Tsunami

Yesterday a massive (8.2M) earthquake struck off the coast of Chile causing significant damage including tsunami. The chances of tsunami reaching Hawaiian coasts was low and after a few hours the official prediction was that it would not be a danger here. Tsunami can certainly propagate far across oceans but since no alert has been declared it would appear the chances of significant impact are low (to be clear, this is not intended as an interpretation of this event).

A long-time islander phoned me to suggest that other than staying well above and away from the shore, a good precaution is to fill up the tank with gas.

For future reference you can find official reports about tsunami at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center website. The official report on this tsunami event which should be updated as things progress is here. There is a little more information from the Pacific Disaster Center (pdc.org) here.
Official information about tsunami including what to do in the event of one can be found at this FAQ.

I must say the official information on the web is not very well designed and as a result it is hard to find solid information. It's actually quite a runaround with lots of indirection which it should not be. While the impact was still being evaluated I tried to find out some solid information:

• The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center website shows a graphical "low" meter ... yet they are evaluating the impact of a significant earthquake in the ocean. Isn't that at least a "medium"?
• There is small text asking you to "Click here to read the latest tsunami message" ... they can't be bothered to actually show you a summary right there. That you need to click is not easy to find.
• Clicking takes you to the report linked above that says "WE ARE STILL INVESTIGATING LEVEL OF TSUNAMI THREAT FOR HAWAII." (They don't seem to know that the Internet can do lower case making the thing harder to read than it could be.)
• And buried near the end is the one Hawaii related fact available: IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THEIR ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL TIME IS 0324 AM HST WED 02 APR 2014

Kauai Civil Defense was about the same in terms of obscuring the information and challenging the user to traverse a few web pages to find anything useful.

• There is a mostly blank page - where the latest info could easily appear - with a very small inconspicuous link "Pacific Disaster Center - Past 24 hours Message Archive".
• Click to go to Pacific Disaster Center (pdc.org) where there is a world map with several colored icons on it.
• Under Recent Events there is a like to the 8.2M earthquake, but clicking on that just changes the map. And there is a banner: " Breaking News:  Check Facebook for latest info on 8.2". So our civil defense depends on Facebook now.
• On the left under "News" is an article about April being Tsunami Awareness Month (this is a fitting start indeed).

That there are so many sources of information variously pointing elsewhere and completely different looking web sites to navigate to find the key results is really a shame. In an emergency the last thing I want to do is go clicking from here to there - everyone should have one place they can go to get official latest word on events like this.

It's almost as important to get an early clear opinion that the risk is likely low. Instead, it took hours to get anything more than "WE ARE STILL INVESTIGATING" - a preliminary assessment should be available within minutes, noting that it is provisional and better information will be developed soon (ideally, providing a time frame to expect to learn more).

Hilo tsunami

Notably on April 1, in 1946, a large tsunami hit Hawaii causing great destruction notably in Hilo on the big island. (The photo at left is from that event.)

Note: Lately I have not been posting much here so this timely event prompted me to get back to it. Having moved here I haven't found the right new direction for writing here: previously exploring and touring topics have largely been covered, hikes have long since been covered, and yet I have not been here long enough to have much useful to say as a resident either. I do plan to continue but it will take time to find a new rhythm. Suggestions in the comments are always welcome.

Mahalo, 2013

It has been a very good year and I have been fortunate to have spent the majority of my time in 2013 on Kauaʻi. Mahalo to everyone who has made the time here so great, as well as to the mainlanders who supported my being here.

This morning the sunset in Kalaheo was gorgeous (the phone photo at right does not do it justice). Breakfast with friends was a great way to wind up this visit before I fly off today.

I will be back in January when the moving process really gets underway.

Finally, mahalo to those of you following my journey in cyberspace, I really do appreciate being able to share it and hope it is entertaining and even at times useful. The story continues in 2014 . . .

