Hawaii 2012 - Part 2

This is part 2 of the blog detailing our Hawaii 2012 trip.  When I finished part one, we were biking down from the Haleakala Crater - 26 miles - after sunrise at the top of the volcanic mountain.  (Click here to read part one of this blog.)  So I'll get right back into it.  We stopped at Kula Ranch for breakfast and had a delicious breakfast overlooking the rest of the Maui.  This is one of the photos we took on the way down the mountainside.

view of Maui as we biked down Haleakala - Molokini is the islet to the left off the coast of Maui.

This is a photo we took on the way back to our Kipahulu paradise,   where we took a shower, napped, and made a spaghetti dinner - which we ate on our deck while the sun went down over Maui.

More Hana Highway Beauty

Our Thursday started with sleeping late, cooking, and eating breakfast at Ala'aina'.  After that, we went to the Hana side of the Haleakala National Park and hiked up to Waimoku Falls - which was arguably one of the most beautiful sights we saw on Maui.  It was a one hour hike past ancient trees,  through a bamboo forest, through streams and rapids to a breathtaking waterfall.  

upper side of the Seven Sacred Pools (Pools of 'Ohe'o)

Seven Sacred Pools (Pools of 'Ohe'o)

another waterfall on our hike from the Seven Sacred Pools up to Waimoku Falls

huge Banyan tree on the way up to the falls

some flowers in front of one of the falls 

 We started out our trip up to Waimoku Falls about 8:00AM, and that was plenty early enough to avoid tour buses that usually make their way over to Hana area around 10:00AM.  I think that we ran into two couples coming down the trail during our whole one-hour hike up the trail.  So if you want privacy, I recommend going up the trail earlier in the morning.  This next photo is kind of a joke between Mark and me.  One of the couples we met coming down as we were going up was a younger couple.  Mark usually approached younger couples who had cameras and asked them if they'd like to have him take their photo.  About the third time he did that, I asked, "Why are you always doing that?"  He said, "So they will feel like they have to ask us if we want them to take our picture."  After that I started calling him "The Lovers' Photographer".  So we have about half a dozen photos of the two of us together in Hawaii - thanks to my husband Mark, The Lovers' Photographer.

The next thing we saw on the way up to the falls was this bamboo forest.  As we learned from our guide on the bike trip, Koa, bamboo is an invasive species (as are at least 80% of all other plants and animals that are currently in Hawaii) and was brought there by Polynesians centuries ago.  It is bad for Hawaii because it grows at a rate of twelve inches per day and blocks light that needs to get to the rain forest floor to help the other plants to grow.  Invasive, yes, but it made the walk so much more beautiful!  It made for an almost otherworldly experience.

at the beginning of the bamboo forest part of our hike

And finally we got to Waimoku Falls!

the top 2/3 or so of Waimoku Falls.

Waimoku Falls was definitely worth the two-hour (round trip) hike up and back down the side of Haleakala.  I would suggest wearing good walking shoes that you can also get wet.  There was quite a bit of wading through rapids and deeper pools and puddles.  When you get to the bottom, you can explore the Seven Sacred Pools of Ohe'o a bit more.  We talked to the park guides for a good long time, and they were very helpful and informative.  We enjoyed that morning very much.  We stopped at a roadside food vendor and had our first Hawaiian "plate lunch".  It was delicious.  It consisted of any kind of grilled meat you liked (we had pork), white rice in a ball, potato salad, and beans.  It was delicious, and we watched a local man husking coconuts and prepping them for drinking as we were eating.

After we ate lunch, we headed back to the secret falls we had been to earlier in the week.  Since it had rained a little bit up in the mountains the day before, we had hopes that it would be flowing a bit more, and we were right!  This is how it looked during our second visit, and since we had already gotten our shoes wet earlier in the day, we just went in with our shoes on this time and had no trouble with the rocks on the bottom.  We spent awhile longer here that day, and we loved every minute.  We both did a lot more swimming than we had the time before this.  That's one off our "bucket list".

