my random ramblingsan infrequent (and these days, mostly Mira related…) blog

struggled to get up and spent a couple of hours on the couch after finally rolling out of bed. met up with Heather and Justin, plus Moby, Paige and Allison, for breakfast at the Ritz. we then went down to their beautiful pool area to lounge and have drinks. after a few hours and much silliness we returned to the condo, and i watched football. we repacked our backpacks, then drove out to Ka’anapali with Allison, Heather and Justin for our last hurrah. we got a table at the Sharaton beach bar to watch the nightly ceremony of the lighting of the torches and cliff dive off of Black Rocks. glad we caught it, and it was nice to spend a little more time with those guys as they’ll all be missed tremendously. drove to the airport and climbed aboard our red-eye flight that should be returning us home tomorrow around noon.

strange to turn on the tv at 7:00 am and see NFL football – only in Hawaii i suppose. ran some errands for Heather and picked up some coffee. the ladies all left to do their nails, so i made my way to Hanakaoo Beach to go for a snorkle and a swim. pretty beach, but the visibility was nonexistant so i only swam. after the swim i walked around Lahaina again, then went for lunch at Genki Sushi, which was great. returning to the condo to dress for the wedding, i found Justin pacing, and the ladies going through their typical preparations. ended up shuttling everyone to the wedding and the big night was upon us. the wedding was simply fantastic – the ceremony was uniquely Hawaiian and the setting was breathtaking. probably the prettiest sunset i’ve ever seen. everyone had a fun night, which then spilled over to the condo afterwards. bottles of champagne and a swim in the ocean finally brought the night to its end. definitely good times with good people.

another pretty morning waking up to the ocean, and waiting for the others to get up so that we could have coffee and breakfast. had some time so i did some shopping in Ka’anapali and in Lahaina. Lahaina has lots of very cool galleries, and i especially enjoyed the fantastical work of Vladimir Kush. came back and watched a couple of good college football games. decided to snorkle up at Hanolua Bay, which turned out to be gorgeous. but after driving up we decided to skip the snorkling as the waves into the bay were too big. instead we went to the next beach south, DT Flemming. ended up just swimming there and playing out past the shore break. on the way out we stopped at a cafe on the beach that was run by the Ritz Carlton. we headed back to get ready for the big bar-b-que, and had a fun time at the cook out. headed back to our condo with the ‘crew’ and had some boisterous fun. took a quick dip in the ocean then climbed into bed.

was the first one up, so tried to stay quiet until the others started filing out of bed. Allison, Stania, and Toni made breakfast, then all of us, plus Heather and Justin headed out for some snorkling. after renting some gear, we drove to the southwest corner of the island past Makena and the most recent lava flow to La Perouse Bay. the area was stunningly beautiful, but the snorkling was only OK. we then ventured a short drive north to Oneloa Beach (Big Beach), with it’s pounding shore break. found more good roadside food pulling up to the beach, then made my way to the beach to join the others. the snorkling there was probably worse and it was getting near time to pickup Elaine from the airport so everyone packed up and left. we followed Heather and Justin through Kihei and into Lahaina for some shopping and drinks at Cheeseburger in Paradise. came back to the room for drinks and some fun, then ultimately ended up cooking the steaks, fish, and veggies for dinner. stayed up late talking, then turned in for bed.

got up in time to see a beautiful sunrise over the far wall of the crater. after a quick breakfast and coffee, we packed up and locked the cabin, then headed out. the 4 mile hike was made a bit more difficult by the 2,000′ climb. got out of the crater by about 10:00, and started the drive toward the resorts and the Sands of Kahana. stopped for a fantastic Japanese lunch in Kahalui on the way to west Maui. ran into Heather and Justin, and was nice to get to the condo and take a shower. crossed the street and did some grocery shopping then headed over to the parents’ room for the initial wedding party and dinner. took a late night dip in the ocean just steps away from our room.

after an early breakfast of coffee and granola bars, i made my way to the lava tube cave nearby. much bigger cave then i remember from the last time inside, also the altar to the skylight seemed a lot more subdued. back at the cabin we decided to take a hike into the center of the volcano, which provided some great views of the Sliding Sands trail along with many of the cinder cones. instead of making lunch on the trail we decided to head back to the comfort of the cabin. was a lazy afternoon, with a short nap and long stretches watching the pair of nenes that hung out at the cabin. played some cards and another dinner of dehydrated food, followed by shut-eye at sunset.

sure is easy to get up with the sunrise when you go to bed when it gets dark. made the short walk to the Red Sand Beach which was deserted this early. watched the waves crash on the shore for more than an hour. back at the yurt i made breakfast then we packed up and said our goodbyes to Hana. on the way out we stopped at a roadside stand for limeade, banana bread, and some coconut candy. picked up a very interesting hitch-hiking hippie on the way, taking him as far as Haiku, where we turned off of the Hana Highway to make our way towards Haleakala. got a taco and a bottle of tequila in Haiku, then we drove up to the top of the island and Haleakala NP. after getting fully sorted, we made the 4 mile hike through a cloud to Holua cabin, where we’d be staying for the next 2 nights. although very basic, the cabin had a propane stove for cooking and also a wood stove for heating. after a quick dinner of dehydrated food we turned in early. don’t feed nene!

awakened early with the first light and made coffee and eggs. we were one of the first people arriving at Ohe’o Gultch to check out the pools and waterfalls. starting at the lower pools, we made our way up to the two massive falls and through the bamboo forest. everyone should walk through a bamboo forest, really. we stopped at Hamoa Beach on the way back to Hana – what a beautiful beach. had a quick lunch and piña coladas at the Hana Ranch Restaurant. after lunch, got a bit more Thai food en route to the yurt and a short nap. wanted to bar-b-que for dinner, so i bought a couple of frozen tuna fillets from one of the roadside food stalls. dinner was mediocre, but the view of the ocean and the stars couldn’t be beat.

got up early to a spot of rain and some coffee and scones at the hotel. talked to a street freak in Paia, then started the long drive to Hana. stopped multiple times on the way to check out the roadside waterfalls and amazing views. rained off and on during the drive and for the rest of the day and night. grabbed a taro burger and banana bread just before town and our yurt at the Luana Spa. picked up some Thai a stone’s throw away from the yurt and got settled for the next 2 nights. we purchased some breakfast essentials from both of the 2 grocers in town, then made the short drive to Wai-anapanapa State Park, one of my favorite places in the world. walking the black sand beach and playing on the lava rocks jutting out into the ocean, we got as close as we could to the blow holes without falling in. swimming in the submerged lava caves is an experience not to be missed. dinner at the Hotel Hana Maui was good but significantly flawed throughout. fell asleep to the ocean breeze and the distant sounds of a softball tournament.

left midday, with connections through Salt Lake and Los Angeles, eventually arriving in Kahalui at about 7:45 pm. quick stop at the K-Mart then we made the short drive to Paia, and our gorgeous room at the Paia Inn. we managed to sneak in to the Paia Fish Market for dinner before it closed for a great cut of seared ahi. was an early night as we were both exceedingly tired from the long flight.