Island days

It is good to be back to the island. I arrived a good hour late due to inter-island flight delay from Maui, then more delay renting a car but made it out of the airport before five. I swung by the storage locker where I stow things while off-island and grabbed nearly everything and with a fairly full Jeep headed for Kalaheo where I am staying right in town.

Wednesday

First day on the island I knew exactly what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go: the Allerton Garden (more info). It's a very special place in so many ways; entering the Lawai Kai valley it feels like you are being immersed in luscious tropical surroundings not quite of this world. Along the road I waved at gardeners I have worked with to say, "I'm back," and they seem genuinely glad to see me. (After all, in some small way I make their job easier.)

The familiar crew was there though reduced in numbers due to continuing budgetary constraints. That six gardeners can keep 83 acres of an elaborate tropical garden in shape is nothing short of a miracle, so I am happy to pitch in. We worked the stretch of road (not on the usual tours) that leads from the bamboo grove along the east bank of the river down toward the house and beach (shown above, right). That curvy coconut tree is just high enough for a truck to drive under it, though they said it gets weighed down when it bears fruit so they have to keep picking coconuts to keep access.

As you can see, their equipment is well used, and even this old truck they only had use of half of the day. Weeding and trimming took the whole day, but the work is peaceful and it's always a treat just to be there and spend time in that environment.

I met some of the other gardeners, got some starfruit at lunchtime, and the day went quickly. While up by the bamboo grove suddenly I heard a crash and looked just in time to see a twenty foot branch come crashing down inside the grove. It was easy to pull out and cut up for hauling to the compost pile. 

Flower in the rocky area
across from the curvy coconut

After work I met a friend for beer to catchup on things and watched the sun set (photo at top) at Glass Beach (in Eleele). A wonderful first day back.

Thursday

At 7am met the local breakfast group that has been kind enough to include me in their gatherings and caught up with everyone. It's remarkably easy to fall right back into the swing of island life even after two-plus months on the mainland.

Mid-morning I drove out to Waimea to visit my friends at the West Kauai visitor center and see how things are in the far west side. By then it was turning out to be quite a hot day.  Lunch at Island Tacos: my usual, the Seared Ahi Wasabi taco. Read the paper at the Hanapepe library and picked up some books for reading, then back to Kalaheo.
A friend's ulu (breadfruit) tree is loaded and he prepared some for me - best I've ever had. He picked it fresh, set the sticky white sap drain out a few minutes, then peeled, cut into chunks, and boiled it until soft like a potato. It was very moist and delicious: the taste is something like a potato with a texture perhaps more like a yam. With salt and a little pepper it was tasty.

Upcoming Events

Orchid on that curvy coconut

This Saturday (October 12) is the Emalani festival up at Koke'e. There will be live music, hula, and a portrayal of Queen Emma in memory of her epic journey up the mountain and out across the Alaka'i Swamp (before the boardwalk was built, obviously) to the Kilohana Lookout (hike). It must have been a sight to see with the queen's entourage trudging through the muck and mud up there for miles: how many European royalty would do such a thing?

Next Saturday (October 19) is "Na Mele No Kaumuali`i" in Waimea featuring original music to honor the last great king of this island. See the web site for latest information and details.

A New Chapter

I'm heading back to Kaua'i next week and very much looking forward to it. Look for this blog to get rolling again very soon.

I've been thinking about how this blog best adapts going forward as my trajectory to the island strengthens. While I have be no means seen the entire island by any stretch of imagination, I have covered most of the easily accessible parts one way or the other. I need to get a lot more experienced before attempting to go further off the beaten path: though I have some promising leads it will take time. Most of the travelogue sort of things I can write about usefully I already have.

Let me explicitly invite comments from anyone "out there" as to what they would like to see more or less of. While I can go deeper there isn't a lot of new material I expect to come up with unless I broaden scope. And of course I hope to keep it interesting.