The next stop for a couple of nerds in Hawaii would have to be the churchyard where Charles Lindbergh was buried.  As we pulled up to the beautiful churchyard, it began to pour down rain.  So we went around from under one tree to under another tree - all over the yard, and it was fun.  We explored the grounds and marveled at how lovely it would be to be interred at such a serene location.  This churchyard is also right on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Lindbergh's burial site

After that, we made our way back to Ala'aina', took another shower, and spent the late afternoon into the evening looking up everything we could about Charles Lindbergh - who truly had a fascinating, philandering lifestyle - a fairly tragic character, actually.  (Yes, the definition of "nerd", but it was nice to have time to actually do something like that.) We enjoyed another dinner cooked in the outdoor kitchen, and we ate it on the deck as the sun went down on another lovely day in Maui.

On Friday, August 31st, we woke a little sad to be leaving the Hana side of Maui we had come to adore.  I, in particular, was not ready to be heading over to the Lahaina side - which is a bit more commercial than the rural Hana.  Hana felt like a true vacation - nowhere to go, no time constraints, no problems - just relaxation and rest.  

We packed up our rental car, and we headed back to Haleakala National Park to get one more look at the Seven Sacred Pools and to see if they were allowing swimming yet.  The water was running too high for swimming again that day, and we took a few more photos and headed to Hana Bay, a black sand beach, for a snorkel/kayak adventure tour with Hana Maui Snorkel and Kayak.  The owner was Kevin, and we happened to be the only ones he had booked for that day.  Kevin taught us how to ocean kayak... a first for us.  We both agreed that Kevin was an exceptional teacher and guide.  He prepped us, launched us, got us out in the bay, and walked us through the process of getting in and out of the kayaks and using our snorkel gear.  We had an amazing time learning from Kevin about snorkeling, the history of Maui/Hawaii, and about his life as a writer in Hollywood and his eventual retirement in Maui.  We both got a little seasick (Mark, in particular) from kayaking sideways alongside the surf, but Kevin led Mark over to a rocky cove and helped him get on the rocks to rest awhile.  In the mean time, Kevin had me follow his kayak (I - swimming behind) over to a huge, old sugar ship anchor that had long since sunk to the bottom of the bay.  I looked at it awhile, and I thought we had gotten several photos of it with our camera mask, but they didn’t come out right.  So that was a little bit of a bummer that Mark didn't get to see it, but he would later see something that I missed.  It was so neat to see all the sea life that had made a home in or on that old anchor.  The snorkeling in Hana Bay was perfect.  We enjoyed it immensely.  We would definitely recommend Kevin at Hana Maui Snorkel and Kayak.  He is very personable, and he only ever takes a maximum of 3 parties out at once to snorkel.  So it’s very intimate.  It was an ideal first snorkeling trip for Mark and me.  

Mark at the bottom of the Pools of Ohe'o' - where the fresh water meets the Pacific

more of The Pools

more of The Pools

We grabbed another plate lunch and some more coconut candy at Hana Bay, waved a melancholy goodbye to Hana, and we started our final Hana Highway drive back to the Lahaina side of Maui.

on the way to Lahaina

 The last portion of our stay was at Napili Surf condos in Lahaina.  It was a nice, quiet complex.  It was well-run and well-maintained.  It was perfect for us.  The best part of Napili Surf, we both agreed, was Napili Beach (pictured below) - in which the snorkeling was simply better than we ever expected.  We could grab our gear any hour of the daylight, swim out twenty yards, and see a plethora of sea life - from octopi to sea turtles to all kinds of brightly-colored fish.  We couldn't have asked for a better place to continue learning how to better use our snorkel equipment in a stress-free environment.  We spent our first evening in Lahaina restocking groceries at the local grocery store and unpacking our belongings.

