Deep in the Bamboo Forest on Maui, Hawaii

Posted on October 29th, 2015 by

Hiking in Maui

On my most recent trip to Maui I decided to try an “easy” hike I had never attempted before, the Pipiwai Trail on the Eastern side of Haleakala. It’s not a particularly difficult trail. The ascent is easy, with only around 600 feet of elevation gain. As always the fantastic hikers at Unreal Hawaii wrote a detailed guide to the Pipiwai Trail, but please be forewarned, you will sweat and take some bug repellent. I forgot and ended up with a number of bites. Today’s photo is just a random shot I took along the trail.

Deep in the Bamboo Forest on Maui, Hawaii
Deep in the Bamboo Forest on Maui, Hawaii

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Meet Ms Scarlett My 2016 Mini Cooper S

Posted on October 26th, 2015 by

It was her employer MS SCARLETT!

It’s a day I thought would never come…I finally purchased a NEW car! I am a frugal sort of person. All of my automobiles have been given to me in some way. A used car someone didn’t want any longer. My old 1992 Ford Ranger XLT had been through most of the members of my family when it came to live with me. Oscar is its name, but from looks, to convenience, to a dead air conditioning system on a super hot summer…I finally decided, after 40 years, it was time to actually BUY a car.

Ms Scarlett came to live with us yesterday. When I met her I literally squealed and jumped for joy. She was custom built, just how I wanted her by the awesome Mini team in Oxford, England. Already I can tell she likes to drive more than I am accustomed to. The interesting thing is she is SO FUN to drive, I am completely agreeable to this new arrangement between myself and das auto. The Mini people refer to it as “motoring” and I can tell Ms Scarlett and I have a long number of years of fun ahead of us together!

Meet Ms Scarlett My 2016 Mini Cooper S
Meet Ms Scarlett My 2016 Mini Cooper S

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Makapu’u Tidepools

Posted on October 22nd, 2015 by

Second Favorite Easy Hike on Oahu

Without a doubt, my favorite “easy” hike on Oahu is the Lanikai Pillbox Hike. Almost every time I visit Oahu I make an early morning trek across the island from Waikiki to Lanikai and hike up the hill to the old Pillboxes. It’s a hot hike, but Lanikai Beach (one of my favorite in the world) is waiting below to wash your hard work away. The problem on my last trip…RAIN!

Never fear, the Makapu’u Lighthouse trail is almost entirely paved! I started up, but realized I had never taken the not entirely sanctioned (or safe) Tidalpool side trail. It’s a wonderful view down on the rocky beach. The blowhole was in good form and there were almost no people around! You can’t tell, but this tidalpool is about two stories down from the cliff I shot it from and could easily hold 100 or more people! You can JUST see the Makapu’u Lighthouse in the background.

Makapu’u Tidepools
Makapu’u Tidepools

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A Dead Tree by the Ocean

Posted on October 19th, 2015 by

For the Love of Hawaii

People have stated to notice the frequency of my visits to Hawaii. I go maybe two or three times a year. It’s an easy trip that I often get upgraded on, but there is something more than the 8000 or so miles I earn. Hawaii pulls me back. The Hawaiian islands are paradise, but not for the reason’s people are sold. I was talking with an old friend this weekend and I think we felt similarly. Its not the sun, or the beaches, or the joy of temporary vacation. It is the ease at which everything operates in Hawaii. There is a calm there that is infectious and calm is perhaps the thing we need the most these days.

Speaking to Trees

This is one of my favorite trees in the world. It, for now, sits alone on a beach in Kauai. It can’t speak any longer. It is dead. But it still stands as a monument to itself. A beacon on a cliff that will likely fall into the ocean soon as well. This tree seems to me to encapsulate the spirit of this place. All around is life and death, air, earth, fire and water all in their rawest forms, constantly battling for supremacy. Somehow even in death, this tree speaks to me. I need to go back to hear more of its message, before it vanishes, returning to the sea.

A Dead Tree by the Ocean
A Dead Tree by the Ocean

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Henderson Waves Walkway Singapore

Posted on October 15th, 2015 by

Cool Walks

This is one of the neater urban walks I have ever been on. Singapore is such an interesting place (in SO many ways). I was specifically taken by the Southern Ridge Walks which for me concluded at the Henderson Waves. Many of the trails are elevated over flora is Singapore, many are see through so you have the feeling of walking through the canopy like the monkeys that frequent the trails, which sadly I never saw. The Henderson Waves are different, an artistic creation of impressive form and function. The day I was there people were repelling off the side to paint the underside of this massive walkway.

Henderson Waves Walkway Singapore
Henderson Waves Walkway Singapore

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Chinese Window Art

Posted on October 12th, 2015 by

Chinese Details

Another Chinese garden design element. This window at YuYuan Garden in Shanghai is another example of those great natural forms that Chinese artists bend to their will.

Chinese Window Art
Chinese Window Art

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Machu Picchu from Afar

Posted on October 8th, 2015 by

A 40 Year Journey

This year marks my 40th of life…and oh what a journey its been so far. When Pamela asked where I wanted to go for my 40th birthday, I answered immediately…Machu Picchu. There was none of my normal indecision. I have always wanted to visit this mystical forgotten city in the clouds. The Inca must have found some great spiritual vortex to build so far into the mountains. I expected to find something in the ruins. I am always searching for it, but the odd thing was…it wasn’t there. Not in the way I thought at least.

Getting to Machu Picchu itself is also a journey. In the end multiple planes, hotels, cars, buses and trains. This trip also marked my stepping foot on six continents in one calendar year (I am only missing Antarctica). I don’t know what the next 40 years will bring. As Bono, I still haven’t found what I’m looking for, but the one thing I have learned in my now 40 years…the JOURNEY is worth it!

Machu Picchu from Afar
Machu Picchu from Afar

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Chinese Dog Carving at Lingyin Temple

Posted on October 5th, 2015 by

My Love of Random Sculptures

A quick photo today from my favorite part of Hangzhou…Lingyin temple. It’s probably an obvious photo for me to take at this point, but I just love the little details around Chinese gardens, monasteries and the like. The craftsmanship at the Lingyin area is exquisite and this little dog is no exception.

Chinese Dog Carving at Lingyin Temple
Chinese Dog Carving at Lingyin Temple

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Orchid on the Climb Up Machu Picchu Mountain

Posted on October 1st, 2015 by

Altitude

I didn’t do fantastic in the altitude of Peru. I have tested the limits and I think I am good to 10,000 feet. After that I need to start talking with my doctor! Short stents at altitude aren’t going to bother most people, but the time we spent in Cusco (over 11,000 feet) made me ill. It was much like having the flu, without any of the normal fever. I don’t know how these orchids do it, but they are part of the beauty of hiking Montaña (Machu Picchu Mountain).

Orchid on the Climb Up Machu Picchu Mountain
Orchid on the Climb Up Machu Picchu Mountain

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Super Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse September 2015

Posted on September 28th, 2015 by

Blood Moon

This total lunar eclipse on September 27th, 2015 took me a bit by surprise. I didn’t realize it was happening and sort of lucked out seeing post on Facebook. I quickly checked outside and I happened to get my camera setup just about midpoint of the eclipse. I am not an astral photographer (obviously), but it just goes to show you, you never know what awesome things will be happening in your own back yard!

Super Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse September 2015
Super Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse September 2015

Photo Technical Info

  • Aperture: ƒ/5.6
  • Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
  • Taken: 27 September, 2015
  • Focal length: 300mm
  • ISO: 1600
  • Shutter speed: 1.3s