HAWAI'I DAILY UPDATES

The last time that I was in Hawai'i, I was deployed on board the U.S.S. David R. Ray (DD-971), a Spruance Class Destroyer, on its way to the Persian Gulf in the spring of 1990. Pulling into Pearl Harbor, we were informed it was a "working" port, meaning, there would be no time off during the day; it would be a regular working day. We only had time to go out in the evenings, unless, of course, we were on duty. I had duty one evening, limiting my time off to forays into Waikikii in the evenings. Unfortunately, we could not visit the Arizona Memorial because the boat landing dock at the memorial was closed for renovations.

Fast forward seventeen years to when I decided that, after living in Alaska for eight years, I thought it would be nice to take part in an annual Alaska tradition of escaping to the tropics during our hard winters. The timing could not have been better for my trip. We had experienced several days of subzero highs in Anchorage and were starting to "warm up" to single digit highs when it was time to head to Hawai'i. This journal will provide daily updates once I am on the Big Island of photographic activities. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you will be offered opportunities in the near future to purchase featured prints from my trip at highly discounted rates.

Oahu - December 21-23

Rather than visiting with a bunch of sailors, this time I went with my girlfriend, Michelle. Thank goodness we are staying on the Big Island for the vast majority of thetrip. There are simply way too many people in Honolulu. There is a reason I moved to Anchorage instead of Seattle, which I had seriously considered; I do not care to live in a large population center. The goals of this short stay on Oahu were to visit the Arizona Memorial, so some shopping and visit the North Shore. Yes, do some shopping. It's what Alaskans do when they leave Alaska. Also, as a general rule, I try to avoid eating at any chain restaurants I can find in Anchorage.

In the end, we were successful on two out of three goals. We missed the North Shore because it was pretty stormy on that side of the island; not great for surfing or photography. Along the way, however, I found some interesting scenes worth capturing. I also managed to get to the U.S.S. Bowfin, known as the "Pearl Harbor Avenger" because she was launched one year to the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. I also visited the U.S.S. Missouri (BB-63), also known as "Mighty Mo." It had been over 17 years since I last stood on the Missouri, during the filming of the Cher video "If I Could Turn Back Time." My ship, the David R. Ray, was berthed alongside the Missouri and I had a buddy stationed on the Mo who got me on board for the video filming.

When it was time for us to leave Oahu, we ran into some resistence. It took us over a half an hour to make a purchase at Maui Divers Jewelry, despite the fact that we repeatedly told them we had a flight to catch and needed to get going. They were apparently having a problem with their computer system, didn't know what to do about it, and kept doing the same thing over and over again with the same fruitless results. When it came time to return the car, the directions provided by the rental car company told us to take a wrong turn down a one-way road. We figured out that this was not the right way to go. Then, when Michelle attempted to dump out her water bottle on the new pavement for the car rental's parking lot, because our new national paranoia keeps us from taking liquids on planes, she was told by an attendant not to do that because it was new asphalt and would ruin the pavement. We wondered, "What do they do when it rains?"

Here are some select images from Oahu.

Big Island, December 24

There were two things I consistently heard when I told people that I was going to be staying in Hilo. I was told that it is the best side of the island to stay on because it is still "real" Hawai'i, not real touristy. I was also told that it was the wet and rainy side of the island. Both were very accurate. It has been eighteen years since I lived on a tropical island, so I had forgotten what tropical rains felt like -- torrential, fierce, unrelenting, coming in wave after wave. I arrived at my lodging through Mango Bay Vacations at around 8:30, so well after sunset, and settled in with the chorus of tropical rain sounding again and again through the night, along with a cacophony of frogs sounding from the nearly jungle surroundings.

