Highlight Alert!

Alright, I do declare..... for me, yesterday was officially the highlight of this trip to Maui! We spent the day on a catamaran and sailed to Lana'i and back. It was nothing short of fabulous, let me tell you! Paragon is the name of the charter company, and they showed us such a fantastic time - huge thanks to Ryan, Arca, and Bekka.

En route to Lana'i

 



 

Spinner dolphins - which I was too busy
watching and not photographing! LOL!

 

We saw multiple schools of spinner dolphins and even a few whales. A place called Manele Bay was where we snorkeled, and then we went ashore for lunch and beach time and exploring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I highly recommend these guys! Awesome!

 

 

 

On a bluff on Lana'i, with Sweetheart Rock in the background.

 

Woot!

 

The sail back to Lahaina Harbor was so much fun! We were under full main and jib, and I think our speed topped out at around 15kts. The swell was moderately large at times and nobody on the front half of the boat stayed dry! A blue-water swim in the calmest, deepest, most incredibly colored water I've ever been in rounded out the afternoon for us.

 

 

 

 

It was a stellar day on and in the water, but the good times didn't end when we got off the boat.... Last nite was equally as entertaining - we went to a Luau, where we were treated like VIP's! The meal was wicked - traditional Polynesian fare - and the dancing was crazy!

 

 

 

 

I took it easy on the Mai-Tais however, because today we drove the east Maui loop - which is the Road to Hana and beyond. I've done the drive before, but nobody else had, so we piled into the Jeep, rolled back the roof, and put on about 150 of the most winding miles ever.

 

  

 

 Black Sand Beach

 

 

Yippee!

 

 

 

Beyond Hana

 

It has been a fairly action-packed week so far, and tomorrow will be no exception - we are checking out Haleakala - which may very well be my favorite place on the island. I'll be sure to let you know if it is as stunning as I remember!

 

Cheers!

 

 

Snorkel-fest!

Today we went out to the Molokini Crater... it was a fantastic day! The tour company we went with was Four Winds, and honestly, the boat's crew totally made the trip! From the laughs to the food to the fun facts.... all of the guys were amazing!



Early morning at the marina - checking in at 6:45am!

It's not exactly a 'secret spot'....

Wheeeeee!! Toni exits the boat via the water slide!

Do not touch!

On the way back to the harbor, we were super fortunate and saw whales and sea turtles....

A momma and her very young calf, and the escort whale.
Note that these guys surprised us by surfacing sooooo close to
the boat - my camera is NOT zoomed in, at all!! Extremely cool!

LOVE the sea turtles!!

The crater has such interesting history, not to mention fabulous snorkeling, and the day was great! Oh yeah, and it was +28C yet AGAIN.... I've been hearing winter horror stories from back home.... yikes....

Hope all is well with everybody!

Cheers!

So much to do... so little time...

It has been unbelievably hot here.... and even on the one and only slightly overcast day, it was incredibly warm. So needless to say, many an hour have been spent enjoying the sand and surf!

Black Rock Beach

Surf lessons!



 

Front Street - Lahaina

 

We ate at Mick Fleetwood's place!

 

 

This evening, we had dinner at a groovy roof-top restaurant in Lahaina, and we booked a last-minute trip to snorkel the Molokini Crater for tomorrow. Monday is a sailing trip to Lanai and a luau in the evening, and then Tuesday a few of us are still planning to drive to Hana and beyond. So fun - but the time is flying by way too fast! And there is just so much to do. Love it!

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

 





Pacific Paradise

Wow, I forgot how much I love this place..... Maui.... so amazing!!

Dragon's Teeth

Nakalele Blowhole

Best banana bread EVER!

I'ao Needle

 

How's my luck - I'm on my second visit to this Pacific paradise, and it is as awesome as I remembered! There are seven of us here, staying in the gorgeous Kaanapali area.

Yesterday was pretty chill, and today we drove the West Maui loop. The road is narrow and gnarly in places and the sights are super cool! We checked out the Dragon's Teeth, the Nakalele Blowhole, Julia's banana bread stand, and the I'ao Needle.

The temps are supposed to stay in the high 20's and we have lots more cool stuff planned.... a trip to Hana, sailing to Lanai, a luau, sunrise on Haleakala, surf lessons.... the fun just never ends!!

And in case you're wondering, I'm not missing home one bit.... can you tell!!?

Cheers!

Four more sleeps!

As most of you are already aware, it doesn't take much to convince me to get on a plane. So, when random chit-chat with friends the other evening turned into, "You should come to Maui!".... well heck, twist my rubber arm.... barely! LOL!

I couldn't resist! I've been there before and totally loved it. And in just a few days, I'll be heading back! Can't wait!!

A couple of pics from my last visit to Maui.

In the interim, I'm enjoying a bit of outside time in Canmore, where it appears that spring may really have sprung! Today was awesome, and the rest of the weekend is shaping up to be even more fun!

Happy Easter everybody!

In Like a Lion....

EEEEEEEK!!! I just checked EnviroCan for the Banff forecast, and OH.... EM.... GEE....

I couldn't resist posting this, because it is going to be one friggin amazing weekend to be in the mountains! In the words of my favorite 9-year-old kid, "There are suns across the whole page!"

Skiing, hiking, more skiing.... I can't wait!! March was in like a lion, but it looks as though it's definitely going out like a lamb. Nice!

Enjoy!

The Land of the Midnight Sun

They are on the same continent, but they're over 5000 km apart.... I've seen one, enjoyed it immensely, and now I think it's high time I see the other.

What the heck am I talking about?? Tombstones. Yes, you heard me correctly. No, not the thrash metal rock band, and no, not the kind that are often found toppled over in creepy graveyards. Of the Tombstones I'm referring to, one is a famous desert town - Tombstone, Arizona.... and the other is an amazing wilderness area - Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon.

Tombstone, Arizona

 

My sister lives in Phoenix, so on more than one occasion I've visited the cool, historical, wild wild west which has been so awesomely preserved in Tombstone, AZ.

Late this summer, I'm hoping to head in the opposite direction.... and backpack through Tombstone Territorial Park in the Yukon. The 9-day trek that I am considering signing up for will venture through surreal, remote, breathtaking landscape.

Image courtesy of Yukon Wild

Image courtesy of Fritz Mueller

This adventure would immediately precede my West Coast Trail trip, so August and September could end up being busy! But it's my favorite kind of busy - traveling to new places, meeting new people, with some extraordinary hiking thrown in as a major bonus! Hell yeah!

A few details still need to be worked out.... but the thought of all this sight seeing is super exciting! Love it! Stay tuned.

Cheers!