Author: Ed Armstrong

Snorkeling in Maui!!

/ Ed Armstrong
John, Charlene, and I had a fantastic day snorkeling all around Maui!!

John and Charlene are finding all kinds of fish!

This is my attempt at an underwater selfie!!

Charlene is saying hello under water!!

A very special highlight was saying hello to this friendly sea turtle!!

All the fish were simply amazing!!

These cute fish were at Molokini!!

The coral was beautiful!

There were so many things to see!!

While traveling between snorkeling locations, we needed to wear our masks because there was so much spray of water!! Fun times!!

The satisfied look of a great day of snorkeling in Maui!!

Polynesian Luau!!

/ Ed Armstrong
Charlene and I thoroughly enjoyed a fantastic Polynesian Luau!!

It was great to enjoy the luau with Sis, Neal, Janie, and John!!

Charlene, John, and I wanted this photo because Molokini is in the background where we will go snorkeling tomorrow!!

These were the musicians for the luau. They were great!!

The dancers were very talented!!

Amazing dancers!

The next dance was more amazing than the previous one!!

This was one of my favorite dances. Very colorful!

Amazing talent!

These ladies were amazing!!

There is no way I could swing my hips as done in this dance!!

Elegant and powerful!!

These ladies really, really moved their hips in this dance!!

Powerful!!

Beautiful and graceful!

Do not mess around with these warriors!!

These guys were very serious playing with fire!! This amazing dance was the close of the luau.

Maui is Beautiful!!

/ Ed Armstrong
An extra special blessing on this trip is to be with John’s sisters Janie and Sis!! It has been more than 40 years since we have all been together.

I absolutely love the flowers that grow on Maui. I got up early to catch the morning light on these beautiful flowers.

I loved to watch the people surfing!

The waves were crowded with people!

This woman was very skilled as she moved along the waves!

These flowers are gorgeous!

I love the vibrant colors on Maui!

Celebrating Charlene’s Birthday in Maui, Hawaii!!

/ Ed Armstrong
John and Jan joined us to celebrate Charlene’s birthday at Mama’s Fish House on the North Shore in Maui, Hawaii.

We had a wonderful time celebrating Charlene’s birthday!! We enjoyed one of the most wonderful meals we have had for a very long time. Fun drinks, wonderful food, and absolutely delicious desserts!

The restaurant prepared a special welcome card for Charlene! She ordered a fantastic mint cocktail.

The setting of the restaurant was spectacular!

We loved the ocean view as we enjoyed our meal!

The colors of the flowers at the restaurant were vibrant and gorgeous!

The colors and textures of the flowers were beautiful!

It was fun to enjoy the beauty of Hawaii!

Charlene ordered a delicious dessert and the restaurant provided a second dessert with a birthday candle!!

Charlene “hangs loose” while enjoying the beautiful beach on Maui’s North Shore!

Maui is simply beautiful!

Places Visited

/ Ed Armstrong

I have been keeping track of the locations where I have stayed in our two motorhomes. I was able to visit all 50 states and several provinces in Canada. I was keeping track of the locations at a website called RVillage. However, the website is closing at the end of the month, so this is the final visual of my motorhome travels to date.

Best Friends for Decades!!

/ Ed Armstrong
A wonderful benefit of traveling is connecting with old friends. Miles and I were best friends starting in third grade and continued as friends all through high school. It is wonderful to connect again in Washington state after all these years. Friendships are very special.

Drive to Haines, Alaska!!

/ Ed Armstrong
I absolutely loved this campsite. I refueled in Haines Junction and started looking for a place to spend the night. This is the perfect campsite. It was quite with the soothing sound of a creek from melting snow and glacier. It was the ideal location to relax after a day of driving.

I loved waking up the sound of flowing water! It was so peaceful and beautiful!

As I started driving, there were interesting clouds building over the mountains. Will it start raining?

Clouds started building up all around the mountains. I loved the colors within the mountains! Soon after taking this photo, the drizzle rain started to fall everywhere.

Once I arrived in Haines, I stopped at the visitor center. The gentleman told me there was an excellent brewery in Haines, so I added it to my to-do list.

I sampled two beers and thought they were both great. Tomorrow, I may try another one too. It is fun to meet small local businesses and hear a bit about how they got started.

Valdez, Alaska Lu-Lu Belle Boat Trip!!

/ Ed Armstrong
It was very fun to take a trip on the Lu-Lu Belle because it was a much smaller boat and we were able to get within 0.5 mile of the Columbia Glacier!! It was very cold in the midst of the ice and cloudy weather. This glacier is a massive wall of ice. Several chucks fell into the water while we were there.

I was captivated by the blue icebergs floating along in the water. I liked the rays of sun shinning behind this iceberg.

All the blue colors are interesting in the midst of the fog and clouds!

As we came closer to the glaciers, more and more ice appeared in the water.

In the distance is another glacier slowly moving its way to the water. The fog and clouds give it an interesting setting.

This seal was happily enjoying himself on the ice with the glacier in the background.

What can I say? Alaska is simply amazing! It is such a blessing to see so many unique attributes of Alaska!

The massive wall of ice, from 0.5 miles away, is truly awesome!

We watched a section break loose and cause a ripple of a wave through the water.

These seals were enjoying a peaceful day sitting on the ice with this enormous glacier wall behind them.

The Lu-Lu Belle captain slowly maneuvered through the icebergs to see these amazing views of the glacier! The captain was ready with props for Christmas cards too!

On the boat trip, we also saw these sea lions relaxing on the beach!

I am not sure why they like to put their noses in the air, but the massive males weigh more than 1,000 pounds!

Bridal Vail Falls!!

/ Ed Armstrong
I love all the waterfalls in Alaska!! Sometimes I feel like I am in Hawaii with all the waterfalls and green foliage. However, Alaska is a bit cooler!! I am not sure it has reached 56 degrees for a high temperature over the previous 4 days!!

It is not uncommon to see a series (like 3 in this photo) of waterfalls. Beautiful!!

This is horsetail falls, near Valdez, Alaska. It is nice to listen to the falls!

This photo is to remind me that I need to be careful at all times. I slept here a couple of nights ago and had a very peaceful evening. I returned tonight and started talking with the fellow with the red truck. He told me that a couple with motorhome “sort of like yours” was camped where he is and a bear visited him at 5:30 am this morning and wanted inside!! Apparently, they had made their garbage ready to be thrown away and left it just inside the motorhome door. They think the bear could smell their garbage through the edge of the door and he wanted inside! The bear scratched the door and tore the window screen trying to get inside. The two people inside were certainly scared!! I looked at the situation and decided to opt for a different location. I probably would have been fine, but bears are large and powerful and I decided that some risks are not worth taking. I moved on to a new location.

This is not the greatest photo, but it shows the bear paw and claws of the bear that was trying to get inside a motorhome. No thank you. A location with less bear activity is preferred for a restful night’s sleep.