Category: Living

Hasty Departure

Au revoir Hawaii Big Island. It was time to pause our stay in Hawaii: tomorrow, a stay-at-home order goes into effect for the whole of Hawaii. We’ll return in December (ultimately it was December 2021) to complete the journey when the island will be back in business and trails have been reopened.

All-You-Can-Eat Eyeballs

Picked some longan (also known as “dragon eye” or “eyeball”). We’re renting a cabin on a fruit farm where we can pick all the fruit we want. Longan is a smaller version of lychee.

Hiking Abandoned Roads

Hiked another barricaded, abandoned road in another lovely valley. With the closure of Volcanoes National Park, and state and county parks, we’re improvising with abandoned roads, back-country roads and former sugar cane haulage roads.

Balancing Coronavirus Risks

Every morning we read the New York Times, the Washington Post, and our local paper, the Star Tribune. We took out subscriptions to all three newspapers within days of the 2016 presidential election because we need to support good journalism to hold the US Administration accountable. Today, the news is uniquely disturbing. Most of us…… Continue reading Balancing Coronavirus Risks

Mountain to Ocean

On a Hilo walk, Mauna Kea peeked through the clouds. At 33,500 feet, it’s the highest mountain on Earth, measured from the seabed. It’s 13,500 feet above sea level, home to 13 international observatories funded by 11 nations. There’s snow at the summit and it’s 83°F in Hilo.

Post-Shower Selfie

Post-shower selfie airside at Auckland AKL. I didn’t take my backpack in the shower, but maybe I should’ve. Today we hiked a coastal path on Waiheke Island. Warm weather, steep gradients, and three layers of sunscreen made the shower a treat. Tonight we fly overnight to Honolulu.