2-9-19 one last day of sightseeing for me before turning the keys over to the kids and heading to the airport for my 9:30pm flight home:


Today was the start of week 2 at Sands of Kahana.  So first thing we did, was walk over to the office and have our keys reset for another week.  On our way back to our room, we ran across this little (or not so little!) guy!

 Here's Faith getting a closer view of her new little friend.  After she took the picture, she relocated him to the ferns.

Now it was time to find some breakfast.  We decided to give Slappy Cakes a try.  Sounded somewhat expensive, but sounded like it could be fun.

There was a crowd waiting to be seated, but there were plenty of seats at the bar, so we sat there.  You have to be sitting in a booth to make your own pancakes, but we were more interested in eating then cooking.  I was impressed with their menu.  And their prices weren't anymore extreme then most other restaurants I've been to in Maui.  I got the blueberry tart pancakes --- with lots of blueberries and lemon curd sauce--- for something like $14.  They were very good!  The kids liked their meals, too.  Faith even enjoyed a mango mimosa.

Faith pointed out a young lady making pancakes.  Our waiter said the young lady works on busy days (like Sat. morning) and does demos to entertain people who are waiting for seats.  Of course, I had to go check out what she was doing.  I was pretty impressed with this.

Then she flipped it-----

and the right side was even more spectacular!

Now that's a pancake!

Although my blueberry tart pancakes were really tasty, too!

The gal doing the demos did one right after another.  So I went over to check out what she was doing next.

another cutie!

and another one she did while we were eating.

They were set on the table on display

On our way out, I asked her if she had an art degree.  She said yes.  And that she had worked in Seattle as a 3-D artist prior to coming to Maui.  I can't imagine this paying her bills and student loans, but it sure was interesting to see.

Another reason why we went to Slappy Cakes is because it's next to Time's grocery store.  Tim and Faith wanted to pick up some things, so we ran through there.  This caught my eye!

Then we headed back to the condo.  They decided they wanted to go check out the ocean and heated pool for a bit, so we stuck around there for a bit.  I had my suit packed already, so I just enjoyed the scenery.

Love the shadow of the tree in the surf.

Faith told me I couldn't take a picture of her in her swimsuit, so I had to get creative.

Out from our beach, I watched a wind surfer for awhile.  He certainly had the wind today.  A front is moving in bringing high surf and high winds. 

Bet he could windsurf to Molokai or Lanai in no time! 

I also admired more of the condo landscaping.

Then I walked to the far side of the resort.  The one next to ours has sandbags stacked a several feet high.  The sandbags in Hawaii are even big!

close up of the sand bags up against the complex next door.

Back to our complex and the heated pool area.  Tim and Faith enjoying the pool to themselves.

One last selfie before I have to leave the resort!   Wind blown beach hair and I don't care!

In Faith's research, she had come across a mention of a "museum" remembering Lahaina's Plantation Days.

"From the renovation and restoration of the Pioneer Mill Co. Smokestack through seven years of planning Lahaina Plantation Days, Kadotani sold more engraved memorial bricks for the smokestack walkway than any other individual." (from the Lahaina News)

"Plantation-grown sugar dominated the landscape of Lahaina for more than a centruy, but the crop grew here prior to the arrival of Westerners in 1778.  Before Western contact, Hawaiians raised sugar as part of a mixed-crop system and chewed the sweet cane stalks.  in the 1800's, businessmen searching for profitable crops discovered that processed sugar could survive the long voyage to mainland markets.  Pioneer Mill Company, which began with Lahaina's first commercial sugar planting in 1860, was one of many sugar plantations that would shape Hawaii's economic and social life for decades.  By 1935, the company cultivated more than 10,000 acres of sugar." (copied from one of the placards around the stack)

Faith even found a painted rock with a sticker on the back to go to Facebook and report it.  I've often thought of painting rocks with pictures of tourist sites, but just haven't done it.  Maybe someday! 

"Plantation workers built the Pioneer Mill Company smokestack in 1928, creating a Lahaina landmark that was then the highest smokestack in the Islands.  The 225-foot-high concrete tower replaced the boilers' three, aging steel stacks.  Boilers burned bagasse - cane "trash" left over after harvest - to produce steam that spun turbines to generate electricity.  Mariners soon found the tall smokestack to be a handy navigational guide.  Each Christmas, two illuminated stars stop the smokestack marked the season.  After Pioneer Mill closed in 1999, the mill buildings were slated for demolition, but the Lahaina community called for preservation of the smokestack.  in 2006, Lahaina Restoration Foundation took responsibility for restoring this important structure from Lahaina's plantation era.

"Cut sugar cane was first transported from the fields to the mill by water-driven flumes and cattle-driven carts. Beginning in the 1880s, it was transported by train over miles of narrow-gauge railroad track along the West Maui mountain slopes."  (from the Lahaina Restoration Foundation)  They have a couple of the trains here by the stack, too, along with some large pieces of equipment used to process the sugar cane.

the "kids"

Faith also wanted to go to the Maui Coffee Company Store which was next to the smokestack.   She had read there was a plantation museum, so we thought it might be in there.  I wasn't, so we assume the "museum" is the whole area around the smokestack with all the placards and pieces of sugar plantation processing pieces. 

Since we were thirsty after all that, it was time to check out another brewery---Kohola brewery.  It was about a block away from the coffee shop and smokestack. 

Nice selection of drinks in an interesting  industrial building.  No food served here, but it looks like you can bring your own in. 

