The Schroeder's

As we continued down the road, our next big stop was Black Sands (or something like that). This is where the lava rock has been ground down by the tide for so long that it becomes like sand. It was pretty cool.

Up away from the beach was a blow hole that blew while we weren’t looking one time and then we sat around waiting for it again but it didn’t happen while we were there (of course). But we did see some really intelligent people, like this guy.

He even made stupid comments like yelling “Hey (whoever), do you have my life insurance card?” and I had the camera at the ready, just in case.  But, alas, nothing happened.  Oh well, guess we weren’t that lucky in that situation.

Closer to the beach front we saw a lava tunnel that led to the beach.  We ducked into one and did the  whole “we’ll take your picture if you take ours” thing with two other people.

As we wound our way around the island we realized it was after lunch time and we were getting pretty hungry.  So we stopped at a place that supposedly was the best of the 3 places to eat in Hana.

Well, if that’s the case, then I have a suggestion for you.  DON’T EVER LIVE IN HANA.

Ordering was an experience, as the woman behind the counter could not have possibly cared less if we were there or wanted food.  They acted like we were freaks for asking if they had sides and the prices were steep for just getting a sandwich (yes even for Hawaii standards).

Somewhat satiated from lunch we continued our trek around the island.  You have a choice once you reach Hana.  You can either turn around and go back the way you came, or you can go all the way around.  We figured what the heck, let’s go around.  The road turns into a 1 – 1.5 lane dirt road for about 30 miles once you get a little ways past Hana.  You’re driving along the side of the mountain with the ocean on your left.  It’s a great view but you definitely have to keep an eye on the road and do some crafty maneuvering if a car is coming from the other way.  Fortunately not too many cars come the other way around the island, most go through Hana first.

I actually found the southeast shore to be more scenic than the Road to Hana because the back side of Haleakala looks really cool.  Somewhere along the road we stopped for a few minutes because there were some whales playing off shore.  Since no boats come around often they were just jumping without regard.  We probably saw them do some almost full jumps 5-6 times and a whole lot of other glimpses of action.  It was awesome.

Now a word to the wise.  When you pass a place on the southeast shore that says “Last stop for 20 miles”, take note.  They’re not lying.  If you have a pregnant woman with you, it’s a good idea to stop.  20 miles isn’t far, but on that road it’s forever.  Erin made it through, but it did involve swerving into a state park so she could run.

Our final stop was at the Paia Fish Market.  It was written up as being pretty good and my sister and Nathan had highly recommended it so we figured it was worth the trip.

I ordered some cajun fish tacos for dinner and Erin got something that had chicken in it I think.  It was quite tasty if I may say so myself.

I took a picture of my dinner but it doesn’t do it justice.

And after a long, long day, we got back to our B&B to crash for another night.  If only the people across the street hadn’t been playing poker that night…

Day 2 on Maui took us on a 9.5 hour drive around the island on the well known road to Hana.

Hana Hwy

We started off with a book from the bed and breakfast that had a bunch of places along the highway to stop and see some great sights.  It had something for almost every mile.  We got a little confused at the beginning because APPARENTLY along the highway the mile markers reset after about 15 miles and we didn’t know that.  So when it said there was something at the 11 mile marker it was actually the SECOND 11 mile marker.  Who knew?

The road is incredibly windy and Erin had to stop reading while riding due to car sickness, so we would pick one stop, go there and then pick the next.

A View Along The Road to Hana

One of the places that was suggested for stopping for some good banana bread was Aunt Sandy’s Banana Bread.  According to the book it was better than one of the more well known stops a few miles down the road.  So we stopped and got a little loaf to try and I have to say, I’m glad we did.  I can’t say it was the best I’ve ever had, but it was pretty darn good.

Aunt Sandy's Banana Bread

A little way down the road from Aunt Sandy’s (away from the main road) was a baseball field with restrooms attached.  We had to stop by there (for some reason, with a pregnant lady, bathrooms became a common theme) and I got chance to see a Hawaiian baseball field.  Let’s just say it’s not exactly a high priced complex, but it definitely gets the job done.

Hawaiian Baseball Field

Now let’s fast forward to a stop between miles 22 and 23.  According to our guide book there would be “an awkward trail on the ride side of the upper falls, but if you go past it for 5-10 squishy minutes there’s a much heavier untapped falls and pool just above the diversion ditch that’s taking much of the lower falls’ water.  When the trail gets to the elevated waterway, you have to walk along it, then across. Only 100 more feet upstream is your prize.  The falls make an ideal photo op – you know, the ME UNDER A WATERFALL shot.”

So off we went, and it was definitely muddy.  We were both wearing sandals (not exactly the best choice for hiking) and I lost my sandal in the mud more than once.  I went barefoot for a while until we had to cross some areas with a decent amount of rocks.  My tender feet weren’t quite ready for that.  It was a bit more than 10 minutes when we found the elevated waterway that we had to walk across, so we did.  At this point we’d probably been walking 15 minutes.

We walked the 100 feet and saw no waterfall.  So we kept going…and going…and saw this.

Not exactly an under the waterfall shot.

So we had to walk back.  A failed 25-30 minute hike to see an awesome waterfall and getting quite muddy in the process.  We crossed back over the elevated waterway.

When we finally got back to where we started we decided to take a picture with the waterfall that was there at the beginning.

We’ll continue the Road to Hana a little later.

Well, that was a nice 9 day vacation if I may say so.  A welcome respite after 2.5 years of grad school, boards and generally needing to get away from work for a while.

We flew into Maui on Tuesday afternoon and stayed until Saturday morning, enjoying our time at our bed and breakfast.  There were some oddities though, note below.

Main Door to Our B&B

You’ll notice that the caption is “Main Door to Our B&B” but you’re looking in the bathroom.  You didn’t read that wrong.  The front door really did go into the bathroom.  Don’t know who laid that out but it was unique to say the least.

Let’s move on to the actual fun stuff.

The first full day we had we headed out to Molokini Crater to go snorkeling.  See some reef and later swim with some sea turtles.  We can’t post any pictures from the actual snorkeling because a) our digital camera isn’t waterproof and b) we didn’t have a disposable waterproof camera at that point.  BUT, here are a few from the trip.

View towards Molokini

Whale Tail

Backside of Molokini Crater

A Little Whale Action

So not only did we get to swim, look at coral and sea turtles, but there was definitely a LOT of whale action going on.  We got to see some pretty good jumps and a lot of tail.  There was a constant lookout for whales through the entire trip and frequently we weren’t disappointed.  All in all a very worthwhile way to spend about half a day in Hawaii.  As you can tell, it was a beautiful day for a boat ride.

And here’s the best part…

Hours in a boat, in the sun, and barely a pink body part between the two of us.  The tops of my feet got a little pink and Erin got some pink cheeks (face) but all in all a very good trip for two incredibly white people.

And last but not least, a picture of the pregnant one on the back of the boat trying to avoid the sea sickness.

The Pregnant One

Up next…

The Road to Hana