My current thinking is to start writing about living on the island, shifting away from visiting the island. In the past year I have spend well more than half my time there (though I have not fully moved there, I am working on that) so have a unique transitionary perspective that goes beyond the typical visitor's. While I have tried to clearly express my own point of view, things should get more opinionated and more subjective because when you live somewhere you don't exactly stay objective about the place.

My favorite Kaua'i blogger recently called it quits (for the time being at least) and while I can't begin to fill that hole, nor am I that plugged into goings on, I can say that I will miss her insights and it does stand as a shining example.

Off-island

I'm back on the mainland but very definitely plan to get back to Kauaʻi before too long.

In my absence there was a recent hurricane watch for "Flossie" which turned into a tropical depression and just resulting in some heavy rain with lingering wet and cloudy weather.

Recently the GMO debate has ratcheted up on Kauaʻi; today a large public hearing is scheduled for testimony on proposed County Bill 2491 currently in draft. Itʻs a complex issue that brings out the full spectrum of the diverse community. The stakes are magnified playing out on a small island where the chemical companies are seen as either outsiders or saviors providing jobs in a troubled economy.

Sadly, Kauaʻi had another visitor lose their life in the ocean (14 this year). If you visit please do take safety seriously, never turn your back on the ocean, be sure you will be able to return again.

No doubt Kauaʻi will absorb it all somehow. I look forward to returning before long.

Off Island

The next two weeks I will be off island to Japan visiting family and friends so the blog will take a rest, perhaps Iʻll start a Japan blog...

This morning I walked the dark sand beach of Waimea and out the fishing pier where I took this shot on the right looking back on the town.

Then I walked up the hill to visit the neighborhood we will be in with our first rental house and back through the town, circling back to the inn.

This morning was an exceptionally clear view of Niʻihau with nice morning light on the bluffs to the left (though the photos don't do it justice).

I've been busy the past few days - though not that busy really - getting a P O Box, putting most my things that I have on the island into storage, and errands like that in preparation for the trip.

If you've been following along, pardon the slight interruption and hope you will return two weeks hence. Sayonara until then.

E komo mai

This blog got a nice burst of traffic - relative to it's normal, extremely modest level of popularity last week. New viewers, welcome (that's what the title means) and I hope you will stay if it was interesting. I had occasion to mention the blog to a number of coworkers and it looks like a fair number stopped by which is nice to see. Blogger doesn't label it clearly but I believe that's 35 per hour peak.

Back from Kauai three weeks now I haven't done the many follow-up posts I had planned to - yet - but more is coming soon. Stay tuned to this channel: now the onus is on me to keep it interesting.

The Simple Life

As much as I love Kauai, in no small part it also provides escape from some (but by no means all) of the daily annoyances of so-called modern life. Life is much simpler here for me now. You could say that it is artificially so in that I am traveling light, no job, solo, but it isn't hard to imagine converting my volunteer work to a modest real job sufficient to make my contribution to society.

This post by Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame) about the routine indignities of a routine trip to the supermarket is an excellent example of what modern life has become. It's a rambling piece but I think worth reading through as the most important points are in the closing section.

Driving this trend is the supermarket efficiently maximizing profits from the customers which may or may not involve actually being a shopping experience. I very much concur with this rant on maximization by Jason Fried that maximization isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be.

You really can only maximize something that is precisely measurable: size, distance, time, or of course, money. Furthermore, these sort of things tend to be limited resources where more for me means less for everyone else. But the things in life that really matter aren't numerical and arguably attempts at maximizing are certain to fail.

Here on this visit that is more than a vacation I have enough time that I don't have to maximize. On vacation it's easy to think of all the places you want to see and things to do and cram them into the short time at your destination. Even as my time for this visit is drawing toward an end I think I have managed to move past that mentality and take each day and each experience as it comes, trusting in an abundance of time.

