The Cow Says - Moooooooo

Well, it's about 8 AM and in a few minutes I must begin the sad task of packing my bags.  A 1 PM departure from Maui and an 8:10 PM arrival into PDX.  Overnight at the Red Lion near the airport and then on to Seattle and Juneau tomorrow morning.

Looks like winter is still firmly in the saddle in Juneau.  Clear, cold, and windy today.  Increasing clouds tomorrow and a winter storm watch for tomorrow night and Saturday.  I hope I get home before the snow begins to fly...

Yesterday I took an ATV excursion.  It was OK - but not nearly as much fun as the snorkeling and zipline attractions.  I ASSUMED the ATV gig was gonna be like free-form riding in the sand.  I was wrong.  It was a guided tour up in the mountains on an old sugar plantation on an ATV that looked very much like a maintenance vehicle one would typically see on a golf course.  We ride single file behind a leader up and down narrow rutted tracks which are essentially cow paths.  Indeed bovines were present during the tour.  And there was LOTS of really red and really fine dust.  We wore helmets goggles and bandannas in an ultimately futile attempt to keep the dust at bay.  And it was very warm.

Still, the scenery was quite lovely and the company was good.  I took a few pics for which I do not have high expectations and a little video which will give you the sense of the tour.  No time to upload this morning however.

I just got back from the beach where I was enjoying my morning latte.  A very good whale show close to shore in front of the hotel that included a baby humpback breaching along with mom.  Everyone on the beach was agog.  I did not have my camera of course...

It has been a very fine vacation.  And I needed the break.  However I have been pretty shocked by the prices for everything here.  I suspect on a daily rate basis I could take a cruise with a nice stateroom at considerably less than half the cost of staying at a resort on Maui.  And while I had several very good meals at restaurants in Lahaina, the food at the resort and elsewhere was generally mediocre yet hugely expensive.

But then there is the sun - the warm, radiant, glorious sun.  And the tropical breezes and the sand between your toes.  And tiki torches and dining alfresco.  Snorkeling, ziplines and frolicking whales.

In February?  Priceless.

Aloha!