The next morning, Mark spent the early hours out on the beach catching photos like this (while I was catching ZZZZZ's back in the room):

Mark's sunrise rainbow

During his sunrise walk, he saw this fantastic sea turtle right near him as he stood on the rocks with the camera.  I was seeing the insides of my eyelids at the time.  I’m sorry I missed the sight of the sea turtle, but I’m not sorry I missed 5:30 AM.  I was glad he got to see such am amazing sight.  He felt lucky.

his turtle "friend" swimming away

  
After I awoke, we spent that whole day shopping and sight-seeing in the Lahaina area.  We went to the Lahaina Whaling Village and Museum - which was perfectly fascinating.  We spent a good while there.  The museum especially was inexpensive and very well done.  We did quite a bit of shopping for souvenirs and for a dress for me for our upcoming luau dinner date.  We ate lunch at Lahaina Steak and Seafood and enjoyed that.

When I had booked the luau months earlier, I had looked specifically for the best luau experience on the islands.  Our son had spent a week in Hawaii earlier in the summer and had complained a bit about his luau experience - that it had been tacky and not very well done - in any way.  I stumbled across The Old Lahaina Luau because of Internet reviews.  It was said to be classy, historical in nature (giving a history of Hawaiian dance through the centuries), and extremely well done.  We found it to be all of that and more.  What a gem!  Going to The Old Lahaina Luau was the absolute best tourist entertainment we attended during our stay in Hawaii.  We got there early, and we were able to take advantage of several education stations they had in which they taught various Hawaiian skills (like wood carving, spear throwing, etc.).  I spent a few minutes making a bracelet of plumeria (beautiful and fragrant) for me to wear during the luau.

sun setting on the Old Lahaina Luau

my love and I at our table

the last photo I took as my phone camera died at the luau

Sunday, September 2 was our last full day in Hawaii.  Mark woke up early again, but this time he woke me up to go with him down to the beach for sunrise.  We did some beach combing and saw a lovely sunrise.  We ate breakfast in our condo and went to do some more snorkeling.  We spent that morning on Napili Beach.  

one of Mark's sunrise photos

a sunrise photo I took

and another sunrise photo

a photo I took of Mark as the sun rose over Napili beach (notice the moon)

 After lunch, we rested, packed a few things for our flight the next day, and got showered and dressed for our last night on the town in Lahaina.  We shopped again for some more last-minute souvenirs.  We ate another fine dinner seaside at the open-air Lahaina Steak and Seafood.  The highlight of our evening, however, was watching the sun set over Molokini.  Like so many other sights we had seen over the preceding 10 days, it was unusually breathtaking.  We snuggled on a sea wall next to the beach, took a few photos, and watched until the last ray of light sank behind the horizon. 

the sunset on our last night in Hawaii

 After the sunset, we made our last Coldstone Creamery visit in the Hawaiian islands.  We talked to the owner awhile and took our time walking back to our car.  As the salty, sea wind blew through my hair on the way back to our condo on that Sunday night, I felt unbelievably blessed to have been able to have the experience I had.  Although I know there are millions of beautiful places in the universe, I cannot imagine seeing one I am more in awe of than Hawaii.  From rolling pasture lands, to lush rain forest, to stark volcano craters, to majestic mountains, to rugged coastlines, to unique plant and animal life... I can't count the number of times I just put my hand up to my heart and all I could say was, "Oh... oh..." Sometimes there are no words adequate to describe an experience - and even trying to say words to describe it cheapen that experience.  I feel that with this blog.  I wanted to write it, but I didn't want to cheapen the experience.  We hope to return to Hawaii, but there will never be a time that could match (much less top) the time we had in 2012.  We were beyond blessed for having been there.  God couldn't have bestowed the grace of this trip on any two more undeserving people, but neither could any two people have been as completely awestruck and grateful for the blessing as Mark and I were.  

I hope the entirety of both blogs about our trip have been informative for anyone considering planning a similar trip.  As with the other, please feel free to ask any questions in the comment area.  

