Maui: Days 4-6

Sunday we spent the morning and early afternoon at an idyllic place called "Big Beach." It was a perfect beach day---calm, warm, clear ocean. I took a walk down the beach and followed a trail that I had seen some others taking...over some lava rock that restricted the ocean view beyond it. I was treated to a view of a nudist beach that I had to stop and watch for a bit---a large group of people, naked, is just funny. There was even one older gentleman, standing where the waves crashed, feet spread apart a bit, playing a flute. How can you not laugh?

In the afternoon we headed over to the other side of the island to a town called Paia: a modern day hippy paradise. Paia is a smallish, hip, artsy, funky town right on the coast where you'll see a high ratio of dreadlocks, tattoos, tie-dye, and vegan cooking. We hung out at a very "local" beach for awhile, watching the surfers. Then we had supper at a little fish house. The restaurant had long picnic tables that, when busy, you end up sharing with others. We had a series of very interesting conversations with people who lived there---a French Canadian, a former Air Force gentleman, and a young family who moved back to Maui a few days ago because the surfing in Seattle just wasn't the same.

Monday was a training day for Joe, so Rowan and I dropped him at the track and ran some errands. Then we brought him over to the training place where he can lift--met Dan's friend, Scott--and he got a good lifting in. Rowan and I hung out at a beach nearby while Joe lifted. Then we headed home and Rowan and I both took a 3 hour nap! Delicious...especially with a kid who seldom naps!This is a "rest" week for Joe, which means that he has Tues, Thurs, and Sat off from training. So Tuesday was a free day--and we decided to drive the Hana highway, or the "heavenly highway" as some call it. This road is a somewhat world-famous drive from the main town of Kahalui to the easternmost town in Maui, tiny Hana. The drive is equally famous for its tight, windy, constant turns and curves as it is for its breathtaking views of the coast, more shades of green than you thought existed, and enough waterfalls (as one guide book says) to induce a little bit of waterfall fatigue. If you drive the road without stopping, the 52 miles take about 2.5 hours. If you go leisurely, stopping to admire waterfalls, views, and hidden coves...it can take all day. That's what we did...and it was a marvelous day. We got to play in the pools beneath waterfalls, have entire beach bays all to ourselves (we drove down a short 4-wheel drive path and could not believe that no one else was there), see a red sand beach (with water so blue it looks fake), and really get a feel for an uninhabited Hawaii. Our only 2 conflicts of the day were 1. which things to see and which things to skip and 2. getting Rowan to leave wherever it was she fell in love with: especially the crystal clear pools under waterfalls.

Rowan has proven to be a bit of a cautious child. It takes a lot of encouragement for her to go in the ocean or to risk much of anything. The road to Hana was good for her---we had to climb down some tricky places to get to waterfalls, stood near cliffs with huge crashing waves below, and walked a path right along a rock ledge to get to the red sand beach. We were proud of her, and she was satisfied with herself, too.

To see some more pictures from the Hana Highway and days 4-6, click here.