So- it has been a while...

A few things have kept me from posting lately- both commenting on 40's wonderful posts and on Mrs. CTLP's and my activities- but hopefully I will catch up in time...

Last thing's first:

RI NEMBA's Spring fun ride was cancelled due to inclement weather. A shame because we were going to ride the Western section of the forest which I was really looking foward to- but it made sense with the 4 inches of rain that was dropped in the few days before the event. One member pointed out that the rain did not stop other user groups (equestrians, I am looking in your direction) from partaking in group events the same weekend and wreaking havoc on the trails, but I have no direct knowledge of that seeing as I stayed out of the woods.

Well- based on my thorough enjoyment ripping hole shots and donuts with the new go-kart in 40's driveway the other week- I guess I have no high-horse *ahem* to stand on... Man- that thing is a great time...



Now a solid month and a half ago, Mrs. CTLP and I went out to Hawaii. That is a freaking ways (and I still have yet to turn in my carbon emissions ) to go. After flying to Newark we had a 10.5 hour flight to Oahu. Yikes. It has been nearly half a decade since my longest flight (Johannasburg to London to New York). My height is all from the waist down *snicker*. Thankfully the legroom was adequate as I am not made to be on a plane that long...

But the islands were beautiful, and I am glad that we went. After three days on Oahu checking out Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona (respect), the beaches (closed due to jellyfish *Curses!*) and climbing Diamondhead along with a screaming schoolgroup (nothing ruins a nice hike like having a teenage dude push ahead of you and try to keep his jeans and boxer shots up while huffing and puffing up four steps...) only to crash and choke down a twinke- we said goodby to Waikiki:

Of course- if you want to see pictures of anything above (with the exception of the youg kid pants thing) just let us know and Mrs. CTLP and I will post piccies.

From there we flew to Kauai- the 'Garden Isle'. While the sushi places on Oahu were nice- neither Mrs. CTLP or I are very big into clubbing or bar hopping- we would rather a vacation be... well... relaxing. Granted- for Mrs. CTLP that means a healthy dose of reclining on the veranda reading, and for me that means doing some kind of stupid activity- but we both want to see whatever there is to see, so common ground is easily come upon.

To whit we hiked (for instance in Waimea Canyon- the Grand Canyon of Hawaii):


The view from the top of the uppermost falls in the picture above:


Drove (yes- drove- not only that but we were given a Ford Mustang which got only 20 MPG -driven under 50mph most the time- thankfully was not a big island or a lot of distance to drive) to the far side toward barking sands beach. This trip was akin to driving Schnebly Hill Rd in Arizona- NOT meant to be driven w/o 4 wheel drive and never a trip that would be undertaken in a vehicle owned by me- but happy to beat up on a rental... I am the king of driving sedans where sedans are not meant to go. And I have to admit to being impressed by the ground clearance on that Mustang...


admired native ruins and avoided the myiad of chickens:


and enjoyed a multitude of sunrises and sunsets:


There were a great deal of underwater activites as well- that will be detailed in the next post. Those of us on the right coast tend to go South to the Atlantic Islands because they are closer- but in the middle of nowhere in the Pacific is a beautiful place for an active vacation. We did not get to go kayaking. Or Kiteboarding. Or hike the north shore of Kauai. Or go mountain biking (not quite what I had in mind anyway...) And while I am ashamed to admit it- we did not even go surfing... Plenty of things to do the next time around!