Haleakala ~ Halemauu trail to Holua cabin

"No Way, leave at 5:30am, it's still dark outside!" This was actually a great idea once you get over hoisting the protesting body out of the nice warm comfy bed. We started hiking at 7am after hopping around the parking lot at 8,000 feet trying to get warm. It was a beautiful clear morning as we started out on the Halemauu trail. We could see all the way down to the shoreline where the distant surf was rolling in at Keanae. (Jaws was pumping I hear). Hana airport was visible just under the cloud line. Not a cloud in the crater. We leaft Jeremy and Celia at the crater rim whic is a little more than a mile from the parking lot. This is just before you start the switchbacks to descend 1,500 feet to the crater floor.

Try give a loud shout when you are half way down the trail and listen to the reverberating echo's. Pretty cool. Nene pairs greeted us at the trail head, at the bottom of the cliff and again at the cabin. Brunch of cheese and smoked sausage on rolls. We reached the bottom of the cliff again at 10:30 just as clouds started rolling in up from Koolau gap. A rest in the soft grass before hiking up at 11:20. It was now clouded in with a fine mist keeping us cool for the hike out. Target time of meeting Jeremy and Celia in the parking lot at 12:30. We all arrived together at 12:40.

A perfect hike of 3.9 miles each way.

Nene Pair below found at the base of the trail. Bottom video is horseplay at the hitching post.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday!! :)

South East Maui - WiliWili Tree

Mom and I drove out to see if the WiliWili tree's were in bloom. It was a bright blue sky and quite green for this time of the year. Quite a bit of Vog which made viewing the Big Island impossible. Yes, The Wiliwili are barely surviving after a introduced beetle has killed hundreds of trees. Another insect was brought in which preys on the larva of the beetle. The Williwilli is a beautiful tree with colorful flowers and trunk. The one stand where we stopped had a large honey bee nest in the tree. (click on photo just above where trunk bifurcates)

Lassetter Clinic photo's

Great rides by Everyone. Trish and Kalae with a lot of Canter work. Marilee cantering Divine - Woo hoo, go Marilee you cantering confidently . "Marilee trot... Marilee trot now.....MARILEE Trot" Stephanie from Washington State getting instruction from John Lassetter. Ann and Rein Beau going down the long side w/ "symbols". Carole and Wondermann cantering. Rein Beau and Ann getting more through and collected. Jessica and Elroy going over the trotting poles. They changed saddles and transformed. Marilee and Divine, Carole and Wondermann. Trish and Kalae. Stephanie and Freederic the Great. Jackie and Bella and Peter and Zoe also participated and did great.

October moon rise

Beach House panoramics

Click or double click on the images to enlarge them.

Sept 2009 Beach House images

Early Surf in Mid Sept on North Shore

If you watch the "Kolea" or golden plover, you would have noted surprisingly that it returned from Alaska 2 weeks early this August. An early north swell from storms in the Northern Pacific arrive Sept 8th and persisted. Another High Surf Warning is posted for Sept 24th.

MONK SEAL VISIT

We were sitting on the porch watching the gorgeous view when I exclaimed "Look at that huge turtle". It was a massive turtle shell in the pool area just inside the tip of the reef. Quickly Carole says "Its the Monk Seal" . Sure enough, we were all excited taking turns watching it cruise back and forth. The after 30 minutes it went to the outside of the reef and headed up to Waimea bay. Less than an hour later it was back for about 10 minutes and then we didn't see the monk seal again. I happen to look down the beach toward Chun's reef and there it was, hauled out on the beach. We all grabbed our cameras and headed down the beach. Everyone was very respectfully, keeping their distance and allowing the seal to rest. It stayed on the beach for nearly 3 hours before departing at around 1 pm. That was definitely a treat. My First Monk Seal seen in person.

They have recently just in the last few years been seen in the Main Hawaiian islands. They are solitary and endangered.

Beach House early Sept

Up Country August Day

A lazy day, sitting on the porch watching the day go by and Bob mowing the yard :)

That shower tree sure is beautiful!

