wanted to get back in the car so we just had dinner at the overpriced hotel restaurant and called it a night.

Maui: Sunday, December 6, 2009

As I predicted, we were up early. I don’t know whether we’ll ever adjust to the time and since we’re on vacation I’m not sure I really want to. There’s not a whole lot to do here at night and getting up early to enjoy the beautiful mornings is so worth it.

This morning we didn’t spend a lot of time in the room, we jumped in the car and drove to Safeway to pick up some breakfast items. We got cereal, milk, yogurt, chips, cheese, crackers and what would soon become our cocktail of choice, POG (passion fruit – orange – guava juice) and Malibu coconut rum. We packed the fridge back at the hotel, enjoyed a quick, light breakfast and got a little more beach time in.

After a while we decided to drive North a bit, to see what was there. I remember from last year that the Ritz Carlton Kapalua was up that way, but I didn’t have a car at that time and really didn’t get off property much due to a very packed meeting agenda. We drove past it a little way, then soon found ourselves among twisty, turny, tropical roads where when they say “15 miles per hour” they mean “15 miles per hour”. I had looked in my guide book and knew that there were some interesting stops along this road, so we did a couple pull-offs to admire some really pretty views.

The waves were really big and actually quite dangerous. We had overheard some hotel workers talking about how a woman and her daughter were caught up in them the previous day, and once someone finally realized they were calling for help, it was too late. They were in the hospital, but “unresponsive”. I guess looks can be deceiving – the waves don’t look too ominous, but with the beach being so steep and the water surging a certain way, people easily get thrown around and banged up against the beach or even carried out seaward from the undertow. Sad as this phenomenon is, it makes for very exciting surfing. We did see quite a few surfers in some spots, obviously enjoying themselves.

Some other interesting sights we got to experience were not so pleasant. We drove by a pull-off area where someone had taken a skinned boar and draped it over a large rock. It had quite the collection of flies and honestly reminded me of Lord of the Flies which I was forced to read by my junior high English teacher. Gross.

Another pull-off point we encountered seemed to have a lot happening there, as there were quite a few cars. We parked, got out and noticed quite a few signs reading “KEEP OUT” and “PRIVATE PROPERTY”. But heck, why should we listen? Look how many other people are here? Besides, we could always just play the “stupid tourist” card. One other sign which we’re still not sure about, read “COLD COCONUT.” I wonder now if that was some sort of code?

Anyway we walked along a very extremely rocky “beach” area which ended up being more like a cove. There were seacliffs on both sides and a few surfers enjoying the waves. We enjoyed the scenery but also felt some eyes on us as though we didn’t belong there. So we didn’t really dawdle, got back in the car and continued up the road.

Just a little further there was an area where again there were many cars so I pulled off, figuring there must be something here that was interesting enough. We got out and noticed some people hiking toward the sea. Why not? Let’s see what they’re looking at? A few steps later Terry exclaimed, “Cool! Look at that!” It was a huge blowhole, resembling a geyser, set in a rocky area near the coastline. It was the Nakalele blowhole, the very thing I was looking for to surprise him (thank you to my guide book Maui Revealed for the tip). We were instantly excited and really wanted to get closer and experience it. The only caveat – several hundred feet of sharp lava rock lining a deep descent.

Definitely not an easy hike. Definitely not a fun one. Definitely not something I would recommend while wearing flip flops as we were. Especially not my $2.50 Old Navy flip flops. Honestly getting down was not too difficult once I learned to take my time and choose my path carefully. Only one time did I nearly slip due to sandy conditions, which probably would have happened even with sneakers or hiking boots. I’m guessing it took us a good 20+ minutes to hike down to the bottom but once we finally made it, we realized how worth it that climb down was.

There were only two other people at the hole, a very nice couple from Vancouver named Jen and Larry. Can you believe that? The four of us took turns taking photos and videos of each other getting doused by the blowhole and finally when we thought we had enough photographic evidence, we put the cameras aside and just enjoyed the experience together. Honestly this was the most fun I have had in a long time.

I didn’t want to get my camera too close for fear of getting it wet and rendering it useless forever, so I’ll have to describe the blow hole. It is a natural 3-foot-wide hole in a very large, flat rock. It is pink inside, and quite smooth, with some very interesting round starfish which looked almost like  one-inch, black buttons. Underneath is obviously a pocket where water fills up. When the sea is as rough as it has been, the waves crash into the pocket, causing the air and water pressure to spit water straight out into the air (I’m guessing as high as 50 feet or more). At some points it instead heaved out large, heavy swells of white seafoam and water, completely drenching whomever is standing next to the hole.

This photo was taken from quite a distance away – at this point, the blowhole is shooting water up about 100 feet into the air, to give you some perspective.