Faith had several samplers.  Tim got a pale ale.  I had the Lahaina Haze IPA.  We were all pretty happy with our selections.

Then we headed back to the condo for a little while more.  I finished packing and Tim got my ukulele out and played around with it. 

for someone who doesn't want a uke, looks like he could play it pretty decently.  I thought he had asked for one before, but it was my daughter who wanted one, so she's getting it.  
Something new---putting a video on my blog!

About 4 we decided to start packing up and head out for dinner.  They asked me where I wanted to go.  I'd never been to Star Noodle and knowing that Ken would never go, I suggested that.  I also know Tim and Faith are quite the culinary enthusiasts and would enjoy going here. 

 Plus I knew they would know what everything on the menu is.  And they did, so I let them do the ordering.  

I remember this was  pork on a steamed bun---very good!

This is the Fried Saimin.  It had Spam in it and really delicious noodles!  We split it 3 ways.  The kids very efficiently used the chop sticks that were provided.  I used the chop sticks very inefficiently and had to ask for a fork.

I believe this is the Hapa Ramen, but it tasted like a really delicious noodle soup.  They put the one order of  "soup" in 2 bowls for easier sharing---and even gave us fancy spoons to use to get all the tasty broth after we devoured all the other stuff. 

Then our 2nd appetizer came (after our meal)---dumplings.  I don't care much for the consistency of them, but the kids liked them.

Then we headed down the road again.  I had turned the keys over to Tim, so I was able to shoot away as we drove down the road.

 views from the bypass.

 Don't know if this was an excursion, but whomever was on it got soaked!  Sort of like me on my last whale watching tour.

 More from the bypass.

from highway 30, along the ocean.  The water was really getting choppy.  The news said there could be 40' waves coming in.  I was a little concerned about the kids going to and from the airport, but it looked like the waves were still well below that, at least in this area.

 I always love this area of 30 where the trees make a tunnel.

 Next stop---Leoda's, for dessert.  But first, we popped into the general store next door.

 Got 3 pies from Leoda's to go.  They were pretty low on pies at this time of day, but they did just bring out banana cream pies.  We got one of them, the last coconut cream pie, and a chocolate Carmel Macnut cream pie. 

 Looks like they're having fun.

 On our way across, we stopped at the overlook. 

This boat was going nowhere fast!  The wind was really picking up.  And it was cold!

 But it was still sunny and pretty.

 Saw a mother and calf not too far from shore.  The little one was pretty active.

 wishing I had my 600mm lens with me!

Then we headed for somewhere to eat our pies.  I remembered there being a bunch of picnic tables at the Heritage park near Iao valley, so we headed there.
But first---time to play with my dslr camera some more by "dragging the shutter".

 Not bad for not having a tripod.

 one more dragging the shutter  shot with my Canon 60D.

 now for sunset shot with my Samsung Gallaxy8.  I hate to say it, but the phone camera takes better pictures than my DSLR when the view has more stops of light.

Not the most spectacular sunset, but something different.

and now for some of my pie.  Expensive at $9, but probably would have been plenty for all 3 of us.  None of us ate our whole pie.  They tried to get me to take mine on the plane, but I'm not sure they would have even let me through security with it.  But the $3 worth I ate was good.

From there I had them drop me off at the airport.  It was only about 7, but figured it was time for them to start enjoying their 16th anniversary trip on their own. 

Check in at the airport went quickly.  I asked if I'd be able to carry my ukulele (that I won in Kauai) or would I have to shove it in my bag and have it stick out.  She offered to courtesy check my roller carry on at the check in counter.  I was hoping to gate check it, so was happy they offered to check it early.  I was also TSA pre-approved (never paid for it, but have gotten that status about 90% of the time), so I went through security in a jiffy.  
Got to my gate about 2 hours early, but spent that time editing today's pictures.  Soon I was boarding my Alaska Airline flight bound to Seattle.  I was a little worried about my connection there since they, too, were having a severe winter storm.  The young lady and her son who were sitting next to me said their flight had been cancelled a couple nights before because of the storm in Seattle.  Fortunately, there was a window of good weather when our flight was to get there.  We even got there about 20 minutes early due to the high Easterly winds.  That worked out well for me since I originally only had 1 hour between flights and had to change concourses.  Made it with 10 minutes to spare before boarding began.
Left Seattle just as the sun was rising.  Views of Seattle, or Tacoma, as we were taking off.

 Lots of snow down there!  More heading to Seattle that night.

 But most of the way over the mountains was pretty clear

 Had some pretty awesome views of the frigid land below (taken with my Olympus TG-4 underwater camera)

 Glad I'm not going there!

 Love all the designs in nature!

 Curious about what this complex is.  There were a few of them around here. 

 The farther East we got, the more cloudy it got.  By the time we got to Atlanta, it was totally overcast.

Arrived at ATL on time (about 2pm) and headed straight to domestic luggage.  Much to my surprise, my luggage beat me there!  Grabbed my roller bag and headed to ground transportation where my shuttle to Warner Robins was waiting.  Got to the shuttle with a whole 2 minutes to spare.   Although the shuttle was a bit expensive ($90 rt), it sure was convenient.  Also nice to know I could have left my car at the shuttle parking lot for up to 30 days.    
All in all, one of the smoothest travel days I've had! --- Long, with 2 flights of about 5 hours each, but without long layovers or delays (although we did have to wait on the tarmac in Seattle for about 20 minutes while they waited for luggage from an Anchorage flight).  
Still unable to really sleep on a plane, I did arrive home Sunday, the 10th, pretty tired.