After sleeping in, Michelle and I headed north along the Hamakua Coast to the north of Hilo for a scouting day. This part of the Big Island is known for its waterfalls and I wanted to scope them out for photography on less rainy days. One thing I noticed almost right away was the impact of the heavy rains on the falls -- lots of mud spilling through the falls, making for an unpleasant color. We took a scenic detour off the main road to check out Onome Bay and found a delightful smoothie stand that was selling gargantuan avacado. After stopping at Akaka Falls (look for shots from those falls later in the week as I will return there to photograph), we cut across the top of the island through Waimea, accidentally taking the wrong road to the Kona Coast, which ended up being a shorter route. After stopping to photograph an interesting tree and some grasses near the Waikaloa Village Country Club, we picked up a hitchhiker named Thor, who was a tall, lanky, blonde and tan fellow who had been living on the islands for about four years. He gave us several very helpful tips before he decided it was time to disembark near Kailua. Following one of Thor's suggestions, we stopped to photograph the sunset at Kekaha Kai State Park. We headed back toward Hilo, getting back to that part of the island by 8:30, tired and hungry. Fortunately, we came upon a real treasure of a restaurant, the Hilo Bay Cafe. Great ambience, superb menu and diverse wine selection; a real must.

Big Island, Christmas Day

Today's mission was to explore to the south, since we had spent the previous day covering the north and northwest of the island. The main feature to the south, of course, is Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, home of Kileaua, the most active and continuously active volcano on Earth. As with the falls of the previous day, I did not really intend to spend a great deal of time photographing in the park. Plus, add to that the fact that it was STILL raining, and I knew the photo opportunities would be limited. But, when we traveled the four thousand feet in elevation down from the visitor center to the coast along the Trail of Craters Road, the rain thinned out and completely disappeared. We hiked out among some old lava flows where the ancient Pu'u Loa petroglyphs decorate the countryside. We also scoped out a natural arch made from the same lava flow as a site for morning photography, along with the hike out to the 2002-05 lava flows occurred. The plan will be to do some macro photography of the lava folds and knots.

We continued to South Point, the southernmost point in the United States. Along the way, we checked out a black sand beach at Punalu'u Beach Park and stopped for a prefix Christmas dinner in Na'alehu, the southernmost town in the United States. The restaurant, the Hana Hou Bakery, is described as the best in that part of the island in the famous travel guide, "The Big Island Revealed," by Andrew Doughty. We arrived at South Point, near a green sand beach, after sunset, stopping to photograph a wind mill at the Kamoa Wind Farm along the way. We will definitely need to stop there again to enjoy the green sand. Too tired to write more, getting up early to go back to VNP.

December 26

Another early morning, another day starting with the sound of torrential tropical rain. We head south again, this time for sunrise at the end of the Chain of Craters Road in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. The weather is clear at the Kilaeau caldera, but we don't stop to photograph there. We continue on down toward the sea, where we find that the misty, rainy weather has moved down the mountain. I also notice that the sun has come up earlier than expected, and is shining through the fog and low rain clouds. I spot a sprouting palm tree in the 1973 flow and stop for a wet picture. By the time we get to the end of the road, we are clear of the weather and in the sun. Had I come a year earlier, I would be able to walk out to the fresh lava flows. Not so much luck this year. The active flows are farther north, heading across the island rather than down to the sea. Instead, I take some time for close ups and macros of the cooled flows from the 2002-05 eruptions. That portion of the lava flow recently dropped into the ocean, leaving sheer volcanic cliffs for the unbridled sea to crash into. Over time, it has created some interesting formations, including the Holei Sea Arch.

We head in to explore Hilo, considered "real" Hawai'i. Definitely not for the tourist. Surprisingly, we discover there is no scuba shop on this side of the island, despite the many locations available for snorkeling. One thing that becomes obvious after spending a few days on this side of the island is that it is the windward side of the island and not a popular place for sunshine. Those two things together make the east side of the island unpopular for the usual sunny, beach and water activities. We also soon discover that there is not much to do in Hilo, despite it being the second largest city in Hawai'i. It appears that the east side of the island was the agricultural center for the island at one time, but most of that industry has collapsed, and it shows.

We finish out the day exploring Rainbow Falls and Akaka Falls, both of which were simply overrun with visitors. Tomorrow, south to the black sand beach and around over to Kailua to rent some snorkeling gear.