When we finally had enough of the blowhole, we started our climb back up the rocky hill. Cheap flip flops are not made for hiking over steep, sharp lava rocks, but cheap WET and MUDDY flip flops are certainly not made for it either. At one point I was so focused on getting my footing that I took a wrong turn and ended up on a cliff’s edge. It was a happy accident though, because I discovered a rock with a hole, perfectly shaped into a heart. Very cool.

Back on track, and making my way up the hill I slipped too many times. Finally I discovered that a flat, sandy area, a flat, muddy area or a flat rock was best taken barefoot. That helped a bit, and after a long, truly exhausting climb, we made it back to the car, sore and tired, and more than ready to go back to the hotel.

Full of dirt, ash, dried sweat and sea salt, we both took some much-needed showers and I mixed up some pre-dinner cocktails. We discovered the most delicious beverage ever and named it the “Tropical Storm”. All it is, is POG mixed with Malibu rum. BEST. DRINK. EVER! I have to say, this cocktail is the equivalent of our love affair with gelato when we were in Rome.

After enjoying cocktails, we headed off to Lahaina Town for dinner. We walked along the streets and poked into a few shops. One art gallery had some wonderful prints of retro advertising, something Terry and I are both very fond of. We stepped in to a gift shop where Terry found a cowboy-style hat that looks great on him, and we picked up some T-shirts for the kids. We opted to eat at Kimo’s, a rooftop restaurant overlooking Lahaina Beach . Another sunset dinner and more mai tais – life was good! I enjoyed my filet mignon immensely but saved room for their famous dessert, Hula Pie: Oreo crust with macadamia nut ice cream.

Completely full, we walked back towards the car, but were sidetracked by Cheeseburger in Paradise. We went upstairs to the bar which was loaded with kitschy Hawaiian tiki décor, license plates and plastic cheeseburgers. Terry enjoyed a local beer called Longboard and I had a Pina Colada, while we engaged in conversation with the bartender, a really friendly and nice guy.

Drinks at Cheeseburger in Paradise.

Exhausted (again) and thoroughly stuffed (again), we made our way back to the car and drove back to the hotel to crash for the night. Having fun is hard work!

Maui – Saturday, December 5, 2009

Early flight out, Phoenix to Honolulu. Our seats on the plane were not the best, but not the worst either. The 6-1/2 hour flight was long and uneventful, and well worth it once we landed in Honolulu. We had time to grab a quick lunch and enjoy a fruity cocktail before our transfer to Kahului airport in Maui. Spent entirely too much time at the rental car desk, but once that was sorted out we had chosen a zippy-looking red Mitsubishi Eclipse 2-door coupe. You surely can’t judge a book by its cover – the car was sporty and sleek on the outside but it wasn’t long before we realized it was not really a great choice. It’s not easy to get in and out of, and it has many, many blind spots. One thing it does have is good acceleration which barely makes up for its complete lack of turning radius. But enough about the car… we’re in Hawaii!

We checked in to our hotel room, with a nicely appointed king bed, LCD TV and a balcony overlooking a parking lot, rooftops and to the side, Ka’anapali Beach. Not the best view, but not too bad. We can see Molokai and quite a bit of water. I’ve certainly stayed in worse rooms than this. It is nice and clean, and the bed is surprisingly comfortable too. One of the best things which I find in so few hotels, is that the lamps on the bedside tables have outlets built in, so we are able to charge our phones as we sleep without moving the mattress to look for the outlet. It’s amazing more hotels do not have this feature.

We honestly didn’t spend much time in the room, as it was mid-afternoon and we wanted to get some beach time in before the sun set. And we surely did. We changed into our swimsuits, grabbed a few towels, and headed down to the beach which was directly in front of our hotel. The water was a bit cool at first, but easy to get used to and just wonderful. Having never been to this particular beach before, I did notice the sand was a bit different than my other Hawaiian experiences – it was a bit more coarse than DT Fleming or Wailea. Still, the water was clean and warm and what more do you want in a beach?

After some time there, we walked up to the pool area and enjoyed a few cocktails while watching the sun set over Lana’i. Very pretty. With the 3-hour time difference our internal clocks were quite off. It was about 9:00PM at home, and we were famished. A quick shower, change and we hopped in the car for a 2-minute drive to nearby Whaler’s Village where we walked past some local and chain shops toward the beach. Though we had a few choices, we opted for the Barefoot Bar at the Hula Grill, despite a 30-minute wait. We decided to bide our time at the bar of the nearby Westin where we tried a local beer which I wasn’t too much a fan of honestly, it was a little too hoppy for my taste.

