aegoddess83

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.

Today we spent the day exploring the Hana area.

7 am – Joe and I get up a run. Joe does not mention that the road manages to go uphill both ways. I guess that is what you get for beach-front living.

9 am – Joe and I head out (along with his family) to the Seven Sacred Pools and Waimouku Falls. The area, O’heo Gulch, is actually part of Haleakala National Park but on the opposite side of the island. There aren’t any roads connecting the part of Haleakala where we hiked with O’heo Gulch.

10 am – Joe convinces me to hop in the Seven Sacred Pools. It is quite cool, but I’m glad I do it. The rest of his family sticks around and takes pictures.

11 am – We start hiking to Waimouku Falls. The falls were part of the scenery in the opening scenes of Jurassic Park. The hike is beautiful – lots of scenic overlooks as well as a large bamboo forest. It is nice to hike, even if is relatively easy. The falls themselves are beautiful, but it is hot and very sunny so we do not stick around for long.

1 pm – We have lunch at Lindbergh’s grave. It is in a very scenic spot over looking the ocean. His wife does not appear to be buried with him – or if she is, she is not commemorated.

2 pm – Joe and I test out the hot tub at the house. It makes us sleepy.

7 pm – The entire crew heads to the Hotel Hana-Maui to have a nice dinner and celebrate Joe’s parent’s wedding anniversary. The hotel Hana-Maui is a single-story building with lots of open-air areas with pools and plants. The restaurant is supposed to be the best in Maui and it lived up to it’s reputation. We started with cocktails and appetizers – Joe and I split vegetable tempura. Then we got to the main course, where I was the most adventurous and got grilled wild boar tenderloin. It came in a personal sized hibachi and I cooked it myself. There was also sushi rice to go with it. We had fun sharing stories, including the story of Mike and Kellie’s engagement. Choice quote of the evening: “Then, I realized I was sweating…not because I was nervous, but because I was in a room with 100 lit candles!”