2018 Maui

2018-1-25  through 2-22  Maui trip:

4 weeks in Maui!!!!  Longest we've ever vacationed in one spot.  I'm so anxious, I'm starting my blog a couple days early.  I'll get all the mundane stuff stuff out of the way:

Flights:  ATL-OGG
We're using award miles again.  This time we're using Alaska Airlines for our flights to OGG and AA for our flights back.  I booked the flights about 300 days out, knowing there would probably be changes before Jan. 25.  First one came while we were on vacation in S. Florida in May.  AA decided to eliminate our red eye flight out of OGG to LAX.  So they moved us up to a 2:30pm flight and changed our LAX - ATL flight to LAX - Charlotte (CLT) - ATL.  With an 8 hour layover in CLT!  I had to call twice before I got someone who could or would change the CLT flight to one with "just" a 1 1/2 hour layover.  Then in Nov.---while on an 11 night Caribbean cruise---our Alaska Airlines flight ATL - SEA got eliminated and we got an email telling us to call them.   So I called and they put us on a flight to SEA a day earlier and said they'll put us up in a hotel that night.  Then we would take our 10:30am SEA - OGG flight on the 25th.  So our really LONG travel day becomes 2 long travel days, but at least we don't have to get to the Atlanta airport by 4am!  As always, I kept checking our flights for better itineraries and/or seats.  On Jan. 20 AA put their non-stop LAX-ATL red eye on mile-saver award travel, so I was able to called and got us switched to that flight instead of LAX-CLT-ATL.  Now we'll get back into ATL about 7:30 am instead of noonish----just in time for the lovely Atlantic rush hour traffic!  As we're driving through the city to get to the north side I'll just keep reminding myself it's better then sitting in the Charlotte airport waiting for another flight!

Click on links below for photos and individual blog posts:

Accommodations --- Kahana Villas Resort and Worldmark Kihei

Car rental --- Nissan Pathfinder

Cameras this trip:  My Canon 60D DSLR with a Tamron 17-300mm zoom lens and a Tamron 150-600zoom lens (which I hoped to use for whale watching, but couldn't on the boat tours due to wet rides and the whales were too far from the beach to use it.  Only ended up using it to take pictures of the lunar eclipse.); and a TG-4 Olympus underwater camera. 

My Daily posts:

1-24-2018  Day -1 --- off to Seattle:

1-25-2-18  Day 2---SEA - OGG and settling in: 

1-26-2018  Day 3---snorkel Kahekili and Lahaina for sunset: 

1-27-2018  Day 4---snorkel Kapalua and Lahaina for sunset

1-28-2018  Day 5---Sea House breakfast, Napili bay, Kapalua snorkel, Kahana sunset, Lahaina 

1-29-2018  Day 6---the Fischers arrive!

1-30-2018  Day 7---trip up to the North/West side and the Super Blue Blood Moon:

1-31-2018  Day 8---snorkeling Kapalua with newbies

2-1-2018  Day 9---whale watching tour out of Lahaina 

2-2-2018  Day 10---move to the South side by way of Haleakala:  

2-3-2018  Day 11---checking out the high surf on the South side 

2-4-2018  Day 12---half the road to Hana

2-5-2018  Day 13---RAIN and Fischers leave

2-6-2018  Day 14---Oneuli whale watching and walking the Hoapili trail

2-7-2018  Day 15---a walk along the Wailea Walking Path 

2-8-2018  Day 16---snorkeling!  Kapalua and MM14

2-9-2018  Day 17---snorkeling Makena Landing 

2-10-2018 Day 18---snorkeling Ahihi and a walk along the path by Maluaka

2-11-2018 Day 19---snorkeling MM14 and sunset at Kam 1-2 

2-12-2018 Day 20---snorkeling Kam 3 and Po'olenalena

2-13-2018  Day 21---snorkeling Po'olenalena and The Dumps!

2-14-2018  Day 22---Valentine's Day Trilogy whale watching tour 

2-15-2018  Day 23---A rainy day, but a great sunset  

2-16-2018  Day 24---Kula Gardens, Hookipa turtles, Kam 1 sunset 

2-17-2018 Day 25---Snorkel Honolua!!!  and Kapalua, then off to Lahaina 

2-18-2018 Day 26---Water spout!  walking north of Kam 1 

2-19-2018 Day 27---Walk along the Kam beaches and disappearing ring

2-20-2018 Day 28---Snorkel Maluaka and Wailea

2-21-2018  Day 29---last day!!! So sad!

