We had an awesome adventure the Summer!
Slideshow and Toby Neal (my much better half) blog posts below.
Day 1
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/17/food-safari-from-maui-to-seattle-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 2 –
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/18/from-seattle-to-squamish-day-2-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 3
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/19/from-squamish-to-lillooet-and-lost-again-day-3-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 4
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/19/lillooet-to-barkerville-day-4-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 5
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/20/barkerville-to-smithers-or-bust-and-we-almost-busted-day-5/
Day 6 –
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/21/smithers-to-port-edward-day-6-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Why Blog?
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/22/6-great-reasons-to-blog-your-vacation-amwriting/
Day 7
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/23/cassiar-cannery-day-7-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 8
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/23/ferry-from-prince-rupert-to-juneau-day-8-of-mikeandtobytravels/
The Twilight Zone- Day ?
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/25/twilight-zone-ferry-day-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 8a (9)
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/26/to-juneau-and-beyond-day-8-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 9 (10)
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/27/glacier-national-park-day-9-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 11
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/28/gusto-in-gustavus-alaska-day-11-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 12
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/29/back-to-juneau-and-camping-day-12-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 13
http://tobyneal.net/2015/06/30/to-haines-and-the-yukon-day-13-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 14-16
http://tobyneal.net/2015/07/02/whitehorse-to-fort-st-john-days-14-16-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 17 –
http://tobyneal.net/2015/07/03/courtesy-matters-in-canada-day-17-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 18
http://tobyneal.net/2015/07/04/jasper-national-park-day-18-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 19
http://tobyneal.net/2015/07/05/jasper-to-radium-hot-springs-canada-day-19-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 20
Day 21
http://tobyneal.net/2015/07/07/glacier-national-park-montana-day-21-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 22
http://tobyneal.net/2015/07/08/drive-day-22-of-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 23-26
http://tobyneal.net/2015/07/09/lopez-island-in-the-san-juans-mikeandtobytravels/
On Getting Lost
http://tobyneal.net/2015/07/12/on-getting-lost-mikeandtobytravels/
Day 27-28
http://tobyneal.net/2015/07/14/olympic-national-park-day-27-28-mikeandtobytravels/
Maui has seen one of the best winter surf seasons in a long time.
Peahi (Jaws) has had some great days!
Below are the links to the full galleries of each.
Paige Alms
A little bit of history made on this one!
Peahi 1/22/15
Peahi 1/21/15
Peahi 12/22/14
12/10/14
Peahi 12/9/14
The journey is what it’s all about… The decision of where to go…
The views along the way… the clouds, so cool…
Moonrise at sunset on the rim of Haleakala crater… chased by clouds higher up mountain…
Yeah, the experience…
10000 ft, can almost touch the moon… chased out again by high winds and fog /sleet…
Down the mountain, looking for holes in the sky to shoot the remainder of the eclipse…
Yep, it’s all about the journey!
Sunset from Haleakala…
Sunset reflection at moon rise from Haleakala…
6 hour, or so, composite :)
Francisco Porcella
Well, after all these years of taking pictures of Peahi (Jaws), I finally got out on the water to shoot from a jet ski. It’s not that I haven’t had the opportunity, I just hadn’t taken any of them for many reasons, like not have a working water housing, not wanting to miss getting land shots, not healthy enough, on and on… So what changed? I got healthy, had a friend do it without a housing, and had a persistent driver who would not take no for an answer.
Yep, my FaceBook friend Loren Eib messaged me over and over saying he wanted to get me out on the water!
Maliko Gulch Moonset
Sunrise set Maliko
In January we had a solid week of XXL size swells coming’ I picked the second swell, smallest of the week, to give it a go. Loren was excited, maybe more than I was, and kept saying, “can’t wait to see what you get out there.” No pressure :)
So we met for the first time IRL at Maliko Gulch to launch the jet ski. We hit it off right away as we loaded up our stuff and hooked the trailer to my 4×4 truck. Loren got on the ski and I backed him into the water, and off he went. After parking the truck, I waded out to the ski and out the channel we went! 20′ face waves lined the channel as we left the rivermouth, game on! Now I’m excited…
The short ride up the coast was beautiful, the ocean had a calm glassy surface with big surf crashing on the rocky shoreline. Loren gave me some emergency instructions, something like this… “If I get knocked off… it could happen, here’s the extra kill switch key, stick it in here, start here and go… got it?” As we approached Peahi bay I could see boats and skis and the lineup was already full of surfers. Loren took us straight into the mix to have a look. I was in awe of how close to the surf everyone was, as we saw our first wave, 20’+ up close and personal! Now I am very excited!
