Maui

Maui - October 2009

Posted by Jason on November 7, 2009 - 3:07pm in Our Travels.
When: 
October 24, 2009 to October 28, 2009

Katie and I took a vacation to Maui, Hawaii at the end of October in 2009. For this vacation, we really have to thank the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), which had their annual scientific conference in Honolulu this year. Katie, who studies human genetics, was eager to go the conference for both the scientific and scenic value. She submitted her abstract, and was rewarded with a talk! Anyway, once it was clear that Katie was going to Hawaii, it only made sense for me to come along and make it a vacation.

Turtles and Beaches, Relaxing in Maui

Posted by Jason on October 28, 2009 - 6:00pm in Our Travels.
When: 
October 27, 2009 to October 28, 2009

Yesterday was our day of rest and relaxation on the beach. After a yummy breakfast at Stella Blues, we went back to our hotel and went to the beach, known as Turtle Beach. We relaxed in the sun and did some snorkeling. True to its name, we saw a turtle feeding in the rocks a few feet from shore. It was a huge turtle, and very hungry. It let us get very close. At one point, the waves pushed us all very close together, and almost onto the rocks, but the turtle didn't seem to mind.

Haleakalā National Park

Posted by Jason on October 27, 2009 - 3:15am in Our Travels.
When: 
October 26, 2009

Our day started at 3:30AM. We got up early to drive the two hours to the top of Haleakalā Crater, which is just shy of 10,000ft. We got there in time to get a parking spot and a nice place to set up my tripod and camera. It was freezing and windy up there! Daybreak occurred around 6AM, and the sun broke the horizon around 6:25AM. Sunrise was amazing and beautiful. It took many photos, and at least a few of them are really nice (in my opinion). The sun cast a nice deep orange into the crater.

Old Lahaina Lu'au

Posted by Jason on October 26, 2009 - 5:00am in Our Travels.
When: 
October 25, 2009

For dinner, we went to the Old Lahaina Lu'au. We were greeted with leis and mai tais, then shown to our seats. Katie reserved traditional "grass" seating (it was really astroturf), which put us right next to the stage. We were as close to the action as you could get. Before the show, we walked around and watched the sunset over the ocean. Then we enjoyed a fun evening of great food and dancing. The buffet feast was impressive, and the dancers were amazing. After the lu'au, we drove home and went straight to bed.

Snorkeling Adventure

Posted by Jason on October 25, 2009 - 8:15pm in Our Travels.
When: 
October 25, 2009

For our first day on Maui, we woke up at 6am to go on a 7am snorkeling trip with Blue Water Rafting. Despite the early hour, we were feeling pretty good. Our 5+ hour snorkel trip was aboard a Zodiac raft with twin 225hp outboard motors. That thing can go fast. Our captain, Brad, made sure that we had an exciting ride, crashing over 10 foot swells in some places.