2-22 and 23-2018---heading home to ATL

Highlights and lowlights of this trip:  The biggest highlight was sharing vacation time with good friends for a week.  Biggest lowlight is apparently having my wedding ring stolen!  Another lowlight is my glasses disappearing in the ocean and having to get new ones made at LensCrafters.  Speaking of things disappearing---so did my hat!  Definitely too many lowlights!  Our trip ended with another highlight!---finding my assumed "stolen" ring! 

2018-2-22 and 23  time to go home  :( , but on a happy note! :)

OK, I'm feeling a bit stupid, but grateful!  My ring reappeared!  Yea!!!  Happened to be in my other carry on item (my c-pap machine bag)---which, by the way, we both had checked--multiple times!  Not like there are a bunch of compartments in it (like my camera bag has!)---it only has 2!!!  Still don't know how we both missed it; especially since there was nothing else in the bag!  But when I went to pack up the machine, there it was.  So I'll take stupid and happy any day under these circumstances!!!  But boy we could have avoided a lot of stress and aggravation if it had appeared sooner!  Although I did come out of it with another ring!!!  Wonder if I could get by with this strategy if I  plan it?!

Anyway---even though I'm always sad to be leaving Hawaii, I was feeling pretty happy after packing up the c-pap machine!  So happy, that when my phone started acting up, it didn't even phase me---much.  I could make a call, and the phone would ring if someone called, but I couldn't hear anything through the inside speaker of the phone.  Searched the internet for suggestions of what I might have accidentally done to cause that, but didn't have any luck.  Even texted my daughter-in-law who owned the phone previously.  She couldn't diagnose it over texts, either.

But, alas, it was time to hit the road and make our way to Costco for our last tank of gas, then off to the airport.  Our flight was a 2:02 flight on American Airlines.  Used miles from our credit card to fly free again.  Originally we were suppose to fly out later in the evening, but they eliminated that flight and put us on the 2:02 flight to LAX, then to Charlotte, then something like an 8 hour layover!, then to ATL on a puddle jumper.  A few weeks before our flight,  LAX-ATL red eye came available for the OGG-ATL super savers award points which made it the same amount of points that I had originally used (20,000), so I switched us to that flight.  Now we would get into ATL about 7am on the 23rd instead of evening.  Gotta love flying and all the flight schedule changes!!!

On our way to the airport, Ken asked if my Bluetooth headphones were on.   Good question!!!  So I shut the Bluetooth off on my phone and presto, the phone worked right again.  I had charged my bluetooth headphones the night before and must have inadvertently turned them on. With them close to the phone, sound was being sent to my headphones.  I've sure made this trip interesting!!!

Got to the airport about 11:15.  I dropped Ken off at the airport with the luggage and I went and returned the car for the past month--a Nissan Pathfinder SUV.  By the time I got back to the airport, Ken was already checked in.  Even paid to check our 3rd bag (2 of the 3 were actually carry on suitcases).  We got 2 free checked bags for being AA Citi card holders.  They wouldn't do a courtesy check at the ticket counter this time for the 3rd bag (like Alaska had done on the way out), so he paid the $35.  Of course, when we got to the gate, they were courtesy checking them.

(Once we were home, AA sent an email link to a survey on how our travel went.  As I was filling it out, it said if we had any "problems", feel free to email customer service.  I figured, why not?  So I emailed and mentioned the fee for checking the one carry on bag then finding out it was free at the gate.  In a couple days, they sent a voucher for the $35 to be used within a year.  They didn't have to do that, but I'm glad they did.  Used it for my flight to Jackson Hole in Sept. 2018.)

We were TSA PRE approved.  Got through security very quickly and to the gate with a couple hours to spare.  That's when I worked on the blog post for 2-21 and got it uploaded right as it was time to board.

It was a rainy day---It's so much nicer leaving on a dreary rainy day.  Or maybe it's just because I was still elated from finding my ring.  Also was nice that we had a row of 3 seats for the 2 of us.

 And we're off.  I was surprised how pretty the views were for take off with all the rain in the area. 

2018-2-21 Time to check out the pawn shops!

Woke up wanting to hit the beach again.  Thesnorkelstore.com gave South beaches another 8.  But I also wanted to do whatever I could to try and get my ring back.  So----off to a bunch of pawn shops!
First one was the pawn shop in Kihei.  Another 1st for me!  First time being in a pawn shop!  Rather interesting experience.  Lots of cool stuff in there!  Bet my nephew would love these paintings!