Up close and personal!
Zak Noyle showin’ how it’s done. (note: real housing)
We moved a little way into the channel as I unstrapped the Pelican case, opened it and pulled out my camera. I had prepared my Canon 70d with a 100-300L in a dry bag setup to keep the spray off. As we went back into the lineup, I could see many of my favorite pro photographers, ALL with real water housings… But I forgot all that when the first real set came through, 30’+ glassy, light offshore and hollow! Now, I’m frothing excited!
For the next few hours we buzzed in and out of the lineup, constantly moving, dodging rouge west peaks and shooting some of the best tube riding and surfing in Peahi history. I felt right at home, I love riding big waves and it made me wish I was 30 again :)
THANK you! Loren, for being such a great driver and getting me out there.
Mahalo to all the surfers who put on quite a show!
Billy Kemper in a monster barrel!
The gallery below is some 688 images from the shoot in chronological order.
Ahhh, and the day ended with this :)
God is Good!
Aloha, this will be an ongoing blog around the building of a new Koa Surfboard. (scroll to bottom to see the process:)
Here we are 3 month after the Koa was picked out to the finish Surfboard :)
Amazing wood, wow, I love Koa!!!
10’3″ Curly Maui Koa Hot Curl Surfboard
This pix shows both sides of the same board :)
This one sold recently at the Native Intelligence Gallery in Wailuku.
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Update: June 22, 2011
The board has been blessed with salt water!
So much fun – we will do it again!!!
So much fun – we will do it again!!!
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Update: June 15, 2011
This quote inspired me to make my 1st wood board.
I have an inner struggle with how “perfect” to make um, then I remember these words and stop when it feels good!
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Update: June 13, 2011
Rough shaping done…
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June 2011
<<<< This one sold recently at the Native Intelligence Gallery in Wailuku.
This meant a new one was in order.
Finding Koa the size and quality for a 10 foot surfboard is not easy or inexpensive.
A couple years ago I helped cut some massive slabs at our local mill on Maui.
So, I went to see if they were ready for use. ( It takes year or two for the wood to air dry after milling.)
Sure enough it was ready to go and after searching through a few slabs, I found the one that would produce the board I wanted.
Roughly 11 feet by 24 inches of shimmering curly Koa from high on the side of Haleakala, east of the park.
Back at home, I hand planed the rough cut sides to reveal the amazing grain and shimmering curl.
A Hot Curl template was selected and rough fitted to the piece of wood.
It will yielded a 10’+, by 19″ wide, around 2″ thick!
More to come….
I love Maui’s winter surf!
We have had lots of fun waves and a couple big swells.
Here are a few pictures and links to Features and Galleries of pictures.
Sup world champ Kai Lenny doing his thing at Peahi…
Air drop by Francisco Porcella.
Magicseaweed feature gallery.
Surfline Feature
Billabong XXL Entry – Ahanu Tson-Dru
Billabong XXL Entry – Tyler Larronde
Billabong XXL Entry – Mark Healey
One of my friends sent me a link to a photo blog project , to post your best 10 picture from 2012.
OK, Yeah, sounded like fun, so I looked for my favorite 10.
This was more difficult than I thought, as 2012 was a very good year for photos on Maui.
With the help of my Facebook family, I was able to narrow it down to 25 or so.
In the end the final choices were for the impact and interactions these images represent.
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We are blessed. This is the view from my deck in Pukalani Maui.
On any give day you will find my wife and I enjoying the sunset at the end of the day.
God has been good to us and we enjoy sharing it with others. #Offthedeck
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This image was hands down the most popular photo this year.
Taken at the summit of Haleakala crater Maui.
Here is a blog post about it.
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I spent some time this year documenting the sugar cane burns.
While this is a controversial subject, it is a fascinating study.
The cattle egrets flock by the hundreds to eat the bug and rodents as they flee the fire.
Click here to see a time lapse of one of the burns.
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This image is a collaboration with Maui artist and friend Tim Garcia.
Tim had the idea of shooting his hulas dancers with the Blue Moon this year.
3am in the morning and it all came alive!
Thanks Tim for the inspiration!
Click here to see a FB gallery of the Hula Circle Blessing at the Maui Winery.
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2012 was an amazing year for celestial activities, stars, planets, meteors and eclipses lighting up the skies.
