Maui III

The road to Hana is billed as one the most beautifully scenic highways in the world. Its a fifty mile stretch of highway that winds and twists its way around the south part on the island. At nearly every mile marker there is something to see. In a two car caravan we braved the dangerous road with an agenda of stops to make hoping to hit them all before sundown. The road is at its widest barely two car widths wide. At its most narrow our rented charger had roughly a foot of space on either side. To make things more interesting the road had 180 degree blind one lane turns and steep cliff drop offs. Every mile and a half we would arrive at a one lane bridge that crossed over water before the road disappeared around a blind curve. Signs advised honking so that any cars traveling toward you and your untimely death might hear you and stop. Our driver, Scott, professional adventurist and now life-threatening-vacation-stunt-car-driver, charged up blind curves and over narrow bridges with shocking speed and uncanny confidence. He was a man on a mission to see the entire highway by days end. Our first stop: Twin falls, then black sand beach, red sand beach, and sacred pools.







We stopped half way through to eat at a roadside shack. We laughed so hard we cried at the ridiculousness of the road and how dangerous it was. Scott and I rattled off rap lyrics in between startled screams and colorful exclamations. We laughed at Scott as he yelled at birds on the road to get out of he way as if they were the reckless ones making a perfectly average road dangerous. Occasionally we would get nearly runoff the road by locals tumbling down-hill exceedingly fast, some riding in the back of truck beds. Ironically we must have passed a dozen small grave yards just off the highway. For all its danger there were amazing views, awesome beaches, and impressive waterfalls. We had so much fun. Nobody died, nobody vomited and Scott miraculously delivered us home safely. Thanks for driving dude.

Maui Part II

We were all a little nervous we would sleep through our alarms that would sound at 2am. The two buses that would transport the entire wedding party to the top of Halelakula left the hotel lobby at 3am. Two hours later we arrived to the top of the volcano bundled up and half-asleep. The frigid cold air of an elevation of almost 10,000 feet jolted us awake. With eyes now wide open we could take in the every hue of pink, purple, blue and orange that seemed to be changing in shade and intensity by the minute. We were above the clouds, in scattered areas they parted we and could see the coastline of Maui. It was a mad dash to take pictures, go pee, and take in the view before we were to all head to the summit for the ceremony. The ceremony itself was incredible, presided over by a descendent of the last Hawaiian king. This guy was the real-deal kicking the ceremony off by blowing on a conch shell and ending with an array of colorful Hawaiian sayings. As soon as it was over the 50 person wedding party hurriedly trotted back to the busses. Technically groups visiting the summit could be no larger than 30 people and required a permit. The bride and groom had a permit for 30 but with so many in attendence we had to get in and out without the detection of park authorities. As you can imagine a fifty person wedding party on a volcano is difficult to conceal and in the end the operation was busted. Luckily they only faced a warning and placement on the national parks list of offenders. Of course the rangers were given her maiden name and word is that neither of them plan to get married on a volcano again.






In addition to a visit to a volcano, Kate and Blake hosted a brunch and later a sunset cruise. At each of the several weeding related festivities the girls wore a different dress. I had fun doing mini photo shoots at each event. Taking great pictures of this gorgeous group was easy. Here are a few good ones:






The reception, held on a boat that floated up and down the coast, featured a live ukelele player.



By the end of the voyage the group was full of good food, exhausted, slightly drunk, slightly sea sick and ready for bed. The next day we planned to tackle the road to Hana.

Maui Part I

Last winter while Carolyn and I were in NYC our friends Kate and Blake were officially engaged. A short time later Carolyn asked me if I would be interested in attending their wedding on top of a Hawaiian volcano at sunrise. As exciting as the prospect of another Hawaii trip was I had to temper my excitement with cool reason. After all we have already done a lot of traveling this year and our finances these days are pretty tight. The make-it-happen genius of Carolyn soon overcame my flimsy excuses for not taking advantage of a opportunity to do something amazing. With that we were off for a much needed break after the trying GRE's. Kate was one of the members of the famed Bramasole house while attending UCSB. Joining us would be nearly the whole crew including Kelley, Jess, Laura, Liz, and Page. Laura and her boyfriend, and professional adventurist, Scott picked us up at the airport and with that we were turned loose on the island of Maui. To keep costs down we went to costco, getting all the basics to avoid eating at expensive restaurants. Our first order of business was snorkeling at Kaanapali beach near Black Rock before being treated to a beautiful Hawaiian sunset.This was just my second trip with my new digital camera so I went nuts taking almost 1500 photos the entire trip.




The next day, with some friends still arriving, Laura,Scott,Carolyn and I headed for Turtle Beach, rumored to be a fantastic snorkel spot for viewing sea turtles. It was an impressive spot to say the least. We found an entry point into the cove-like area that required us to jump in from a 9 ft cliff. Professional adventurist Scott naturally went first to assess the potential for fatality. Once he popped up safely beaming we one by one jumped into to view the colorful underwater world below. Just before jumping I steadied myself and adjusted my flippers measuring up my leap. From a secret cave within the rock a large shadowy silhouette abruptly jetted out. The clear water and the excited shouts of Scott, Laura, and Carolyn instantly revealed we were in the company of a creature for which the beach was named. He was the first of a few we swam with on that day as we explored the stunningly vibrant coral reefs teaming with yellow tangs, Moorish idols, and puffer fish. I couldn't help thinking of my family and friends at home and how I wish I could share this moment with them. Someday I hope to share this experience with you all, it is more thrilling, colorful, and memorable than you can know.







Next we took a hike in some of Maui's dried lava fields. We had a picnic lunch on the beach before hiking further and stumbling upon a natural infinity pool fed by waves splashing up the vertical rock face rising up out of the pristine ocean.



The day ended with another postcard sunset that we enjoyed from downtown Lahina just blocks from our hotel. The whole crew had arrived now and we enjoyed catching up, reveling in the excitement of being together in Maui.

Check it!

In the weeks after Milton's tragic passing decisions had to be made. After some deliberation and a lot of research we decided on a brand new Ford Focus Hatchback. It gets super good gas mileage, it was relatively affordable, and we both thought it looked pretty sexy. We had the unfortunate experience of dealing with the numb-nuts at Perry Ford in Santa Barbara but in the end we got a good deal. This was the first big purchase for Carolyn or I and I am proud of our negotiating skills. We even walked away from a deal at one point because it was just outside our price range. We got a great interest rate (2.79%), the exact color we wanted, and even got cruise control installed for way less than stickered price. I cant tell you how happy I am to finally be driving around in what feels like an adult vehicle. For far too many years I have driven old beater cars without radios, power lock or widows, AC and four functional doors. Even though this Focus is a pretty base model it feels like a luxury car to me. Finally, I feel like a full fledged adult in an adult car. I also feel like an adult because Carolyn and I applied for a loan together, opened a joint bank account, and have signed up to make car payments for 6 years. Help me name the new car by voting in the poll or suggesting a better name.