Chasing Clean Air

Wings Over Kauai

Bruce Coulombe of Wings Over Kauai blew me away with his aerial tour of Hawaii's garden isle, Kauai.

The photo opportunities were unreal. 

Look at this photo!

The colors, textures,  composition--you can only get flying in the air.

Thank you Bruce for one of my best aerial photo opportunities, ever.

We soared over waterfalls, lush lime green forests, and volcanic mountains as Bruce narrated the journey, pointing out Hollywood TV & Film locations, including "The plane! The plane!" Fantasy Island, Jurassic Park and native-Hawaiian Bette Midler's land purchased to ensure preservation.

Kauai: Easy Going Natural Charm And Did I Mention Beautiful?

Kauai=easy-going natural charm.

The Road To Hana, Maui

I wore Exofficio Insect Shield clothing for the occasion of my big adventure through Maui's rain forests on the road to Hana.

Ahh! Remote Hana.

After hoodwinking a willing driver to hug the high cliff rain-slicked narrow roads accompanied by wind, we were off!

Care to come on our windy, scary road ride?

I took awesome pictures! :-)

Let's go!

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Kauai Garden Photos

A beautiful garden revealed after morning rains...

Photos taken this morning at Grand Hyatt on Kauai.

Welcome to Clean Air Kauai!

Kauai is the most remote of the Hawaiian Islands, and is known as the garden isle. If you ask me, we're talking about the cleanest air in all of Hawaii.

Truth be told, I only arrived mere hours ago and will have more to report about air quality, beauty, and things to do on Kauai as my trip unfolds.

I flew from Maui to Honolulu this morning.... and then boarded another flight from Honolulu to Kauai, which is about 200 miles from Maui. A lot of famous movies have been filmed here.

The first thing you notice driving into town are lush country roads and hens. Yes, hens meander along plush green roads, mountains draped in greenery in the distance, beaconing to drive further.

I rented an Avis-rent-a-car, giving my American Airlines mileage number. (You can never have too many miles)

And thanks to American Express, which covers me in case a coconut smashes on my rent-a-car's windshield, I didn't need additional auto insurance.

Don't laugh. It can happen.

Since coming to Hawaii, I've learned not to park under a palm tree less a coconut travel like a bowling ball atop my rental car, or worse, my head.

I arrived at the Grand Hyatt Resort and Spa on Kauai, chosen because it's  one of only two hotels in the Hawaiian chain (that I'm aware of) partially powered by solar energy.

Also, my mom stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai a few years back and raved.

Plentiful sun and tourism in Hawaii makes me think more hotels need to implement solar energy now.

Renewable energy and clean transportation & fuels are key toward you and I breathing clean air.

I'll have more to say about the Grand Hyatt's sustainability efforts; efforts that I hope other "green" hotels will emulate soon.

(By the way, I was told the Grand Hyatt removes coconuts from their trees so there's no chance of potential injuries. Falling coconuts on cars may be rare, but on Maui my friend's rent-a-car windshield succumbed to a coconut.)

Despite leaving Maui today, I'll be writing more about Maui's air quality and my favorite things to do.

So stay tuned for more on clean air Maui and Kauai...

Photo taken in the Grand Hyatt lobby overlooking Pacific.

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The Road To Hana

When you come to clean air Maui, one of the many "must-dos" is driving the road to Hana considered one of the most beautiful roads in the world.

It's advised to take the 600 turns in the road to Hana with a friend because the roads can be dangerous under certain conditions. I'll have more to say in another post (including what it felt like in pelting rain), but wanted to let you know I experienced the road and took several magnificent photos.

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