Burn, Burns, Burnt, Burned, and Burning

West Maui is on fire RIGHT NOW.  As of 10pm last night, a Maalaea brushfire consumed 2,000 acres and forced the closure of all roads to the west side (Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kapalua etc.) and the evacuation of about 100 people.

Once we were done with our snorkel trip today and were about to trailer the boat out of the water at Kihei Boat Ramp, a guy approached us and asked if we could ferry part of a wedding party currently in Wailea to Kaanapali to attend a wedding tonight due to the road closure.

At Borders and Whole Foods, tourists as well as residents were chatting on cell phones and surfing on iPads (I know, I know) for the latest news about the roads.  Many people are stuck on both sides of the blaze.  Even the road on the north side of West Maui via Kahakuloa is closed.

Here's a shot I got this morning at 5:49AM:

Here's one from this afternoon at 2:56PM:

One thing to notice is how the fire progressed westward (to the left in the pics) in nine hours. With gusts of up to 40mph driving the blaze, the fire has now jumped Honoapiilani highway and is currently scorching the makai (ocean) side of the highway near the Pali tunnel.

Vehicle Dogs

I love dogs.  Unlike any place I've ever lived, Maui has lots of dogs... in vehicles - in truck beds, in the front seat, in the back seat, and in between seats.   One of the most memorable must be a very manicured French poodle with red bow sitting all stoic in the front passenger seat of a Mercedes SLK AMG convertible buckled in and waiting for his master to return from Starbucks.

A Commuter's Sunrise

Sometimes even my commute to work can bring a big smile to my face.  This morning, while on the way to Kihei, I pulled over on Mokulele Highway near the Humane Society and got a shot facing the rising sun and a shot in the opposite direction of the sun's rays bouncing off the West Maui Mountains.  The sun rose at exactly 5:49AM, and these shots were taken at 5:51AM and 5:52AM respectively.

Please note these images are straight from the camera (Nikon D40, 18-55mm lens) with no post production processing of any kind.


To the east

To the west

A Twin Falls Tour

Widely known as the first stop on the Road to Hana, Twin Falls is a great place to visit, even if you're not going all the way to Hana.  There are two easily accessible waterfalls and several other waterfalls that require a bit of a hike.  With large soaking pools, fresh water streams, and abundant foliage, Twin Falls is what I imagine Hawaii personifies in the minds of many visitors.  Keep in mind I came here in the afternoon and the area was relatively empty.  Expect peak traffic during mid-to-late morning hours as people make their way to Hana.  Please keep in mind the amount of water falling over the waterfalls varies continually throughout the year.

All photos are in chronological order.


Farm stand at the entrance

Walking path leading to the falls

One of the many streams you will cross

The first set of falls (turn left at the fork)

The second set of falls (turn right at the fork)

Hanging around

Looking for something that sank

Sitting atop the falls

Locals cruising the falls

Still Calling All Maui Voters!

I need to continue yesterday's post because I keep seeing more and more campaign signs popping up like mushrooms all over the place.  In less than 24 hours, Don Couch and Paul Laub added signs next to Arakawa's in Paia, never mind Laub and Couch are running for County Council and Arakawa for Mayor.

At the busy and crowded intersection of Puunene and Wakea Avenues in Kahului, there appeared such a mass gathering of signs I actually felt visually lost.

I do like the Porsche though.

Does the owner of that fence charge for the ad space?

Attack of the Alan's!

Walk one block down Wakea Ave. from this intersection and find a slew of Alan Fukuyama signs flanking an Alan Arakawa.

My favorite so far is actually a banner from Bobby Bunda.  I have no idea who he is or what he stands for, but I just like his name and his face!

Look at those pearly whites!

Added Sat, June 5:

Another flock of signs on Dairy Road near the fire station in Kahului.

Calling All Maui Voters!

Election day on Maui is still more than 3 months away, but the mayoral candidates and their staff are already starting to campaign.  There is no such thing as a billboard on Maui, so bumper stickers and wooden signs are the norm.

This Chris Hart For Mayor sticker actually works for me because its so cheesy.  It definitely made an impression!

Erecting an Alan Arakawa sign in Paia this afternoon.

Frankly, the pic below is not related to this post, but I did break down an eat an Original Glazed and an Old-Fashioned Krispy Kreme doughnut this afternoon.  The young lady behind the counter originally gave me one of these - fresh from tubing down the fry oil river - doughnuts hand-picked off the line thinking they were the Old Fashioned, but they turned out to be Pumpkin Spice, which she let me keep nonetheless.  :)

Trans-fats and supporting local business be damned (if only for today)!

Dude, Where's My Car?

Maui Cruisers are extremely popular on the Valley Isle.  What are they?  A Maui Cruiser is a term used to describe an inexpensive vehicle that one purchases on Maui after moving here that will get you from A to B (hopefully) and one that you won't mind getting into with your feet caked in bricks of sand (assuming the floorboard hasn't rusted out).

On the Mainland, such a car would be called a Piece of S***.  However, on Maui, said vehicle is  shabby chic!

OK, so here's an all too common situation:  a young guy or girl from the Mainland decides he/she wants to move to Maui and after moving here, purchases a Maui Cruiser for say, $500-$1000.  After 1-2 years of living and working on Maui, he/she has gotten out of their system whatever plagued them enough to leave the Mainland in the first place and escape to the Valley Isle, and they decide to go back home.

What to do with the Maui Cruiser?  It's out of the question that one would pay $1000 to ship the car to Oakland or Long Beach, CA.  If the car is still operable, then one could try and sell it (I actually know one guy who bought a Toyota Tercel cruiser for $650 and sold it three years later for $700)!

Well, say you can't seem to sell the car because it's such a P.O.S. and your flight back to the Mainland leaves in 48 hours, so you decide to abandon the car.  You don't want to take it to S.O.S. Metals and have it recycled because that costs money.  So, you just leave it somewhere on public land in the middle of the night so the taxpayer can pay for a towing company to take it away and have it scrapped.  Of course the police will try to bill the owner of the car, but you removed the plates and ground down the VIN, or even better, you just paid cash for it and never bothered to register the vehicle.  Insurance?  Please!

Take a look guys and gals, the bright orange stickers are placed by the MPD once a vehicle is reported or found to be abandoned.

Car left at the Haiku Community Center parking lot.

Truck on the side of S. Kihei Rd. whose abandoned sticker is on the driver-side window that is now rolled down.

Car left at the intersection of S. Kihei Rd and Welakahao Rd.  At least someone took the wheels and any remaining fuel!

SUV abandoned in public parking lot stall in Paia.

Vehicle on Welakahao Rd in Kihei in the process of being towed.

For more info on abandoned vehicles:  http://www.co.maui.hi.us/index.aspx?NID=834

Hey, you can actually rent a Maui Cruiser here: http://www.mauicruisers.net/