Tag Archives: travel

What a Tree!

The banyan tree is a pretty amazing form of life. The way the branches drop to the ground and form new roots (at least that is what it looks like they do) is pretty amazing. The town of Lahaina has a banyan tree that is amazing, even by banyan tree standards. It seems to have taken over a whole square in the town. We were there while an art fair was on display under its branches. Everyone could be well spread out and still under the tree.

I took a few pictures of it but also took a panorama shot with an app on my phone which I discussed previously here. The resulting pano is below.

The Desert Side of Maui

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While the northeast side of Maui is well traveled by visitors and is quite lush, the opposite side of the island is the polar opposite. Since the prevailing wind brings the moist air from the northeast and the rising land results in that moisture being dumped on the land, once the air continues on across the island it is denuded of water and drops to lower altitudes. Consequently, there is very little rainfall on this side of the island. The landscape is more like a desert and, while very different, is quite striking.

The other aspect of this side of the island is that it is lightly populated and little traversed. There is a discontinuity in the road around the island so it is not a finished road for a few miles. The condition of the road is often made to sound far worse than it is so many tourists get to Hana and then turn back. We were intent on continuing on the full way having heard the road was not a problem and, more importantly, being aware of how twisting the road back from Hana was and that more and more cars would be coming the other way as the day wore on.

The trip around was not terribly difficult and the condition of the road soon improved to be something very good and quite fast. As we rose above the water, the views continued to be stunning. This is a great part of the island and one that more people should experience.

More Maryland

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The trip to Maryland gave us a chance to see some areas of the state we hadn’t visited before. It is a pretty area. While there are lots of people there, the towns are older and have a more period feel to them. Plenty of history in that part of the world. Meanwhile, the weather cooperated providing some really nice skies. Here are a few pictures to give you a sample.

Seven Sacred Pools

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If you continue past Hana south you will come to a national park area. Here there are some trails that can take you into the wilds but the main attraction for most people – let’s face it, not too many people want to walk very far from a parking lot – was the Seven Sacred Pools. This was were one of the rivers ran down to the sea via a series of waterfalls and pools at the head of each.

The waves were crashing up on the shore at the bottom of the pools and the water was flowing well so the falls were all looking pretty impressive. Apparently, there can be quite a deluge through here at times but we were certainly not lacking for water. I suspect many people get as far as Hana and then turn around and head back the way they came. This area was very attractive and certainly worth coming further around. You could still go back but carrying on was another option…

Deer Have No Fear!

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When you are in a place like Yosemite, your are very aware that you are in an environment where nature has the upper hand. However, you do think the wildlife will still be wary of man. That is not true at all though. A few times while I was walking, I came across herds of deer. I always think of deer as skittish creatures – hardly surprising since around here they are considered a target by many – but these guys seemed not only used to humans but bored with us. As long as we didn’t do anything too quickly, they continued on unfazed.

This even extended to Yosemite Valley itself. I was taking some shots of the valley when a small group crossed the street and walked right past me to get to their next snack. I watched them for a while and then headed back to the car. There I saw a buck in the tall shrubs with a buddy not far behind. When he wanted to come in my direction, he did exactly that.

Road to Hana

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One of the more famous things to do on Maui is drive the road to Hana. We were advised that an early start was a good idea before the road got filled with tourists and you stopped seeing the sights and instead watched the rear of the car in front of you. I don’t know how busy it got later since we followed the advice but we certainly had a quiet road to drive.

The terrain is undulating so the road twists and turns as it makes its way around the coast. You never go very fast and the odd straight sections feel very unusual when you come upon one. There are plenty of spots along the route to take note of and lots of waterfalls to see. Some are more impressive than others and our guidebook was very effective at making sure we saw the best of the bunch but didn’t lose too much time at those that were less worthwhile.

It was certainly a nice drive and quite pretty. Whether I would agree that it is one of the most beautiful drives in the world is a very different story. Worth doing if you have the time but not unmissable. I am glad to have done it but won’t feel compelled to do it again if we should return. There certainly isn’t too much in Hana to do once you get there! However, it does provide access to some of the nice features of the south side of the island which I actually found more appealing.

Half Dome Sunset

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One of my goals while in Yosemite was to go to Glacier Point later in the day and watch the sunset casting its warm light over Half Dome. Half Dome is always an impressive sight to behold. Taking pictures of it never allows you to experience the scale and impressiveness of it but you do the best you can. I got up there about an hour before the sun was due to set in order to get a few other shots. I had intended to hike up to Sentinel Dome but I was running out of time so that part of the trip got scrubbed and saved for another day.

Shooting sunset type shots is a funny thing. The view looks great and you take a few shots. Then, as the sun dips lower, the light gets better and you shoot some more. This continues until suddenly it stops getting better and it is all over. You have to shoot a bunch of stuff since you never know whether it is at its peak or not. Consequently, you end up with a lot of shots that you will never use again.

The other odd aspect about this shoot was the discrepancy between the view and the atmosphere. Sunset at Glacier Point is a popular thing as you might expect. Plenty of people are there. Lots of them are families and families often include small kids. Small kids are not so enthusiastic about sitting around for an hour waiting for the sun to set. Consequently, the scenery looks great but all you can here is crying kids and desperate parents trying to buy off a tired and grouchy kid. Not quite what you had in mind. I just hope the parents still enjoyed the beautiful view since the rest of it looked painful for them.

Paia

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Up near the near side of Maui is the little town of Paia. We checked Paia out on our way to get lunch. There isn’t a huge amount to see in the town – a selection of shops and places to eat as you might expect – but its claim to fame is that it is populated by some of the more out there members of society.

Going there is as much about seeing unusual people as it is about seeing the town itself. How long this reputation has been in place and whether it is still valid I couldn’t say. Certainly there were a few people wandering around who looked like they fitted the bill. There were far more people visiting, though, and maybe they were all there looking for the strange folk. By coming in such numbers, maybe we are driving away what we came to see. Despite all of this, we did see a few cool looking places and some signs that the community is not totally conformist!

Iao Valley

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If you head inland from the airport on Maui, you can travel up a narrow route called the Iao Valley. It is a pretty valley to travel up but the main attraction is at the head of the valley where there is a visitor center. Here is a place that has much historical significance for the people who populated the islands in years gone by. Battles were fought here and the interesting shapes of the hills have significance as well.

The variation in climate was noticeable. Looking up into the hills, you could see a lot fo cloud moving through and the foliage was green and dense. Look the other way and you could see the warmer drier areas appearing in quite a short distance. There was a river running through the valley which was feeding a lot of cultivated garden areas. A lot of people visited although not many seemed to stay too long. If you took your time, it was actually a very nice place to be.

Maui Sunsets

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The hotel we were staying in on Maui faced west so each evening was a chance for a sunset. Our first evening was quite a good one with some very pleasant skies. The final evening was okay with something nice but not really the sort of thing that would provide a great image. I went out with the camera for both of them.

The middle evening we went out for dinner and I didn’t take my camera with me. Guess what, the sky was amazing. Everyone at dinner was getting up to go and take pictures. I did have my phone with me so that was the solution. I grabbed a shot just to remember it by. Could have predicted this couldn’t you?