As you’ve seen above, #preservethegood could mean anything – it could mean helping someone in a time of need; it could be picking up trash on a trail, or a wilderness area; it could be educating people on leave no trace principles; it could be making a difference in any way you want; and it could be just about anything you want as long as you are focused in keeping the magic and the unique positive things in this world and this life. In terms of tangible things, I encourage you, my readers and followers to use the hashtag when you post a photo of something amazing; or when you’re talking about something exceptional you – or someone else has done to improve the world. I look forward to seeing how all of you end up preserving the good in 2015, and you can rest assured that as always, I will keep preserving the good where I find it as well, because as Plato says, “Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.”
As I mentioned previously, Waimea Canyon is a site that is most definitely one of the “must-view” locations on Kauai, and in the world; and as I also mentioned, the best way to experience it is to hike it. While there are many great hikes through the canyon, the best hike in my book is the Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls. It is the best hike to me because at four miles roundtrip, it is accessible, it has stunning views of the canyon from inside the canyon, and it ends at the top Waipoo Falls. It also allows the hiker the chance to swim in a waterfall, which is a once in a lifetime experience.
On Thursday, October 23, 2014, there will be a partial solar eclipse of the sun, and the first visible partial solar eclipse that has occurred in North America since May 20, 2012. Even more spectacularly, the partial eclipse will occur during the sunset hours on the East Coast, which should provide a fantastic visual spectacle at or around sunset. However, skywatchers in the midwest and West Coast regions will also have excellent views of the eclipse as well during the mid-afternoon hours.
As I always say with all these astral phenomena, unless you've been living on the moon, you know that something is going on in the sky. This weekend, its the Orionid Meteor Shower, which according to all reports, is particularly strong and visible this year. It may have already caused a giant fireball that was visible in Northern California - or not. Perhaps that giant fireball was the work of batsquatch, lemurians, or just plain old 2012 apocalypse-time-hijinx. In any case, the best time to view the shower - wherever you are in North America, will be anytime after 11:00 p.m. PST, October 20, 2012 (Saturday) to dawn on October 21, 2012 (Sunday). You can rest assured that I'll be out watching, and you should be too - should be a lot of fun. And, if you're interested in science, help NASA out, and check out this app here. More info: here, here, and here.