Hawaii 2012 Detail Blog - Part 1

I've needed to write about our trip to Hawaii for almost a year now, and I think it's a good time to reflect on the good/bad, etc. of our trip... mostly for us to recall for the future and partly for anyone who might be interested in taking a Hawaii trip in the future.  I have been asked by several people to detail the trip for information purposes - so this is not my average blog.  It will be largely informational.

First, a little bit about the timing of our trip - since so many have asked what a good time of year to visit Hawaii actually is.  We intentionally chose a time of year when many children would be heading back to school and out of typical "tourist season".  In the months prior to our trip I had heard horror stories of whole weeks of all-day rain and giant, man-eating mosquitoes, but I can honestly say that our entire trip was made of beautiful, 70-80 degree days, tropical breezes, light rains off and on throughout the days/nights, and plenty of rainbows.  I hear that this is truly typical Hawaiian weather.  The man at our luau teasingly told Mark, "Yeah, here in Hawaii we have four seasons too, you know,... football season, hockey season, basketball season, and baseball season."

We booked all of our flights/tickets by ourselves, because we wanted to split up the flights a little bit and see some family.  We left out of our local regional airport on Friday, August 24.  We stayed overnight with my sister and brother-in-law who were stationed (at the time) with The Navy in Southern California.  She picked us up late Friday night and took us to Jack-in-the-Box (a first for us) for a late supper.  The next morning we had a lovely breakfast with my sister, and she took us to the airport.  We knew we had a long flight ahead of us, and I was dreading it because of some back issues I had in July.  I had booked our flights with Alaska Air back in the Spring.  After my back injury, I called them back and asked about their in-flight policies on standing/walking (which are my favorite things to do these days).  She advised that the flight sometimes offers last-minute discounts on first-class fares and suggested snapping one up if given the opportunity at the gate.  We did just that, and it may have been one of our best decisions throughout the trip.  My physical therapist had also prescribed at TENS unit - which I used on all of our flights with no troubles at all.  I was a little worried that - with all the wires and buttons associated with the unit - it might cause a security issue, but it didn't.  We both agreed that this might be our only ever first class flight, and we intended to enjoy it.  It was heavenly - in just about every conceivable way.  The meals, drinks, entertainment, etc. were all exceptional and put us in the "Hawaii mood" - with flowers, native foods, etc.  Our experience with Alaska Air was overwhelmingly positive, and I would definitely fly with them again.

The rest of the trip description will consist largely of photos.

Our first view of the Hawaiian Islands from the plane

We arrived in Hawaii (after losing 5 hours total in flight) at 1:00 PM Hawaii time.  We stayed at the Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu Saturday night and Sunday night.

Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu

This photo was taken on our way to our first hotel.

First of many Hawaiian rainbows (Aug 25)

We picked the Ala Moana Hotel, because it was relatively inexpensive, close to the beach, and close to Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial - which was the whole reason we decided to spend any time on that particular island at all.  We found it very beautiful and luxurious inside.  We didn't make use of the valet services or the bell hops, and that saved us a bit of money.  Our room had a refrigerator defrost leak, and they promptly sent up a man to fix it.  The room was nothing particularly special, but we were only there for sleeping.  So it suited us very well.

The first night, we were pretty tired from two days of traveling.  So we checked out the area around our hotel, did a little window shopping, and then we ate supper here:

Bubba Gump Shrimp, Honolulu

We kind of hated ourselves for picking Bubba Gump, because we had eaten at some other Bubba Gump restaurants around the continental U.S. in the past and wanted to experience some new things, but it was close, and I really wanted seafood.  Most everything is outdoors in Hawaii.  Even the restaurants are mostly open-air.  The waiting area was open air, and the restaurant itself had nice breezes blowing through it.  It was a delicious meal, and we were happy to have gone.

We went on a short walk at the Ala Moana Beach Park across the street from our hotel and decided to head back to the hotel and snuggle in early, because between jet lag and an early morning tour at U.S.S. Arizona memorial scheduled for Sunday morning, we knew we needed some rest.

