The Iao Needle

We decided to head on over and do some hiking at the Iao Needle. The Iao Needle is the mountain formation behind us in the picture. We bought Tevas for hiking here because we knew the ground was uneven and there was a stream.
As we began our hike on the concrete path (just the way I like it), the girls started teasing us, saying they were so glad they were wearing their tevas (which they nicknamed "Les Tevs").

The Handsome Husband was also not so happy about walking on the path.

So he climbed down the embankment and started hiking upwards through the stream.

He called for all of us to follow. The girls did. The water was not deep, but kind of fast. The rocks were slippery. Being that I was not so steady, I stayed where I was. The girls, however, hiked up stream.

Ahh, satisfaction at last. A man, off the beaten trail, alone on an island, surrounded by danger. Happy as a clam.

This is the point were HH decided he'd had enough of the water and the jungle/rainforest was calling his name.

There was a teeny weeny little worn path through the underbrush of ferns, roots, and palms. We took it. It was a nice overcast day, in the shade of the trees and it was still hot and humid.

The girls found this tree and they played in it for at least 30 minutes before I called an end to it.

They loved this tree.

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.

We're Back!

We are back from a very relaxing trip to Maui, Hawaii. It was a lot of fun, but as always, we are glad to be home. We stayed in a wonderful suite at the Grand Wailea. I'll blog more about the hotel and the grounds later. Right now, I'll just touch on some likes and dislikes from the trip:

Stunning sunsets

Loved our suite: spacious, quiet and elegant.

Loved the hotel grounds: orchids everywhere, abundant waterfalls, plumeria perfumed air as you walked the grounds.

Beach was amazing. No waves, crystal clear, plenty of space, cool and refreshing water. Great snorkeling close by.

Breath taking beauty on the Road to Hana

Disliked the narrow road with shear drops, blind corners and hairpin turns.

Disliked the speed at which every local drove. No one went over 30 mph, even in the fast lane with the road wide open in front.

Disliked being eaten by mosquitos, I had over 20 bites and they are driving me CRAZY!!!

Very expensive food and drink: $3.91 for a 12oz diet soda, $11.00 for a breakfast sandwich. This was at the hotel, off site it was a less, but still more than normal.

Thank God for Costco and K-mart.

Met up with friends and had a great time.

Disliked that the whole place closed up by 8pm, no night life - unless you like to hang out in bars, then your ok.

All in all, it was AMAZING and RELAXING.

Calling my name...

Relax

and enjoy the weekend

Shawn's Classic Baby

Our friend and neighbor, Shawn, just got his 58 Impala restored. It's beautiful and looks so classic.
Here he is with his classic baby. A 58 Impala, painted a celery green (green is his favorite color). He said the color was actually a 55 ford color, but he loved it, so he put it on the Impala.

What a beauty!

That is some vintage americana right there!

On the 4th of July, he and his family hopped in and drove off. I'm sure there were many ooh's and ahh's as they drove by.