Folsom Lake - The Drought of 2014

On just about everyone's mind in California nowadays is the drought. Here in Sacramento, with 50 days and counting of no rain, with record highs in January being broken almost daily, with Folsom Lake at historically low levels, with the Sierra snow pack only 20% of normal for this time of year, and Governor Jerry Brown officially declaring these conditions The Drought, it's easy to understand the high level of concern in the region. Growing up in Orangevale, Folsom's next-door neighbor, and living in the Sacramento area most of my life, I've spent countless hours at Folsom Lake and the surrounding waterways and recreational areas, camping, swimming, hiking, and biking. On a recent sunny January day Dan and I decided to drive out to Brown's Ravine in Folsom to see the changes for ourselves. Distressingly, the lake looked more like a pond, the low levels quite alarming. We saw a parking lot filled with dry-docked boats, the remnants of Mormon Island normally under water, boat launch ramps that were yards and yards from the water, and people swarming around where they would be swimming normally. Conditions are quite worrisome, to say the least. Here are some snapshots that we may not, hopefully not, have access to again.

Mele Kalikmaka!

It's been almost two months since Dan and I got back from Hawaii. This week, especially, suffering through seven days of hard freeze warnings, with morning lows in the 20's, and afternoon highs in the 40's, we are really missing the warm tropical weather of the Hawaiian Islands. But there is always a warm space in our hearts for Sacramento. Here we have family and friends and a sense of familiarity. We have tried our best to bring a bit of the Islands back with us to the Mainland, so our Hawaiian Christmas wish to all our family and friends is Mele Kalikimaka, or Merry Christmas! Sending lots of aloha from our hearts to yours! 

Aloha, Goodbye, Maui

Today is our last day in Maui, and our last day on the Hawaiian Islands, at least for this time around. The past two months have been an incredible adventure! We were able to immerse ourselves into our surroundings in a way that isn't possible when just staying for a week or two. The Islands are beautiful, exotic, tropical, swathed in every shade of green and blue, and the weather is always perfect! I'm finding it hard to say Aloha, Goodbye, to this wonderful place; I really appreciate the laid back vibe and would like to carry that philosophy back to the mainland with me. But the good news is, we will soon be back in our home-sweet-home, reconnecting with family, and gearing up for our next adventure. Here are some parting shots from our stay in Maui.

Haleakala National Park, Maui

As luck would have it, our visit to Maui coincided with the October 2013 16-day government shutdown, and almost prevented us from visiting the Haleakala National Park. We berated ourselves for not visiting the park when we first got here and had the chance, as each day went by and it looked like the mess in Washington D.C. would never get resolved. But finally on October 17th, the House approved a bill to raise the debt ceiling, the National Parks opened back up, and on October 19th we took the 38-mile drive to the summit within the Haleakala National Park. The tallest peak of Haleakala ("House of the Sun") is Pu'u 'Ula'ula ("Red Hill"), and towers above the clouds at 10,023 feet. The road to this summit holds the world record for climbing the highest elevation in the shortest distance, starting at sea-level and passing through five distinct climate zones along the way. Unfortunately we seemed to experience just one climate zone the day we went - cloudy! Even though we made it to the top, the clouds never cleared off enough for us to get a view of the Haleakala Crater, or the other Hawaiian Islands visible from the top on a clear day. Still, it wasn't a wasted trip. The drive up provided stunning views; we were able to see the space observatories; and we saw the rare and beautiful Silversword (ahinahina) plant, a threatened species that only grows above 6000 feet, and the only place in the world it lives is on the slopes of Haleakala. A very popular tourist activity on Maui is to be driven to the top of mountain, then provided a bicycle for an exciting downhill ride. But we were more impressed with the few cyclists we saw who were actually riding their bicycles up the hill - now that's an accomplishment! Even though our visit to the National Park wasn't all we had hoped for, we're still glad we took the time to go. Here are some pictures of our trip.

Snorkeling the Molokini Crater

Snorkeling is definitely one of my favorite things to do in Hawaii, and according to some sources, the best snorkeling on the planet can be found right here on the Islands. Most of our excursions consisted of packing a picnic lunch, loading the car up with a beach umbrella, towels, and chairs, and tracking down the beach parks most noted for good snorkeling. Some were better than others, but there is no such thing as a bad beach day in Hawaii, even if the snorkeling turns out to be a bust. But for our last snorkeling adventure before coming back home, we decided to splurge and take a chartered boat trip to the Molokini Crater, a popular destination for scuba diving, snuba, and snorkeling. We signed on with The Pride of Maui for the 5-hour morning trip which included snorkeling gear, stops at two diving locations (Turtle Town and Molokini Crater), continental breakfast, full lunch, and unlimited beverages, included the ever popular Island favorite Mai Tai. Molokini, the highlight of the trip, is a crescent-shaped partially submerged volcanic crater which forms a small islet filled with coral reef and tropical fish. The water here is crystal clear, even at 30-foot depths, with no sand from the waves to murk up the view. We saw yellow tangs, trumpet fish, surgeon fish, parrot fish, and Moorish idols, swimming in and out of the coral, as well as sea urchin and a couple of turtles. On the way back into harbor, eight spinner dolphins swam with the boat for a while, jumping out of the water, diving under and around the boat, and seemingly just enjoying swimming along with us. That was a real treat! With picture perfect weather and calm waters, the first class accommodations and staff on The Pride of Maui, and of course the awesome sea life, this was the perfect "last snorkel on the Islands" (at least for this time!).