Tide Gauge
Took some photos of Ian installing a tide gauge in the Ofu lagoon. Love watching my man in action.
Night Sky in Ofu-Olosega
Going back through my photo archives from 2020, and can’t believe I forgot about these gems!
I snapped these photos of the night sky in Ofu-Olosega in September 2020 during my weeklong trip with Ian.
The weather fluctuated while we were there, so when it finally cleared up on this night, I asked Ian to take me to the beach and to the bridge to take photos. I wanted to practice my astrophotography on my Sony A7III and originally wanted to capture the Milky Way with one of the island’s iconic mountains to frame the shot, but our galaxy was tipped in another direction of the horizon so I couldn’t position the Milky Way and the mountain in a single shot. Still, I had to try to capture these enchanting diamonds of the sky. We didn’t stay out for very long because it was the night before I had to fly back to Tutuila and we wanted to wake up early for a last adventure, but after finagling with my camera and waiting for the shutter to sound off multiple times, I looked down at my brightly lit LCD screen and I couldn’t help but beam… I loved it! These shots were such a picture-perfect reminder of the magnificence and awe I feel every time I have the pleasure of staying in Manu’a.
The Treehouse
Where Ian and I first met, where we live, and where we got married. Feeling so much love.
No place…
Like home.
Walking back home from a morning swim.
Happy Friday!
Escape to Ofu-Olosega Travel diaries pt. 1
The year was 2020. I’d been home on Tutuila for six months straight, and loving it, to be quite honest. But I was itching to travel. Our island’s borders have been closed to the outside world, and though I’ve watched the chaos from afar, we have our own worries within this little bubble. And so I wanted to take advantage of my time and space to island-hop over the road less traveled… Manu’a.
It is now January 2021 at the time of writing this, and this trip took place in September 2020. I also went back to Manu’a in November/December for my honeymoon, but that’s a different story I’ll share later. As it’s a new year, I am looking back at some fond moments. I am so grateful for the opportunity to escape to Ofu-Olosega during such a time. Here’s a belated visual diary to show my gratitude.
All packed up for our trip. Funny looking back at these photos because my room layout has since changed. And so nostalgic to see bags packed, ready for an adventure.
I was so proud of myself for fitting all my clothes into two small packing cubes. After a nearly four hour rough boat ride on the MV Double Barrel, my fiance (at the time) and I cleaned up the Ranger Station, where we were staying, and settled in.
We borrowed our friend’s Bananagrams and played in between prepping dinner and making plans for our days to follow.
I brought this specific outfit because it kind of made me look like a ranger hahah.
The sun came out for a bit and Ian and I lounged at the beach all weekend long. It was a long Labor Day weekend, but time flies when you’re having fun.
Soaking up the sun in between goops of reef-safe Badger sunscreen.
Fish tacos. We packed so much good food on the boat, and I had a steady supply of potato chips, and Ian his La Croix – yessss!
I was so ready to help Ian and the CRAG gals out with their valonia algae surveys on Olosega, but the surf was too gusty for the inflatable SUP I was to trail them on, and I wasn’t confident that I could be of much help when I saw the conditions.
So instead, I hung back and did what I do best. I snapped photos of things that make me happy.
Olosega is so beautiful, at all angles.
More of the little details at the beach. Did you know that the Pandanus is the official flower of American Samoa? So cool.
Back at the ranger station on a rainy day.
It’s hard to spot, but on this morning there was a fish aggregating device (FAD) and a long heavy rope, likely from a fishing vessel, floating by in the high tide as marine debris, and Ian went in and dragged it out, saving it from getting caught on the reefs at lower tides.
He also changed out the batteries on the NPS’ weather device.
So many more photos from this trip and the trip in Nov/Dec…
In due time!
xo, Nerelle