Mauna Khalawai
West Maui Mountains
Picture from February 11, 2026
Pu’u Kukui (which is shrouded in clouds) is the 5,788 foot summit in the West Maui Mountains. The highest point on Maui after Haleakala, it is one of the wettest spots on Maui. Due to its importance in the eco-system, the 8,661 acre watershed management area is protected and access is limited.
 
#WestMauiMountains #MaunaKhalawai #Puukukui #WestMaui #AlohaPuuKukui #VisitMaui

​Sunset at 10,000 Feet – Haleakala
 
Picture from February 13, 2026
 
We have been up to the summit of Haleakala a few times, mostly for sunrises. This trip to Maui we decided on the sunset version. While it did not disappoint, the sunrise views is definitely more spectacular. Sunrise requires a reservation to arrive between 3am and 7am and you will need to leave your accommodations early because the summit parking fills up fast and it is about 1 hour to reach the summit from Kahului.
Haleakala in the Hawaiian language means “House of the Sun”. It is a sacred place in the Hawaiian culture, deep in spiritual, cultural and historic importance. It is easy to see why it is the “House of the Sun” as it may be shrouded in clouds at sea level but once you get to the top 10,000 feet up it is clear (and much colder) providing extensive views of Maui and sometimes the big island of Hawaii.
On this trip we found an excellent place to stop and eat in Kula before going to the top. The Kula Bistro is a short detour from the path up to the summit but well worth the ten or fifteen minute drive. I had a prime rib sandwich and Shelly had the blackened Mahi. Both were delicious. Service was great and there is this young lady who sang a unique and interesting birthday song to the lady behind us.
 
#Haleakala #HaleakalaSunset #HouseoftheSun #sunsetat10000feet #KulaBistro #Maui #VisitMaui

#UltimateWhaleWatchingLahaina #WhaleWatching #WhaleBreach #Maui #WestinKaanapalliOceanVillas #Hawaii

 
Snow Dog
Picture from this date in 2011 – Palatine, Illinois
Wrigley loved the snow, loved playing in it, fetching snow from the snow blower or the shovel, finding the ball in snow when we threw it. It was this snow and others like it, like in the winter of 2013/14 that convinced us that a move to Prescott Arizona would be in our future.
Sure, we get snow in Prescott (though not much this year), but it usually melts in a day. In the rare in the rare instances when it dumps a lot of snow it is gone in a week or less. It doesn’t stick around from November to April and it sure doesn’t get below zero.
 
#SnowDog #LabradorRetriever #Snow #PalatineIllinois #PrescottArizons #WrigleyBestDogEver

Boulder (Hoover) Dam Gates Close
January 31, 1935
 On this date in 1935 workers on the Boulder Dam (as it was known then) began closing the 3-million pound gate that would stop the flow of the Colorado River creating Lake Mead.
 Originally named during the construction during the Hoover Administration, the name was changed by President Franklin Roosevelt to Boulder Dam. Franklin and Hoover had a contentious relationship during the 1932 presidential election. The dam was dedicated by Roosevelt on September 30, 1935. Congress restored the name Hoover Dam in 1947.
#USA250 #HooverDam #BoulderDam #PresidentHoover #PresidentRoosevelt #BoulderCity #ColoradoRiver Lake Mead

January 29, 1944
USA 250
USS Missouri BB-63
Picture from 2013
On this date in 1944 the United State Navy launched the USS Missouri. The Missouri , an Iowa Class Battleship, was the last battleship commissioned by the United States. The Missouri participated in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The quarterdeck of the Missouri was the site where the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed ending World War II.
 
After serving in the Korean War, the Missouri was decommissioned in 1955. She was later modernized in 1984 fitted with cruise missile and anti-ship missile launchers along with updated electronics, serving as an escort ship for oil tankers in the Persian Gulf during threats with Iran and later in Operation Desert Storm.
 
The Missouri was once again decommissioned in 1992 and donated to the USS Memorial in 1998 where she remains docked adjacent to the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.
 
#USA250 #USSMissouri #BB63 #IwoJima #BattleofOkinowa #JapaneseSurrender #USSArizona #PearlHarbor #WWII #KoreanWar #OperationDesertStorm #IowaClassBattleship #USNavy

The Club at Prescott Lakes – 18th Peaks
 
Picture from this week in 2017
A view at sunset of the San Francisco Peaks from the clubhouse looking over the fairway of the 18th hole of the Club at Prescott Lakes. Taken while participating in the chili cookoff which of course I didn’t win. My chili may be a little to spicy for some folks around here.
 
#TheClubatPrescottLakes #SanFranciscoPeaks #ChiliCookoff #Golf #Sunset #VisitPrescott #GolfPrescott #VisitArizona #GolfArizona

Photo from January 27, 2020
Ernest Love Field, Prescott Regional Airport is situated about 50 miles from the snow capped San Francisco Peaks. Currently United Airlines has flights to Denver Colorado and Los Angeles California and serves as the training airport for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  
#ErnestLoveField #PrescottRegionalAirport #SanFranciscoPeaks #MtHumphreys #VisitPrescott #VisitFlagstaff #visitArizona