We immediately went to one of the employees and explained our plight.  He was very helpful and nice.  We learned the procedures for reporting a stolen item to them.  Nice to know that they are connected to the police site, too, so when they get stuff the police can check to see if it's there.  He had me email the picture and police report to their other 2 offices, too.  Then, of course, I looked around.
Boy, they have a lot of really nice stuff!  This was a fraction of the diamond rings.

2018-2-20  Snorkeling Maluaka and Wailea Beach

Woke up to another beautiful day!  Even the surf was cooperating!  According to www.thesnorkelstore.com, snorkeling at both the South and North beaches got a rating of an 8.  That's the highest rating I remember seeing yet.  So snorkeling was definitely in order.  So after I cooked up the last of the eggs for breakfast, we headed out.

It's been a few years since I've snorkeled at Ulua, Maluaka or Wailea Beach---usually they're pretty rough.  So we decided to check them out.  Ulua's parking lot was full, so we continued on.  Maluaka had availability.  I mentioned in a previous post that they did away with the  upper parking lot; I was wrong.  It's still there, the one I noticed the other day is the one for the boat workers and construction vehicles.  So we were able to get a parking spot way up the hill.
Maluaka

 Looking towards the snorkel area.

2008-2-19  Walk along the Kam beaches, snorkel Ahihi.

The weather forecast talked about there being more rain in the forecast.  So I was surprised when I looked outside and saw blue skies and not a cloud in the sky.    It was definitely time to get out and enjoy the beautiful blues of the ocean again.  So I took another walk.  This time South from our condo----along Kam 1, 2, and 3.
This is Kam 1.  Lots of people were already out enjoying the ocean. 

I expected the water to be pretty brown, but it looked good! 

2018-2-18 walking around Kihei, waiting for the rain

The forecast said it was going to rain.  It also said it was going to flood.  It also said the ocean was murky.  So I woke up and expected it to be pouring.  It wasn't.  After sitting around the condo awhile, I decided to take a walk.  I did leave my DSLR back in the condo and took my waterproof camera with me.
It was totally cloudy and thundering.  But I went anyway.  I decided to head north along the beach from Charlie Young Park.
The cloudy weather did make flower pictures more brilliant. 

So I took a lot of flower pictures.

2018-2-17  Snorkel Honolua!  and Kapalua.  Dinner in Lahaina.

The surf report showed that most of the beaches South and West were pretty flat, so I decided to see if the water would be clear enough for snorkeling---and if we could beat the predicted rains.  South beaches didn't get as high a snorkel rating today as West beaches via thesnorkelstore.com, so I suggested we head West and check out Kapalua.  If it didn't look good, we could go check out the surfers by Honolua and beyond.  So after a delicious cooked breakfast courtesy of Ken, we loaded up all our junk and took off.
First stop, the post office to mail some more post cards.  When we were leaving the post office, we admired this guy's Hog.   Certainly wasn't anything like the Honda we use to ride 43 years ago!

 Then we cut across to the highway.  On our way, we passed the Kihei food truck park.  While I think it's a good idea, I sure think they could make it look more appealing!

2018-2-16 Kula Gardens, Stillwell's, and Hookipa beach:

After the rains, we figured the ocean would be too muddied to snorkel.  But we had to get out early since housekeeping was coming to do our weekly cleaning at 9 am today.   We thought about heading NW to watch the surfers, but it didn't sound like they were getting high waves.   So I suggested we go find flowers instead.  Decided on Kula Botanical Garden.  So across the valley we went.
 I don't remember seeing this building painted up to remember missing children 1 1/2 years ago when we were here.  I wonder where they went and what this building is?

I love the views of the mountains from the pass.

2018-2-15 another rainy day!  Time to shop the Shops of Wailea.


We slept in today!  Really on HST now!  Didn't get up until about 10:30!  But it was raining, so there was no hurry to get going.  I looked out our back door to see the drainage ditch pretty full again.  Not as full as a week ago Monday, but still flowing pretty good.  Not quite the view I'd hoped we'd have when I made our reservations 13.5 months ago, but it is pretty private.  At least the location of the building is pretty convenient to the ocean and the pool, so I won't complain too much about the view.

About 12:30 we decided to head out and get some breakfast/lunch.  So we headed to Round Table pizza again.  Had another coupon---which is needed there since they are so expensive.    This time we got the Ulti-Meat pizza instead of the Montague.  Brought half of it home.
 Driving back along Kihei Rd.---flooded again.

