Hawaii Mauka: Our 2025 Hawaiian Adventure - Part 2

As is my way, I insisted we get to the meeting point for the stargazing tour early. It was in the Target parking lot and we figured there'd be food places we could grab lunch nearby. That proved to be partially true - they were a bit further away than I wanted to walk. But Target has Pizza Hut inside, so I sort of insisted we just grab the Pizza Hot. Interestingly, they advertised a Spam pizza which I totally would have tried if they had it, but they did not, so I got pepperoni and Sam got cheese, of course. Then we waited outside for much longer than I expected, and Sam was definitely frustrated with my early arrival, but he didn't press it too much. 

The best thing ever (haha) happened when we finally saw the tour van and approached to check in. Our tour guide, James, gave Sam the most hesitant, awkward hug ever. He hugged me too, but since I was prepared for it, I went straight in for it. I adored our tour guide, he was super knowledgeable and would repeat important things at varying intervals, which you can tell he probably learned he had to do after dozens of tours in which people are only half paying attention. We a Japanese couple with us also who apparently didn't speak English, so James did his best to point things out in Japanese, but it was very apparent to me that he only knew so much of the language. Still, he did such a great job managing the crazy group and ensuring the Japanese couple were included. 

The timeline was strange to me - leaving at 2:45 for a sunset and stargazing tour, but as we made our way up the mountain, it made more sense. It was quite a trek up there, and it was raining most of the trip, but James assured us the weather should be good and clear on top of the mountain. We literally drove through and then above the clouds! Sure enough, blue skies all around us, the only clouds were down below! 

We stopped and spent 30 minutes at the visitor center which is at 9,200 feet so we could acclimate. We also ate there; I had ordered vegetarian sandwiches for Sam and I so as not to risk him getting pig products, and they were actually pretty good. Look at me eating vegetarian! The elevation was already getting to me, I could tell, although not too bad, so I just took it easy and let Sam know how I was feeling. He was very caring for me. 

We then continued up the mountain and visited several telescopes, all the while James was explaining how they are managed and sharing both the culturalists who oppose them and the supporting efforts. Walking around closer to 13,000 feet was only slightly worse for me, but it was still so slight that I think the acclimating had done its job. Sam also noticed it, not the whole time, but when he tried exerting himself up a hill, he said he got winded much more than usual and was surprised and intrigued by that experience. I was comparing it to being at the top of Pike's Peak in Colorado, over 14,000 feet, when I felt like absolute jelly and the potential for nausea was much more prevalent. But since we took a train straight up there, we didn't have the same acclimation, so I attributed feeling better to that. 

As the sun dropped in the sky, James took some really amazing and unique photos of us. We watched the sunset from that location, very near the peak, and then boarded the van to drive down a little ways for the ideal stargazing spot. 

I set up my tripod and starting taking pictures while the other tour guide set up a telescope and let people peer through it for various planets and stars. I continued to take long exposure photos while James led an astronomy lecture using his laser pointer to point at things in the sky. His counterpart did the same in Japanese. We learned that the Southern Cross, usually only visible in the southern hemisphere, was actually visible, albeit low on the horizon, for about two months in Hawaii. This was really impactful to Sam. 

Apparently I had set up so in exactly the spot where James wanted to set up. He was actually willing to find a new spot, which I thought was so kind and a little ridiculous of him (haha) - who am I? Just a person on his tour. Once my long exposure completed, I gave him the spot and set up elsewhere. His photos, of course, were so amazing. We even got a couple pictures pointing to the Southern Cross. It became sort of an underlying theme of the trip - aspects of the southern hemisphere coming north to Hawaii. Sam, of course, being the main one. 

After all that wrapped up, we packed back into the vans and wound our way down the mountain. James kindly dropped us off at our hotel, and we got a final hug each, less awkward. 

After taking an early phone call for work on the balcony, we packed up and headed to the airport to transport to the last island together: Maui! Finally, I'd see if Haleakala could redeem itself, although the Mauna Kea tour on the Big Island had already surpassed my hopes for stargazing on this trip. 

We landed and got the rental car and still had a couple hours before we could check into the AirBnB, so we went in search of a late lunch / early dinner. I was hoping to go to the ramen place I had taken my parents so, Tampopo, but it said it was temporarily closed. As we drove, though, I remembered I also really liked Black Rock Pizza, and Sam was agreeable to go there, so we had pizza for a second day, albeit much better than Pizza Hut Express at Target. 

Since we were on the fourth floor, I was very glad to see there was an elevator. We got settled in and took in the view from the balcony. I could not get over it; it was absolutely beautiful! We took it easy that first night, and I used my tripod on the balcony and took some decent shots of the night sky even from there!

 

I started the next day with leftover pizza for breakfast on the balcony - can life get any better? We went for a swim at the nearby sandy beach and watched sea turtles coming up to our beach from the balcony. Then we made preparations to bundle up for the cold and made our way up the mountain. It was another long drive, and I remembered all those twists and turns from having driven it twice a year and a half prior. But it was worth it!

 

After a little confusion in the absolute dark of where to go to get to the top, we found the staircase and brought our things up the short climb to the pavilion. When I was there last, the pavilion was under construction and was off limits to us. This time, it was open and we could use it to warm up a little and mostly get relief from the wind. Sam had found a Thermos and brought tea up with us so we could have a hot beverage to help warm us up.

 

We were so completely alone up there and it was just breathtaking. I couldn't believe the summit wasn't shoulder to shoulder with locals and tourists wanting to take in this incredible view! But, I wasn't complaining… Sam put on the classical music of "Jupiter" while we worked on mastering the art of taking pictures with the other in the foreground while still taking in enough darkness to get the stars in the background.
The photos were great, for sure, but even what we could see with the naked eye was so impressive. My mission to see the Milky Way had finally come to fruition in the grandest of ways!

 

And it was really special to share that with Sam. He told me later, after he got back to work, that he showed his teammates and they were barely interested. His adopted enthusiasm for my passion is one of the things I really like about him.

