Maui Leftovers

Here are the last of the Priya-less images for a while. Here are some random shots from our trip to Maui. You might be wondering where the pictures from the beach are. Well, I was lazy at the beach and didn't feel like bringing my camera. Plus, I could not take pictures with a Tidal Wave drink in one hand and a book in the other!

Here is the sunset as seen from our balcony:

This is Ami in front of the Iao Needle.

Ami in front of a stream near the Iao Needle. This cute kitty was just chilling near the parking lot.

One last sunset for the road. I hope you enjoyed these pictures. We enjoyed taking them!! We head to visit my parents in Florida next week leading up to Thanksgiving. Will have more pictures of Priya then.

The Road to Hana

The day after watching the sunrise at Haleakala Crater we woke up early again (not as early) to hit the Road to Hana. This 50 mile road winds slowly around Northeast coast of Maui with hairpin turns and tons of banana bread. We were ahead of schedule as we pulled out of Paia town with full bellies well before 8 am.

Then we hit our first "adventure" stop. The book made it sound so easy: pull over, hike through some bamboo, boulder hop and stream and make a quick hike to see 4 waterfalls with idyllic pools to swim in. 20 minutes later we had gathered a group of 8-10 fellow lost "adventurers". A quick look at the map and I realized our error and we were back on track.

That's us at the second waterfall. It was a slice of Maui jungle heaven. Peaceful waterfall with a crystal clear pool that we took a cooling swim in. Ahhhh, Maui. We should have stopped here.

We had to climb a very questionable wooden ladder and pull our selves up uncertain ropes to actually climb over the waterfall in the background. Then we had to hike along the stream above hopping from rock to rock on what I believe to be the slickest rocks on earth. At this point, Ami was less than amused. The trail eventually ends at a long pool that is about 100 meters long, which I had to swim to get to and over the 3rd waterfall (that's me jumping off of it on my way back below) to find the 4th waterfall. The 4th waterfall was a trickle. What a disappointment. But still kind of fun.

Well, that little sidetrip ending up take almost 3 hours and we were only 5 miles into the road! We went from ahead of schedule to way behind. Oh well. You can be in a rush on this highway. The speed limit is usually about 15 mph and you can see in the pic below that it winds right along the edge of the earth.

I did not follow the local kid above of that cliff. I did go swimming in the pond below and then the local kids through stuff at me and told me I "was muckin' up the water bro!". Welcome to Maui! We found the locals to be less than inviting. But we carried on and found ourselves at this black sand beach:

The beach above was my favorite beach. The combination of sheer cliffs, grass pasture with cows, sand, and pine trees in the distance was magnificent. If I were a cow, this would be the pasture for me.

We left the cows and headed for the scheduled stop - The Seven Sacred Pools. The guidebook says you should get here around 12-1 pm. We rolled in at 4:30pm just as the rain began to fall. Didn't stop us from jumping into the various pools though.

After the pools, you have a decision to make. Turn around and drive all the way back the way you came on twisty, well paved roads. Or continue the way you are going around Haleakala on straighter roads that are not as well paved. We chose the latter and here is what we were up against in a setting sun:

It was actually a great decision. Despite the bumpy road, the backside of Haleakala was incredible. The topography of the crater made it so you could just envision the lava running down the side of the hill. Plus, there were cows everywhere on the road! Our chariot was certainly made for bumpy roads:

In the end, we made it. We hit the upcountry for a great dinner and were in bed by 10 pm. One more post on Maui coming up, with all the leftover pictures....

Maui - Haleakala Crater

Ami and I didn't do a whole lot in Maui. That was the plan - to relax, sit by the pool, drink fruity frozen beverages, and eat a lot of good food. We did manage to see a few things in Maui though. It wasn't easy to wake up at 3 am in Maui and drive 2 hours to the 10,000 foot summit of Haleakala Crater to watch the sunrise in 40 degree weather.

The following pictures are actually in chronological order. I was just playing around with the manual controls on my camera to play around with the limited light that was available as the sun rose. I recommend double clicking on the pictures if you want a little bit bigger view.

We got lucky as there was a beautiful full moon high in the sky with low lying clouds, which made for a dramatic view (and some actual light) as we wait for the sun. The small "star" in the picture below is actually Venus, and as the sun rose, so did Venus:

It was amazing how the sun managed to "light up" the clouds even before it had popped out of them.

Did I mention it was cold? That is Ami wearing her Klansmen outfit from Halloween as she watches the sunrise. Actually, we came quite prepared. We were both wearing long under - top and bottom!

