March 18, 2017

Today we landed on Maui.  We upgraded our rental car to a Jeep.  Best decision ever!  And we started our day-long journey around the island on the famous Road to Hana.

All I can think is that when God created the earth, he spent a lot of extra time on Maui.  Somehow, some way, I am lucky enough to be here to see it.

We were so excited to get out on the open road!

We pulled over into a parking lot and changed into our swimsuits--literally changed right next to the Jeep!  We were feeling the true Aloha spirit!

The Road to Hana is so extremely lush and tropical.  It is miles and miles of narrow winding road with massive waterfalls right on the side.  It opens to gorgeous vistas of the clear, blue ocean, and rises and falls through forests and beaches.  It smells and feels amazing.

Greg and I put the top down on the Jeep and in the most relaxed way possible, drove along the Road to Hana with an audio guide on my phone leading the way.  It was so breathtaking we almost couldn't take it all in.  I just don't think anything I can say will do it justice.  We took lots of pictures, smiled and laughed as we went, loved driving the Jeep, and had one of our most amazing days ever.

When I started to get a little carsick, I climbed into the driver's seat and took a turn driving.  I've never considered driving all that fun.  But let me tell you, in a Jeep, with the wind whipping your hair, on the Road to Hana, around an island, driving was an absolute blast!!

We hiked down into a ravine so that we could get close to the Three Bears waterfalls--a big one, a medium one, and a small one.  Awesome!

The Three Bears Waterfall

A kiss for good luck!

We stopped at the famous black sand beach.  We hiked down into some hidden caves, which were eerie, a bit.  Then we hiked down to the beach.  Black, crushed, volcanic rock makes the beach look the way it does.  And the view out to the ocean was incredible.

The Black Sand Beach has a cool arch carved out of the rock jutting out into the ocean.  It was beautiful!

Getting a feel of the Black Sand Beach!

My Hot Husband --whistling at me as I walked back. :)

I could've looked at this all day.

I'm feeling pretty happy to be alive!

Relaxin' while waiting for lunch at the beachside Hana Cafe.

Koki Beach.  Wow--one of the most beautiful little beaches on the island.

Koki Beach--we wished we could stay here all day.  

Our last stop was this crazy long hike up to an enormously tall waterfall.  It nearly killed us because it was very steep and five miles round trip!  After flying the red-eye flight all night, hiking and exploring all day, and being out in the hot sun, we were exhausted.  We were drenched in sweat, but we persevered.  They used to allow you to swim under the falls, but due to recent flash flooding, swimming was prohibited.  Darn... we were hot.  A good portion of the hike was through the bamboo forest.  It was amazing.  As the wind would blow, the bamboo would knock against each other and make this strange noise, like a wind chime.  It was shady and thick.  We loved it.

Resting in the Bamboo Forest

Apparently, bamboo grows really fast!

We made it to the falls, but swimming wasn't allowed.  It was still beautiful to see the tall, cascading falls.

Driving for hours, trying not to hit any cars coming around the bend on a one-lane road!

WHAT A DAY!!

To finish the day, we got back into the Jeep and continued on around the island.  Most people turn back because the road gets a little treacherous, but we pushed on.  We drove a few more hours on narrow, windy roads, switching off drivers, until we eventually made it to Wailea and our absolutely gorgeous hotel--The Grand Wailea.  Exhausted and dirty, I climbed into a hot bath while Greg took a hot shower.  Then we fell into the bed, which faces the balcony and the ocean.  We watched the sun set in to the water.  Then, we left the glass doors open and fell asleep to the sounds of the waves and the breeze of the island...

...and it was only 7:30 p.m.  I'll always remember the day we drove The Road to Hana.