 

He had agreed to relieve me of driving down the mountain, but being a left-side driver normally, his tendency to lean towards the right edge of the road had me nervous, so I'm not sure if it was better or worse than me just driving myself. Either way, we made it.

 

The following day, with nothing scheduled, it was a good day to have some solo time. First we walked to the local pizza place for lunch and got some leftovers. I did a little shopping there for a Hawaiian dress/jumpsuit, and we walked back. Then he took the car to do some shopping while I stayed at the AirBnB to work on some coursework. We called it a night early so we could get up early to drive the road to Kona the next day!

 

I wasn't sure what to expect with the Road to Kona. I had been under the impression people joked that they "survived" it because the street vendors were shady, or something like that. Actually, they seemed lovely, and I guess the "survival" part comes from all the beautifully scenic one-land bridges and the twists and turns. I was impressed how the lush greenery changed throughout the drive - it wasn't the same for hundreds of miles, it changed and if you blinked, you'd miss it. There were waterfalls visible from the road, especially near the bridges, and there were cliffsides and ocean views. We had packed leftover pizza for lunch so we stopped at a beach in Kona and picnicked at a table facing the water. Some very brave cardinals approached to beg for food. Sam took a quick walk while I relaxed.

Then we headed back, stopping a bit more, now that we knew what the road was all about. We pulled over for some waterfall pictures, and stopped at a vendor for a macadamia nut cookie, a Hawaiian drink and a souvenir magnet commemorating survival of the road. Actually, since Sam was driving on the way back, I was commemorating surviving his driving.

 

I had booked dinner reservations at Mama's Fish House months prior, and tonight was the night! We arrived to the northern town of Paia a little early, so we walked around the downtown shops and then headed over to the restaurant. We were afforded some gorgeous views and took the opportunity to grab some more beach pictures while Sam was all gussied up.

 

Dinner at Mama's was absolutely amazing. We had a stunning view of the beach, and all the food was so good. Adding to our theme of the southern hemisphere coming north, Sam ordered an Antarctic Toothfish. I ordered a port wine with our dessert, which Sam was intrigued with and enjoyed.

 

As the sun set, we left our table and walked down to the beach and got some great pictures with a gorgeously colored sky behind us. Further towards the water, we saw a sea turtle, and got to watch as he made his way back into the water.

 

It was a perfect capstone to an absolutely wonderful vacation. I dropped Sam off at the airport the next morning. He'd spend one more night back on Oahu before flying home, while I spent the night and majority of the following day still in Maui. During the day, I drove up towards Laihaina and explored a public beach by the resorts there. Sam recommended I keep my record going and have pizza yet again. "Pizza everyday!" Then I did some more shopping in Kihei before heading to the airport a little early - only to have to wait to check my bag because I was too early. I'm sure Sam loves that!

 

No matter, I couldn't have asked for more on this trip. Sure, there are other Hawaiian and touristy experiences we could have done, but since my primary mission had been to go to the top of the mountain(s) and see the stars, it surpassed all my expectations. Everything else - the luau, swimming with manta rays, even just the regular beach swims, stunning sunsets and other land-based tours - were just the cherries on top! I feel truly blessed and am so glad I got to experience all of this!

Hawaii Makai: Our 2025 Hawaiian Adventure - Part 1

I've been attempting to see the spectacular Milky Way one sees in photos since at least 2021, when I first ventured to Yosemite in hopes to catch a glimpse. I was stunned at how underwhelming the view was from where I first stayed just outside the park. Figuring it was a combination of overcast skies and being too into the city, I unintentionally began a quest to see it and capture a view.

As frustration gave way to despair, I started to learn more and more that the dazzling photographs are not accurate representations of what one can see with the naked eye. Still, I felt certain I could do better. I tried again at Bryce Canyon, to absolutely no avail. 

It started to get to a point where it felt like some sort of curse. I would set myself up for ideal conditions, or at least the best you can plan for since there are always factors within nature that can change and impact the results. The more I failed to see anything close to resembling the Milky Way, the more determined I became. 

As I planned a Christmas in the Sand vacation for my family on the Hawaiian island of Maui, I stumbled upon an astrophotography experience in which a photographer would take people up to the summit of Haleakala and take portraits with a brilliant Milky Way background. I perused her photos and they were good. Amazing, even. So I coordinated with her to go the very first night I would be in Hawaii to be as close in time to the New Moon as possible. We went up, and she shared a lot of history of the Polynesians using the stars to navigate and Hawaiian names of the stars and constellations. She served me hot chocolate. We had a great, lengthy conversation. 

But no stars. Barely even single digits when we started and it got worse the longer we sat there, shivering against the cold despite being a little bundled up. She kept apologizing profusely and explaining how she had never seen it this dark. We technically should have been above most clouds, at over 10,000 feet, and she'd done this dozens of times before with great success. She suggested if I had another free night or if I came back to the island at a later date, she'd take me up again to try the photoshoot free of charge. She apologized again and again, seemingly embarrassed that Hawaii was treating me so badly. I assured her it was me. The Milky Way was officially alluding me. 

I dove into camping at dark sky sites using light pollution maps and timing my trips with New Moons. I returned to Yosemite and stayed in the park, hoping that would make a sufficient improvement. I learned a long the way that a tripod was an absolute requirement and longer exposures would let more light into my camera. I considered, and still am considering, buying an actual real camera and learning how to use it, but two things are working against that initiative: (1) It seems complex and yet not piquing my interest enough for me to invest my time and energy into learning it, and (2) my Google Pixel phones shoot really good pictures actually. 

I proved this out on my side quest seeking the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. With the aurora in a multi-year peak, it felt somewhat urgent to get somewhere to try to see it, so I booked a crazy trip to Fairbanks, Alaska which I felt was doomed to failure and catastrophe. With only a couple full nights to there, after I saw absolutely nothing the first night, I opted to book the aurora tour for the second night. While it wasn't anything close to the most dazzling aurora, it was a great success, and my Pixel camera phone on a tripod with a long exposure managed to capture some amazing photos and videos with plenty of shapes and colors and even some meteors. 