We arrived at Pearl Harbor memorial sites a few minutes late for our scheduled tour, but they let us aboard anyway.  We decided to tour The Arizona Memorial, the U.S.S. Bowfin submarine, and the Battleship Missouri.  All of these attractions were exceptional.  I would suggest that, if you're pressed for time, The Arizona Memorial and The Missouri are "must see" attractions.  We did the self-guided audio tours of all of the attractions, and we loved them.  They are all very well done.

U.S.S. Bowfin

A cute, little, old Hawaiian lady asked us if she could take our picture in several locations on the Bowfin.
Here is one of the photo outcomes - with us Geeking out in our headsets.

Our favorite part of the day's tours - The Battleship Missouri

Captain's Chair Me

We got back to the hotel around evening and ate supper at Ruby Tuesday near our hotel.  That night we spent more time at the Ala Moana Beach Park.  Maybe it was because it was a Sunday night, but it wasn't very busy at all.  There were a few couples here and there and a family of locals.  Best of all, there were some paddle-boarders just offshore.  The beach was quiet, the sun was setting in breathtaking fashion, and although I would say that Honolulu was my least favorite part of our trip (because it was city-like and congested), that Sunday evening was one of the most romantic of a very romantic trip.

my hunka man at Ala Moana Beach Park Sunday evening

me at same

Lovers/Friends

first toes in the Hawaiian water

paddle boarders on the horizon
made it seem like centuries gone by

After the sun set, we walked over to a shopping center that had a movie theater and a Cold Stone Creamery.  I had printed out several Internet coupons for Cold Stone Hawaii locations.  So we ate "meals" there a couple of times.  We sat in the beautiful, breezy outdoors and ate ice cream.  Then we walked back to the hotel and packed for the "puddle-jumper"to Maui the following day.  

We awoke Monday, August 27 to Facetime with the kids back home - which we loved, of course.  It took a bit of effort to keep track of what times they would be asleep, etc. because of the time difference.  So calling first thing when we woke up was always a good thing.  We checked out of the Ala Moana in the morning, and we set off to find a place for breakfast.  Apps like Yelp and Trip Advisor came in very handy on this trip.  We were able to get immediate reviews on local places and directions to same.  That morning, however, we were unable to locate any of the places we had mapped, and it was late morning.  Our flight was scheduled to leave Honolulu airport at 1:30 PM.  So we decided to go to the Hololulu airport early, return our rental car, and find a place to eat there - as it was flush with restaurants and shops.  Enter Go! Airlines.  It is an inter-island airline (and I use the term  "airline" very loosely).  I won't waste time making a full review of Go!, but it was an overwhelmingly negative experience.  The flight was late.  There were no attendants advising of flight status (or even one around to ask).  Their planes are old, and the baggage compartments are very small.  Therefore, traditional carry-on sizes wouldn't fit in luggage compartments and had to be checked at exorbitant fees.  The worst part was that the terminal was dislocated from the main Honolulu Airport terminal.  It was located in a very dated, broken-down building that housed another inter-island airline.  There was no restaurant, but there were $10 stale sandwiches (and I mean the kind you make yourself for lunch with regular bread) and $5 bags of chips at a stand at the end of the airport.  So that was our breakfast.   There is more to the story - no AC on the plane, interesting baggage handling practices, etc., but I don't want to do a full review here.  Suffice it to say I wouldn't suggest using Go! Airlines.  It is cheaper, but you get what you pay for when it comes to Go!. 

first view of Maui

Maui's Kahului airport

We flew into Kahului Airport in Maui, and it was another "open air" airport - dated but very pleasant.