Finally when our table was ready we were led onto the beach area, where we sat and enjoyed the atmosphere of ocean waves, tiki torches and a beautiful Hawaiian breeze while eating our dinner. My burger (a patty topped with bacon and Maytag bleu cheese) was so good I can’t even remember what Terry had! Back to the hotel, exhausted, sound asleep by 9pm.

a hui hou

In just a few short days we’ll be in Hawaii. I am so excited! Of course because it’s such a beautiful place, but also because this time I won’t be there on business and best of all, will be able to share the experience with my husband, who I love so much!

While we’re there, of course we’ll be enjoying beaches and fruity cocktails, but one of the things I am really looking forward to is exploring Haleakala Crater on horseback. It’s a path that you can only go on foot – we’ll ride down for about 2 hours, enjoy a sack lunch, then ride back. The views should be spectacular and I can’t wait to take photos.

I really didn’t want to take my laptop but I don’t like to leave lots of images stored on my camera. If I can get online I’ll definitely post some to my Flickr page, so be on the lookout. Of course I also have a camera on my phone so I’ll upload some to Facebook as well.

Until then… here are some fun links!

• Translate English to Hawaiian
• Hawaiian words and phrases
• Hawaiian phrases you should know

Airport ponderings

I love airports. Yes, you heard me right – love them. I know, I’m an oddity. But tell me, where else but the airport could you spot a grown woman wearing bright pink galoshes, a little old man eating out of a homemade lunch pail, a platinum blonde diva with 4-inch heels, an entire family adorned with Mickey Mouse memorabilia and countless retired couples in matching attire? Where else would you find a businessman in a $2000 suit standing in line next to a vacationer in worn out flip flops, cutoff jean shorts and a Laguna Beach t-shirt? Airports are a stop within an itinerary that is not our norm. An interruption in our regular schedule, but a potentially welcome one.

Sure the airport has its share of annoyances. I’m actually at the Charlotte airport right now and already this morning have witnessed the usual ones. The guy on his Blackberry talking too loudly to notice hordes of travelers rushing by him. The intolerably long lines at the coffee/pizza/burger stand (or bathroom). My biggest pet peeve is the casual traveler who is oblivious to others around him/her – walking slowly, gazing around, then suddenly coming to a stop smack dab in the middle of the walkway to dig through his/her luggage for something (presumably his/her boarding pass?).

But there is something else about an airport that’s particularly exciting. Airports are our “holding area” – the place where we wait to be taken to somewhere else. Somewhere hot and sunny or somewhere cold where a warm fireplace awaits us. Somewhere new and adventurous or somewhere comfortable and familiar. Somewhere we’ll get to meet new people or somewhere that reunites us with those we love. And on the return trip, the airport is where we wait to be taken to the place we belong – home.

So as I wait for my flight (to somewhere many would call paradise) I will just sit back and people-watch. Wonder where these people are going, who they are going to see, and what circumstances are bringing them there. And that’s one of my favorite things to do.

Football, school, work and travels

Oh blog, how I have neglected you. I’m so sorry. I think with the advent of Facebook it’s just quicker and easier to post updates and photos there. But when this is done, details get left out and creativity is limited. On the other hand, I hate duplicating work, so I think my blog suffers for it.

We’re deep into the throes of football – yesterday was Justin’s 3rd game of the season. I have been collecting photos and videos to do another team video like last year, and hopefully even better. Terry is doing a great job of coaching the offense. It’s hard work – like a part time job. He takes it seriously and it shows in the results – the team is far better than last year at this time. It also helps that many of the players have been playing together for a couple years, and the several inches each player grew doesn’t hurt either. Justin himself grew 3″ from the end of last season to the beginning of this one!

The kids are also about 5 weeks into school. Eric is struggling as usual, but the other night he and I went to a college information presentation at the school and it was encouraging. He decided that he wants to go to a nearby community college for the first 2 years and get his Associates Degree in Aviation Electrical Mechanics or Airplane Mechanics, then continue to a state school for 2 more years and his Bachelor’s. We are thrilled that he has a plan, and also think this is a good one for him.

Justin continues to do well in school, maintaining a 3.3 GPA. He is loving 7th grade/Junior High and the world of “girls” is beginning to open up for him. The other night he went to the mall and got two phone numbers – one was for a girl in high school! Apparently he told her he was in 8th grade. Yes, looks like the fun is just beginning…

I have been very busy at work lately. I hired a new assistant who is doing well, but a lot of my time is spent training – of course I still need to get my own work done which is touch, especially since I’ve been traveling quite a bit. I was in Orlando for a site visit a few weeks ago, then last weekend was in Hollywood for a planning meeting followed immediately by a trip to Las Vegas for a trade show. Next month I will be going to the Caribbean – probably the Bahamas – for another site visit. Yes, it all sounds fun and glamorous – which I guess it kind of is – but it’s work all the same. Long days with clients, lots of walking hotel hallways and meeting space, ending with long fancy dinners, then doing it all again the next day. At least I’m raking in the frequent flyer miles and hopefully will get back to my preferred status soon – flying coach really sucks, especially when you fly as much as I do!