Finally, the sun began to show behind cracks in the clouds:

It was impressive how slow it seemed to take to rise. The sunset is always so fast once the sun hits the horizon. The sun seemed to linger at the horizon on this day, as if the clouds were trying to hold it down.

Once the sun was fully over the clouds it was 6:40 am. What do you do when you are at 10,000 ft at 6:40 in the morning? Why you go for a long hike in dirt with an inadequate amount of water as the sun beats down on you!

The Sliding Sands Trail takes you right into the crater. If you wanted to, you could hike for a couple of days all the way across the crater. We thought we would just go for a quick hike to get a taste of the colors and sands. Here is the problem. The views and are amazing and you are hiking DOWNHILL. It was soooo easy to say "Let's just go a little further and see what it looks like around the bend". 2 hours later Ami has altitude sickness and you are almost out of water AND you still have to hike back UP. Good times.

The hike was amazing though. The array of colors were unbelievable and there were actually signs of life. These plants reminded me of the Chihuly glass exhibit we saw at the Scottsdale desert botanical garden in February:

This is Ami standing in front of the main crater. We didn't even make it to the edge of this on the bottom. The size is impressive.

Next up...The Road to Hana

Last Random Pics and a Video!

Here are the last few random pics of Priya. The first two are of Priya in the beautiful sweater Grandmaman knit for her. The first one is kind of blurry for Priya's face (she wouldn't stand still, imagine that) but shows the true color of the sweater. The second is from my iphone.

Here we are getting ready to head to the temple for Diwali. Priya looks so cute. Sona is facing the wrong way!

Finally, here is a random video, because I haven't posted in a while:

Okay, that catches everyone up to date on Priya. The next post will be Priya free as it will be a few photos from our trip to Maui. I promise I will have my shirt on in all pictures (maybe).

Pumpkins, Market and Shortcake

After the trip through the Gorge, it was time to hit the pumpkin patch on Sauvie Island. This isn't your typical boy scout pumpkin patch. This is the real deal. With two tired toddlers, we cheated and drove out to it since the hayride was not running.

Maria Elena had her eye on a pumpkin from the get go. While Priya was content to squat and play in the dirt:

All that pumpkin huntin' can make you tired (and grouchy judging by the looks on their faces):

Had to take the girls to the farmer's market. The two of them had a blast in the wagon and watching these street musicians. Maria Elena helped pull Priya around the market:

Finally, it was time for our "Kid's Halloween Party". We threw it early since Priya was gonna be in Houston for Halloween while we were in Maui.

Ami is a mouse. Priya is Strawberry Shortcake (since all she eats is strawberries). I am a stereotypical Portland Hipster (I know, terrible costume!).

The Mattas were The Flintstones. Dino looks a little pooped in this pictures:

And that was the visit. Of course, we did more than that. There might have been a stop or two at a brewery. And a trip to the zoo. Good times.

Maria Elena visits Priya

Our friends The Mattas paid us a visit after months of nagging. Unfortunately, they waited until mid October to visit. Fortunately, they got some decent weather while they were here.

Of course anytime we get first time visitors a trip to the Columbia River Gorge is in the works:

I am always game for a trip to the Gorge. This time was especially nice thanks to the beautiful fall foliage. Priya does not seem impressed. But she seems happy with the Mattas:

This was a frequent situation during their visit. Priya watching Maria Elena in awe:

Eduardo, Giselle, and Maria Elena enjoy the wonderful view. Below, Priya tries to keep up with Maria Elena but finds the stairs a mighty obstacle.

The waterfalls and changing leaves made for some great pictures.

You cannot go into the Gorge without a stop at Multnomah Falls (above). The two girls walking together at the falls:

Another successful trip through the Gorge. Next up: pumpkins and halloween party....

Catching up with Priya - Part 2

Some more random pictures to catch you up to date with Priya's late summer and early fall activities. Again - random order:

These two are from when Priya and I went to the Lucky Lab hop harvest party. We helped pick the hops from piles and piles of vines. Priya was not a lot of help. The picture below is right after she popped one of the hop buds in her mouth and just before she vomited on me! She was fine though.

Priya and I walked down to the post office to pick up her clothes we left at Uncle Rodger and Aunt Marg's on our trip to Victoria. Then Priya showed off her UT cheerleader's outfit when we met one of my radiology partners for lunch:

When we went to TX for the music festival, she decided it was time to sit like a big girl in the Elmo chair. Shrayen was there to lend support and make funny faces.

More catching up coming up....