Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha paragraphs / 2008 Vacation Report

I will be on vacation from October 15th until November 10th, and then back updating this page starting November 11th. You can find the latest weather forecast for all places, on any of the islands…by clicking in the forecast section in the upper left hand margin of this page. There is more information about my travels below, along with an occasional note about what I’m up to while I’m away.
Aloha for now…Glenn.

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii: 

Lihue, Kauai – 
Honolulu, Oahu – 
Kaneohe, Oahu – 
Kahului, Maui – 
Hilo, Hawaii – 
Kailua-kona – 

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level, and on the highest mountains… :

Kahului, Maui –   
Molokai airport – 

Haleakala Crater    –    (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit –    (near 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of:

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing the air pressure configurations for the entire Pacific Ocean.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon weather conditions.

     Aloha Paragraphs

Nice sunset at Poipu, Kauai

As noted above, I’ll be away on vacation October 15th through November 10th. It’s been a full year since I was away, other than a few short trips for business. This time I am going to northern California, specifically Marin County, just north of San Francisco first. I will be there for several days, before flying down to Long Beach, to visit my parents for just under a week.

I will fly back to San Francisco, then on to Marin County again, to join up with an old college friend. We will drive up to the north coast, to a rented property between Point Arena and Gualala. This house, right on the bluff, has an outdoor hot-tub, fireplace, and gorgeous views of the Pacific. We will have a great time exploring, hiking, wine tasting, and just luxuriating!

Then, I travel back down to Marin County, where I hook up with another old college friend. We will fly down to Todo Santos, on the west coast of southern Baja. This person owns several properties down there, and we will have a great time catching up, eating tortillas, and probably drinking a few Mexican beers. We have plans to do some surfing, a lot I hope, while we’re down south. This will be the first time that I’ve been in Mexico, in a very long time.

Then, it’s back to Marin County, where I will stay for the last 4-5 days of my 3+ week vacation. I plan on doing lots of walking around, enjoying the fall vegetation, and hopefully experience a Pacific cold front or two. My Marin County friend is an excellent cook, so that I’ll be eating well, and sampling several bottles of that famous wine in the area. I will fly back to Maui on November 10th, and begin updating all my webpages on the 11th.

By the way, when I have a computer available, and can find some time, I’ll write a few words along the way…which you will find below. I trust you will be well and fine in my absence. Aloha for now…Glenn.

October 17, 2008: Hi everyone, I’ve been on the mainland a couple of days now, with warm to very warm weather throughout northern California. High temperatures have been well up into the 80F’s, unlike what I normally expect this time of year. I’ve been staying north of San Francisco, in Marin County. My friend and I have enjoyed walking around the neighborhoods, and out along the salt marshes. This morning, Saturday October 18th, all of the sudden while out walking, the ocean winds brought coastal fog into this area, ending the Indian Summer reality in no uncertain terms!

We just went to the shopping center, bought coffee and pasteries, and sat and talked while checking out the folks who walked by…Marin County style. I take an airporter to the airport in San Francisco this afternoon, then fly on JetBlue airlines into Long Beach, where my parents will pick me up. That’s the latest information about my travels, as I’ve slowly blended from working 14 hour days…into the vacation mode. I’ll write again from Long Beach in a couple of days, be well…Glenn.

October 23, 2008: Hi again everyone, I’m just finishing up a six day stay at my parents house in Long Beach, California. We had such a good time relating, eating all our meals together, drinking coffee in the mornings, and finishing off our days having a glass of wine out in their patio at sunset. There were many, many high points, one of which, for my Mom especially, was the 2008 Women’s Conference, which was held in Long Beach the other day. I set her up watching on their computer, with the full-screen setting, which she loved. There were many impressive speakers, including: Maria Shriver; Condoleezza Rice; Warren Buffett; Bono; and Arnold Schwarzeneger among many others.