2018-2-14 A Valentine's Day whale watching cruise:

The day started out with quite a shock!!!!  My daughter texted to tell me about a Florida school mass shooting!  It's shocking anywhere, but knowing the area, I was really shocked.  It's in a very prosperous and beautiful town.  A couple years ago we lived less then a mile from that school when we had an apartment near our daughter who also lived less then a mile from that school.  Such a senseless act!   First we had Ferguson riots within a couple miles of our house in St. Louis, now another place we lived has a tragedy!

We hung around the condo listening to the updates about the shooting until we left for Ma'alaea--- about 12:15 for our 1:30 cruise.  Got there plenty early.

 I was expecting a rainy day, but it was actually quite sunny and hot.  Especially while we stood around waiting to check in for our cruise.

 Since the boat was so small, boarding went quickly (maybe 40 people?).  The safety talk came first.  Then the photographer talked.   Then someone else talked, but I wasn't listening anymore. 

 It was a rough ride.  I don't get sea sick, but I've found it's a challenge keeping a DSLR dry on a whale watching cruise!  I brought a super zoom lens for whale watching, but didn't get it out again today.  Wonder if I'll use it at all this trip?!  At least I was able to reasonably crop a few photos from today's excursion.   The cruise started really disappointingly---no whales, lots of sea spray over the sides of the catamaran, and a couple short bouts of rain.

 I had just put my DSLR up to keep it dry when we came upon a mother and baby tail slapping.  Since the boat and the rain stopped, I got the camera back out.  Mother and baby put on a good tail slapping show.

while we were there a male escort appeared.

 Momma did a slap and roll once or twice, too.

 momma, again.

Here she's upside down, since the white is on the up side of her tail.

 baby with very similar markings as mother.

 front of the ship.  Note the webbed area.  Lots of water came up through there as well as over the rail.  This group of students got pretty soaked.  They were on a 4 day ocean seminar.

 I love getting different views of the windmills.

 on our way back in, we came across a whale breaching.

  By the time we got this close, it did one last breach

 big splash, then disappeared.

 so I concentrated on a different angle of the West mountains.

 and another view of the windmills from an angle we don't see from the road.

 heading back into the marina

 I had the brilliant idea that we should go to Beach Bums for an early dinner after the cruise.  After all, how crowded would it be at 4pm, even though it's Valentine's Day?  Well, when there's a wedding party that arrives right before you, it can be very crowded.  It took them about 30 minutes just to get that party of 18 seated.  Didn't look like they were too prepared for seating groups that large.  We were the next party after them.  There were plenty of tables left, they just were spending forever seating that group!
 I didn't get a drink, but got a kick out of the description of the drink right above the wines.

Once we did finally got seated, we were waited on and got our dinner very fast.  It was ribs night---full rack for something like $23.  We shared 1 meal and still had half a rack to take home.

 On the way back to Kihei, we passed the wetlands.  Didn't intentionally stop, but traffic was backed up all the way to the wetlands.  So I snapped a couple pictures of the birds as we slowly made our way past them.  The wetlands sure weren't very wet!
Did see a few Hawaiian Stilts.

 and a couple Herons

 Same guy as above, but this guy didn't have his neck extended.

 No sunset tonight, but we did get a brilliant rainbow.

 For awhile it was even a double rainbow.

After a day of being wind blown, we went to the pool for a little relaxation.  Didn't last too long in the pool.  I'm sure it was warmer then the ocean, but with the wind blowing and night approaching, the Jacuzzi seemed like a better idea.  Unfortunately they must keep it at over 105, way too hot for me. So we didn't stay there long, either.  Soon we were back in the condo.

A rather mixed day of emotions.  Sad for our Florida neighbors; at peace with our whale neighbors;  glad to have another Valentine's day with my valentine.

2018-2-13  Snorkeling Po'olenalena and The Dumps!

Ken still isn't feeling good.   So no snorkeling for him!  But that doesn't mean I didn't.  Gotta take advantage of the conditions when they're good!  So today we went back to Po'olenalena so I could snorkel it with clear goggles (yesterday i didn't reapply the no-fog gel and my mask was foggy most of the time).  Ken sat in the sun and rested.  Then he drove us over to the Ahihi parking lot where he rested some more while I snorkeled The Dumps.  That has to be the Nirvana of snorkeling!  While I was snorkeling, Ken also manned the phone.  Turned out we got 2 important calls.  First one was from Trilogy saying our whale watching tour tomorrow was being moved to Lahaina instead of Kaanapali.  Good thing!  Since we thought we were going to Maalaea!  I called back and asked if we could do the one out of Maalaea instead and, fortunately, they switched our reservations.  The other call was from Lenscrafters to say my hi-index glasses were in.  So a trip to Kuhului was in order for the evening.

