2013 - Kona Hawaii, Vancouver Island, A Solo Trip to the Rockies,

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 Kona Hawaii
Location of Kona

Our 2012 trip to Maui utterly spoiled me. It was so wonderful to get away from months of cold grey drizzle and be in sunny warmth. With that in mind, Lynn and I went to the big island of Hawai to enjoy the warm climate.
(picture of Lynn)

We stayed in the Royal Kona Resort on the southern edge of Kona. 

This is the view from our balcony.

Hawaii involved a lot of driving and one of the first drives we made was across the island, visiting the Mauna Kea visitor center, and the town on Hilo. Approaching Hilo, we stopped at a park and walked through some lava tubes. From there, we drove north and returned to Kona via Waimea.

Another day we headed for some volvanic action at Kilauea State Park. It is a fairly long way, so made for a very full day, especially considering we stayed until after sunset so we could see the glow from Kilauea's crater. While waiting for sunset, we drove down the Chain of Craters road to the ocean where we enjoyed the view of Holei Sea Arch.
We did another road trip, doing a northern loop which was worthwhile, but we also made another trip to the south as we didn't have time to see all the sights we wanted to see the day we visited Kilauea.

We visited Punalu'u Black Sand Beach and tried not to bother the turtles.

Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park

We also visited South Point Park, the southern most part of the United States. There was crashing surf, divers jumping off structures into the ocean far below, and memorials for loved ones.
We also did a day trip back to the Hilo area to visit the botanical garden just north of Hilo. Well worth the visit as well.
You didn't have to go far from Kona to get beautiful sites. At the old airport on the north edge of town was a park and picnic area that was well worth visitiing at sunset. (picture ) Sometimes all you had to do was walk along the sidewalk in Kona and enjoy beautiful views.

Vancouver Island

Location of Craigdarroch Castle

Lynn, Jason, Karen at Craigdarroch Castle

At the end of March, Lynn and I made a trip Sydney on Vancouver Island to visit with Karen and Jason.
Crossing the Straits of Georgia is always full of visual possibilities, even if it's just watching people feed the seagulls. Sydney is a great place to walk about. Spring was in the air, and the magnolia trees were in blossom.
Jason and I did some travelling about and found ourselves at Hatley Castle, the home of Royal Roads University, and the part of the set for Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in the X-Men movie series. While we were there, a group of people were celebrating Easter along with the Holi religious festival.

A Solo Trip to the Rockies
I ended up going to Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff, and Canmore in early April to some photography. My usual photographic buddies weren't able to come along and I am pretty comfortable being on my own so off I went. Being on your own on a trip like this is certainly different from being with your buddies, but it does allow you to do things exactly when you want. On the down side you don't have your buddies to bring up better suggestions. ;-)

Wapati campsite just south of Jasper

The Wapati winter campground just south of Jasper had a great heated bathroom and shower facility and I was able to camp very close to them. There were other "campers" as well, but they had motor homes or trailers. Jasper itself is filled with good restaurants and doesn't have the plastic commercialization of Banff so I always enjoy it.
I did a trip up to Pyramid Lake, and then on to Maligne Lake. Along the way, I found Medicine Lake completely empty, save for a small stream running through it. I also spent time in Maligne Canyon and it's interesting photographing it in early spring when there is still lots of ice. On the down side there is plenty of ice that you have to walk on, so my walking crampons came in very handy.
After a couple of nights in Jasper I headed south on the Icefield Parkway. I woke up in the morning to find it snowing and I was a little concerned about driving conditions, but after checking with Parks, I found out it should be fine. Being on my own, I play things conservatively, and I was prepared to turn around and go back to Jasper if things turned nasty. When I got to the Columbia Icefields, the roads were just wet, but it was blowing, cold, and lightly snowing. I spent some time taking pictures of Mt. Athabasca and remembering our climb up the Silverhorn Ridge that you could occassionally see in the mist. I stopped at Saskatchewan River Crossing to take pictures on the bridge, but I think the most memorable image is of a crow at my car looking as if it expected more food than what I was feeding it!
I decided to go to Canmore and stay in the Bow Valley Motel instead of the hostel in Lake Louise partly out of the desire for privacy and the price is very reasonable at the motel, and Canmore has some interesting galleries, restaurants, and Banff is very close by. I spent time on the Bow Valley Parkway between Banff and Lake Louise at Johnson Canyon, and of course I spent some time at the Vermillion Lakes on the west side of Banff.
I had a very worthwhile time. It's always good to know that you make yourself decent company and I always love going to the Rockies any time of year. On the way home I stopped at Lake Louise to do some photography and then drove home on dry roads with light traffic. It's about a 10 hour drive home and I am certainly tired when I get home, but it's a good kind of tired after a wonderful trip in gorgeous country. :-)

Lake Louise