The Weather while I was here in Long Beach couldn’t have been any better, that is if you prefer hot, and dry weather. The high temperatures were in the 90F’s most days, cooling off into the 50 and 60’s at night. I started off my days walking with my Mom, followed by a nice long walk with my Dad. They are both 86 years old, and I am very proud of how healthy they both are! I fly back up to San Francisco this evening, with a good friend picking me up at the airport at about 930pm. We will head up to Marin County again, and likely spend the day Friday there. I will catch up with you at some point, as we head up to the coastal area south of Point Arena for five days. Be well until then everyone…Glenn.
 
October 29, 2008: Hi everyone, wow, I just got back from a great trip up the north coast of northern California. I went up there with a great friend, who I went to college with, who also happens to be a person who loves weather almost as much as I do! We headed north about five days ago, taking all the small roads off Highway 101, north of Marin County…through Sonoma into Mendecino County. We got up on the coast late in the afternoon, got the key to our awesome place, just south of Point Arena. It was near sunset, although there were no clouds in the sky, and just cool enough to jump into the hot tub after the sun went down.

It was one great adventure after another, from well before sunrise hot tubs, with talking and coffee each morning, leading into the rest of the days. We went hiking up rivers twice, where we had deep nature experiences, not seeing another soul. The sun was in an on and off manner, punctuated by heavy duty intrusions of gray fog and low clouds off the ocean. During one late afternoon beach adventure, I fell on some slippery rocks on an isolated stretch of coast…nothing serious fortunately! We ate fabulous food each day, some at fancy coastal spots, some simple sittings at this house where we stayed. It was truly amazing, and I’m left feeling a bit sad as my friend travels back to his college class, he is the teacher…and his fine family in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Early Thursday morning, another old college friend picks me up, and we fly down to southern Baja, for a surfing adventure…talk to you later when I get back.

November 8, 2008: Hi everyone, I recently got back from a great trip down to the southern portion of the Baja peninsula. I flew down there with a good friend from my old college days. He owns quite a bit of property in Todo Santos, San Francisco, and a nice property in west Sebastopol…Sonoma County. The focus for the trip centered around surfing, which we did everyday of our six day stay. I personally started off each day well before sunrise sitting outside watching the desert light up, with the local birds becoming more active as the light increased. I finished off each day with a jump in the ocean, followed by witnessing the sunset sipping on a cold Pacifico beer. The days included surfing, then breakfast at outdoor places, with a little of this and that leading up to dinner. We usually ended up at a little ice cream place, sitting outside enjoying the fading warmth of the day, while recounting our adventures of the day.

Speaking of temperatures, the first day we were there, the winds turned offshore, and the heat was remarkable! Many of the locals, who had lived there for a long time, exclaimed that it was the hottest day that they had ever experienced. As far as I could tell, the air temperature rose to 101F degrees! It was incredibly hot, the wind off the dry desert made it feel almost unbearable…I kept thinking that this is so unique. I just had to lay down under a ceiling fan, after taking a cold shower, and take it in. Looking back, it was actually very interesting and almost unbelievable. I met many, many nice people, too many actually to describe individually. There were two pyschologists in particular, both doctors, that we hung out with a lot. My friend from Sonoma County is a well known poet, along with his business dealings. I had a wonderful time in Mexico, and surfed well enough that I felt good about that too. 

I’m back in Marin County now, it’s Saturday morning, with a weak cold front bearing down. This will be a rather dry frontal system, but after a nice hike earlier, I’m looking forward to seeing my first drops of water falling from the sky, during my entire mainland vacation. The friend I am staying with is having several friends over to her house this evening, to celebrate the Obama win in the recent presidential contest. Sunday will likely find us taking another early hike followed by a hearty breakfast, lunch and dinner. I fly out from San Francisco Monday, and will return to Maui in the early evening hours. I have had a fabulous time, with the high points all centered around being with my Mom and Dad, and my long lasting friendship. I will begin to regularly update all my website pages starting November 11th. I look forward to getting back into my forecasting duties again soon. Speaking of such things, looks like a period of voggy weather will arrive starting by Thursday, leading to afternoon, interior upcountry showers for several days. I’ll be back on Maui again soon, be well until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.