Moloaa Bay Sunrise

This morning I was up early listening to the rooster crowing.  By 4:30 I crawled out of bed figuring I'd put coffee on and work on some of my pictures.  I am just loving this workshop.  Everyone learning from each other. By 5:00  everyone started getting up and at 6:00 we were off to Moloaa Bay.  It was really dark when we got there and we made good use of headlamps and flashlights.  We walked to the far end of the beach to get a good view of the rising sun.  The extra time we had was spent finding the right place and determining our composition.

The sunrise was beautiful with plenty of colour.  It's amazing how much we have learned already.

Sunset at Hanalei Bay

This evening was our first night of instruction.  We went to Hanalei Beach and photographed by the pier.  I learned some really good points on how to do tune delayed photography.  Here are a few of my photos.  The sunset once it came didn't last too long  but it was quite beautiful.

Morning at Ke'e beach

I took quite a few pictures this morning but this one is my favourite.  We're about to head out shortly to scout out our location and get ready for sunset.

This next picture is for Teresa.  Looks like a cross between a cardinal and a seagull.

This is one of the beaches on the east side.  Nice and sunny.  When you look to the west a storm was brewing.

4:00 am wake up call

Cock a doodle dooo...  Wake up Grace..... Cock a doodle doo!!!  Those who know me well know that when I am awake I may as well get up because I won't sleep again.   It was actually 3:50 when the racket started.  There are so many roosters and chickens running around.  It's quite comical actually.  So up I got, packed up my bags and checked out.  Where should I spend my morning?  We are meeting at the airport at noon.  I decided to point my "jeep" north and see where it took me.

My first observation is it is so dark here.  I mean almost scary dark.  I am thankful that the speed limit on the highway is between 25-50 with much of it 25 miles per hour.  There are no street lights here to brighten things up.  The roads all have reflectors on them like in Florida which was really nice.  I was not sure if I would go check out the Lighthouse or check out Ke'e beach.  Ke'e beach won out and it is at the very  end of the road by the trail along the Napali.  Yikes - that trail starts off pretty steep. I may need a double dose of energy drink.  But, I am getting ahead of myself.  I pulled into the parking lot at 6:00 a.m.  Did I mention how dark it is here.  Yup scary stories dark. I wasn't brave enough to get out of the truck yet.   What if I'm parked by a cliff etc going through my mind.   Where is Ralph when I need him.  It was a good time to do some prayer to help calm my nerves .  There were several cars in the parking g area.  I assumed that they were hikers sleeping on the trail.    By 6:45 it was starting to lighten up but now it was pouring rain.  Oh well that's why I brought a rain coat for me and my camera right?   I brought two lenses with me to the beach.  Hmmm wouldn't you know, I needed another lens.  Back to the jeep only to discover that I hadn't been locking it proper and my doors were unlocked.  Out came the owners manual to figure out what I was doing  wrong .  I got that figured out and them headed back to the beach.   Unfortunately there was no stunning sunrise but the waves were pretty large.  I read later that they were 7-10 feet. I spent an hour and 30 minutes taking  pictures and then went in search of a coffee.  I gave that trail a second look and took a deep breath.  We're hiking that one tomorrow.  Pray it doesn't rain.  It makes our potatoes when canoeing look like sandboxes .

I stopped at a few lookouts on my way back  I crossed many single lanes bridges as well.  The people here are all very courteous drivers.  I can tell I'm used to city driving.  No horns, just hand waves.  I found Starbucks and this is where I wrote this post. I have a few pics on my phone which I have added but will update later with some of my morning shots.  Aloha!

Arriving in Kauai

The next leg of the journey was interesting.  At 4:00 am I was able to check my bag.  At this point I was in desperate need of coffee or tea to keep me awake. Thankfully the restaurants started opening as well at this time.  It was a struggle to keep my eyes open.   I needed to keep myself busy or I was sure I'd fall asleep   I wanted to save that for the next plane ride. I was amazed at how quickly the airport filled up so early in the morning.  It went from nothing to many in such a short time.  Then all of a sudden they were gone again

It's typical San Francisco weather.  As the sun came up you can see a haze over the mountains.  Not sure if that is moisture or smog ☺.  The temperature was cool at 58f.

The flight was mostly over water and was beautiful to see.  The clouds were like cotton balls.  It was a 6 hour flight and I was able to sleep for about 3 hours.

We arrived in Kauai around 12:30 so I had plenty of time for exploring and practicing.  It's a really interesting and very beautiful place.  The pace is slow and at night it's pitch black.

Chickens are everywhere and so are roosters.  When I stepped out of my vehicle a rooster trumpeted his welcome and they all came running.  it was so funny to see.

First stop - San Francisco

It's 3:45 Toronto time and 12:45 am here in San Francisco.   The flight took roughly 6 hours and went nice and smoothly.  I had to pick up my suitcase here and then catch a train to Terminal 3.  Unfortunately everything is closed and won't open until 4:00 so I can't check in.  I've found a corner to sit and wait.  I have no plans on falling asleep.

Flying into the airport I had a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge.   Unfortunately my camera was all packed away and my phone doesn't take the best pictures.

Kauai Photography Tour - the adventure begins

 Well I'm all packed.  I have emptied my suitcase at least 4 times and repacked my camera bag a few times as well.  It's all about balance.  My camera bag is a backpack with the camera gear (lens, camera body, flash etc) at the bottom and room at the top for miscellaneous gear like intervalometer, batteries etc at the top. I have my tripod strapped to the side.  I hope that this won't cause any problems while I am travelling.  My laptop is also stored in this bag at the back.  Needless to say, it's starting to get quite heavy.  I don't think it's quite as heavy as my "canoe backpack" but it is certainly getting close.  I have some room in the top compartment for a set of clothes and a drinking bottle as well.  That way I can keep myself hydrated on the plane and have a change of clothes as well.  I want to have all of my camera gear with me and not in my suitcase just in case it gets lost.

Half of my suitcase is filled with shoes.  Hiking shoes for the trails, Keens for the water, flipflops for the beach and running shoes in between.  No room for dressy shoes this time.

The next layer includes other necessities.  Journal, shampoo etc.

First layer includes camera and lenses

The next layer includes filters and cables

Batteries and their chargers

And still a little room for clothing

All packed and ready to go

My flight leaves at 8:55 p.m. tonight. Ralph and I enjoyed a nice dinner together before he dropped me off at the airport.  This is the first time that I am going away on a vacation/trip without him.  I miss him already.and really wish that he was able to come as well.  I really hope that I will learn a lot that I can share with him so that we can do this trip again together in the next couple of years.

It's going to be a long  and tiring trip.  I'll be in San Francisco for about 8.5 hours before I catch my 2nd flight which will take me directly to Kauai.  I hope that I will be able to get some sleep on the plane so that I'm not too tired when I get there.