Hawaii, Day Six
Ok kids, for those of you playing along, I'm finally on my last day in Hawaii. I still have a two week trip to Alaska that I need to blog about, as well as house renovations and wedding planning. Oh, the backlog of photos and blog entries.

Joe and I got up at the incredibly early hour of 7:30 am. Well, it isn't that early when you're in Hawaii and you are purposefully ignoring your jet lag. We had an appointment at the Hana Ranch to go horseback riding at 9 am. After a lovely leisurely breakfast on the porch we drove up to the ranch and met our horses. They were very gentle, of course, and easy to ride. Our guide took us through part of the ranch land with lots of cattle. I was a little scared of how the cattle (both cows and bulls) would react to our presence, but I worried for no reason. The cattle pretty much ignored us the entire time. Part of the ride is on land that is owned by Oprah and held in trust by the ranch. Hana is on the east side of Maui which is more of the rainforest/aerable land side of Maui. It is very desirable land for development (no need for irrigation) and for farming. Oprah owns about 100 acres near the Hana Ranch. While I'm sure the trust is mostly for tax reasons, I think it is commendable that the land is kept as farm/ranch land instead of being developed into a resort.

After the ride, Joe and I picked up a few things at Hasagawa's General Store and then went over to Wainapanapa State Park. When Joe was younger and his family would come to Hawaii, they would rent cabins (sort of roofed tents) in Wainapanapa State Park and the family would vacation there for the week. There is a black sand beach in Wainapanapa State Park and Joe's grandmother would come and watch them play on the beach. The park is now a big tourist destination so there weren't as many people on the beach. We did explore the beach and a small cave at one end as well as explore the paths in the area. We saw on guy climb to the top of a large vertical rock spit in the middle of the bay and dive off of it a few times to impress his friends.

After the park Joe and I went back to the house and had lunch before heading to Hamoa Bay. The house was on Hamoa Bay so it was a short walk (uphill, of course) to the public beach. There is a small sheltered cove but most of the water in the bay experiences a very strong undertow so swimming is very undesirable. We lay out in the sun for a while before heading back to the house for a final dinner. We grilled chicken and had pasta salad again. After dinner I made a CD of my pictures for everyone and then we went to bed.