I will also admit, begrudgingly, that I had some success my second time camping in my new home state of Texas. My first attempt, Copper Breaks, was pretty much a bust, and very underwhelming views and hiking by day, as well. But Big Bend put on a good show. I didn't realize until the morning just how close I was to the Mexican border - my tent couldn't have been 15 feet from the river that forms the border between the US and Mexico! When I comically spotted a coyote, followed by a roadrunner, leave my campsite and head in that direction, it occurred to me that was a Mexican coyote and roadrunner. But I digress. I did manage to capture some decent pictures that night camping in the park, as well as the following night when I stayed in a "space dome" near by. 

Still, Maui remained on my mind. Since meeting Sam, we have both happily gravitated towards beachy vacations and Hawaii is a rather convenient midway point between Sydney and Dallas. So, when I started formulating a return trip to Maui, Sam was all in - with the additional request that we also go to the Big Island to swim with manta rays. Since I've swam with sea turtles and dolphins and snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, this seemed like a perfectly logical adventure to amend my blessed life experiences. But going to the Big Island also afforded a second opportunity for stargazing, too! He also wanted to go to the luau and fireworks show at the Hilton on Oahu. This was shaping up to be quite a trip! 

We've found that our trips tend to have themes and running jokes throughout them, and rarely are they repeated the next time we get together. This trip seemed to be themed, one for you and one for me. Especially the day we had nothing specific planned on the Big Island. He realized we'd be near the home of Kona coffee and found a place to do a tour. As we found our gate at the airport prior to flying to the Big Island, a bar reminded me that Kona beer would likewise be in that same area. So a coffee tour for him, and a beer tour for me! 

Unfortunately, the manta ray excursion, while absolutely amazing and I'd highly recommend it, stirred up my old motion sickness and I ended up getting sick in the water. Thankfully, not much clean up, and I got dizziness under control before boarding. Still, I wasn't feeling 100% for the remainder of that night and into the next morning. So I wasn't sure about the beer tour, but we did go to the Kona coffee place and then went to Kona Brewing Co for lunch and a couple tastes. 

But, let me give the manta ray experience the full description it deserves. It was very well done, to start. The guides gave us clear instructions and told us what to expect to minimize panicking or concerns in the water. The $40 Go Pro rental, while relatively steep compared to just buying one, was actually well worth it to me because of how simple they made it to use for this specific purpose. Sam really seemed to enjoy using it to capture the magnificent sight, while I was content in enjoying the experience, thinking the videos would never really do it justice anyways. Actually the videos were great, and I sort of wish we had done more "selfie" type video, but that's such a minor point compared to the experience. 

As we boarded, we were given optional wet suit tops to keep us warm in the water, floating services and snorkels, all of which I declined because I had my own dry snorkel with me and didn't want the other two. I was glad Sam got a wetsuit top because he gets cold easily and towards the end of our swim he was getting cold anyways, he would have been much more miserable faster had he not had that. 

I generally love being on boats, and especially faster moving ones which don't foster that subtle rocking sensation that more often triggers my motion sickness. This boat was fairly sizeable but still quite quick, as we made our way out to one of two places in the world (both being in the waters around Hawaii) where the giant manta ray come to feed at night. 

By supplying a large float lit from underneath, plankton are attracted to the float and thus the manta rays would come right up to us with their mouths wide open - it would be terrifying if we weren't previously warned and reassured they only eat little plankton, and then do a back flip inches from our faces. We merely needed to hang onto the lit raft and stretch our feet backwards to keep them on the pool noodles we were supplied. Sometimes they'd swim by and their lengthy pectoral fins ("wings") would bump our shoulders, or even stomachs. And they were huge! Most we saw, I'd estimate to be 5 to 8 feet wide! We were told they could be even bigger out there! And there were dozens of them! It would have been tricky to try to count unique ones since they swam far and wide (and deep) but it was easy to see 4 to 6 at a time unless your view was being blocked by a ray passerby an inch away as they did frequently. 

After our swim was complete (and I stopped vomiting my Thai chicken into the ocean), the boat had a centralized hot shower we could rinse off in and use to warm up a bit. Not going to lie, it felt glorious! 

Upon returning to shore, we exchanged the rented Go Pro for the micro SD card we had used and that meant we got to see the videos on my laptop that night when we got back to the hotel! They were pretty neat, actually, and did a decent job of capturing the awe-inspiring chaos as the rays swam up towards us from down below while others surprised us by coming in close from the side and blocking our view of the multitudes below with their graceful passbys. 

Before I go on to talk about the highlight, err, most elevated (haha) experiences, let me back up even further and talk about arriving in Waikiki. Because lining up flights from Sydney and from DFW continues to be challenging, we opted for me to get there the day before on this trip, so I arrived Thursday afternoon on June 19th. I checked into the Hilton Hawaiian Village and although I was exhausted and could have easily just collapsed onto the bed to go to sleep, I pushed myself to get ready to go to the place I've previously called my happiest place on Earth - House Without a Key. I had discovered it over a decade ago on my second trip to Hawaii with the ex's family.

What I love about it is that it is situated over the beach but on a dock so there is no sand in sight, but the water is right there. The deck affords beautiful views of Diamond Head, but the umbrellas provide ample shade without blocking the stunning colors of sunset. A live Hawaiian band serenades guests as a hula dancer graces the stage with her mesmerizing accompanying movements. The food is terrific, and the drinks are fruity and strong. There seems to be a story behind much of the menu, and the wait staff is phenomenal. And if you have to go to the restroom during your stay, you'll be treated to Toto bidet washlets like I have come to love in my own home (I sometimes joke that the worst part of traveling is that I miss my bidets). In fact, even if you don't need to use the restroom, if you've never tried that kind of bidet, I'd recommend detouring to the restroom to check it out. I was so comfortable with it that I forgot it wasn't mine and instinctually hit the User 1 setting button before remembering that this was not my toilet and therefore had not been programmed for my tastes. I would have to manually set my temperature and pressure settings. Gasp! Still, it was a nice surprise that just adds to why I love this Waikiki establishment. 