Near the ends of the road where I like to be here in Kauai, it's predominantly small local businesses. These places don't have the sophistication or scale to attempt these sort of shenanigans and it just isn't their style. (Foodland supermarket did recently institute loyalty cards with a healthy discount surcharge for not using them, but this is the exception to the rule.) The cashier might talk story with you, or the person selling poke might advise you on what kind because they made it and they know. When they are out of something (which isn't unusual) they will be happy to tell you where to get it instead. As a shopper, this is the kind of extra effort I appreciate, instead of the overt manipulations. I just hope they can survive in an economic system built on maximization.

Hawaiian Glossary

Just a few words or expressions from the local pastiche of language (not by any means "Hawaiian" the original language of these islands) bear explanation.

• ahupua`a - traditional tract of land extending, pie-shaped, from the top of the mountain to the ocean
• da kine - substitute name for anything ("the kind") when you can't think of its name
• grind (v), grinds (n) - to eat (v), food (n)
• kahuna - a shaman, from ka (the) huna (secret)
• kupuna - elder (a person 55 years or older)
• mahalo - thank you
• makai - the direction toward the ocean
• mauka - the direction up the mountain
• pau - finish
• pilau - badness, negative things
• pono - goodness, righteousness
• wahine - woman

Please feel free to ask in comments anything I should add here, especial if I have used a word without explaining it properly.

One month left

My Kauai adventure continues going along splendidly, now well over two months, and my return date is looming on the horizon a month from now.

One thing I have learned is that a two or three week vacation is not early enough time to have any kind of really genuine connection to a place. It takes a lot of time to get to know local people and become familiar with the places and experiences here. Seeds, if you will, that I have been planting since the beginning are recently sprouting and those in turn open up further opportunities in a kind of snowball effect.

Since getting here I have slowly shifted from what at first was very much what I did on previous visits (i.e. tourism) to something now more akin to living here. I'm enjoying volunteer work in the National Tropical Botanical Garden and through that meeting people, learning things, and have a regular schedule of garden work. The "hale" construction project has in turn added a new dimension to that work and made more connections, including people off-island.

By now I know my way around the island, places visit or to eat (or to avoid) or where buy this or that. It isn't hard being a relatively small island mostly developed only around the periphery along the one main highway. It's easy to become familiar with such a place and quickly feel at home.

Most importantly, people here really do live the aloha spirit. Some many have been kind to me, teaching, welcoming, sharing without expecting anything in return. That they love it here themselves is a big part of why they are more than happy to share.

Over and over I hear from almost everyone I get to know that Kauai either embraces you, or it "spits you out". I'm not sure exactly what that last part entails but unquestionably my experience, thankfully, has been the other side of the coin.

Since I still do have another month the adventure continues.

One Month Here

It's been a month that I've been on Kauai having my sabbatical/adventure/experience. This afternoon I took a long walk down the beach from Waimea to Kikialoa harbor, about halfway to Kekaha to the west.

The beach stretches for miles from the Waimea River west. Here the sand is dark reddish, not surprising as the place name "Waimea" means red water and the dirt up the mountain is strikingly reddish as well. Walking along the edge of the reach of the surf the sand is firm and supports weight, but one sinks into the the dry sand making it much harder to walk in.

My time here has definitely gone beyond "vacation" and this daily life has become normal. So far I have made some connections and learned some things, but am still getting started. Definitely I need more something to keep me busy, though I have been enjoying the leisurely pace of life with no impending commitments.

So far no great insights or deep realizations. Since I didn't plan this very much I can't say that it is or is not according to plan. I will say that this is definitely the right thing for me to be doing now, and the right place for me to be now. You can't ask for more than that.  Happy Holidays!

Blog Silence

The next few days I will be staying up at Koke'e, the mountain top above Waimea Canyon.
Most likely there will be no internet connect, probably no cell service either. Look for continued blog action by Tuesday.

Koke'e is the top of the west end of the island. Accessed from the west near the end of the highway on this side of the island it includes a number of very distinct geographic areas.