The Transits of Venus was the rarest of these celestial phenomena, the last one in our lifetime, as the next one is in 2117!
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Maui is the home of one of the biggest waves on the planet. Peahi (Jaws) only breaks a few times a year.
This image is of Dave Wassel on 1-4-12, this wave won him the Monster Paddle award for 2012.
This photo was the one chosen to represent his amazing ride, very honored.
Mahalo Billabong!
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This photo of the Puunene Sugar Mill was inspired one of Maui’s finest photographers, Randy J Braun.
This year has been an amazing journey of meeting and working with so many amazing photographers,
through social media meetups, online and in person.
Thanks to the Maui Camera Club for providing encouragement and opportunities.
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This was the first year of travel for me after a couple of major surgeries.
This service trip to Nicaragua was amazing (God is so gracious).
The Miskito people of the Rio Coco river are amazing, thank you!
The skies were alive with volcanoes, amazing sunsets and lightning storms!
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The vistas on Maui are awesome, inspiring and dangerous.
I almost drove off the road looking at this one, finally had to pull over to shoot this panorama.
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This image is a 10 shot panorama taken from the top of Haleakala at sunset, on one our many photographer meetups.
I’m always amazed at how 20+ people can be taking pictures at the same time and yet get such an awesome variety of images!
Thank You for looking :)
Mike
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OK, this one #11 and is from 2011, but came back up again in 2012 for another popular round of exposure.
It is my most popular shot ever, with tens of thousands of views,
and thouthands of “likes” and comments and continues to be one of my best sellers.
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OK, yeah… I gotta put this one too :)
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
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Comment to Facebook or Twitter :)
With each new swell at Peahi the bar is raised, new heroes are made and reputations are solidified!
Here it is only October and the bar has been set really high!
For two days Peahi dished up some of the biggest, cleanest waves the world has ever seen.
Where do we go from here?
I can’t wait to see!
Click on any picture to go to the gallery of the day :)
Albee Layer 10-9-12
Mark Healey 10-10-12
Here on Maui the changing of the seasons is subtle. The weather doesn’t change that much, maybe a little more rain and less wind in the winter, but pretty much perfect. For the surfer, we see a huge change, swells from the north will turn our quiet shorelines into raging playgrounds for the adventurous at heart. For our #offthedeck sunset / sunrise addicts, it means the sun will move south, clearing the mountains and setting in the ocean once again. Sunrise are better and the rainbows more plentiful! I, for one any ready for winter :)
Here are some of the end of summer images as we head into winter.
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Here’s a taste of surf to come!
Please post comments on:
Living out in the middle of the Pacific ocean has it’s advantages,
clean air, clear skies and on Maui a 10,000 foot volcano offer never-ending opportunities.
A photographer by the name of Wally Pacholka inspired me to give it a go a couple years ago.
Click here to see those shots.
I’ve been hooked ever sense. Moon shots, night sugar can burns, planetary events and of coarse starry nights.
But none have generated the response this shot of the Milky Way over the top of Haleakala.
I’ve been getting asked quite a bit about the recent Milky Way shot:
Is this for real? How did you do this? Is this Photoshopped? Is it HDR? Did you use fill lighting? And what were the settings?
Here are the stats… Canon 7D, 16mm fish-eye, 30s, 2.8, iso 1600 – a couple seconds of my headlamp for the foreground,
a couple second with a spot light on the building. Camera on the ground (on wadded up surf trunks to be exact – forgot my sandbag :)
2s timer – Processed in Camera Raw 7.0 CS6 – Here is a screen shot of bridge showing the default raw file and the finished jpg.
Screen shot in bridge. Here you can see the raw file and the edited jpg, also some of the other takes that evening.
Let me know if this is helpful…
Thanks for all the all likes, shares, comments and interest in this picture on FB.
Subscribe to my Facebook page here :)
12×18 Aluminum Print with a Natural Edge Koa and Mango Frame
Custom prints and frames are available.
Please Tweet, Post or Pin Comments!
In the past few years there has been alot of talk about HDR (high dynamic range) photography.
To be honest, I didn’t like much of what I saw, lots of over saturated,
cartoony looking stuff that just did not float my boat.
I also started seeing some cool stuff from FB friends / photographers that got my attention,
Randy Jay Braun, Shayla Middleton, Matt Kurvin, Lance Kinney and others.
I had tried using PhotoShop, but was not impress with my results.
I decided to give Photomatix a try and became an instant fan.
HDR is the processing of multiple exposures of the same subject,
blending those images using the correctly exposed parts of each image,
allowing for a much more detailed image.