I walked nearly a mile and arrived exhausted and hangry, and was unsure if it would stand up to that lofty title of being my happiest place on Earth, but after a mai tai, terrific rolls and butter (what WAS that?) and some pizza, I can say it is definitely worthy of the title I've bestowed on it. While I sometimes mix up the name (Room without a Lock? Place without a Door?) the experience was perfection, nearly 11 years later! 

After two drinks there, stumbling back to my hotel was a little rough, but I made it successfully and even remembered to stop at the ABC store to get distilled water for my CPAP machine. And then I crashed hard! 

Recalling a pastry shop I had spotted while checking in, I decided to wander for a little bit and see what shops and restaurants were in the area, but determined that the pastry shop sounded the best to me for breakfast, so I headed to Chee Hoo Patisserie which already made me giggle a little. I learned what a fougasse was - and to no surprise, discovered it was also delicious - and got a crookie - a soft, buttery chocolate chip cookie wrapped in a croissant crust. I ate most of the very carb-loaded fougasse and instead of discarding the mini pizza box it came in, I used that as a sand-proof platform for my things on the beach while I went for my first ocean swim this trip. Genius, I tell you! The water was wonderful, and after locating a sandbar which would likely have fish, I went back to my things to retrieve my goggles and went for a little snorkel. I was rewarded with a number of fish sightings including spotted tobies. 

I knew Sam would be landing soon but it would still take him time to get through customs and then make his way to the hotel, and that he may not be able to get on a wifi to message me before then. So trying to keep from rushing out of excitement, I headed back to my room and showered and then enjoyed the second part of my breakfast - the crookie, on the balcony with a gorgeous view and awaited a message. When it got closer to his anticipated arrival time and I still hadn't gotten a message, I decided to relocate into the room so I could hear him knock in case he came straight there. He did, indeed, and I jumped up, now allowing myself to get excited. After letting him settle in for a few, we spent a few minutes taking in the view on the balcony and got the first of many selfies, and this one ended up being one of my favorites. He needed a nap and wasn't hungry yet, so I left

him to snooze while I grabbed a burger at the bar downstairs and watched All Space Considered on my tablet. 

We went for a short stroll down the beach and then donned my aircraft-themed Hawaiian shirts for the first big event - the luau! Since Sam doesn't eat pig products, I knew his selections would be limited, but actually there was plenty for both of us to eat, buffet style. We had great seats and enjoyed the show, of course. Sam even got a little video of my dancing at the end of the audience-participation hula lesson. We had tickets for four drinks each which was of course way too much, but we redeemed two during the dinner and show and then redeemed the last two as it wrapped up, and enjoyed them while watching the fireworks from the lawn. We called it a night after that. 

We got up early the next morning to go for a swim before we had to pack up and bounce to our next island. It seemed really quick, but our big adventures awaited us on other islands and Sydney flights really only go in and out of Honolulu, so it's not like Sam could have bypassed that island anyways. 

I had a migraine, perhaps related to the extra drinking at the luau, so we mostly took it easy in Kona and went to a nearby Thai restaurant for dinner in hopes the spice would kick the migraine. It did not, and I was feeling really unwell, but knew it wasn't contagious and felt I could push through for the manta ray swim that evening. 

Alright, so we're all caught up now, as I've previously shared the exquisite manta ray experience. The following day, I was still a little wooshy feeling, but staying in bed or in the room didn't seem like it would improve anything. Since we had left space in the itinerary for a backup time in case the manta ray excursion got rained out, we had nothing officially on the itinerary. 

So we caught an uber - well almost - to the Rising Kona Coffee Farm tour, which was much less commercial and much more startup than I expected. They had only been running the tour for three months, in fact! The tour guide was both passionate and hyped up on caffeine, but also gave laid back beach bro vibes. It ended up being a private tour for just Sam and I, and the main part of the tour included a demonstration of brewing the coffee in front of us, with tips and whatnot that would be helpful if you liked that sort of thing. 

I say we caught an uber almost, because there was a bit of confusion on where we were going and it required a gate code and we had no idea if we were at the right gate and all that, but it ended up getting us there. But to avoid similar confusion, we opted to walk down the hill to outside the gate before calling a ride. That afforded a lovely walk in the beauty of the hilly Kona neighborhood and while waiting for our uber at the bottom of the hill, Sam found a friendly outdoor cat who plopped down and accepted all the scratches Sam could give. While I think cats are quite cute, I am very allergic and didn't want to risk adding any complication to my recovering migraine / motion sickness malady. So instead I photographed the love affair between Sam and the cat we later nicknamed Jollity. 

The uber got us to Kona Brewing Co., where we sat down for a great lunch and I had two small beers to try some of the local draughts. Everything was delicious, naturally, but we decided we didn't need to do the brewery tour. Instead, I loaded us up on merch, including a beanie for Sam because he's perpetually cold, and a shirt and pint glass for me. I was about to call an uber to take us back to our hotel when I realized we were less than a mile away, so we opted to walk it and continue taking in the fresh Hawaiian air. Back at the hotel, I opted for a rest while Sam did his speedwalk. We walked to the Cheeky Tiki for dinner, which featured, hilariously, pendant lamps designed to look like monkeys were hanging off of them, Jungle Cruise style. 

The following day was the first big stargazing event - leaving at the seemingly absurd time of 2:45 pm. Sam slept in while I went for a walk and a swim in the little harbor our hotel sat on. I used my snorkel to check out the rocks a little further out from the shore, and was again rewarded with an amazing assortment and quantity of tropical fish! 

