Big Island Memories

Kilauea Crater from 10,000'. Note the lava visible through the vent.
Taken during an aerial tour of the Island of Hawai'i, September, 2008.
© 2008 and 2018, D.W. Drang & The Cluemeter

Same flight. Stark view of where the Lava field ends and the dirt begins.
© 2008 and 2018, D.W. Drang & The Cluemeter

If you clickabiggin this, you'll see a house and a car in the lava.
© 2008 and 2018, D.W. Drang & The Cluemeter

Looks dramatic, far less dramatic than conditions right now...
© 2008 and 2018, D.W. Drang & The Cluemeter

One of the vents (at least one) lets out right in the sea. Very dramatic.
© 2008 and 2018, D.W. Drang & The Cluemeter

The lava field, close up. Life persists .
© 2008 and 2018, D.W. Drang & The Cluemeter

A less dramatic view.
© 2008 and 2018, D.W. Drang & The Cluemeter

Even in 2010, there was a section of highway that was closed, you could enter during the day, but after sundown the entrance was shut off. Great view of active vents at the time. Far enough back that stabilizing the typical handheld camera (or cellphone) was a challenge.
© 2008 and 2018, D.W. Drang & The Cluemeter

And as the sun slowly sinks in the west...
© 2008 and 2018, D.W. Drang & The Cluemeter

Now it can be told!

Yesterday evening we returned from a Hawaiian Cruise celebrating our 25^th anniversary.

No, I don't know how she does it.

My parents joined us; other family members were either not able to change plans, or, in the case of many of Mrs. Drang's family, have bad memories of previous cruises, which typically involved 14 hour days of chipping paint and "hot-bunking" with some guy from Alabama...

Itinerary:

• Board San Francisco
• Four days at sea
• Hawai'i, AKA "The Big Island"/Hilo
• Oahu/Honolulu
• Maui/Lahaina
• Kauai/Nawiliwili
• Four days at sea
• Ensenada*
• One day at sea
• Disembark San Francisco

*Stop in Ensenada mandated by US Government regulations intended to favor US flag carriers, requiring that non-US flagged passenger vessels make at least one stop in a foreign port on any voyage. Other US Government regulations make it prohibitive to flag cruise ships in the US, so there are none. This makes Seattle an attractive port for cruises, since Vancouver and Victoria are so convenient; Ensenada gets the love from Los Angeles and San Francisco. Alas, Alaska is the only cruise destination convenient to Seattle, and that's not a year-round trip like Hawai'i and Mexico/Central America. (There are rumors of Pacific Rim and round-the-world cruises starting in Seattle Any Year Now...)

Right now the consensus is that a 15 day cruise is at least 3 days too long, maybe 5. (How long a vacation is too long? When you get tired of fine dining and having someone else do your housekeeping...)

Maybe if the consecutive days at sea were fewer, and there were more port calls, we would not have felt this way. I don't know. Maybe we need to look into that 19 day L.A. to Ft. Lauderdale cruise, with Panama Canal transit and a stop in Mexico, Central America, and various Caribbean Islands to say for sure.

Anyway, I'll be posting some pics and videos here, although many of the videos need editing.

Here's a taste:

This is a somewhat crappy cell phone video taken on March 17th off Lahaina, Maui, of a humpback whale doing "pedunkle slaps."

Briefly made us wonder why we paid money for a separate whale watching cruise, if I could watch one from the buffet line...

(It was totally worth it, BTW.)

Quintana Roo, April 2016

Another Mexican Photo Post, most of the pics are after the break. (All photos copyright D.W. Drang and the Cluemeter.)

So, all-inclusive resorts are pretty cool,the food was pretty good, just wander up to the beach bar and grab a mojito.  Or, you know, the staff comes by and brings you one in your cabana.

We were staying at a place just south of Puerto Morelos, which is between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (AKA the Great Mayan Reef) is just offshore; we were told repeatedly that Jacques Cousteau had called it the second best SCUBA Diving and snorkeling spot in the world.

We made plans to visit Chichen Itza, but the morning we were supposed to go we had some medical problems and so did not. Guess we'll have to go back. There are other Mayan sites as well. Didn't do any of those, either. Maybe if/when we go back...

"Look, honey, there's a cabana right outside our room!"
Turns out you can get sunburned while lying in your cabana drinking your mojito.

Mexican Riviera Cruise, December 30 2015 - January 9 2016

Mostly a photo post. Lots of pics, not lots of talk.
All photos copyright D.W. Drang and The Cluemeter, or Ms.Elaine-ious, and Bearcat's Spin, 2015 and 2016.

All photos after the break, so as not to overwhelm slow connections...

Earworms, 01/09/2016

A great trip, but good to be home. Cats seem to have forgiven us already, which is worrisome...

Seen last weekend

Now, the Washington State Ferry system is the largest government-run ferry system in the country, probably in North America. And, as it's part of the Washington State Department of Transportation it's considered part of the Washington State Highway system; this sometimes causes confusion.

Anyway, Mrs Drang tells me she has a post or two  about our trip to Orcas Island last weekend in the works, and most of the photos are on her laptop anyway, but I thought I'd share these I took at the ferry terminal:

It just cracks me up that someone thought -- probably on advice of council -- that a warning that weapons of Mass Destruction were prohibited was necessary.

Or would do any good...

Although reportedly not as many as we think. OTOH, a warning about the hoops to jump through before bringing them in would be nice.

Not my normal souvenir

"Pigment, essential oils of spruce, fir & cedarwood."

"...and don't be surprised to find yourself squeaky clean and yearning to 'run with the BEARS'!"

Skagway and the White Pass & Yukon Route rail tour

More photos from our Alaska cruise. All photos copyright 2013 The Cluemeter or Bearcat's Spins.

Skagway River

Skagway River

Tight curve after that bridge...

Halfway to the summit.  Our boat is in front.

Is this seasonal, or a permanent

"Ghost Bridge", decommissioned in the late 60's.

Tracy Arm Fjord & Juneau

More pics from our Alaska cruise. All photographs copyright 2013 The Cluemeter or Bearcat's Spins.

Sawyer Glacier.  Did I already post this one?

Ketchikan

Some more pics form our big Alaska (what other kind?) trip.
All photos copyright 2013, The Cluemeter or Bearcats Spins.

Approaching Ketchikan.  Or maybe leaving.  Not sure...

It's a little damp in Ketchikan

The city's official bird...

They don't mess around...

Ummm...

Leaving.  Or arriving.  Again, not sure...

All abooooooard!

Wrong technology, I know

Nicer stateroom than we had in December, and light years  ahead of what I had in November!

UPDATE: Fixed the stateroom photo. 3G signal only here in Ketchikan, probably won't upload anymore photos until we can get either high-speed WiFi, or "4G."

Gun Pr0n

Remember, kids:  "Knee Mortar" was a GI nickname, NOT the method of deployment!

Yes, that's a Type 96 Sniper rifle.  "Chrysanthemum" marking was absolutely cherry.

Odd that they had a buttload of Japanese weapons, but few German.

Mark 18 grenade launcher, AKA "The Honeywell."  I'd heard about these.  Yes, that's a hand crank...

Mark 20 grenade launcher.  Odd that we went from 18, to 20, to 19...

What the heck is that...?

Oh!

Oh-ho!