Sunset from Kihei

Our last sunset in Maui. We have to be at the airport in a couple hours. We had such a great vacation. We both hate to have to leave.

Luau

We went to the Luau last night. The food was amazing and delicious. I had Poi, purple sweet potatoes in a poi sauce with shredded coconut, He'e Poke, stir fry veggies, taro salad in a coconut sauce, pohole salad, taro rolls, and my new favorite dessert, haupia! Then there's the dancing. It was just as great as I had imagined and the costumes were beautiful. I took some short videos that I'll share when I get home.

Walking Tour

We have nearly seen and done everything we had hoped to do. Tonite we go to a Luau. So today, dressed in my new Hawaiian shirt, we are going to do a walking tour of Lahaina, "Home of Hawaii's Heritage".

What is it?

Lots of these gelatinous creatures on the beach. We started our day with breakfast (scrambled tofu, orange beets, passionfruit jelly on toast, coffee with coconut syrup) and a walk on the beach. Now we're headed out for our last day of snorkelling.

Snorkel the Backyard

Today we are snorkelling at the beach behind our hotel. It's pretty shallow but we saw some pretty fish and coral.

Stilts

Later we drove around Wailuku trying to find an archaeological site, which we never found. Then we went to Kahului to the Kanaha Pond Wildlife Sanctuary where we lucky enough to spot several of the rare Stilts, a black and white bird that stands on tall skinny pink legs.

Iao Valley

Today we drove to Iao Valley, the second wettest place in Hawaii. It gets an average 300 inches of rain per year. There is a place in Kuai that gets a little more. This photo is the Iao Needle. They say that some of the Hawaiian Royalty are buried in the valley. They liked to stay there in the Summer months.

Recognize this?

Recognize this?

7 Pools

I got a strange rash from swimming in the 7 Pools yesterday. Then afterwards the benadryl and margarita knocked me out. Rash is mostly gone now.

Hana Coast

Another shot of coast near Hana.

Shore Near Hana

We took a short walk near our studio rental to see the shore.

Hana B&B

The bathtub at our place in Hana.

Botanic Garden

We took a short detour on the Road to Hana and visited a woman's Botanical Garden.

Road to Hana

We are on to Hana. We stopped at a fruit stand just outside of Haiku. We bought apple-bananas, a pear shaped avocado, and a mango.

Sunset Maui

Another beautiful sunrise in paradise. I slept off the dramamine and then we walked the beach, watched the sunrise, and did some window shopping

Aloha Mixed Plate

Mmm. . .Mai Tai

Sugar Cane in front of Haleakala

We did it! We rode bicycles down from the volcano Haleakala. The peak is around 10k feet. We watched the sunrise from the crater. It was freezing cold up there. I had on a tshirt, a long sleeve shirt, a fleece jacket, a rain jacket, jeans, ski gloves, and full windproof rain gear including the pants. After the sunrise they took us down to 6700 feet where we began our bike ride. I think it took us 2.5 hours to get back down to Paia with speeds as high as 30-31 mph.

Got Lei'd

I have been lei'd.

First breakfast

Coconut Pancakes with guava syrup and coconut syrup on our balcony.

Dinner and the Sunset

My first umbrella drink - a Tropicolada. Yum! We had dinner at a restaurant on the ocean and watched the sunset. Donna had Ahi (raw tuna). I had Scallops. And we split some Spring Rolls. Expensive but tasty.

Ocean View Room

Oh my gosh! We have a fantastic view from our room. We are on the 6th floor and our balcony looks out on the ocean. We are leaving our patio door open and are listening to the waves crashing.

Arrived in Maui

Woohoo! We're here! Donna and I arrived a little after 3pm in Maui. There was a little trouble with the first rental car they gave us. The trunk wouldn't open. So they gave us a different one and we were soon on the road to Lahaina.

Test post....

Test....test.... This is simply a test. It's also our patio with Bailey and me hanging out.

Off to Maui

This was actually taken in Denver at the Pridefest 2009. We leave for Maui tomorrow - July 3, 2009.