Continued here: Hawaii Mauka: Our 2025 Hawaiian Adventure - Part 2 

Fireworks in Tasmania

The trip had been planned for months. Still, I had no clue which way it would go. And no, it didn't go the way I would have dreamed it to go. But it did go our way. Sam and I. He's deliberate but careful, overwhelmingly thoughtful and yet stubborn, openly honest but not very reassuring. Someone, who to their credit was happily married for several decades, once told me that the things we love most about our partner are often also the things that frustrate the hell out of us. I saw the merit in that insight back then, and I see it now. Do I want to rush in to a fiery, passionate star-crossed romance with a sexy Australian? Yeah, I mean, that sounds amazing, right? But that's not how Sam works and that's not necessarily really the best way to go about things. I may be compromising too much of myself, but for whatever reason I feel like I can trust the process, and my heart, to him. So we're doing it our way. And I am happy.

Sam was right on time to meet me at the airport in Hobart. He gave me a big hug and a small kiss, par for his aversion to PDA. We got our rental car and headed off to our Tasmanian adventure. Despite living in Australia all his life, Sam has never visited the island, but the things he wanted to do I was totally aligned with. That is a big plus with him and I - we enjoy the same types of activities and appreciate nature in very similar ways, sometimes in uncanny ways like how we're both totally obsessed with driving through a canopy of trees. I had booked an AirBnB near Hobart but right by a southern beach. It is summer in December, after all. I also had the tiniest of hopes, more of a fun topic of conversation than a real semblance of probability, that if the Aurora spiked enough, we'd be able to catch a glimpse of the Southern Lights. Doing that the same year I first saw the Northern Lights would be quite a story! After getting our things into our room, I couldn't put off my anticipation any longer, and we walked the 100 feet or so to the beach. It was cool, being quite south it wasn't going to feel like a hot summer day there, but the sea breeze blew in the freshest air this world can offer, and I delighted in getting my feet into the frigid water.

We found dinner at a nearby pub and called it a night - it was a long travel day for me after all, and a short travel day but a travel day nonetheless for him and we were pretty beat. I was now traveling with my new CPAP machine but had to resign to not using it that first night because we couldn't get it to plug into my universal plug converter.

I woke up early and felt my asthma raging still from Milan, so I packed my bag to include my water and go go juice and left a note for Sam, and made my way back to the beach. For about two hours, I sat or ambled up and down the shore, taking big, deep breaths of that wonderful air and letting my feet get wet as they got used to the cold. No less than four dogs ditched their hoomans to approach me either for pets or to throw their balls or sticks for them. It was very sweet and filled me with joy. I eventually decided to sit on a bench a little ways away from the water to attempt to photograph the magnificent birds that were colorful when they flew but rather bland when perched. Only a short time later, Sam came down the path and I met him on the beach. We enjoyed it together for a bit before heading back to our room to get ready for the day.

First stop was a small mall to look for another plug converter so I'd hopefully be able to utilize my CPAP. Sam expertly navigated the stores to find exactly what we needed. Then Sam drove us up to the summit of Mount Wellington to take in the views. It was even colder up there for obvious reasons, and a little windy. Still, we took our time to enjoy the scenery before heading into town. 

We stopped at a brewery Sam wanted me to try, and even though Sam claims he doesn't like beer, I expertly picked out two beers for myself that I thought he'd like and he was surprised how much he enjoyed them.

The Museum of Old and New Art, or MONA, did not disappoint. Neither of us are big on museums, yet when something so significant or unique exists, we'll give it a go. There were some strange and unique exhibits, and the unique feature that there are no placards in the walls; instead, guests are encouraged to use the museum's app to identify nearby exhibits and learn about them that way. After a bit, I was ready for a break and inquired about a very exclusive-looking club. They let us in and then entrance alone was an experience. It's hard to describe but basically you're walking on a raised platform but the lighting is such that you don't realize there is a drop in the floor. It just looks my like the pathway is perpetually framed. And it is a trip (no pun intended - so be careful if you go)! The food and drinks menu were also pretty fascinating. And then I noticed a woman - a patron? a performer? a terrorist? - walked in wearing a full ski mask, and stared at us. Later, she jumped on the counter, which greatly improved my confidence that my hypothesis of her being a living exhibit was correct. She struck various poses around the restaurant and stared at people.

Two exhibits particularly stood out for me. The first was a machine which replicated the human digestive process from "eating" which smelled like a garbage disposal, to "pooping." And that's it.

The other exhibit was more of a performance, but I tied it back later to a greater artwork and messaging. I was literally invited into a room, lured by the promise of champagne and chocolate, but was told it was for women only and Sam could not accompany me. He encouraged me to go and with that I was whisked behind a curtain and into a room noticeably with busts of penises on the wall and two men in the center, delivering a speech apologizing to women for all the double standards and unfair burdens impressed on women by their fellow men. I was handed my champagne and joined in listening to the speech already well underway alongside about a dozen other women. The speech was over shortly after, and not two beats went by before the next performance commenced. This one was less intellectual. One of the men simply announced he wanted to apologize with his body, and the two went to work shaking their booties, giving lap dances and stripping off their clothes. The women in the room were screaming and recording and dancing. I personally had both men dance on me, and I took a few pictures and a short video but felt weird recording such a show. After a bit, I excused myself and saw that a long line of women had formed to enter. Upon rejoining Sam, I noticed that the wall immediately next to the curtained room from which I had just left had busts of vaginas on it, and there were comfy looking lounge chairs facing that display and lush rugs in between. I took it to mean that the sexuality of men is out in the open but that of women is veiled. It works on many levels. Well done to the artist!

We then returned to the digestion machine for the demonstration of it "eating" which was, in my opinion, anticlimactic and not really noteworthy other than that it indeed happens to assure anyone who may not believe the origin of the poo at the other end.

Earlier, Sam had mentioned the possibility of going to the Taste of Tasmania that was going on. After we were done in the museum, I suggested we could still go and he didn't see as enthusiastic but decided we had to eat dinner anyway right? We walked around and scoped out all the options before selecting some food and drink and secured a couple seats at a table to eat at. It was a very full day so it was great that we were able to squeeze some cuddle time in before crashing.