Our first stop after we picked up our rental car was to the grocery store.  We picked up food for the four days we would be in the condo - which was located between Hana and Kipahulu on Maui's eastern coast.  Then we started our 3 hour drive to Hana.  According to wikipedia, "although Hāna is only about 52 miles (84 km) from Kahului, it takes about 2.5 hours to drive when no stops are made as the highway is very winding and narrow and passes over 59 bridges, 46 of which are only one lane wide. There are approximately 620 curves along Route 360 from just east of Kahului to Hāna, virtually all of it through lush, tropical rainforest. Many of the concrete and steel bridges date back to 1910 and all but one are still in use."  My husband drove the whole time, and he found the northern part of the Hana Highway to be a challenging drive, but it was the southern part of the road (past Hana) that was truly more treacherous.  The south road was barely paved in many places and had many steep, cliff-like edges without guard rails.  The locals take both north and south roads at what we inexperienced Hana Highwayers would consider break-neck speeds, but the southern road is more treacherous by far and is consequently one of the areas not covered by rental car contracts.  Admittedly, we did drive the south road in the middle of the night to get to our sunrise bike tour, but that comes later.  

surfers on the Maui's north shore

We learned a little about Hawaiian politics.

This is from our first drive up The Road to Hana.

more surfers on the north shore

The side of the road opposite the coastal side was almost all ranch/farm land,
which we found very interesting in the middle of the tropical landscape.

Northeastern Shore of Maui

hidden gully

Notice the rain in the background of this photo.  We found this was typical of Maui weather - lots of sprinkles/misty rain that would last for a few minutes with the sun still visible in the sky.

I took this as the sun had finally set on our first trip to Hana.

We arrived at Ala'aina' Ocean Vista Bed and Breakfast after 10:00 PM on the 27th, and we settled in for the night.  As we were taking things from the car to our room, we kept hearing loud thuds - as things were hitting the ground around us, and we found out the next day that they had been ripe mangoes that were falling from centuries-old mango trees in the yard.  Fortunately, we made it to our room without being hit by flying fruit and started checking out the place in the dark.  I have to say I loved Ala'aina.  I could live there.  I could die there.  It was one of the most sincerely serene places I've ever been.  It was completely run on solar power, and the water system consisted of reclaimed rain water.  My husband wasn't a huge fan of that system - because the electricity was a little dim at night, the LP gas refrigerator was a little warmer than he would have liked, and water didn't get hot right away.  I thought these were small prices to pay for the blessing of relaxation.  There was no AC, but, honestly, even when we had the option of AC on the trip, we never used it.  We just opened windows, and we were more than comfortable - as if humanity was designed with a mild tropical climate in mind.    I wasn't able to use curling iron, blow dryers, or things like that, and that made it feel like vacation to me!  There are few places/times in my life when I've felt completely free to go all "hippie"... wear what I like, let my hair run wild, etc.  (If you know me at all, you will be thinking right about now, "Let her hair run wild?  I thought she always did that."  To that I can only say that I've become fairly certain that my hair is its own entity, and I do my best to tame it.)  Without beauty tools at my disposal, I felt free... and the birds quite possibly felt a sudden sense of security - as if nesting materials might temporarily be in more abundant supply.  

We spent the next morning exploring the property of Ala'aina Ocean Vista, and these are some of the breathtaking things we saw:

view to the south of the room

view to the east of the room

beautiful gardens at the bottom of the stairs off our deck

view inland (behind) the property
The tree to the far left is a century-old mango tree.  The tree in the middle foreground is an avocado tree.

