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Hike Through Halawa Valley to Mo’oula Falls

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/2.8, 1/1100 sec, ISO320
 “Mo’oula Falls” Kaunakakai, 2022

Today we did a hike in Halawa Valley to Mo’oula Falls. It’s one of our planned highlights of our vacation and we were really looking forward to it.

But first we needed some breakfast so we headed into town to pick up some goodies and coffee at Kanemitsu’s Bakery and Coffee Shop. The pastries were delicious!

“Kanemitsu’s” Kaunakakai, 2022

The drive to Halawa Valley follows Kamehameha V Highway east for about 26 miles, and is really narrow for the last few miles, with tight turns, so drive slowly and carefully!

We were told to bring some snacks or lunch to eat at Mo’oula Falls so we stopped at Mana’e Goods & Grindz at mile marker 16. They opened at 8am, and we got there right before. Mana’e has a pretty big menu of local food and when we asked the lady taking orders what would be good to take on the hike, she suggested the bento, and wrapped it up securely with plastic wrap so it be okay in our backpack. Thank you Mana’e lady!!!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/3.6, 1/1500 sec, ISO320
 “Mana’e Goods n Grindz” Kaunakakai, 2022

We arrived at Halawa Park and met our guide, Greg of Halawa Valley Cultural Tours, who was friendly, funny, informative, and passionate about educating people about Hawaiian culture, and specifically Halawa Valley.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/6.4, 1/160 sec, ISO320
 “Welcome Gifts” Kaunakakai, 2022

At around 9:30 am, we proceeded on the tour to Greg and his father’s residence where we participated in a welcome ceremony. The whole time, the interesting information kept flowing and we could really feel the value of the tour. It’s well worth the price.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18.8mm, f/2.8, 1/1250 sec, ISO320
 “Cultural Hike” Kaunakakai, 2022

The hike up the valley to the falls was not too difficult nor long, but there are a couple of water crossings and your feet will most likely get wet. I suggest some water shoes or hiking sandals. The weather for our hike was perfect, with lots of sun, and a gentle breeze to keep us cool. There were lots of mosquitos, however, which attacked me when we stopped walking for our water breaks, so I recommend bringing mosquito repellant and using it liberally.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/2.8, 1/850 sec, ISO320
 “At the Falls” Kaunakakai, 2022

When we reached the falls, Greg jumped into the 30-foot-deep pool for a swim, and a few of us followed. The water was cold, but not unbearable, and I was able to swim to the base of the waterfall. It was awesome. Make sure to bring a swimsuit!

After that, Mariko and I broke out the bento and had lunch. It was a wonderful experience!

The hike back to Greg’s residence was quick because it was downhill, and there were less breaks and I believe we reached our car at about 3 pm.

I 100% recommend the Halawa Valley Cultural Hike. We expected it to be a highlight of our vacation, and it didn’t disappoint!

Molokai

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/5.6, 1/210 sec, ISO640
 “Maui Morning” Wailuku, 2022

Today we woke up early to get ready for our overnight trip to Molokai. We are staying at our family’s house and the morning light is always amazing and energizing. It makes staying here so special. I love it.

Our plane today is a commuter aircraft flown by Mokulele Airlines. It only seats about 10 passengers and is so cute. The flight from Kahului to Molokai airport is only about 20 minutes and is so fun!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/5, 1/3500 sec, ISO320
 “Mokulele Plane” Lahaina, 2022

We had great weather, and smooth air, so we could enjoy the scenery of the north Maui coast (and we even saw a few whales in the water) and the stunning north Molokai cliffs.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/4, 1/1800 sec, ISO320
 “Nearing Molokai” 2022

In the photo below, you can see the Pu’uka’oku Falls and a helicopter taking in the views up close.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 40.7mm, f/5, 1/1500 sec, ISO320
 “Helicopter and Waterfall” Molokai, 2022
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/7.1, 1/2400 sec, ISO320
 “Cloud Line” Ho’olehua, 2022

After landing at Molokai airport, which is the smallest airport I’ve flown to, we visited popular Japanese painter 山崎美弥子 Miyako Yamazaki‘s house to look at her artwork for purchase. I don’t have any photos since it was at her home, but it was a wonderful experience.

After that, we went back to town to walk around get some lunch, and also visited Kumu Farms for some fresh Strawberry Papaya (which we would enjoy for breakfast later in the trip).

“Strawberry Papayas” Kaunakakai, 2022

By that time it was time to check in to Hotel Molokai where we’d be spending the night. We had a drink at the bar while waiting for our table to be ready and then we enjoyed a delicious sunset dinner at Hiro’s Ohana Grill before retiring back to our room for the night. What a long and wonderful day!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/22, 1/280 sec, ISO320
 “Beach Scene”, 2022
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/3.6, 1/60 sec, ISO3200
 “Sunset Dinner” Kaunakakai, 2022

Traveling to Maui

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/5800 sec, ISO32
 “Over Oahu” Hawai’i, 2022

Hi all! Today is the first day of our vacation to Maui and Molokai. It’s a long haul from Austin to the Aloha State, but at least we can take advantage of Hawaiian Airlines’ non-stop to Honolulu, and then a short 3-minute jump to Kahului.

The flight was nice, with one complimentary vino, a couple of meals, and a decent selection of movies. I watched the latest James Bond movie “No Time to Die” (which I enjoyed quite a bit) and then read on my Kindle/iPad the rest of the way to Honolulu.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 1.55mm, f/2.4, 1/200 sec, ISO25
 “Airport Wordle” Honolulu, 2022

We had about an hour layover at HNL, so I set up my GoPro for a time-lapse, and then caught up with Wordle.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/6000 sec, ISO32
 “Gate A19” Honolulu, 2022

Here’s the video:

I hope you had a great day!

Virtual Marathon Struggle

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 2.71mm, f/2.2, 1/460 sec, ISO25
 “Virtual Marathon” Cedar Park, 2022

I switched my Austin Marathon registration from in-person to Virtual, which meant that I could run the distance anytime between February 20 (the date of the in-person race) and March 13. After looking at my calendar, today seemed like a good day to run the Virtual Marathon.

So at 10:45 am, I headed out to run the same course that I ran in January, which is basically four 7-mile loops from my house. This meant that I could stop at the house for water, snacks, and bathroom break 3 times. The weather was perfect: sunny and in the 40s F.

The first 7-mile loop was good, and I was taking it easy to conserve energy. But the second loop was when things got difficult. My legs felt dead… no energy! At the half-way point, I had my water and snacks, but when I started the third loop, my left leg could hardly move. It was not good. But I decided to start walking and hopefully it would loosen up. It sort of worked, but within a mile, I started feeling a bit of pain in my left leg, so I began walking again.

At this point I was worried that I would not be able to continue. We are going on vacation in a few days, and I didn’t want to get injured. So I kept walking and thinking about if I wanted to call it quits or not. Well, alternating walking and jogging a seemed okay, so I persevered and completed the third loop. I’d say I walked 80 percent of the time.

When I started the final loop I knew I would be walking the whole way (except crossing streets). My walking pace wasn’t too bad, and after I resigned myself to finishing slowly, my spirits rose, and when my Strava said I had reached 26.2 miles, I was so relieved! I had completed the Virtual Marathon without injury! Of course, I am not happy that it was such a struggle, but there were some small victories, the main one being that I didn’t give up, of course. 😌

Anyways, I’m not sure exactly why my legs were so dead, but perhaps it’s because my running is not as consistent as it was last year. Of course that must be the reason. 😀 またね！