We were up early the next morning for our drive north. We stopped in a small town bakery to get a sausage roll, meat pie and a pasty. It was pretty late in the afternoon when we finally arrived at Cradle Mountain. Sam specifically wanted to do a little hiking around Dove Lake, but the route to drive anywhere near it was closed to traffic. We parked at the small lot for the interpretation center and walked towards it in the rain. I figured out we could pay for a shuttle to take us there, but it seemed like we had to go back to the main Visitor Center that looked like a parking noghtmare. I tried getting them online to no avail but then found a ticketing machine. I got stumped by the when it asked for our registration number and was about to give up. Sam interpreted for me - that meant license plate. So with our teamwork, we managed to not only catch a shuttle to Dove Lake, but we kind of hacked the system by parking there instead of the main Visitor Center area. We indeed hiked around a bit and took some nice photos. It was overcast and drizzly which dulled both of our moods a bit and made for less than spectacular scenery, but we still enjoyed it.

Satisfied with our hiking adventure, we took the shuttle back to our car and drove back towards a small town called Deloraine which Sam kept teasingly mispronouncing as Delorean. We had dinner at a pub there and then made our way through some pretty remote and wild roads to our AirBnB for the night. I spotted three wallabies on the way! There, we checked into "The Eyeful Tower". 

After settling in, I started some laundry which I had planned to do here to minimize how much I needed to pack. With no TV (gasp!) we first had some deep conversations - where are we in the relationship, etc - and then entertained ourselves with some trivia until it got dark enough to stargaze. We didn't go far because of how dark it was, but we didn't need to. Being in a completely dark sky area, the night sky lit up even from behind the cloudcover. Jupiter played hide and go seek with us and part of the Milky Way was visible for a bit. Sam was in awe - he had never seen a sky so clear (and this was not as clear as it could be, not by a long shot)! I enjoyed showing him the planets and stars and discussing meteor showers - he and I both saw a quick flash that may have been a meteor. I shot some poorly angled pictures, missing my tripod, before we headed to our separate beds. I took the master upstairs with it's glorious views and Sam cozied up next to the wood burning fireplace that the owner had lit for us.

I had a spectacular view to wake up to, and I leisurely took a shower and got ready before heading downstairs. Sam got ready and we were on our way out in no time. Our next stop was easily the photographic highlight of our Tasmanian vacation, if not the actual highlight - Tasmania Zoo. Sam had found out that we could have our picture taken holding a Tasmanian Devil and that just sounded like something we both needed in our lives. We made our way into the zoo and bought the extra experience for noon. In the meantime, we covered the whole grounds admiring almost all of the animals of the zoo, including albino and regular kangaroos, lots of colorful birds, different types of monkeys, meerkats, lions and tigers (oh my)! and two beautiful giraffes. The wombat mostly eluded us - we were able to see that he was in a hidey hole on his backside but could only really make out one little foot in the air. We saw and learned about the binturong. And of course, we were so excited to see the little Tassie Devils out and about. We returned to the waiting area for the experience and were not disappointed - an adorable baby Tasmanian Devil was handed to us one at a time and we were able to take pictures on our cameras and pet the little guy before the next person's turn. Once the complimentary photos were printed, we visited the gift shop and headed out.

As we made our way back towards Hobart, we made a couple fun stops. Sam had grown up eating hazelnuts from Turkey which produces 70% of the world's hazelnuts. There was a hazelnut farm on our route so Sam wanted to stop, hypothesizing that they couldn't possibly be as good as those from Turkey. He was pleasantly surprised at how good they were, and I got to try my first hazelnuts. We ended up buying a few packs before departing the nut house. 

Next, we stopped at a cheese place I had seen on our way up - called Wicked Cheese. We got to try some samples before I bought a small block for us to enjoy with our champagne for New Year's.

Sam wanted some solo exploring time for the evening so he took the car and I listened to my audio book and took a stroll down the beach and along the park pathway nearby.

Australia does two fireworks shows to ring in the New Year - one around 9 pm so that children and families can partake before bedtime, and one at midnight. Sam identified a great viewing area to watch the Hobart fireworks from across the water. After the show, we watched some TV and then rang in 2025 with champagne, cheese and crackers, and a kiss of course, in our room. It was perfect.

The next morning we packed up and headed to the airport for our midday flight to Sydney. Sam got me to my hotel and we went to McDonald's before he took the train home to celebrate New Year's with his family. And so concluded our Tasmanian adventure. I feel like we are closer than ever now and we cleared up some things that needed to be said between us. I adore him and can't wait to see him again tomorrow night - I surprised him with tickets to Hamilton!

Reflections at Big Bend

When I arrived at the dome place the guy greeting me only spoke Spanish which at first my reaction was, "I don't speak Spanish," but then I realized I know a little bit of Spanish and I could tell him the number of the pod I was staying in at least. He confirmed the number with me and then basically signaled for me to load up my stuff into the UTV and we were on our way. It was pretty hot there when I arrived, I think about 91°, so walking around and hiking up and down the hill to explore the property, as the listing suggested, didn't sound super appealing. I was already enough hot enough and tired enough that sitting in a cold dome with nothing to do but playing my phones and listen to audiobooks etc. seemed like a really nice idea. There's something really magical about having literally no obligations. Nothing to do. I had my dinner ready for later. I had plenty of water and drinks. I had snacks. I'd use the restroom and I had no chores and nothing to take care of while I was in the dome. I considered what this magical feeling was and how I could potentially recreate it without spending $300 a night driving a huge distance to a dome. I think the problem is that when I'm at home, there's always things in my view reminding me of what I could be doing; the overwhelming list of chores and to do's is a burden on me and it's not a burden when away and and being fully taken care of, essentially in a hotel. Maybe that's why I like travel so much, especially cruises when everything is taken care of for you. You don't have to feel the weight of obligations or what you're ignoring. I love planning trips, and often when it's time for the trip to actually happen, it's been so long since I planned it that I don't actually know what's happening the next day or even the next hour. But I just follow along the itinerary mindlessly and I know that my itinerary is taking care of me.

