A visit to Maui would not really be complete without a trek to the highest point, the dormant volcano known as Haleakalā, or “the house of the sun.”

In Hawaiian folklore, the crater at the summit of Haleakalā was home to the grandmother of the demigod Maui. According to the legend, Maui’s grandmother helped him capture the sun and force it to slow its journey across the sky in order to lengthen the day.

The tourist literature would have you believe that the “proper” time to visit Haleakalā is at sunrise. But with sunrise around 6:30am, a 2-hour drive to the top with a need to get there early to ensure a parking spot, a 2 or 3am departure time would have been necessary. And with a partner who doesn’t do windy roads or mornings (especially windy roads in the morning!) the sunset option was the better choice! 🙂

We did a tour with a professional driver, which for a first-timer or anyone a little nervous about the winding roads is probably the way to go. If I have a chance to go back, however, I would opt to drive myself, getting there earlier then staying well past sunset to see the stars come out. But that’s me, and for most people that would mean missing dinner! As it was, I was the last person on the bus. Although I was not late (I always promise a driver that I will always be last but that I will not be late! 😉 ) all of the other passengers were anxiously waiting for me, and I had barely gotten to my seat when the bus started to move. Sheesh! Of course, I was the only 1 of the 2 or 3 passengers out of 16 that had a real camera, and the only one with a tripod!

The one thing that might be better about sunrise, is that depending on your vantage point you could compose the rising sun with the crater in the foreground. But since the crater is in shadow in all but the middle of the day when the sun is overhead, it would still be a chancy shot. As it was, I had to rely on a bit of processing magic to balance the highlights and shadows of the photographs I made.

So our visit to Haleakalā was just one of the many things that made our Maui adventure a memorable one. I didn’t actually take too many photographs, but the ones I did take I am pretty happy with!

I think we would all agree that there is no “perfect” tripod, any more than there is a perfect camera bag, or a single do-everything lens. Kathy likes to remind me that there is no such thing as a too-large diamond 😉 and the same might generally hold true for tripods. But sometimes a tripod can be a little too large, particularly for travel.

A few years ago I sold my older and smaller Gitzo tripod, which was pretty good for travel, ending up with just a Big A$$ RRS tripod and ball head as my only camera support. And that is great for a large majority of our travel, as lately most of our travel has been by car, and it is no big deal to make room for a B.A. tripod. But while the B.A. will kinda fit in a large suitcase, it is really overkill and takes up a lot of space. And yes, I could check it separately with our other luggage, but that means another bag, etc. Enter the interest in a travel-specific tripod.

I had read about the Peak Design tripod, but when it came out I dismissed it because I thought it was pretty pricey, I already had a really good tripod and had not come across a situation where I really wanted something smaller. But when I started thinking about our Hawaii trip I wondered about buying something more suitable for packing. I mentioned this to Kathy, and being the wiser of the two of us, she asked me if it was possible to rent one. Well, duh-huh! So I checked out Lensrentals and sure enough, they have them to rent, for a (large-ish) fraction of what one would cost to buy. But the cost was still less than buying a cheap tripod that I probably would not be happy with.

OK, so much for the long-winded intro.

I rented the carbon fiber model, which sells for $600. It’s a little lighter than the aluminum model, and I’m sold on the advantages of carbon fiber in a tripod. It folds up into a neat little package that takes up about the same space as a re-useable water bottle. And it comes in a nice cloth carrying case with a detachable shoulder strap.

My biggest concern was whether it would be stiff enough. I tested it at home and was impressed by how solid it felt, even though the lower legs are pretty skinny. The only time I had trouble with movement in the field was a few times when I extended the center column. But I hung my backpack on the hook and it settled right down.

My second concern was whether the tripod would be tall enough to prevent me from having to do contortions to see the viewfinder. I’m proudly old school and tend to keep the screen folded closed and compose through the viewfinder. But it was tall enough that even extended the minimum amount (when closed, the head is nested on top of the legs, so you have to raise the center column slightly in order to be able to adjust the head) I was easily able to use the viewfinder. No problemo!

