Maui: Days 1-3

In October we left Michigan and headed west---arriving 10 days later in Isleton, California. December rolled around, and we figured, why not? Let's keep going west.

So this blog is being posted from the lovely island of Maui.

For those of you who didn't know we were in Hawaii, let me explain. The primary reason for being here is Joe's training. For one, Coach Dan is traveling to conferences and clinics for much of the next 2 weeks. For two, Dan has a good friend here on Maui who coaches elite athletes in sports like windsurfing...and has offered to let Joe train with him at his facility here on the island. Dan is really excited about Joe training with this guy--one of the weaknesses that they have discovered has to do with Joe's core strength, and the coach here is an expert at getting that part of the body aligned and firing correctly. And for three, the weather is getting colder in Northern California. Finally, being in California, we scored some amazingly cheap tickets to get here.

In addition, we have 2 dear friends from Jonesboro who are currently in Maui: Bubba (who grew up in Maui, and is living here right now) and Daniel (who is on an extended visit, which may turn semi-permanent). They are both training for the pole vault. Three years ago, Joe and I visited Hawaii (the Big Island) for Tye and Amy's wedding...and fell in love with the place. We weren't expecting it...we were expecting leis, luaus, and touristy stuff. But we discovered this wild, often uninhabited, unbelievably beautiful place. We always knew we'd come back.

We arrived on Thursday--just one day after the huge storm hit (you may have seen it on the news--lots of flooding, damage, huge waves). It had been raining here for days. After an enthusiastic welcome at the airport from Daniel (leis included), we settled in for the night. It was still raining. Rowan had gotten up early that morning to travel, then had an exhausting day of travel by train, bus, and plane...and konked out at 5:00 PM Maui time...only to wake up at 4:00 AM, ready for the day. Let's just say that Rowan and I got a lot done by 8:00 AM Friday, including a trip to the beach, some grocery shopping, and a date at a coffee shop.

We spent the day getting oriented and checking out facilities, then headed "up-country" to Bubba's dad's house in Kula, which is on the side of Mt. Haleakala, an inactive volcano. We got to spend Friday night at a hunting lodge with Bubba and another friend at about 6,500 elevation on the side of the volcano. It was a rustic place, no electricity...and we were treated to a tasty meal that Bubba prepared from a freshly hunted pig. We had a big fire and hunkered down for the night. We woke up early Saturday morning and drove the rest of the way up the volcano (about 10,000 feet), hoping to get a good look at the crater. As we drove, it alternated between fog, rain, dense fog, clear blue skies, rainbows, and finally dense rainy fog at the top. We hung around for awhile hoping it would clear, but no such luck. The terrain was interesting, and we had a few nice views on the way down...but we'll have to go back if we want to really see the crater.We had to get back down the mountain for Joe's workout---so Rowan and I dropped him off at the track and headed to the beach. This is part of what we love about Hawaii: in less than an hour's drive, you can completely change weather systems. While the volcano was cold, windy, and rainy...and we slept cuddled under down blankets at the hunting lodge....the beach just below was a perfect 82 degrees with clear blue skies. Rowan went from winter clothes to a bathing suit, from shivering to slathering on sunscreen.

There is a great track here, centrally located in Kahului, that Joe can use for any of his training other than lifting (which he will do with Dan's friend). After we picked Joe and Daniel up from the track, we went to a place called Iao Valley, hoping for a post-workout dip in the chilly river. The actual Iao Valley Park was closed (a lot of county parks are closed right now as they try to recover from the storm), but we found an entry-point to the river and some of us (Joe, Daniel, and Rowan!) enjoyed the refreshing water. We also got to climb a banyan tree. We hope to get back to Iao Valley when it opens up---there are supposedly some stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

It was approaching dark, so we rushed back up to Kula where Daniel promised an amazing view of the sunset. We hurriedly put Rowan in the back-pack so we could do the 15 minute hike and beat the sun...and it was well worth it. Maui was formed by 2 separate volcanoes that are connected in the center by land at sea-level...and our view was from one mountain-side, over the valley, to the other mountain....with full views of the ocean to the left and right. There are some pictures on Flickr that will hopefully do it some justice. This place is hard to describe.

Rowan seems to be doing well with all the new places and routines---she told us tonight, in the cow pasture watching the sunset, that she would "be right back, I'm going on a little 'venture." She's also been very talkative with new people and is sleeping decently. She was excited about the volcano, asking Joe lots of questions about it....and was disappointed that we didn't get to see anything at the top. She loves the beach...chases the waves and doesn't want to leave. I remember thinking when we were here 3 years ago (I was 7 months pregnant) that we would never get to take a trip like this again. I was very aware that it was our "last" trip before our lives would seriously change with a baby. But here we are....it's a bit different, slower in some ways because of Rowan's pace and Joe's daily training. But it is so good to see Joe continue to get stronger, and to come alive with good daily doses of vitamin D from the sun. Plus, it would have been hard to anticipate 3 years ago how much joy there is in watching your kid splash through the waves, laughing in pleasure, and discover new things for the first time (a waterfall, a rainbow, surfers)--and that THAT may beat out the freedom (and ability to sleep in!) that traveling without a kid offered.

Parenthood is full of surprises.

To see some more photos, click here. I added some descriptions under a few pictures. Stay tuned for more photos in the coming days!