:: Trying to keep track of it all... ::

:: 12.29.2002 ::

Greetings from cyber cafe G Honolulu (Oahu), HI

OK so its a really long story but we left the boat in Maui.
Lets just say that there were extenuating circumstances dealing with the way that Tabitha and I felt the boat was run, and with the boat handling skill level of the people we were sailing with. We parted on good terms, and for a little over a week now we've been hanging out on our own. I promise I'll write more about this later.

While on Maui we rented a Jeep for a week, and got a great little room/apt right on the water in Lahaina. After we got all set up and started relaxing we of course both got sick.
whee...
After spending a couple of days sitting around the room complaining, and generally getting on each others nerves, we finally felt well enough to venture out. We headed for the Iao valley in Wailuku, which is on the windward side of Maui. Maui was actaully 2 volcanoes, that about 70 million years ago kinda ran together in the middle. So there are these really big mountains on the ends of the island and this really flat valley in the middle, filled with a sugar cane plantation. Its kinda neat...

This of course totally exhausted us so we ran back to the room to sleep (not well). Since we were paying through the nose for the rental car we figured we might as well put some mileage on it, so we drove up another volcano (extinct), called Haleakala. Huge crater up at about 10000 feet. amazing view and not much oxygen. Kaff kaff...
Back to the room!!!

Christmas dinner we made ourselves a little BBQ on our lanai (hawaiian for porch!). Marinated steaks, Ahi tuna, Maui onions and sweet potatoes that we cooked in the coals, and a salad that never quite made it to our mouths. We topped it all off with a gorgeous sunset. Yummy!

The drive up the volcano the other day wasnt quite enough mileage on our rental car, and we really felt like we were still getting robbed, so we figured we'd do whats called "The road to Hana". Hana is a little town way out on the ass end of Maui. Really way out there. Way, way, way out there. Its one of those "Cant get there from here" type places. Actually its only about 50 miles, but it took us over 5 hours to get there.
It's kinda through a rainforest...
It has over 600 hairpin blind curves, 54 one lane (thats right ONE LANE) bridges, and 24 waterfalls. IT was gorgeous, and one scary ass drive. I actually got carsick.
And I was the one driving!! yak...
The road was carved out of the mountain right above the ocean cliffs with pick axes and shovels in the early 1900's. It was then repaved in 1962. Boston roads are the like the Autobahn in comparison.
Totally worth it though.

In Hana we found a red sand beach. I mean RED. really really cool. An extinct volcano cinder cone (the place where the lava and rocks come out) was right on the edge of the sea, and sometime in the last century or so a big storm or something washed out its seawall side, spilling red ash down into the water. So you have this 100 foot tall red and black cliff, leading down to a red beach which goes into the super blue tropical water. Really far out!

We stayed overnight in Hana, and then Tabitha with her lightning quick reflexes drove us back to Kahului (in the valley) from Hana in about an hour and a half. A local in a bar the night before told us that there was no way we could make it in less than 2 hours.
I got car sick again, and hit the passenger side "phantom brake pedal" about a hundred times. I was a little shaken when we got there. Must've been her years of Boston city driving...
In Kahului we jumped a plane to Honolulu.
Figured we should at least see Waikiki.
Seen it...
Time to go.
We were gonna fly back to the big island of Hawaii and crawl into some more volcano's but we did a little hotel room arithmetic, and realized we were hemorrhaging money.
We stuffed a little gauze in the wound and booked a flight to Vegas...
...
...
What?

So, its a little warped logic.
We already had Christmas in Hawaii, so now we need new years in Vegas.
Trust me, it makes sense...
Sort of...
Come on, you guys know us, our (Tabitha's) minds work like a moth flitting around a candle.
Anyway, More info later. Were flying out of Honolulu on Monday. I figure somebody in Vegas will have an internet connection. Maybe I'll even upload some pictures.

Cheers!
Zachary and Tabitha (Nerves of steel!) Andretti

:: Zachary 4:02:36 PM [+] ::
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greetings from the Swiss Internet Cafe, Lahaina HI (Maui)