The blend of images can be anywhere from photographic to surreal,
depending on the photographer / artists desire.
I am hooked :)
While I still take and use photo journalistic technics in much of my photography,
I am having fun with this process and hope you like it too!
Maui Sunset
SF Zoo
This shot was in deep shade and would not look good normally.
Maui, the rainbow valley isle :)
Sunrise over west Maui.
Sunset over Haleakala.
Please Tweet, Post or Pin Comments!
Please Tweet, Post or Pin Comments!
This is the acadamy awards for big wave surfing.
Each year the best rides, by the best riders, in the biggest waves on the planet
are judged and celebrated at the Grove in Anaheim.
(Click Here to see the amazing rides and event.)
Each year the best photographers and videographers submit their best takes,
hoping to be the one to have captured the defining moments of the big wave world.
I have had the privilege of participating for several years,
by submitting my images of Maui’s premeire big wave, Peahi (Jaws)!
Over the years, I have had many images selected to showcase the amazing surfers who come each year..
Last year I had 3 in the finals and decide to attend the Awards night in LA.
I had an amazing time hanging with friends, seeing old friends
and celebrating with the best surfers and photographers in the world,
but did not win the prize. (Click Here to see a video sideshow of last year.)
This year, I was unable to attend due to being unable to be in two places at once :)
I only had one image in the finals, with very stiff competition.
To win this prize there are 5 surfers in each of 5 categories, with multiple photographer for each.
Your surfer has to win the category first, then they pick one winning photograph.
This year I was honored by having my shot of Dave Wassel selected for the paddle in wave of the year!
Thanks you to all the surfers who Changed the Game this year!
Truly amazing! Stoke to have witnessed it.
Click here to see more shots of this ride and the others this day!
A BIG Mahalo to Billabong & Pelican Cases for a great event and products!
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The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters,
yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
Psalm 93:4
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We had a great month on Maui for sunrises and sunsets!
Enjoy :)
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Comment to Facebook or Twitter :)
Training days at Peahi are smaller days producing waves in the 15-25 foot face range.
There are allot of new faces and these days see some learning faster than others.
Click here, or on any picture to go to the full galleries.
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2-9-12
Albee Layer setting the standard…
Most of the surfers are paddling from the shore.
This means climbing down a cliff and doing the rock dance.
Nakoa DeCoite and Francisco Porcella split a peak.
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2-16-12
Party wave!
Heloy “Jr. Boy” On the wave of the day! Showing he wants it!
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For the Sunrise / Sunset friends, here one :)
Follow me on Facebook for regular post of Maui’s finest!
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With each new swell at Peahi the bar is raised, new heroes are made and reputations are solidified!
These two days had far less crowds, with many amazing rides and wipeouts!
There was a mix of Paddle-in, Tow-in, Windsurfing, Kite surfing, Stand up boarding, all sharing the lineup pretty well :)
Click on any picture to go to the gallery of the day :)
Jeffery Rowley charging into one of the best ridden waves of the day! 1-30-12 Gallery
The windsurfers were on it, catching some of the biggest waves of the day!
End of the day saw tow surfers charging…
Go to the full 1-30-12 Gallery to see Kite boarders and Tow surfers too!
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Joao Marco Maffini Charging on 1-31-12
Robby Naish on a smoker, stand-up surfing! Go to the full 1-31-12 gallery to see more!
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Enjoy a few shots here and click on any picture to go the the full gallery!
Dave Wassel’s XXL contender!
Tyler Larronde was one of the young guns charging!
Shane Dorian was a standout as usual,
taking off some of the biggest waves of the day and pulling into barrels like this!
The lefts were macking as well! Rider: Kohl Christensen
Click HERE to see the full gallery!
Comment to Facebook or Twitter :)
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Every year on Maui we enjoy gaint surf at Peahi / Jaws.
This year started rather slow with only one small day in November and December. (12-8-11 Gallery)
2012 started of with a bang, with a huge swell hitting 1-4-12. I will post about that later.
On the 8th it broke again, smaller, but very clean and with a smaller local crowd.
Enjoy a few shots here and click on any picture to go the the full gallery!
Maui girl Paige Alms was charging on her 1st paddle day at Peahi.
Francisco Porcella scooped this nice left.
Matt Meola pulled into the tube on this one!
Nakoa DeCoite was a standout with this airdrop!
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And the day ended with another beautiful Maui Sunset!
For the Full Gallery Click Here!
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