Tag: caubbles

221 – Maui Adventures in the Air and on the Ground!

April 21, 2023 / Dean Showalter

Maui is simply amazing!

Maria and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip, and here are some highlights. (And for the aviation maintenance portion of the trip, see the last episode, 220.)

So many indescribably beautiful beaches to see:

Maria and her new friend, Firmiana, at the Upcountry Farmers Market… the most amazing farmer’s market I’ve ever seen!

Maria was right at home with all the fresh fruits and vegetables.

A ridiculously delicious dessert at Kimo’s in Lahaina… Hula Pie. Chocolate cookie thin crust, Macadamia nut ice cream, hot fudge, mac nut pieces, and whipped cream!

Gus’ Shave Ice! It’s the best shave ice on Maui… made with frozen fruit.

Our new friends, Melissa and JT, who we met in line at “The Cinnamon Roll Place” in Kihei.

A super amazing air tour with Leslie and Erica.

A favorite stop on The Road to Hana, Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread.

Waianapanapa State Park, home of the famous “Black Sand Beach.”

Crazy-good pizza and salad at Hana Farms.

Haleakala, the famous 10,000 foot volcano and crater.

Driving back down the mountain… watching for cows along the road and continuous switch-back turns.

After a most amazing two weeks, it was time to leave our little ohana, our home-away-from-home.

…and after all the wonderful-ness, it was time to say goodbye to John and Leslie and return to the mainland.

Thank you John and Leslie for such a super-awesome time on Maui!

If you ever make a trip to Maui, be sure to check out John and Leslie’s websites… the information they provide is a game-changer for planning a Maui adventure:

The Aloha 360 Podcast with John and Leslie Caubble. These episodes have tons of must-have information for a trip to Maui.

The Road to Hana Audio Guide. Learn about the best stops along the Road to Hana, some of which you would drive right past without a guide like this. (Be sure NOT to miss “Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread” on the Keanae peninsula!)

The Fly Maui Flight School at Kahalui Airport (OGG.) A scenic tour from the air is an absolutely incredible perspective!

The Ultimate Air Maui indoor trampoline park. This is a local favorite for kids’ birthday parties.

215 – Vacuum Pump Adventure with Clark, my Airline Captain Friend

February 24, 2023 / Dean Showalter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Clark and his family came to Virginia to visit his mom recently, and on the way up from Florida, the right vacuum pump quit working… as often happens when a vacuum pump quits, the drive shaft had sheared off, saving the engine from catastrophic damage.

In times like these, a good question to ask is, “What does this make possible?”

In this case, it made it possible to tackle a maintenance project with a good friend!

You can listen to the audio in this week’s podcast to hear about how I got to know Clark, and how he became the kind of friend I would want to go the extra mile for, whenever I can.

We changed the broken vacuum pump, installed new filters, and got him all set for the trip back home. (Ask him if he got to fly much on the trip… the answer would be no, because his wife is learning to fly and she took over the controls for most of the trip 🙂

It’s always fun when you can get an airline captain turning wrenches! Clark is very mechanically inclined, and I think the whole experience put a big smile on his face.

Another highlight recently on a Saturday morning was when I took my mom for an airplane ride… she’s 86 years old and still very happy to get in a little airplane and go flying! We had a great time flying around the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. You’ll hear about this story in this episode as well.

And finally, my wife Maria and I have an exciting trip planned in just over a month from now… we’re going to Hawaii for the first time! Our friends, John and Leslie Caubble, operate a flight school on Maui, so we’re going to visit them and I get to help work on the flight school airplanes… we’re super excited about this adventure!

You can learn A LOT more about John and Leslie through their two podcasts, The Aloha 360, and Fly Maui. They are simply GREAT people!

https://www.flymauihi.com/blog

https://www.thealoha360.com/podcast