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.All Trips / Hawaii / North America
The Valley Island of Maui: 2) Haleakala National Park
Volcanoes never cease to fascinate me! Something about their massive size and primal earth shaping power appeals to my sense of curiosity and awe. So it’s not surprising that I find Haleakala to be Maui’s most interesting place to visit. There are no lodges or hotels in the park making it truly a day trip destination. It’s easily accessible and besides a massive crater and awe-inspiring views, offers the chance to see some rare species — namely the Nene (Hawaiian goose) and Silversword (silver-green cactus-like prickly plant).
Some background on Haleakala….
In Hawaiian, Haleakala means “House of the Sun” — a great name for a mountain that stretches to the heavens and dominates Maui’s landscapes! Haleakala National Park covers much of …
“Pic of the Week”. November 2, 2012 — Sunset, Hilo Bay, Big Island of Hawaii
John Steinbeck is one of my favorite writers. In his great book, Cannery Row, he devotes an entire chapter to the quality of light an hour before the sun sets — what he called, “the hour of the pearl”. This has become deeply embedded in my neural network and whenever possible I like to head out either just before sunset or just after sunrise to take photos because of the soft special quality of the light.
This remains one of my favorite sunset photos. The day was rainy and cloudy on the southeast side of the Big Island of Hawaii and I had low expectations for viewing a sunset. But with about 30 minutes left before dark, the clouds …
Nov 2, 2012
Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”. November 2, 2012 — Sunset, Hilo Bay, Big Island of Hawaii
.All Trips / Idaho / North America / Pacific Northwest
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Sometimes as I reflect on my travels, trends stand out that I might otherwise never have noticed. For example, I’d not have thought myself unusually interested in volcanoes or lava, but in the past year I’ve visited three locations rich in recent volcanic history — Iceland, the Big Island of Hawaii and now the Snake River Plain in Southern Idaho. So at some subconscious level I must be deeply fascinated by volcanism and lava flows.
Idaho is a state rich in natural beauty and is one of my favorite places to explore. It’s a mountainous land (home of its big timber business) with several grand lakes and fertile plains (where all those big potatoes are grown). This …
.All Trips / Hawaii / North America
The Big Island of Hawaii (Part 4) Kohala & Saddle Road
My final blog post on the Big Island covers the driest (less than 10 inches of rain a year) and oldest parts of the island — the northwest and central regions.
The Kohala coast is a popular destination for tourists, with a string of resorts built beside beaches a half hour and more north of Kona. Many of the island’s best resorts and golf courses are located on this dry sunny lava plain. Most of my trips to the Big Island are centered around medical meetings which tend to be situated in Waikoloa so I’m most familiar with this part of the island. Because the Big Island is a fairly new piece of land, beaches are limited and the best beaches — Hapuna and Mauna Kea — are located …
Tagged Big Island, Hawaii, Kohala, Mauna Kea, Saddle Road, volcano
.All Trips / Hawaii / North America
The Big Island of Hawaii (Part 1) Volcanoes Park
There are many places in the world I wish everyone could visit. At the top of this list is Hawaii. It’s a great travel destination and for me retains its magic even after multiple visits. Hawaii — the name of the island chain and also it’s biggest island — is one of the most remote places in the world, thousands of miles from other major land masses. Still, hundreds of planes land on these islands each day and much of the island chain is “touristy”, though there’s still a “real Hawaii” to be found. For me the “real Hawaii” is not natives living in primitive conditions but rather in memorable natural beauty — mountains, rain-forest, lava flows, desert and beaches. …
.All Trips / Europe / Iceland
A journey around Iceland (Part 5) Snaefellsnes Peninsula
The last full day of our Icelandic trip was spent off the Ring Road in West Iceland on the charming Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Anyone who is a fan of SciFi will remember this as the place Jules Verne’s Professor begins his Journey to the Center of the Earth (which was reached from the volcano via a series of lava tubes). The lovely conical Snaefellsjokull volcano, located on the western end of this peninsula, was the center point of Verne’s story.
A visit to the Snaefellsnes peninsula has been described as a way to see Iceland in miniature. This finger-like appendage to the island is only 43 miles long and only …
Tagged glacier, Iceland, Snaefellsnes, volcano
.All Trips / Europe / Iceland
A journey around Iceland (Part 3) South Iceland
Many think South Iceland offers the island’s most spectacular scenery. It’s hard to argue with this except to say that we found all of Iceland to be filled with beautiful landscapes. South Iceland is remarkable for pretty farms in its western portion, rugged mountains, beautiful waterfalls, and the close proximity of several large glaciers (and a memorable glacial lagoon) in its eastern portion, all of which are easily accessible. Like the entire island, South Iceland offers a dramatic representation of the island’s volcanic history.
We drove the Ring Road in a counter clockwise fashion so the following commentary and associated photos are more-or-less based on what we saw and did in sequential fashion:
Kerid …
.All Trips / Europe / Iceland
A journey around Iceland (Part 1) Reykjavik
I love visiting places that are rich in scenery, mountains, rivers, waterfalls and hiking; Iceland seemed a good fit for me. Until a few years ago the cost of a trip to Iceland was prohibitive. But recently prices have dropped to the point where Iceland is no longer “extremely expensive”, just “expensive” (in line with much of Europe). So off my brother and I went and on one of Icelandair’s 757s and had a terrific early fall visit at the end of their busy summer tourist season. This is the first of a few posts outlining the different regions we visited during our stay in “Island” (how locals spell their country’s name).
When people hear the name “ICEland” it conjures up …
Tagged Blue Lagoon, Iceland, Reykjavik, volcano
