Moloka'i West End Run

Moloka'i West End Run

Had the opportunity to get over to Hawaii at the end of last month with the family.  13 of us to be exact.  We had a great time relaxing at the Manahale Estate.  There isn't a ton of things to do on the island which was perfect.  We all lead such busy lives, that some time to just sit back and relax was much needed, and very, very nice. 
During the 8 days we spent on Moloka'i, I had the chance to get out and get in a couple of runs.  Unfortunately...and fortunately, the weather was very hot.  Great for soaking up the rays, but not so much for getting out and running.  Oh, and it was pretty darn humid too.
From our house, we would make a run down to Dixie Maru beach.  This is a small cove at the end of the road near where we were staying.  It was a nice 4 mile run.  Two out and two back. It was a nice street run and pretty darn scenic.

Here is a shot as I am approaching Dixie Maru.  You can see that it is old pavement and not totally well maintained.  There isn't much traffic on this end of the island, and in fact, if you do the 4 mile run and actually see a car, consider yourself lucky.

Its a long, hilly, curvy road.  It was also quite windy while we were there.  The wind was a blowin', and it actually took a little edge off of the humidity and cooled me down nicely.

Here is a shot along the road approaching the estate where we were staying.

On one of the afternoons I was running, it had just finished raining.  We had pretty much an unlimited amount of rainbows in most directions. 

Here is a shot as I was leaving the beach and looking back at our estate.  You can't tell here, but the rainbow was ending right where we were staying.  Very beautiful.

 

After multiple runs during the week, I generally ended up back at our place relaxing on the porch or swinging down on the hammock.  Here is a quick view from our porch looking down at the beach.  Everyday was absolutely gorgeous and hard to leave.

 

After our time on Moloka'i, my wife and I stopped by to visit her family for a couple of days.  The are dipping their toe into the vegan lifestyle, and have really embraced it.  In fact, every time I am out, they are trying out new recipes and experiments on me.  I'm always game for a great Vegan meal.
Here is one of the meals they made us while visiting.  Great Hawaiian Vegan Chili over white rice.  Fresh Maui Greens with Maui onions and other fresh toppings.  They even made us a batch of vegan Pad Thai, that I thought was absolutely fabulous.  To top of the whole meal, they brought out a batch of freshly made vegan chocolate macaroons.  Scrumptious!

 

 

We all had a great trip to Moloka'i, and though it was very slow and different from what we were used to, it was fabulous.  I'd go back in a heartbeat.  And its always great to spend time with family and to visit my wife's family at the end of the week, made it all perfect.

Mahalo! and Happy Running!
Dave

#Molokai #Hawaii #running #vegan

Ala Moana Diamond Head Circle Run

There really is nothing like an early afternoon run in Honolulu.  Except for probably a run in just about any other beautiful island community.  I was in Honolulu for a quick distributor show, and after setting up the Okuma booth, had an opportunity to get out and squeeze in a few miles. 
Started the morning off with some fresh papaya that the Aunties gave to me.

After some fresh fruit and the set up, ran back up to the room and made a quick change into the running gear.  It was a beautiful afternoon.  Here is a view from my room at the Ala Moana hotel overlooking the harbor.  We had whales crossing in front of the harbor all week.  It was great.

After looking out at the whales and ocean for a bit, it was time to head out.  Here is a shot looking up as I was leaving the hotel.

And a quick shot looking across the street from the hotel.

From the hotel, I head on over to the Ala Wei canal and start the run towards Diamond Head. Here is what I am looking at as I head down the Canal.

Lots of interesting things in the canal.  This year I saw multiple shopping carts, a mattress, probably the biggest puffer fish I have ever seen, and various other objects that I couldn't decipher. 

Once you get to the end of the canal, about mile two, you head past the Honolulu Zoo and head through the park.  This is what it looks like when you get to the end of the canal looking toward Diamond Head.

From here you keep heading straight until you get to Diamond Head street. From there I like to head to the right and keep the ocean on my right side.  No particular reason. 
There is a little incline when you actually get near the water and head up past Diamond Head.  Once you get to the crest of the street, there are some spectacular views.
Here is a shot looking where I just came from.

And a shot of where I am headed.

There is a nice little bluff when you get to the crest that I like to stop for a quick stretch.  At this point you are at roughly mile 4-ish.  This year I stopped to watch the humpback whales playing just outside the surf.  Unfortunately I couldn't get a good picture of them, but with the help of Instagram, I did manage a pretty nice shot overlooking the sea.

Once you leave the crest of the road, you start to head down the other side and around the back of Diamond Head.  You complete your circle and get back on Paki road and then rejoin the Ala Wei Canal and work your way back to the hotel. 
All in all it was a 9 mile run and felt really good.

This was a good little training/prep run for my upcoming Rock N Roll Pasadena Half that is coming up in a few weeks. 
Of course, after a nice long run you should generally reward yourself for a job well done.  I did just that.  Here is my reward from Shimazu Store on School Street right next to H1 just short of Liliha Street.

This was the Strawberry Colada and Pina Colada combo.  Yummy!

It was a great trip and a successful show for Okuma.  Our new Ulua reel was a hit.

Happy Running!
Dave

Lake Wilson Bass Fishing Oahu Hawaii

Just returned from a business trip to Hawaii.  I know, tough job!  I hear it all the time.  I had a quick opportunity to get out with Stan and Chris Wright from www.hawaiibassfishing.com.  What a great day on the water.  Beautiful day, but unfortunately with the recent rains, the water was high and cool.  In fact, here is a shot from the launch ramp area overlooking the little cove off to the left.  Pretty high water.

The guys really like the water a little lower, and quite a bit warmer.  In fact, we were out looking for Peacock Bass and they like the water temperature in the 76-78 degree area, and we were showing about 68.  Kind of chilly.
We had a sort of grey-ish day to start off, but beautiful none the less.  Who would have thought there would be a freshwater lake, with pine trees around.

The fishing was a little slow in the morning, but got better in the afternoon.  Almost as soon as the sun came out I was able to land this Largemouth Bass.  Not bad for Hawaii!

Here I am a little surprised that I actually caught a LMB.

We did manage three Peacocks on the trip.  Here is a picture of Chris with one of his "under 10lb" peacocks, as he called them.

They do actually get them at the lake up to 8lbs or so.  I guess I'll have to go back and try for one of the big guys.  

Aloha!  

Dave

#bassfishing #hawaii #aloha #bass #Okuma