• Southern: the upper reaches of the Waimea Canyon including vistas looking down the canyon out to sea.
• Western: trails and ridges extending down with views down over the Na Pali coastline, but no access to the sea.
• Northern: overlooks Kalalau and other Na Pali coastal valleys.
• Eastern: trails into the Alakai swamp region.
• Central: a lodge restaurant, museum, cabins, and campsites around a beautiful central meadow.

Being the westernmost part of the westernmost island of the westernmost state there are several military/research outpost with radar and antenna and who-knows-what scattered in here as well.

Twelve Days of Kauai

Having been here a good long while, but only the beginning of the full adventure, it's been excellent. With an abundance of time it's easy to take it easy and not cram every day with activities in an attempt to "do it all" like a vacation. Just what I wanted to do.

From my first trip to the Big Island I learned that it takes about two weeks just to settle into a new rhythm and that's about where I am now on the arc of this journey.

For example, yesterday I slept in and then went to Lihue to do a few errands.

• Bought shoes for garden work - I will be volunteering doing work at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens later this month and they require closed-toe work shoes.
• Picked up Apple OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) to upgrade this laptop (more below).
• Hamura Saimin for lunch.

It was a good, leisurely day.

Addendum on computer stuff

I brought the six-year-old MacBook Pro out of retirement to take along on this trip. I actually considered not having a computer - well, just my Android phone, which is quite a computer - but of course in the modern digital age that would have made blogging and photography quite difficult. Definitely glad I have the laptop now, even though I spend too much time on it, though nearly all is documenting the trip in the blog and photo post-processing. With the original Tiger (10.4) version of OS X, I'm happy with it; however, the world has mostly moved on, and most software today requires a newer version.

So I finally gave in and for $39.95 got the OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) disk at the Lihue "Mac Made Easy" store (not an official Apple retail store) from the friendly genius-looking guy. Glad I did: after about two hours I had everything running again and also could now install Google Chrome, at last.

4 Cameras

When I go hiking, beyond a few essentials, most of the weight is water and cameras. I'm here with four cameras and have been mixing and matching shots from all of them. Each camera has its own strengths and weaknesses that I try to take advantage of in capturing images.

L to R: EOS 20D, Hero 2, Android, R-D1S

So far I can't say that I've taken any stunning photos though I most certainly have experienced plenty of stunning sights with my own eyes. My level of photography skill is elementary, plus I'm emphasizing experiencing the hikes over setting up and capturing great shots (which is a lot more work), not to mention the inherent limitations of capturing the natural beauty of this place in a flat rectangle of pixels. I do plan to repeat some of these hikes targeting some very specific shots later on.

R-D1S

This is my mainstay, a digital rangefinder camera generously on loan to me from a friend who is an aficionado of rangefinders. It's a dream to shoot with for many reasons deriving from the elegant simplicity of the design and controls.

• Rangefinder affords pinpoint accurate manual focusing.
• Direct control of the aperture for precise exposure and depth-of-field control.
• Shutter action is immediate (virtually zero shutter lag, can shoot 1/15 sec hand-held) and quiet.
• Overall compact and lightweight design fits comfortably in one hand for great portability.

All these features inherently create some challenges as well. With prime (non-zoom) lenses, sizing the frame is a matter of moving towards or away from the subject. The shutter is manually cocked for each shot: no rapid-fire multiple exposures. Being full manual, each exposure requires several steps and it's not a great camera to ask someone to take a snapshot of you with unless they know what they are doing. Finally, not being an SLR, you aren't looking through the lens so there are a number of very easy to make mistakes, including leaving the lens cover on.

Nonetheless, well over half the shots you'll see are from the R-D1S. The best way to appreciate the rangefinder design is to contemplate taking the same shot with a DSLR. I would be shooting aperture-priority mode to set the aperture, but wouldn't see the range of distance in focus as the spread of numbers shows me directly on the lens. Further, I would either have to hope that auto-focus worked or eyeball manual focus through the tiny viewing area (the rangefinder shows actual-size view, though not through-the-lens). Finally, I would have to deal with the torquing of the DSLR as the mirror pivots up and out of the way and attending shutter lag involved in taking the exposure.