My absolute favorite feature of this property, the outdoor shower and tub were located just outside our living quarters in the middle of the garden overlooking the ocean.  Although the room had an indoor glass block shower, we enjoyed these facilities so much more!  It was a first for me to bathe outdoors, but it was a perfectly lovely, one-of-a-kind experience I'll never match.  If I ever had the chance myself, I'd definitely make one of these tubs a part of my garden.  The tub drained out into the garden area and fed the plants.

a snail friend we found in one of the gardens

the main house of Ala 'aina' Ocean Vista

The Hana Highway - south road... This was the more treacherous part of the drive - although extremely beautiful and secluded.  This was on our way to an out-of-the-way waterfall that Samahdi (the B and B owner) told us we could hike to and swim in alone.

some fresh avocado from one of the trees at Ala'aina'

We had gone down to the waterfall that Samahdi had told us we would find to be romantic and deserted - both of which were true.  It hadn't rained much in the few days prior to our going there.  Consequently, there was only a trickle of water flowing over the rocks into the pool below.  The pool was shallow at the edges and deep in the middle and very chilly.  The air temperature in the sun in Hawaii is a tropical 78-85 degrees on average.  In the shade of this rocky area, the air temp was probably around 72.  The water was frigid.  However, I decided that swimming in this pool was a must.  I knew I might never have the opportunity again.  So I went in up to my waist.  After MUCH convincing, Mark came out with me, and we swam awhile.  When I went to get out, my feet were very tender in response to the rocks on the pool bottom.  Mark teased and teased me the whole way out of the pool - saying I looked like a monkey.

Me in the waterfall pool - notice the small trickle of water over the rocks...

This next series of photos is of one of my favorite moments in Hawaii... definitely one of my favorite moments in our married life.  This was a visual representation of how our marriage most often works.  We are laughers.  We tease one another.  We can laugh at ourselves and each other without fear of hurt feelings or insecurity.  It is so nice to be that kind of vulnerable with another person.  It's not uncommon for us to laugh until we can't breathe, but this is the only time to date that marital phenomenon has been captured photographically.

When Mark saw this, I asked him if he'd be embarrassed if I posted it on Facebook, and he said, "There was a time when I wouldn't have liked that, but I'm fine with it.  It's funny."  One of his friends from work gave me a hard time, saying he wouldn't appreciate the posting, but happily I was able to respond that I had asked him,and he was fine with it.  Totally secure in who he is, he is more attractive to me every day.

These are some interesting trees we saw on the hike to the falls.

After spending Monday exploring the private falls, we headed back to spend the afternoon/evening making dinner and enjoying a quiet evening at Ala'aina'.

View from our deck

the dining area - outdoors like most everything else was

the view from the deck into part of our bedroom/bathroom

The outdoor kitchen was one of my other favorite parts about this property.  We cooked many delicious meals out here on the burner.  The refrigerator was LP-powered and whisper quiet.  The area was perfectly adequate for cooking.

our unmade bed - happy to say I didn't make a single bed the whole vacation 

the big, beautiful glass block shower (didn't get much use because of the outdoor option)

The second night we stayed in Kipahulu (August 28) we traveled the south Hana road to a bike company that did sunrise bike tours from the top of the Haleakala volcano crater to the base of the mountain.  We were really looking forward to this part of our vacation.  We went to bed early the night before the tour, and we woke up at 12:30am to get to the bike company on the other side of the island by 3:00am.  We saw some wild pigs and some mongoose on the way there.  We really enjoyed the tour.  It was very educational and just, plain fun.  The top of the mountain was a little chilly and rainy during the sunrise time, but there were hot drinks and snuggling in the visitor's station at the top of the mountain, and we got in on that and made the best of a rainy morning.  We stopped for breakfast on the way down the mountainside at a restaurant that overlooked the rest of the island and ocean.  It was fantastic.

at the top of Haleakala bike tour staging area

On the way back up to Ala 'aina' we got to see more of the Hana Highway in the daylight hours.  We stopped for some fresh pineapple and shave ice.  We stopped at some roadside markets and got some souvenirs.  Mark bought me a flower shell necklace.  We got home toward evening and cooked dinner in the outdoor kitchen and turned in early.

some of the falls on the Hana Highway

This concludes part one of the blog about the Hawaii 2012 trip.  There is a lot more to come, but I have to pace myself time-wise.  It has taken me a week to get this one done.  I hope it was informative.  If you have any questions, leave them in the comment area, and I'll try to get back to you.