Road to Hana

Ah, the Road to Hana. Everyone talks about it, it is a must do and very scenic. Take a boxed lunch and stop at all the sights. Waterfalls and gorgeous views at every hairpin, narrow, death drop turn. Actually, it is not that bad when everyone is patient and in no hurry. The average speed limit is 15 mph. That is why it takes about 3 hours (with no stops) to go 30 miles.
All the bridges are one car only, so you have to yield to oncoming traffic. Everyone thinks THEY are oncoming traffic! The road will be two lanes and then all of a sudden, turn into one for a short time. The locals drive the road at break neck speed, which the Handsome Husband considered a challenge on the way back. It took us only two hours to drive back and I was a nervous wreck. Locals passed us (and 4 or 5 other cars at once) going at least 30 on the wrong side of the road and took turns in that lane. So lucky no one was coming the other way, because it would have been a head on catastrophe.
Okay, enough of the road and on to the sights. First stop was Twin Falls, it will be the only one I name because all the others had Hawaiian names that I can't remember and didn't write down. It was an easy 20 minute hike back to the falls. The girls found this little hut.

Ah, we found it at last. Not much of a fall, just a little trickle, but a nice inviting pool of water to refresh yourself in.

HH did just that.

Stunning views

There are lots of road side stands selling fruit, homemade ice-cream, leis and coconut juice. This was Coconut Glenn's. Glenn himself served us. We had homemade coconut and jack fruit ice-cream. Jack fruit is the fruit flavor used in Juicy Fruit gum. It was really good. Just to keep it real, this is where I believe I received all my bug bites. I slapped a good 10 mosquitos and left the little shack, but by the time I got back to the hotel, I had over 15.

I got a quick picture of this guy, when we first saw him, he was with two other little pigs.

One of the most stunning stops was this National Park. It contained a black sand beach and fresh water caves.

Notice the Warning signs (because my family never does).

So beautiful.

Went down to the black sand beach, which was really little rocks. Katie was disappointed because she though it would be fine black sand. I'm glad she choose not to go in because of all the warning signs for heavy current, man-o-war jelly fish and regular jelly fish. There were a lot of people in the water.

We then decided to see the fresh water caves. Some local boys were there and they showed us where to jump in and where the secret tunnels were. This was the favorite thing everyone did.

Katie

Delaney

They had so much fun here.

This side of the island definately is more tropical and jungle-y. Its what you think of when you think of Hawaii.

Haleakala

We were heading out to Lahaina when we saw the sign for Haleakala, so we decided to go. Haleakala is a volcano on the island and the top is at 10000 feet. We drove up through some beautiful prairie and pine trees.

We eventually drove up above the clouds

We finally arrived at the top of the crater after an hour...

and boy was it cold!!! It was about 40 degrees. Everyone was dressed in long pants and jackets. We couldn't even stay out longer than 10 minutes in our shorts and tank tops. It was amazing to see.

Inside the crater there was a alien landscape in hues of red, orange and black.

We really enjoyed the scenery on this trip. It was very interesting.

Beaches in Maui

This is the beach the Grand Wailea shares with about 3 other hotels. I never felt crowded. The water was perfect: refreshing, smooth (no waves, LOVED that) and peaceful. Every morning we would go down about 8 and get our lounge chairs and towels. We would hang out until lunch and then go exploring other areas of the island. Around 12 the wind would whip up and it was not enjoyable to lay on the beach.
It was a great cove. The family loved to snorkel at the two rocky spots on both ends. They saw turtles and lots of colorful fish.
On our first day we met up with the Caulfields in Kaanapali. We headed over to Black Rock where they snorkeled and jumped off the rock.

Delaney jumping off Black Rock.

Just enjoying the water.

On the second night, it was raining hard (for about an hour) so we had dinner in our suite, explored the hotel and found their arcade for John (the little guy).

Pictured are: Handsome Husband, me, Karen Caulfield, Tom Caulfield. Seated are: Matt Caulfield (all the teenagers have gone to school together since Kindergarten), Katie, Tommy Caulfield, John Caulfield and Delaney.

We then headed down to McKenna Beach which is much more rocky and wild. Bigger waves and less beach. It is surrounded by a lava field which was pretty interesting to see.

This is a great blow hole that the water rushes into and squirts out like a whales blow hole (Delaney's words).

The beach was bordered by trees in various stages of health. A lot of dying trees mixed with healthy. Drift wood everywhere. This was an eerie looking little grove.

Loved this walk through these trees. It was hot and they gave us great shade. It was so pretty.
We caught sight of a herd of goats. They not only climbed all over the rocks but into the trees.
We turned off the beach path and walked through the lava flow. Our goal was to see some ancient ruins, but after walking a mile, we saw a sign that said two more to go. It was really hot on that path and there was no shade so we turned around. Notice we are all wearing teva sandals. These were the best purchase we made for the trip. You can wear then in the water and they are great for hiking. They are UGLY to say the least, but comfortable and practical for this terrain and weather.

The Grand Wailea Resort

Upon our late arrival, we were greeted with Leis, which I think was a nice touch.

The Grand Wailea is a beautiful marriage of lush tropical grounds, waterfalls and art work.

You are greeted with a grand entrance. Beautiful sculptures everywhere you turn.

Botero sculptures are featured throughout the lobby.

I fell in love with the delicate grace of this sculpture. I'm not sure who the artist is, but smaller versions are available in the the NaPua art gallery on the grounds.

Outside were beautiful flowers, waterfalls and the air was perfumed with plumeria growing abundantly throughout.

The beautiful little chapel was on the grounds and we saw three weddings take place in the week we were there.

On the way to the beach

There are many different pools. Waterslides, beach entry, swim up bar, kid's pool, and adult pools.

We loved this resort. The beach was amazing. I'll show you the beach tomorrow.