Big Bend, for its part, was better than I expected. The campground was easy to get to and easily navigable. I enjoyed some of the hiking and the nature trails and I saw all sorts of different animals, including the coyote that visited me in the morning at my campsite. I hadn't realized that there were hot springs that we could actually bathe in, so I didn't bring my bathing suit and I sort of regretted that, except that actually it was so hot out, I'm not sure that I would have enjoyed soaking in a hot spring. Some people were getting into the river probably to cool off although that was ill advised. I had to laugh at the Mexicans technically in Mexico across the river selling burritos and tamales to people willing to wade across the river (and thus, across the country border) to pay them $10 for a little tray. The camping was good, I absolutely loved the restaurant that I went to for lunch at the lodge. I kind of wish I had stayed at that lodge, maybe next time. The alien-themed Space Domes were pretty much exactly as advertised, with the exception that I was terribly disappointed to learn that I could not see the stars, not even a single bright star, through my dome from inside on my bed. Even though there was a great view stepping outside. Outside, I had a nice comfy little couch there, and I set up my tripod and I took some spectacular pictures. The stargazing was absolutely amazing. But not being able to see that in the dome kind of took away from the whole point of the dome. Then there are the bugs. So many bugs. I don't know how many bites I have. It's got to be in the double digits. And that was with the Australian grade bug spray. I'm surprised it seems like the bugs even bit me through layers of clothing. They're vicious out here. The Space Cowboys place mentioned that Big Ben is the national park with the most bugs. I believe it! I can't believe it's early November and it's still so freaking hot here. Although when I drove up to that lodge for lunch at the restaurant it got down to about 60° I think. Amazing what elevation change can do.

All this has me thinking again about what my ideal house would be. I still think I need some sort of a bomb shelter or something in the basement to run away from whatever calamity could happen; one with lots of stores of those food packets that will last forever and water. And I want it to be somewhat comfortable so that if I needed to be there I actually would feel at home. In fact, it might be something that I do a little staycation in once a year just to make sure the supplies are all good and freshen up the water supply or something like that. Be a fun little retreat. Kind of like the dome has been for me here. More and more I think I want a walking track or running track made out of that recycled tire rubber. Something soft but firm that I can walk and run on. Although it would be great if it had a top layer that would not stain my feet so that I could walk barefoot because, you know, I hate putting on shoes and socks.

Two of the features that I really enjoyed in the dome were the light effects. In one case, there were three pretty simplistic pendant lights that were essentially the whole dome's lights and they were on a slow revolving color scheme so they would shift through the colors of the rainbow. I never thought that I would like that until now, but I really enjoyed that. The other thing was a little space cowboy, to match the theme of the place, that would project lasers and different options would project rotating galactic images. The combination of the two made for all sorts of fun colors, but as the night wore on I turned off the pendant lights and just left the galaxy lights running all night. It's a little silly and hokey but you know what, it went with the theme and I quite enjoyed it. Not sure that I would get something like that for my home, but definitely in the theme and mindset of the Space Dome it was so fitting and didn't seem silly at all.

I would say that the area around the Rio Grande campground, although it had some great wildlife chances, was pretty lackluster in scenery. Even where I was supposed to see the Rio Grande it didn't look very grande at all. Going up into the mountains towards the lodge where I went for lunch, that had a little bit more grandeur. It felt a little bit like Yosemite in the way that the monolithic mounds just soared above you with a breathtaking sheer, one of those things that pictures just don't do justice. You have to come and see it. All the more reason I kind of wish I had stayed at that lodge. But lunch with a view was great and truly that food at the lodge was absolutely amazing. I was so excited to have my leftovers for dinner. Kind of wish I had gotten the dessert also but I was stuffed at the time.

Driving down to Big Bend has given me lots of reasons why I dislike Texas. You can tell that the heat is a big problem because people have RVs or lived in buses that have a structure built over the top of them basically to capture the sun so that it's not hitting directly the exterior of their vehicle. One part felt like I was driving through Mexico. It was that poor feeling. Other than that, there's a lot of flatness, and it wasn't really pretty. There were some interesting attempts at tourist traps along the way, nothing that I would actually want to stop at, though. There is one place that looks like a freaking castle in the middle of nowhere, piqued my interest a little bit. I'll have to look more into that one. But overall, even as I was driving through really distant rural areas, I checked Zillow and the house prices weren't that much cheaper. So it seems that there's no benefit in being out in the middle of nowhere. I don't think I've ever seen so much deer roadkill than I have on this drive.

I had to laugh as I was drawing the comparisons between Australia and out here. Not that this is anything like the Australia that I've experienced necessarily, but it was described in the book I was listening to called "In a Sunburned Country." The author is an American travel writer who decided to cross Australia on

land versus the way the most Australians do which would be flying from city to city. So he was talking about these long stretches of boring landscape and nothing to see or do and the occasional very, very old dated structures or the old windmills like from the 1950s. And as he's describing these things I'm seeing them to the left and right of me as I'm driving. So I guess a lot of Texas feels like 1950s America, as does Australia. 

And a quick update if you are following my love story with Sam from Australia, we've completely reconciled as far as I can tell and Sam is super excited to see me when I go out there at the end of December, and we're already planning our next excursions beyond that. I'm so happy that we're back to normal. I think he just needed a little bit of time to process a few things, but we're happier than ever and I honestly don't want to date anyone else.

Amboy Crater

Just three or four hours east of the Los Angeles area is a quiet dark sky site great for car camping overnight, to view meteor showers or just general stargazing, as well as a unique and uncrowded hike into and/or around a volcanic crater.

