We spent 2 weeks in Maui - a wonderful break from frigid, dark Fairbanks. As soon as I stepped off the airplane, I instantly felt human again. The amount of light inundating the senses was amazing. I felt alive! Overall, our itinerary consisted of getting up in the morning, eating fresh fruit. Going for a swim in the ocean. Sit on the beach. Eat lunch. Repeat. Or going for hikes/walks in the morning before it got too hot.
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| Big Beach in Kihei |
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| Fresh fruit consumed: apple banana, pineapple, papaya, lilikoi, and lychee!! |
We drove up to Haleakala National Park and walked down the Sliding Sands trail to Ka Lu’u o ka ‘Ö’ö Crater. Hiking at almost 10,000 ft was a little brutal. Yoga twice a week for 2 months wasn't enough preparation. We passed a bunch of people biking down the road as we drove the windy road up to the park, wondering who in their right minds would pay money to do that. We also almost hit a cow on the way down. We also met a couple guys who used to live in Barrow!
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| Ka Lu’u o ka ‘Ö’ö Crater |
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| At the edge of the crater |
We also did some birding in the park. The best birding ended up being in Hosmer Grove, right by the outhouse!
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| Chukar |
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| 'Amakihi |
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| 'I'iwi |
The Road to Hana was awful. I will never go back in my life time. It is a nightmare for those that get car sick. The hike through the bamboo forest made it worth while.
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| just hanging around on the banyan(?) tree |
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| Waimoku Falls |
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| Panda or Dave? |
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| Bryce & Dave entering the bamboo forest |
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| Crow pose at Kuloa Point |
We took a walk down to La Perouse and ended up on this protected beach with a handful of swimmers and snorkelers.
One morning we took a hike on the Lahaina Pali Trail. We saw no one. Not a popular trail as far as we could tell. It was a nice break from all the tourists on S. Kihei Road.
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| I didn't realize Dave was taking a photo. |
Suzanne and Greg (ex-Sewardites) relocated to Maui several years ago. They took us up to the windmills for a private tour. It was a little nerve-wracking to stand underneath a giant windmill.
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| Nene! |
After hiking the Lahaina Pali Trail, we needed a break from the heat and sun. So we spent a couple hours at the
Maui Ocean Center. The facility reminded us of the sealife center, with different species of course. Baby green turtles were adorable!
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| Unicorn fish |
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| Humaumau. Frog fish! |
On a side note, I don't normally think of myself as being superstitious, but there was a strange coincidence of numbers. For example:
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| Our license plate had the AK area code on it |
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| Our unit number is the area code for Seattle where I used to live |
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| And the address for our condo is the same as our PO Box in Seward. |
Weird. Anyways. Storms hit Hawaii while we were there and flooding occurred around most of the islands. Even though it was raining, it was still warm enough to walk outside without a rain jacket!
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| Storm system moving through Hawaii |
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| Butts Only! |
I spend all winter bundled up, not noticing how much winter weight I've gained. Nothing like getting into shorts and a swim suit to send the message! It was really difficult for me to come back to Fairbanks. I'm going to have to figure out a way to make Fairbanks winters more bearable for me. Several solutions that I've thought of: spend more time in Hawaii during the winter, get to the gym more in the winter, ski/walk outside more (I haven't been skiing yet this season!), light therapy.
Days are getting longer. Before we know it, it will be spring in AK! That's what I keep telling myself anyways!
