And… we’re back. Two years after our first Spring Break trip to Maui, we did it again with similarly enjoyable results.
Special note on this post: I’ve just begun Tweeting on Twitter. But I thought I’d hold back on posting ever lil’ thang while we were in Maui this past week lest someone decide to stop by the hacienda back in Broomfield whilst we’re away and help themselves to whatever. Still a little paranoid. Instead, I took notes for this post Twitter-style, in little sound bites, and pasted in below. Hope it’s not too annoying. Enjoy.
Day 0: Arrival Kahului. Car. Suitcases. Run-in with airport rent-a-cop. Windy. Sun in the central valley; clouds atop Puʻu Kukui to the west and Haleakalā to the east. Stop at crowded Costco. $266 in food, rash guard shirts, 2 pack Smoking Loon Merlot and 3lb bag of tortilla chips. Success. Roll to Kīhei. Check in at condo. Unpack. Maui Tacos for dinner. Stroll on beach at sunset with the kids. Erin is being really annoying. Bed time for the kids. Grab a Maui Brewing Co Big Swell IPA from the fridge and catch the end of the UH-Mānoa vs NJ Tech volleyball game on local TV. Long road trip for the Highlanders. Bed time for Julie and I.
Day 1: 5am. Everyone is up and ready to go to the beach. Trouble is: pitch dark. Love the 4 hr time change. Eggs on bagels breakfast. Goof around. Girls model their new beachwear. Start working on this blog post while Julie and girls walk down to the water. Cruise into Boss Frogs Dive & Surf at 8am to grab snorkeling kit. Off to Po’olenalena Beach.
Boogie board, beach soccer, sand in ears. Back to condo for a quick shower. Lunch at Café O’Lei: burger-burger-burger-crab club sandwich (guess who?). Chat with the locals. Trinket and t-shirt shopping. Downtime around the condo enjoying sea breezes and ocean views. Took pictures of the flora on the grounds. Dinner at home: fresh shrimp. Gecko on the wall. Reading time. No internet connections at night. Must be congestion? Bed just up ahead.
Day 2: Early e-mails. Sunrise views of the ocean. 4mi run before breakfast. Spotted a giant snail. Jam out the door for West Maui, grabbing McD’s java en-route. Spotted some humpback whales breaching out in Ma’alaea Bay. Scope out Honolua Bay for snorkeling later. Stop at Long’s Drug for some isopropyl alcohol and ear ache medicine… some in our party suffering from “swimmer’s ear”. Wander Front St in Lahaina with the cruise ship masses. Lunch at Kimo’s. Back to Honolua Bay for snorkeling. Swam with a green sea turtle, trumpetfish and something really big with a neon blue stripe down it’s spine. Stop in at the Pacific Whale Foundation for a new visor. Roll on back to the hale. Dinner at home: beef filets on the grill and home fries. Kick back with a Primo lager. The relaxation is starting to sink in. Thinking of “going native”.
Day 3: Out the door by 7.30am (amazing). Head to Haleakalā summit via Komodo Bakery in Makawao (cream puff pit stop). Amazed to see some cyclists making the climb from sea2peak, not just the ascent in a van. Check in at the visitor center to have our US National Parks
Passports stamped.
Wander the top of the world (10,023 ft) with a bunch of other tourists. Photo ops. Upcountry picnic lunch at Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm.
Head back down the hill. Swimming and sun at the condo pool. Vietnamese take-out from the place around the corner. A couple hands of UNO before the kids go to bed and Julie and I watch a re-run of today’s Obama press conference.
Day 4: Missed my run. Oops. Maui Wave Rider surfing lessons at 9am. Grace did well; Erin got bored; Julie and I couldn’t seem to catch a wave. Where’s that St Christopher’s medallion (patron saint of many including surfers, athletes and fullers)? But a useful skill to have. Lunch at Wokstar. Trinket shopping, then snorkeling and swimming at Malu’aka Beach. Julie spotted sea turtles, I spotted various humuhumu-nukunuku-āpuaʻa. Home for a shower and nap. Beer run to Safeway to grab some Hinano. Dinner at home with the sunset in view over Lānaʻi. Read some, fall asleep.
Day 5: Made my run happen today. Going slower. Is it the speed of life on the islands rubbing off or last night’s Hinanos? Hit Makena by 9am. Big surf this morning and wind picked up during the day. Apparently, a high pressure system has rolled into the islands. No matter, sun burns all around. Lunch at Alexander’s Fish & Chips. Picked up a St Christopher’s medallion in the souvenir market next to Alexander’s, then to the condo for shower, aloe and a nap. I’m seeing a pattern forming. I can see why it takes a long time for stuff to get done here. What’s the rush? Crossword puzzles, reading, lazy dinner at home. Watch the sunset from atop a sand dune. Very nice.
Day 6: Rush, rush… out the door by 7.30am for Hāna. Detour to Makawao for more cream puffs and donuts-on-a-stick (the things I do). Curves and hills and skinny bridges and jungle and ran and hills and curves. Make it most of the way to Hana. Multiple photo ops. I enjoyed the drive. Julie tolerated. Girls listened to iPods. It’s a grown-up thing… you wouldn’t understand.
Drive back home. Pool action. Lounging about. Minor drama over a broken $5 necklace. Dinner at Jawz Fish Tacos around the way (I had the upcountry burrito with BBQ pork, fried rice and some wasabi sauce… weird, but fairly tasty). Home for Disney channel wind-down time. Last night on Maui: back to civilization and the aftermath of a classic Colorado spring snow storm.
Day 7: One final water morning. Stop at the recycling center on our way to snorkeling and swimming at Ulua Beach (very nice).
Lunch at Shaka Sandwich & Pizza, then home to clean-up and pack. A bit more shopping (Maui Tropix Surf Co for Maui Built stuff), then dinner at the new Café O’Lei in Wailuku. Grab our 9.15pm flight to LAX (not on a non-stop back to DEN… United made a change… grrrr).
End of the trip and a return to real life, but looking forward to it. Another fine island holiday.