Canon EOS 20D

With an 18-55mm zoom lens the DSLR has been reliable and versatile. I especially like to shoot with a polarizing filter that dials out haze as well as a lot of reflected light on water making the colors really stand out in the shot. I have add-on wide angle and macro lens giving this camera a lot of range.

Go Pro

The Hero 2 is a lot of fun to use and takes very high quality images under a great range of lighting conditions. Video, stills, multiple-exposure, time-lapsed, it does it all, with just two buttons. With waterproof enclosures it can go just about anywhere so I always take it along. The wide angle view gives images a distinctive look that puts the viewer in the middle of the action. The Go Pro web site always has new and amazing videos up if my stuff gets boring.

Android phone camera

Kind of a freebie but still a respectable camera for quick point and shoot that is always at hand. To be precise, the phone has two cameras (front and rear facing) but let's count it as just one anyway. There are two things this camera does that the others do not:

• GPS location tagged photos - great to show sign or landmarks along a trail.
• Panoramas - point and scan to take a "live" panorama up to 360 degrees.

How did I shoot a photo of my four cameras? Actually I do have one more that I rarely use: my Mac laptop took that. I am fairly certain that's all the cameras I have ...

Thanksgiving

The family is gathered at home for Thanksgiving and for many reasons this year it's specially appreciated because it isn't taken completely for granted. The traditional preparation of a bountiful meal together is an enduring ritual, but it's also a nice quiet day with time to contemplate while the turkey roasts in the oven.

This year I'm thankful to have the support of family, friends, and my coworkers to take the time to venture to Kauai. Day after tomorrow I should be on the plane and I recognize how lucky I am to have the luxury and backup to let me pursue it without much guilt. Through no great planning it's working out that I'll largely miss the winter season code this year. That could be a dangerous precedent to set.

Every past visit to Hawaii, even before I discovered Kauai, at the airport checking in to go back home I very explicitly wonder to myself, why am I going back and leaving this place? 

Pre-Kauai I did figure out that one week in Hawaii was a bad plan: I was just beginning to adjust to island life and really enjoy it. I think it only took one trip (to the Big Island) to learn that two weeks was minimum. Kauai then upped the ante: two weeks felt minimal, three was very nice indeed but by no means too long at all.

This trip will let me truly explore the time scale to a whole new level. Already I'm planning on rebooking my return further out. Staying on through Christmas is the best (and only) Christmas gift I could ask for.

For all of this I am thankful.

Hello World

In two weeks I'm booked to fly to Kauai for an extended visit. The plan is very much to go and take it day by day, rather than plan an itinerary. At worst I am at risk of getting bored in paradise, but that's a risk I'm prepared to take.

Since I first visited the island in 2010 it has enthralled me. For 2011 and 2012 vacation, it had to be Kauai: the only question was when and how long I could stay. Now I'm fortunate to up the ante and settle in for a good long stay.

Recognizing that Kauai is more interesting to me than anyone I know, this blog will get the full force of my writings about the experience, sparing friends and family the occasional too-long email. Kauai second-hand doesn't really translate, and it's so remote. Many folks remark, "Oh yes, I've visited Hawaii." ... "Actually, I'm talking about Kauai; Hawaii is the state, each island is rather unique."

My plans for this blog are like this upcoming visit: a work in progress. In addition to my personal travelogue I expect to write about all things Kauai: interesting places, a little history, perhaps about some of the people I meet there.

Why Kauai? From my first visit I was struck by the fact that the road does not go around the island, and it's the places near the ends of the road that particularly draw me: Waimea (south and west) and Hanalei (north). Happily, there are no plans for extending the road.