Well were on Maui now.
It was about a 24 hour overnight sail from the Big Island (Hawaii) to Maui. And of course we had the worst weather we had during the whole 2500 mile crossing. 30 to 40 mile an hour winds and 15 foot swells. Needless to say we didnt sleep so good.
The next morning we spent a couple of hours snorkeling at Molokini which made up for the rough night. Molokini is a sunken extinct crater about 15 miles from maui. Lots of neat fish and the water is an exceptional blue color. Not really carribean blue, much deeper. Its really beautiful. We headed off to Lahaina on the north coast of Maui that afternoon and picked up a mooring in the harbor.
Lahaina is kind of a tourist town, so after one walk through Tabitha and I rented a jeep, and headed for the beach. Since it was my birthday yesterday (30!!) we spent the day with just the two of us swimming walking on the beach, and then to a really nice restaurant for dinner. We also rented a little suite on the water for a couple of days, so we could get off the boat, have a proper shower, and sleep in a bed that doesnt constantly roll back and forth. It was probably the best shower I ever had. Well actually maybe the shower at the Hilo harbor, when we first hit land was the best. It was in a public shower right in the harbor, but we hadnt showered in 2 weeks so that felt pretty good too. This one yesterday was definitely a close second.

Today I think we might go to Haleakala National Park. Another volcano, this one is labelled "active" but it hasnt burped since 1790. you can drive up to the crater rim which is at about 10000 feet above sea level. And apparently the crater is the size of manhattan. Theres also "The road to Hana" which is supposed to be pretty neat. Its a 3 hour drive through rainforests, waterfalls, and forest pools you can swim in. Sounds good to me...

This internet cafe has some USB compact flash readers, so next time I come back I'll bring the digital camera and upload some pics.
Were off to Molokai or Lanai next. Havent decided which yet though.

Will write again soon!

Zachary and Tabitha

:: Zachary 1:47:39 PM [+] ::
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greetings from the Hilo, HI Public Library part II

Everybody should visit Volcanoes National park at least once.
No questions, just do it.

Probably one of the most amazing things we've ever done. I could wax poetic for hours so Ill keep it brief.

We rented a 4X4 and drove up Mauna Kea yesterday (not in the park but still a volcano). It was almost 14000 feet straight up a dirt road from sea level. At the top when we stopped feeling woozy from lack of oxygen we walked around the huge telescope arrays, and pretended we were on Mars. Thats what it looks like. I was speechless, wich as some of you know for me is quite a trick.
After Mauna Kea we went into the park and looked at the kilauea crater. Not so much like Mars, more like the moon. And stinky with sulphur. After sunset we drove to the lava flow down chain of craters road. When the lava covered the road we parked, and walked on the little trail to the cliff over the ocean. Couldnt really see the lava though just a steamy glow over the cliff. So at the end of the trail we snuck under the no access/dangereous area rope and walked across the hard lava a little closer. Still couldnt see. We eventually came to another danger sign and a rope saying NO ACCESS DANGER DANGER!.
whatever...
We of course kept going. Now remember its dark and were walking across a lava flow thats only 2 months old (Sept 12th). The ground is hot, and not level. THeres also toxic steam and a cliff down to the ocean just on our right. After another ankle breaking half an hour and a few more danger signs we found some lava. very cool. Or should I say Hot.. hee hee... sorry...
I took some long exposure pictures Ill post eventually. Cant describe it here.
THe walk back was uneventfull, except for a little cut on my pinky from some razor sharp lava. no big deal

Whew...
The librarian is giving me the hairy eyeball, so I gotta run.
More later!!

Zachary and Tabitha

:: Zachary 1:03:46 PM [+] ::
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Greetings from Hilo, HI Public Library

Ta Daaahhh!!!

Well we made it. A couple of harrowing experiences (like trying to fasten a 15 foot long pole to the front of the mast in high winds at 2:00 in the morning, while getting soaked with rain and ocean spray.) some dull monotony (are we there yet? Only 1500 more miles! at 10 mph...), lots of sun (do I look burned?), some dolphins, flying fish (very weird. THey actually fly!), albatrosses (I think. Big wings, very far from shore), and a suspected turtle.
That pretty much sums it up for now.
Oh, and Mahi-Mahi (dorado) smells really bad when they're pulled fresh out of the water and butchered on the spot. Although they do have really neat colors. At least while they still retain their head.

Its warm and sunny here and feels like summer; so the christmas tree sellers, and the snowman decorations are a little disconcerting. And everybody is wishing us merry xmas. Its not really December is it? Cant be...

The big island where we are now is, well... big. Were off to see some volcanoes in a bit, and tomorrow we rented a 4X4 to drive up Mauna Kea. An extinct volcano thats about 14000 feet high. Were off to Maui or Molokai or somewhere in a couple of days. Probably do some scuba diving etc. etc. etc. Well be in Honolulu in a couple of weeks. Will report more then.

Aloha!

Zachary and Tabitha

:: Zachary 2:38:51 PM [+] ::
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