Trip to the Sugar Museum

Puunene, Maui

February 10, 2023

Today was our day to visit the Sugar Museum.  So off we go and here we are:

Lots of old photos of work on the efforts to get water from the wet areas of the island to the cane fields:

Placard from the Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company:

A picture of the old mill.  If I have my dates correct operations, this, the last operating mill on the island, stopped work in 2016.  The old cane fields are now given over to diversified farming:

A model of the mill:

Not a pizza oven.  I am sorry to say I did not read the placard nor did I take this picture.  This must be a part of very early efforts to get the sugar from the cane:

The plaque says it all:

The first workers brought to the island were from Japan.  This was created by them:

The back of a tractor.  Your view if you are a load of cane being hauled from the field to the mill:

Trip to the Maui Tropical Plantation

Waikapu, Maui

February 9, 2023

Our excursion today was a  trip to the Maui Tropical Plantation and a drive through the heights above Wailuku.  I did not get any pictures from the heights.  These are substantial homes built on the hillside above Wailuku.  They overlook the valley between Haleakala and Kahului and the ocean off Paia and off Kehei.  Very nice.

Well, here we are waiting for lunch at the Tropical Plantation.  We are all looking at our table centerpiece decoration:

We strolled the gardens looking at the flora and fauna.  Here’s a black crowned night heron just like we see in Davis.  Wonder how they got here?:

The Plantation is several acres of farmed ground with displays and a tram ride option through the grounds.  Unfortunately, we did not get any pictures of the grounds outside the area immediate to the restaurant.  Displays inside the plantation store:

Displays outside the plantation store:

Above the bar:

Another picture of the gear wheel above the bar:

The sugar cane train parked in the bar:

The hand tool display:

More stuff from the maintenance team’s locker:

What a great day.

Bike Ride to Haiku

Paia, Maui

February 7, 2023

I have, up to today, only made a short ride into Paia to get some help assembling the Bike Friday.  The rear derailleur was not catching every cog in the rear cassette and I had almost no front brakes.  So, to the shop.  I had to leave it at the shop and when I picked it up they told me I had reattached the rear d improperly so I learned something.  I didn’t ask about the brakes.  Anyway, I brought the bike home and it sat.  Until today.

I left for Haiku this morning at 9 and riding in realized I had forgotten to get CO2 cartridges to use as tire inflators in case of a flat.  I got to the bike shop at 9:30 and they don’t open until 10.  Better to wait than take a chance.  So I waited until they opened:

It started raining while I waited.  The sky toward Haiku looked gray.  But it’s Hawaii.  It rains then it stops and it’s 79 degrees.  No problem.  And you have these:

And these:

And these:

So I rode into the gray and got wet.  What made it difficult was the rain on my glasses and the intermittent sunshine.  Ye gods, the glare between my fogged up glasses and the shiny wet roadway.  But, I made it, slow but steady.

I spoke with the people at the agency we went through to rent Sugar Cove, whose office is in Haiku, and they said they would forgive the $100 charge for the lost key.  Worth the trip.

She also told me that unit 6 at Sugar Cove was for sale for $17 million.  CAM fees are $8100 per month for unit 6 and property taxes are a bit north of $69 thousand per year.  And, it cannot be rented out to help cover those costs.  Yikes, we’ll continue to rent 4B.  She also told me that Baby Beach Hale is no longer available for short term rental.  The owners have installed a long term resident.  Lynn and I have stayed there for the last nine years.

I learned a lot today.  What a great day.

Our Day to Whale Watch

Lahaina, Maui

February 6, 2023

We have an 11:30 cruise scheduled so we left for Lahaina at about 9.  First stop after we parked was for me to get myself a hat.  So we stopped at the ABC Store:

This is my partner as we head out to the channel:

There is a spout:

We followed a mother and calf and a single male for 30 minutes or so.  Our guide speculated that she was sleeping and the baby was swimming around or resting on her head and the male was trying to get her attention:

A lot of activity at the surface:

This was a research vessel that our guide said was trying to tag one or more of the whales:

Finally a deep dive and they’re outa here:

We had to come to a stop on the way home to let this turtle pass in front of us:

Our captain, on the right, having a drink with the harbormaster:

We saw a couple of breaching whales but no one caught a picture.  Next year.

What a great day.

Looking for the House Key

Paia, Haiku, and Pukalani, Maui

February 5, 2023

Yesterday I lost the spare house key.  Today Mark and I spent half the day looking for the key by retracing our steps from yesterday.  We searched the Safeway parking lot and checked in with their lost and found.  No luck.  I know it’s not the end of the world but it affects you when you know you have done something upsetting that could have been avoided.  This is the opposite of how I was feeling:

We left Safeway and went up to Pukalani to search the Farmer’s Market grounds.  We spent the best part of an hour scouring  the area with no luck.  No luck either at the auto parts store where I stopped to get a wrench.  Next we went to Haiku where we had lunch.  No luck there either.  On the way home I thought maybe I grabbed the key when I emptied my pocket of a napkin and several used handi-wipes at the food truck in Haiku.  We made a U-turn and headed back to Haiku where I went through the garbage can that I used.  No luck and disgusting as well.  I should have stopped and bought some gloves.

I had to admit defeat.

It was a bad day but still a great day.

Pukulani Farmer’s Market

Pukulani, Maui

February 4, 2023

We went to the Saturday Farmer’ Market today.  Unfortunately, we did not get there until 11 which is when they close.  We were able to get some vegetables and some empanadas however.

We got a variety pack of seven of the Maui Empanadas:

We took those with us to Haiku to get fish tacos for lunch at the taco truck that is parked in Haiku.  We got to Haiku at about 12:15 and the taco truck was closed?  Fortunately we had our empanadas and the falafel truck parked next to the taco truck was open.  So some opted for baba ganoush and falafel and some for empanadas.  Presently, the owner of the taco truck arrived and began her opening up routine.  This took some time.  Lynn went to the window at one point and waited 3 or 4 minutes to ask what her hours were.  The owner said 11 to 7 seven days a week.  Except for the day we were there evidently.

By the way, the empanadas were very good.

Oh well, we took our vegetables home and got some fresh fish at Safeway and made a red and a white chowder:

What we do at home after a hard day:

Sadly, when we got back home I found that I had lost the key to the condo.  More about that tomorrow.

With all that, it was still a great day.

The Blowhole

Northwest Maui

February 3, 2023

We decided to drive beyond Kapalua to see the blowhole.  The blowhole is a lava tube that catches the ocean swells that are then forced out of a opening on the lava shoreline.  There are numerous trails down to the site and many visitors.  Here is a sign at the beginning of the most used trail:

The sign reminds you that this is not a water park, it’s a natural phenomenon that displays forces that demand your respect and attention.  This is as close as we cared to go:

The spout can get as high as 100 feet depending on the size of the swells according to what I read:

It’s loud too:

Pretty exciting stuff for me:

We saw pieces of broken car window glass where we parked.  You do not want to leave anything in your car when you park in any remote spot.  Tourist beware.

What a great day.