December 27

If you thought I woke up to the sound of anything other than rain this morning, you were wrong. We loaded up the car and headed south again, this time to Punalu'u Beach to see what the black sand had to offer. Considered a top beach for opportunities to see the Hawai'i green sea turtle, we were probably there too early to catch sight of one. They like to come out in the day to bask in the sun, which was not showing itself on this cloudy morning. But the clouds were not limited to the east side of the island; when we crossed the south end of the island over to Kailua, it was still overcast.

We found a place to rent snorkeling gear along Alii Drive, called Boss Frog's. Snorkle and scuba gear has come a long way - I was able to rent a mask with my prescription built into the mask face. Quite a long way from the old way, where you had to buy a mask and have your optician mount a set of lenses into the face plate. We headed down to Pu'uhonua O Hanaunau National Historic Park, which was reputed to be one of the best places on the Kona side of the island for snorkeling. There was no disappointment in the beautiful coral and fish species available to view. We saw our first green turtle, which was swimming away from shore as we were getting into the water. While out snorkeling, we saw trumpetfish, puffer fish, angel fish, lots of sea urchins, clown fish, a variety of trigger fish, and all sorts of other things I could not recognize. Since I do not have an underwater camera, I had to simply enjoy myself and the experience of snorkeling in tropical waters again after an eighteen-year hiatus... although the last time I was in the water, I was PADI certified and scuba diving in the Philippines.

On the way back to Hilo, we stopped at several fruit stands to take advantage of the diversity and seemingly unending supply of fresh fruit. As light was beginning to fade, I stopped at a macadamia orchard for a last shot of the day.

December 28

Since weather had been improving, this was going to be our first serious attempt to capture a sunrise on the Big Island. Given what we had seen the days before, I was seriously beginning to doubt that such an occurrence happened, that only sunsets on the Kona side were possible. We headed out a little later than planned, but in time to get to some nearby tide pools to capture sunrise. When we arrived, we found out that there as an unusually high tide, along with very high winds, driving the surf over the parking area and under some of the raised homes near the tide pools. We realized something was amiss when we were still about a block away from the parking area and driving through standing water on the road. We learned some great tips from a local, transplanted a few years ago from Oregon, including that we did not want to go to a nearby black sand beach unless we wanted to have our car broken into in order to support some of the locals' drug habits.

We decided to go back to our rental house and have a late breakfast instead. On the way back, however, we spent some time at Lava Trees State Park, an interesting area created by a lava flow that left standing charred and lavacized tree trunks, the lava equivalent of flash freezing. In addition to the interesting lava trees, the park provided a diverse array of flora and a dizzying canopy of trees.

December 29

We decided to spend an evening over on the Kona side of the island. We made reservations for an sunset cruise, on a vessel with a glass bottom for viewing Manta rays after the sun went down. We drove over to Kona, stopping only occasionally along the way, as the weather was not cooperating. It was, however, the best conditions we had seen yet for photographing at the Kilauea caldera. I hike out amidst thickening sulphur fumes that are giving me a headache for some up close and personal shots of the crater. As we explore Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park a little more for one last time, I have the opportunity to photograph a Kalij Pheasant. We continue on and we stop so I can capture one of the sideways-blown trees near South Point. When we arrived in Kailua, we checked into the King Kamehameha Hotel. King Kamehameha's name shows up repeatedly on roads, highways, and businesses, but this particular hotel is well known as the starting point for the Iron Man Marathon. Perfectly situated next to the Kailua Pier, it is in the heart of the shopping district of Kailua along Ali'i Drive. It is also very affordable and quite comfortable in the rooms. With a little renovating in the main hallways, it would be a real gem. After checking in, we head back to Kekaha Kai State Park for some simple relaxing and playing in the surf. My first time on a boogie board.

Today was not really a photo day. The day was meant to focus on having fun, being on vacation. We picked up a pound of 100% Kona coffee, which ran about $30. Goes to show how little "Kona" there is in that "Kona" coffee you buy at the grocery store. We get back to our hotel, change into some Hawai'ian clothing we purchased in Oahu, and head down to the pier to meet up with our evening cruise. The clouds are thickening, and it looks like it will not be much of a sunset. Unfortunately, we cannot board our boat because another boat belonging to some really cheesy tour company is loading their passengers. Apparently, the recent storms on the islands took out part of the berthing areas on the pier, so the operators have to share space for loading and offloading passengers.

