Snorkeling

This morning I went on a sailing and snorkeling adventure. The big rock in the middle of the above picture and to the left is Molokini Crater, and our snorkeling destination. The fish and coral were amazing.

After Molokini Crater, we took our catamaran, the Kai Kanani to another area where sea turtles are known to be prevalent. I didn't see any snorkeling, but did see some from the boat. In addition to our snorkeling stops, we ate breakfast and lunch on the boat, drank Mai Tais, and lounged in the sun.


Here's the crew lounging. Just to see what it felt like, I did pull a Mesnick on one of the railings.

After spending a little more time at my Maui residence, I've decided that it can best be described as a retirement hostel. The decor all says a couple generations before me, but the common area has a shared computer and a shelf full of Frommer's, Lonely Planet, and Fodor's guidebooks. I think the target clientele are people in their 20's who want to feel like they're staying at their grandma's condo. I had no idea that market even existed.  Some of the highlights include:

Nuggets of wisdom, found hung on the wall, on magnets on the fridge, and cross-stitched on pillows. This is one of my favorite examples.


The outside has an eclectic and awesome array of patio furniture.















Every lamp has a different colored lei draped on it.





A stylish yet convenient beaded curtain with a delightful tropical scene provides oh so much privacy for the bedroom. If you can't tell, the couch and chair are sporting a fish pattern.



Here's the awesome green and pink fish pillow adorning the bed.

It has been an absolutely lovely place to stay.

Sunrise at Haleakala

Taking advantage of my extreme jet lag, I started my day this morning at 2:45 am. Joining Cruiser Phil's Volcano Riders, I drove to the top of Haleakala, a volcano on Maui. I thought this was brilliant scheduling on my part. Having only arrived yesterday, 2:45 am was 8:45 am in DC, a completely reasonable time to be starting the day.

After getting picked up, we went to Phil's headquarters for waiver signing, coffee, and muffins. The 3 am start time must have been rougher than on me than I anticipated, however, because the organizer of our trip had to clarify whether or not I was a minor. Now, I've oft been confused for being younger than I am, but under 18? I'd like to believe I at least pass for 20.

After getting our gear, we began the hour drive to the top of the volcano. Here we watched the sun rise, while a Hawaiian park ranger called (sang? chanted?) a sun salutation. 50 people staring intently for the sun to appear quickly learn that the sun is in fact, bright.

 

The crater edge, or at least our viewing point, was at 9,700 feet. Mountains are cold in the morning, and this was no exception. The temperature was 34 degrees when we arrived. Fortunately, Phil was kind enough to outfit us in these totally awesome bomber jackets. In fairness to the person who thought I might be minor, I am looking pretty rough.

Once the sunrise had been fully appreciated, we began our trek down the volcano. The total trip was about 28 miles, although less than 400 yards of that required pedaling. It was pretty cold for the first part of the trip still, so I added additional layers to my Fonz jacket, sad to cover it up. (I'm also ready for motocross in the rain.) The ride was absolutely delightful. It is a gorgeous trip down the mountain, around the island, and toward the coast.

At the bottom we stopped at the town of Paia for breakfast. Our guide deemed it a hippie town. I ate in enough time to visit the Paia Peace Stupa. In 2007, it was blessed by the Dalai Lama. It is very small inside, and mostly filled by the spinning thing. I'm sure there is a more appropriate term, but I don't know it. It always turns to the right, and as it turns, a bell rings. Guests are invited to enter, walk around, and say a prayer.

The rest of my afternoon was spent, surprise, on the beach. It is as lovely and tremendous as you would imagine the beach at Maui to be. I am beginning to wonder how to judge an "excessive amount of sand". This will become important when I turn in my rental car.

In case the connection between me sitting on the beach and me making the world a better place is unclear, I am in Hawaii for work. I will be attending a conference next week. I just couldn't fly all this way only to see the inside of conference hall.

I hope to share much more about my lovely residence, but for now, this preview of my favorite wall hanging will have to do.

Aloha

It took 18 hours to get from my front door in DC to my hotel in Maui. An exhausting 18 hours. But I am here now, and couldn't be more excited. The bottom picture is the ocean side of my residence while on Maui. It's a super quirky inn, and fabulous. There's no AC or TV. It's decorated like a Florida retirement home. I'm looking forward to sharing pictures of the framed cat picture and pink and green fish pillow on my bed. However my windows are about 20 feet from where the ocean starts, and the sound of the waves pretty much make everything else irrelevant.

Easter Brunch

Crew Season

Today was my first day back on the water. Last year I joined a novice crew program, and loved it so much I decided to continue this year. This means that I get up at 4:45 am three times a week to go row on the Potomac. This is a pic of most of my crew and coach last year. Good times, good people. After one day of rowing, I have no less than 6 blisters, and soreness pretty much everywhere. Time to get back in shape.

Cherry Blossom Festival

This weekend was the start of the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC. Although the peak bloom is not supposed to be reached until April 1st and 2nd, the trees are already gorgeous. Maria and I had a habit last year of filling our Saturday mornings with Dunkin' Doughnuts and a walk to the National Mall. The start of the cherry blossom festival was enough motivation for us to kick off this tradition again this year. We walked to the mall, picked up a frosted doughnut with sprinkles along the way, and took in the blossoms. 

We had one photographic goal: a shot with both us, the Jefferson Memorial, and some blossoms. 

 

I think we accomplished it quite well.

The trees surround the entire Tidal Basin. There were tons of paddle boats on the water, a pastime my mom and I have enjoyed on multiple occasions. I wish she were here to go boating with!

Maria had not yet visited the FDR memorial, and since we were already on that side of the basin, we made a stop. I think FDR kinda gets the shaft in that regard...you have to walk a lot farther to get to his memorial, and I'm pretty sure that for tired tourists, he's the first to get skipped. This is his dog, Fala.

Unbeknown to us, the first Saturday of the festival is the same day as the DC Kite festival. You can't seem them very well in this picture, but the sky on the mall was absolutely full of kites. Very fun.

After walking to the mall, walking around the Tidal Basin, and then walking home, I think Maria and I put in at least 5 miles. I followed that up by walking at least 3 miles with another friend in the afternoon in pursuit of a book signing, and topped it all off with a flag football game in the evening. By Sunday morning I was really sore and felt like someone had pushed me out of a moving (albeit slow moving) car.

Rainy Times

This is me just after finishing my run for the day. I'm not sure how well it comes through, but I'm pretty sure every DC rat I passed (and I shudder to think how many that was) was eying the bottom of my hair as a good place to make a nest. DC is currently in a flood warning, and we have seen constant rain the past few days. On the plus side, it's not freezing cold any more. So even though every layer of me was wet by the time I finished, I just couldn't help getting outside today and yesterday. Lukewarm rain feels like such an improvement over the weather of late. It's also pretty eerie to see the top of the Washington Monument disappearing into a mist. Even from the White House, which is pretty close, I could only see half of it. We are scheduled for at least two more days of this rain, so we'll see how it goes.