Note: I hiked here alone, and it is NOT recommended to hike alone. I am an experienced hiker and was equipped with two means of communicating and several survival items as well as plenty of water and snacks. I do not recommend hiking alone.

I first went with my friend Nadine in October 2023 and we watched the Orionids. It was very hot when we arrived, but cooled down with the sunset and we were comfortable to slightly chilly as we sat and watched fireballs streak across the sky. The information online had mixed messages as to whether it was okay to car camp at the primary trailhead parking lot, but that's what we did and it seemed fine. There was also a man in a small RV and a couple who rolled in late and set up camp, so we weren't alone. I preferred camping there to the overflow parking lot, which the online info consistently says is ok, because there were toilets at the main parking lot. No running water, though, so be sure to always have hand sani or wipes for bathroom breaks. 

 

In the morning, I was hoping to do some hiking but Nadine wasn't up for it. So I told her I'd just go a little ways and come back, not wanting to leave her in the heat with nothing to do for too long. Since I could see that nobody had left their vehicles yet in the parking lot, it occurred to me that I was quite totally alone on the hike. I'm used to hiking on trails where there are definitely people ahead and behind me, and people coming back would be passing me. The eerie feeling of loneliness and the peril of hiking alone was exhilarating and creepy. I never really felt in danger, with two cell phones on different carriers (personal and work) and knowing Nadine was at the trailhead - certainly if something happened to me I could either contact her or she would eventually come out after me if I didn't return. Still, it was neat to feel like I was the only one on the trail. Of course, I had no idea if people had started after me, and sure enough, I did see people as I returned. Even though it was pleasant when I left the trailhead, it got hotter quickly and I made it only about 3/4 of a mile before turning back, and it got very hot by the time I returned. 

 

Since then, I'd been wanting to return when the weather was nicer to do the full hike. I got the chance a couple days ago (camping on Jan 5 and hiking the morning of Jan 6) - purposefully planning it when the moon was minimal and also would rise late in hopes of also seeing the Milky Way as I set up camp and relaxed under the stars. It wasn't as spectacular as the best Milky Way pictures, but sure enough I did see it faintly, and I got a couple decent pictures with my cell phone of Orion's Belt and other stars. 

Because it was cooler, I didn't do my full hatch-tent setup to let the outside air into my car. Instead, I slept in it fully enclosed, but with a view out the top through my sunroof. I was mostly comfortable until about 3 or 4 am when I started to get very cold, and I turned my car on temporarily to heat the cabin a bit. I woke up around 7 am as the sun was rising, and while it was still quite chilly, it was so beautiful I was ready to get going. I had a small, quick breakfast in my camping chair enjoying the view but sitting still was making me too cold, so I cut it short in favor of starting the hike. It was 40° when I started, and I layered two sweatshirts over my tank top, knowing that I'd like remove one or both sweatshirts as I hiked, and it was easier to wrap them around my waist than deal with a bulky jacket. 

The hike to the crater is very easy, with a bench at about half a mile (0.47 mi by my tracker) and another "last chance" bench at the end of the easy part, 1.1 miles from the trailhead. Most of the terrain is packed dirt and sand with sporadic lava rocks, but there are also patches of very loose sand and dirt, much like walking on the beach. There is next to nothing as far as elevation change. There is also zero shade, so be prepared to be blasted by the sun. If you're still a Pokemon GO player like me, there are Pokemon on the trail and a stop at the last chance bench!

After the second bench, the hike gets exciting as you wind your way up onto the side of the crater and up and over into it. A half mile past the bench, at 1.6 miles from the trailhead, is a three-pronged fork at which you can go straight to basically head directly into the middle of the crater, or go left or right which will take you in a loop around the rim of the crater to the highest point just under 1000 feet. The Crater Trail taking you into the center is much more moderate and less dangerous, and affords a spectacular 360 view at a saddle point. If you turned around and went back from there, I'd say you thoroughly did the hike and saw what there is to see.

For more advanced hikers with confidence in their ankle strength, the Crater Rim Loop offers a steep change in elevation and unobstructed views from the top. I ended up taking the Crater Trail first and then continuing to the other side of the meteor, making my way up to the Crater Rim Loop. At the top, I had trouble deciding which way to turn, but ultimately turned right to hit the highest peak of the hike. I had to be very careful with my foot placement and took my time both going up and down, while along the rim it was fairly easy going. On the way down, I stopped for a snack to recharge and ensure I had enough energy and strength not to slip, especially since I was by myself. 

 

 

On my way down, I finally saw other people on the trail for the first time. Many of them did not have water. Please, people, do NOT go hiking in the desert without water!! Even in the winter, it is very dry and you need to stay hydrated. After making my way down from the crater rim, it was easy going headed back on the same and only trail back to the parking lot. It was about 50° by then so I stripped down to my tank top and had both sweatshirts around my waist - stylish, I know! With the very light breeze, it was perfect hiking weather. I really enjoyed myself but was pretty beat when I finally got back to my car. Luckily, I didn't have much to pack up so I was able to use the bathroom once more and then get on the road home. (And I got home just in time to do Pokemon Go Community Day on my couch - LOL!)

It was a great first adventure for the new year! I nearly procrastinated on going, but so glad I pushed myself to do it. It was just an evening and morning - hardly a big time investment relative to the joy and peace I got from it.

Recommendations for Amboy Crater

• Set up camp just before sunset and enjoy the stars
• Bring a headlamp as it is very dark and you'll especially want your hands free when going to the bathroom
• Bring hand sani or wipes for using the bathroom
• The bugs (specifically, tiny, little flies) are incessant at night - you may want to bring bug spray and/or a face net and have weather-appropriate clothes that cover as much as possible
• Bring good hiking shoes with ankle support - lots of opportunities to twist an ankle on the hike
• Bring a hat, sun screen, and lots of water! At least 2 liters of water per person is recommended. Even in the winter, the desert is dry and you need to replace the water you're losing as you hike.
• Give yourself a few hours to hike it before sunset - you don't want to be caught out there in the dark!