Once on our boat, we are treated to a rather delicious buffet meal and a complimentary mai tai. The live entertainment is superb. And while we did not have our sunset, the dancing Manta ray below our boat makes up for that shortcoming. As we stop over a reef to watch the Manta ray, a party of divers operate from a nearby boat.

December 30

There are no photos to post for today. It was not a photo-free day, to be sure, but no digital photos. Yes, I actually used a point-and-shoot camera, for the first time in over twenty years. I thought it would be nice to try a little underwater photography with a cheap film underwater camera - $25 with film already loaded. Since today was going to be the last day we had our rented snorkeling gear from Boss Frog's, we decided to dedicate a fair amount of time to snorkeling. We found a decent place for breakfast nearby the King Kamehameha, then headed north to find a particular area where I hoped to take my last sunset photo on the Big Island. [Tell about the pools, the beach] We decided to try snorkeling after resting for a bit on the beach. While the map provided by Boss Frog's indicated that this was a good snorkeling location, we soon found that the water was not clear enough to truly appreciate the underwater scenery. There was too much sand being kicked up from the nearby beach. One highlight, however, was seeing a rather large green sea turtle. After snapping a few pictures of the turtle, we headed back to shore and decided to return to Place of Refuge for more snorkeling, as that was a superb location. I had already decided that the sunset shot was not going to work because it was too cloudy, so there was no reason to stick around at this beach.

By the time we arrived at Place of Refuge, it was getting to be about four o'clock. We were the only people in the water, which was just fine with me. Unfortunately, the cloudy day and the lateness of the hour made for a relatively dark snorkeling. We encountered a pair of green sea turtles and a whole variety of fish, most of the same we had seen the other day. I snapped a few photos, but we soon realized that it was time to get out of the water. It was getting dark, boats were coming back in, and we were the only people in the water.

So we headed to the closest end of Ali'i Drive to return the gear to the other Boss Frog's location. We were told that it was open until nine, while the downtown location near King Kamehameha was only open until six. We were not going to make it there, for sure. Upon arriving at the second location, we found it closed. We called the number on the map provided by Boss Frogg's, along with the address for their downtown location, and found that the number they provided was for the main location ... in MAUI. So the Maui office gave us the number for the downtown location so we could see if they were open. Unfortunately, there was no answer so we went back to Hilo.

December 31

We spend a good part of the morning getting the runaround from Boss Frog's about our snorkel rental. They are adamant that we are mistaken that two separate employees on two separate days told us that the other location was open until 9:00. Yet further evidence that, in the modern retail age, the old adage of "The Customer is Always Right" is long dead. We ask Boss Frog's if they have a courier or other service, or a relationship of any kind with anyone on the Hilo side who could pick up the gear because there was no way we were driving a four-hour round trip just to return the gear that we couldn't return because of their faulty information. They say, "no." So, we look up in the phone book and find a courier service who can deliver the gear to Boss Frog's for about $35. After a late breakfast, we head toward Hilo to hook up with Arnott's Lodge, where we have made reservations for their tour up to Mauna Kea.

At Arnott's Lodge, we ask if we can leave the snorkel gear at their desk for the courier to pick up, but they are reluctant. Eventually, I had to hand-write a liability waiver before they would take it. Unfortunately for them, I am also an attorney and know that the wavier would not be enforceable in court. After seeing the list of rules and policies for the Lodge, we are glad we chose not to stay here.

OUr guide, however, is fantastic. He takes us around some of the historic highlights of downtown Hilo, which is a bonus because we had become convinced that there was really nothing to see in Hilo. He also stops at Rainbow Falls. It is raining, so we step outside for a little bit just to stretch our legs. I leave the camera gear in the van because we had already covered this site, and in better conditions. As we head up the middle of the island through the Saddle Road, I am exposed to a variety of wonderful photo opportunities, particularly the cinder cones, on a future trip.