Honolua Bay and Napili Bay

Honolua Bay: A Marine Conservation Reserve. It has great snorkeling especially in the summer. The right hand side of the bay has a large coral reef area but you have to snorkle out too it. The middle of the bay is a sandy channel. There is coral on the left side and Rhonda and Jeff saw quite a few turtles there along with a spotted ray. The picture with the rock beach is Honolua Bay. It was our first stop. We parked more on the north side of the bay by 2 porta potties. There is a path that is level and doesn't cross the stream. I was surprised by all the concessions at the end by the boat ramp. The "Camp" on the south side of the ramp had grown. As I approached a guy came out of the concession and confronted me saying I had to leave as Dogs were not permitted. "I have been coming here for 20 years with my dogs" was my reply. There was a "No Dog" sign by the road. I did not see the sign.
I tell him the beach is State Land. Yes but you accessed it via a Hawaiians land and your dog is upsetting his dogs ( a big Rottweiler is going nuts on his leash.) In the end he let us proceed to the right side of the bay. The coral was spectacular. I love the purple and green colors. There were 6 big Ulua with bright fluorescent blue coloration. Some big schools of different reef fish. The water was very enjoyable. I later went on line and found out that Maui Land and Pine owns 269 acres in Honolua. a Hui of 8 people own .20 acre where the camp has been built up. There is another Oahu owner who owns .25 acres which the camp has also spread out onto. The North access was over Maui Land and Pine land and not over any Hawaiians land. They own not even 1/4 acre between the boat ramp and the stream. The Dept of Land and Natural Resourse has been fining them since 2006 for illegal structures in a conservation area, illegally assessing people to cross their land, illegal concession stands, fishing in a marine reserve, destroying ancient walls. Diverting the stream.
Well after a nice swim at Honolua we hiked out to go to a nice sandy beach for our lunch.
But we ended eating lunch at the car. Then off to Napili Bay about 15 minutes south. It is a spectacular white sand beach. As we exited the public shoreline access and stopped to look at the ocean we noticed some really big green sea turtles grazing on the rocks nearby. We watched 3 big ones get tumbled over the rocks. They were unphased by the tourists viewing them up close.
We found some shade and were soon in the water. It was not as clear as Hololua as it is more affected by the trade winds with a small surge. The turtles were at least 4 feet across. The tail of the big one was almost a foot long and 6 inches in diameter at its base. One turtle had a colorful 8" Christmas Wrass swimming with him. Jeff was watching one when a wave swept him over the rocks into a small lagoon area where he said he and 3 big turtles were churning around together in the shallow water.
Another relaxing day on Maui in the beautiful ocean.


South Side of Napili Bay

Poolena Beach - Wailea

It was a gorgeous day to go to the beach. Of course we only go when visitors are here. The water was a little rough but quite clear just out of the shore break. As soon as I got in there was a old cowrie shell sitting on the bottom at about 5 feet deep. We snorkeled toward Kihei. There were 4 papio, then 2 big silver fish w/ big eyes about 2 feet long. They were scooping up the bottom sand making big clouds of sand. Next a couple green sea turtles. A few big foot long goat fish. Lots of red pencil urchins. My friends asked if I wanted to snorkel around the point. I was getting a little tried. "No I will just drift back down the coast" Wrong, we had been drifting down. Now we had a good swim against the current. At one point with the bottom sand swirling and the light dancing it was pretty bizzar. A great beach day.

A UpCountry Maui Day

With a Tropical Storm Watch in effect, the day could not have been a more beautiful Maui day. A horse enthusiast visitor from Switzerland is an excellent excuse- Lets go Ride! Elroy, Velvet and Kalae take to the trails. "Qie"and Leilah, hounds in kahoots accompany us. Only one big spook when the dogs came out of the bushes after we passed them. Yeah, everyone stayed on :)

Hurricane Felicia

Miss Felicia - Category 4 hurricane heading for Hawaii. Of the 3 sisters Ms P lives on Maui, Miss D lives on the Big Island and Mrs C lives on Oahu. Thus the youngest sister is in line for the first landfall of Miss Felicia. Then Maui followed by Oahu.

Go to www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/flt/t7/rb-l.jpg

Or Goes satellite: Pacific wide shot showing Hawaii

www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/tpac/rb-l.jpg


http://savannahnow.com/features/2007/hurricane/CATEGORYS.pdf
Category 1 = 74-96 mph wind
Category 2 = 96-110 mph
Category 3 = 111-130 mph
Category 4 = 131-155 mph
Category 5 = > 155 mph

54th Annual 4th of July Makawao Rodeo

Paniolos from around the State travel to Makawao Maui for the 54th annual Makawao Rodeo.
Situated in Oskie Rice Arena in beautiful Up-country Makawao area, you are surrounded by beautiful green rolling hills. At around 2,000 feet elevation, on the slopes of Haleakala the Norfolk Pine and Eucalyptus trees line Olinda road as you approach. The stunning Jacaranda's purple blossom adds color to the scenery.