Of course we are very much looking forward to our vacation to Hawaii in December. That will be no work and all play and I’m even considering leaving my computer at home believe it or not. We’ll be spending 5 days on Maui (with a possible day trip to Lana’i) and then 3 days on the Big Island. I can’t wait to share a Hawaiian experience with Terry – as you may remember, when I was there last year (for work) was when he broke his elbow.

Well time to get ready for the football game – GO DAWGS!

Aloha!

Aloha friends and family! Guess where we’re going? Yes – that’s right – we’re going to Hawaii! Terry won the 5-night trip at his conference last week and we are so excited about it!

When I was there in December (for work) I visited Maui (Wailea and Ka’anapali), Oahu (Waikiki), Kauai (Poipu) and The Big Island (Kona). I distinctly remember standing on the beach in Wailea and thinking “I’ll have to try and figure out a way to come here with my husband someday – he would love it more than anything.” I guess this is my chance to share the experience with him! We’ve decided to stay on Maui (he had a choice of several islands) but I’m also hoping we can extend for a few days and visit the Big Island too. We’re not sure when we’re going yet either – probably after Justin’s football season ends. I hope we can find someone to watch the kids for us while we’re gone. Ugh all these details!

Overshadowed by this exciting news – earlier in the day (the day Terry won the trip) Terry got to experience ATVing for the first time, and he went parasailing too. It was quite a big day in Terryworld.

He’s home safe and sound now – returned last night. He’s taking the day off today to recoup but he’s also gearing up for football to start soon and has some work to do on that. He’s going to be the Offensive Coordinator for Justin’s team this year. It’s almost like a part-time job for him, but he loves it and it’s a great way for him and Justin to bond.

I’ve been going to Zumba classes at the local rec center. I really love it – it’s aerobics but with a Latin twist (music and moves). Really good exercise too. Our rec center is really nice – it has an indoor running track, a large gym with a perpetual basketball game, a multi-station rock climbing wall, raquetball courts and all the machines of a regular “paid membership” gym. The indoor track is key in this 112-degree heat.

This will be one of the hottest weekends of the summer and our pool is broken! The repair guy can’t make it out until Monday so we’ll be mooching off the neighbors all weekend. Hopefully they won’t mind too much.

Hope you’re all keeping cool and enjoying the summertime! Mahalo! Mele aloha!

Christmas 2008 Recap

Hey, looks like I actually have a few minutes to type something into my much-neglected blog. How ’bout that? Well I’ve been busy with work, a business trip to Hawaii and general family/holiday stuff. Last weekend I don’t think I even turned on my computer! That’s really wierd for me.

Our holiday was great – here’s a rundown of what we did:

• Watched both White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life for the first time ever.
• Had a cookie exchange which was fun and fattening – the best kind!
• Spent Christmas Eve at Jim & Kathy’s with other close friends as well. Enjoyed a multitude of “pointsettia” cocktails with the girls.
• Spent Christmas Day at Kevin & Kathy’s with even more friends (and some of the same from the evening prior).
• Exchanged presents – The “big” present was a pair of diamond stud earrings that Terry couldn’t wait to give me, and I haven’t taken off yet. I’m also enjoying a fuzzy robe from Eric and some awesome iPod speakers from Justin. I gave Terry an iPod Nano which he loves. Eric is enjoying his dumbbell set and PacSun gift card and Justin loves his new Wii games. We also got Jus an interface and software so he can compose music on the computer – we just haven’t set it all up yet.

Temps here are actually colder than our hometown! It’s only 46 and Fairport is at 55! At least the rain finally stopped – it’s been doing that on and off for almost 2 weeks now, and in case you didn’t hear on the news North Phoenix even got snow! I changed out our sheets last night and we’re on the cozy winter flannel ones now – they  made us not want to get out of bed this morning.

Today I’m looking forward to a mostly lazy day. We are going to pick up Terry’s new glasses at Wal-Mart later and then enjoy a nice quiet dinner at home. I’m thinking soup or chili or something warm and comforting.

Here’s some links to my latest photos:

• Click here for Christmas
• Click here for my Hawaii trip

PS – no we did not get a new dog (yet). The pooches you see in the photos are friends’ dogs that naturally gravitate to Justin. He has a way with the canines!