But first---Po'olenalena ---

Again I was treated to the music of whales singing in the distance.

 underwater terrain at Po'olenalena

 looking back to the beach from the reef.

  just another one of the 3 turtles there

 endemic peddled butterflyfish

 chub

 ornate butterflyfish

orange spine surgeonfish

 what the sand looks like when the waves break above it

 a lonely starfish

 not so lonely turtle

 female stareyed parrotfish

 yellowstripe goatfish

 yellowtail coris

 ringtail surgeonfish

 really, I tried to swim away from the turtles, but they kept coming at me anyway

 find the eel

 arc eye hawkfish

 spotted puffer

 moorish idol

 unicorn fish

 4 spot and milletseed butterflyfish

 On to The Dumps!  After the first time we went here years ago, I got some rubber bottomed sock like things (fin liners?) to wear to walk over the rocks.  It really helped! 

Immediately upon entering

the coral reef here is amazing.

so are the fish!

They get really big here---like this peacock grouper

There are fish everywhere here.

filefish

white spotted surgeonfish.  I've only seen one or 2 of these guys elsewhere, but there were a bunch of them here.

There were also a big school of flagtails near the shore.  Not sure what the guys on the rocks are---haven't seen them elsewhere.  Their fins almost make them look like little sharks---but their heads are different.

pink tail triggerfish

assortment of fish

oval butterflyfish

the odd couple

I keep trying to get a picture of these sailfin tangs with their fins extended, but haven't had much luck.

There's a lot of shallow areas here.

orange bar surgeonfish

elegant butterflyfish

achilles tang---there are a lot of these guys here, too.

more butterflyfish---I love how they come in such a variety of colors and designs.

white bar surgeonfish

a dark chub

white spine surgeonfish

more of the general terrain here.

a school of yellow tangs.

  a yellow trumpetfish

white saddle goatfish at a cleaning station

white cheek surgeonfish---this is the only place I've seen these guys, too.

a very unique spotted chub.  I've never seen one this dark before.

  4 spot butterflyfish

ornate butterflyfish

gold ring surgeonfish

female bird wrasse

another rarer butterflyfish---pebbled butterflyfish

leather back jack

colorful oval butterflyfish

many bar goatfish

the school of fish by the entrance/exit again.  I'll call them pseudo sharks until someone tells me what they really are.  (think I found out what they are---six-feeler threadfins : http://www.marinelifephotography.com/fishes/mullets/threadfins.htm )

trekking across the rocks on my way back to the car.

Wonder if this wood is used for carvings?  Sure looks like it would be good for art projects.

more of the trail back to the parking lot

LOVE this guys helmet!

heading back towards Wailea.  There certainly are a lot of cacti down South.

The road work that's been going on for awhile now.  Didn't seem to be much of a delay, though.

 After showering and putting real clothes on---we took off to Kuhului.  With the clouds that had moved in, I figured we'd have no sunset tonight, so there was no hurry to get back.  But the clouds did make a mystical draping on the mountains.

 From the stop light by the mall LensCrafters is in.

I, again, was pleasantly surprised at how well my peripheral vision is with my new glasses.  I've had so many problems with that for years now.  I was just led to believe it was because of my very strong prescription and progressive lenses.  Now I know that's not true!  Why 2 pairs of glasses?  These are the high index ones with the frames I wanted.  They couldn't put the polycarbonate 1 hour lenses in those frames, so they suggested I get a pair of glasses with the thicker lenses in 1 hour and order the thinner high-index ones; then return the one hour ones when the high-index ones arrived in about 7-10 days.  So I had planned to return the first pair, but am rethinking that.  Both pair came out to just over $800 with tax---not really much more then I'd pay for them on the mainland.

After getting the glasses, we wandered over to the Ben Franklin craft store in the mall.  Loved going to them in Dallas, Oregon, years ago, and in Kauai.  Didn't buy anything, just browsing.
From there it was off to Long's drug store---for more cold meds for Ken.

Then it was time to figure out where we were going for dinner---yes, we eat out at least once a day almost every day!  Decided on Zippy's---only place we know in Kuhului.  I enjoyed my chili and corn bread.  There was so much of it that I even had some to take back to the condo.  Ken enjoyed his 2nd breakfast for the day (I actually cooked bacon and eggs this morning).  We also ordered a couple malasadas to go.  After all, it is Fat Tuesday!

I thought a couple days ago was about as perfect as a day could get!  I think this one even surpassed that!