The leg locks are really cool – they are grouped together on each leg so you can pretty much open them with one movement. On my rental model they were a little stiff, but they can be adjusted with the included tool, which I would probably do if I owned one. The legs generally extend easily, although on my model one of the sections was a little stiff, as though it had been bent.

The camera mount – it’s not exactly a ball head although it functions like one – takes a little getting used to but is very user friendly and holds the camera securely. I used an L-bracket instead of the included camera plate, and was pleased with that combination. I don’t think I would like to use the stock plate with the camera “flopped over” for vertical shots. There is an option to replace the standard head with another head, but that would make the tripod longer and kind of defeats the purpose of the design.

I’ve been using Peak Design straps for several years and have been very happy with them. I don’t yet own one of their backpacks, but am seriously considering one. I thought the early versions were kind of ugly, but the newer ones look pretty nice. This tripod is elegantly designed, well made and I can imagine it being an “only” tripod for many people. Unless you are shooting with big glass, in high winds or in rushing streams, it would probably suit most uses. I especially like it with the X-T4, even with the 55-200 lens.

Will I buy one? Possibly. I was quite impressed and can see me using one again. If I had one I could take it just about anywhere without worrying about making space. Would I replace my B.A. unit? Probably not, but if I owned a Peak Design tripod and got used to using it, you never know.

I didn’t take my own pictures of the tripod – these are all borrowed from B&H. Hopefully no one will mind.

We were somewhat disappointed with our time in both New Hampshire and Vermont, but it wasn’t the states’ fault.  A low pressure system decided to visit about the same time we did, and other than a little sun at the beginning, it was mostly rain, fog and general cuck the entire time we were there.

Our first visit to New Hampshire actually occurred when we passed through the twenty-ish mile strip of the state that sits along the coast between Massachusetts and Maine.  We stopped for breakfast at The Airport Cafe in North Hampton, which as you would guess, is a cafe at a small airport.  One of the highlights there is a track attached to the ceiling that carries a parade of model aircraft around the restaurant, much like you would see a train running in some place.  It was very clever, and from what little I know about conveyor systems, appeared to be very well designed.  If you ever go there, I recommend the Cinnamon Streusel French Toast.  Sugar coma on a plate! 🙂

After all of the lighthouses on the coast, it was nice to see something different: COVERED BRIDGES! We had identified a number of them along our drive from Asticou to North Conway, where we had arranged to spend a couple of nights.  We visited bridges in or near the towns of Ossipee and Conway (Conway has at least three!).

The highlight of our New Hampshire visit was a ride on the Mount Washington Cog Railway, to the top of Mount Washington.  When we woke up that morning, it was about 40 degrees and starting to rain.  When we got to the parking area for the railway base station, it was 35 degrees and raining harder.  We brought everything we could bring to try and keep warm, and it was just barely doing the job.

As we approached the top of the mountain, the rain was turning to snow and sleet, and at the top it was about 31 degrees in fog and a wintry mix with a 40-50 mph wind.  Everything was covered in ice, including the ground, railings and walkways.  Yikes!

We first went into the visitor center to get our bearings, then decided to try and find the actual summit.  We went out on to an “observation deck” where the only thing you could observe were the ice-covered viewing machines!  Finallly, through the fog we could see people climbing up some rocks about 20 yards from us and realized that must be the summit.  So carefully made our way up, slipping and sliding as we went.  The cool part was that everyone was helping each other, lending a hand or a boost when necessary.  A couple in front of us was taking turns taking each others’ photo with their phone, and when I offered to take a photo of the two of them, they readily accepted.  I then handed my camera to them and they shot a few of us.  I was a little nervous handing my camera over in those slippery conditions, but it turned out fine.  Other than getting a little wet from the snow and feeling like we were getting blown off the mountain, it was truly a memorable experience!

After returning to our car, we then explored the area, looking for photographs in the fog and rain.  We then drove a portion the fabled Kancamagus Highway, but of course couldn’t see the views that make it so famous!  That night, tired and chilled after an eventful day, we opted to have dinner in our motel room, stopping at a grocery store for meat, cheese, olives and wine. 🙂

The following day we headed toward Vermont, taking the “long way” through Laconia and Belmont before crossing the state line at Norwich, Vermont.