We stop at the Observatory visitor center at about 9,000 feet for about an hour to acclimate. While meandering around, I photograph some silversword cactus. I hope to some day visit the namesake of my first ship, the U.S.S. Haleakala, to photograph the rare silversword found only there. Up on the top at the Mauna Kea Observatory, it is fogged in and snowing lightly. Just as the sun is setting, we are presented a treat of clearing fog and some color on the horizon. I work frantically to capture a few images before the light is completely gone. I use a 3-stop Lee graduated neutral density filter to provide more contrast to the sky.

It's worth mentioning a couple of extra things that happened after our summit visit at Mauna Kea, at nearly 13,000 feet. First, on the way back down to town, we stopped to put out a couple of fires. Turns out, according to our tour guide, that the good folks in Hilo have a thing for combustables on New Year's Eve. While it is mostly limited to fireworks -- and we later drove through fog-like thick hazes of fireworks smoke -- some people have a thing for arson. The first fire was a jug with fuel burning on the side of the road in the ditch. The second was the same method of starter, but on the inside of an abondoned car. That one called for the powdered extinguisher, perfect for petroleum fires, that just so happened to be at my feet in the van.

The other big event, after making a lovely late dinner consisting of scallops and local produce, was a toast to the new year over a bottle of 1998 Dom Perignon. Fitting not only to bring in 2008, but to ask Michelle to marry me. She did not say "yes." She said, "Of course I will." I suppose by now she has an idea of what she is getting into, being married to a photographer. There have been plenty of times when we have been traveling that I have woken her at o'dark thirty to get out in the field for first light. She thus puts a crack in John Shaw's theory that the "Thee Ms" can be detrimental to the life of a successful nature photographer: Meals, Motels and Mates.

January 1, 2008

Last day in Hawai'i, no pictures. Still, plenty of things can happen, even this late in a trip. The day got off to a good start when it came time to get rid of our trash. The place where we were staying did not have garbage removal, so we were required to take our trash to the municpal waste transfer station, which just happened to be along the highway on our way to the airport. When we arrived, the gate was closed and there was a big sign indicating that the Keeau Transfer Station was closed for the holiday. Seeing a large gap in the trash, I thought I would just go in and drop our one bag into a dumpster. Instead, I was accosted by an older woman from within her car, where she looked like she had been sleeping for a few days. She claimed she was security, and that I couldn't take my trash inside. I explained that the place where we were staying required us to drop it there, and we were leaving the island today. She warned me that if I went in, she would have me arrested for trespassing and littering. Only in Hawai'i could you be threatened for littering by taking trash to the dump, I thought. When I demanded to see some identification, she refused and got on her phone to "call the cops." Expecting her to be calling in some gang hit squad, I called the police myself. When the police confirmed that she was on the other line with them, I told the dispatcher that I would leave. It was as we were driving away that the woman then offered to show her security ID. I said, "too late," and dropped our trash back at our rental.

Finally, at the Hilo airport, we learned that we would have to leave almost all of the produce we had purchased behind. When you go to Hawai'i, they tell you that there are restrictions on bringing produce into the islands because they have concerns about invasive species damaging the agricultural economy. Makes perfect sense to me. Taking produce away from the islands, particularly to Alaska, made no sense whatsover. It's not like we in Alaska are too concerned about dwarf banana trees running amok on the tundra. But when you examine the list of fruits that are prohibited to leave, you will notice that they are all fruits with seeds. They simply do not want you to take seeding fruits from the island so you can grow your own. So, we gave all of our fruit, except for pineapple and coconut, to our curbside porter.

We were so glad to get back home to Alaska, but I know I will want to go back again. It is too easy to imagine all of the other wonderful photo opportunities on the islands ... especially once Pele starts pouring her vengeance to the sea again.

I hope you have enjoyed my daily log. Look to the future for us to have a regular blog on our site, after the new site design is complete. As they say in the islands -- and they say it EVERYWHERE -- "mahalo" for joining us.