The Road To Hana

This is actually a postponed blog.  We took a day trip the day after our helicopter tour and I never got around to blogging on it.  I have enclosed a map of Maui (see bottom photo/map).  It makes the phrase "the road to Hana" make much more sense.  So, we live in the western/middle southern coastal town of Kihei and the town of Hana is located on the far east coast of the island.  Scott (one of our gracious hosts) was our tour guide.  I didn't quite fully understand how a 52 mile drive to an east coast town would take all day or require such an early AM departure time. 

However, our 1st stop to Hookipa Beach Park on the North Shore quickly and wordlessly (is that even a word?!?!) explained exactly what our 10+hr day would entail.  Countless stops along the road held everything from majestic waterfalls, lava tubes, historic land marks, beautiful beaches, trails to hike, gardens, kiosks ran by the locals, and national parks. You name it we saw it!  I will not attempt to explain and relive each and every stop; it would be an impossible task. We have uploaded all our photos into an album on my Face Book.  Regardless of your relationship to either of us, please feel free to friend request me so you can see all the pictures.  They are worth the time!

Ryan drove (ALL DAY) slowly and carefully (not really, he drove like a local but did a FANTASTIC job, the roads where treacherous at some points).  We definitely did not make it to every stop that was available to us.   Regardless of this fact, it still seemed as though in a day we were able to see everything!  While one stop would be lush and cool the next would be polar opposite, completely dry and barren.   The beaches ranged from white sand to black to red.  Not one waterfall, stand or flower was the same. 

I had assumed that once we reached Hana, our trip would merely consist of a quick ride home.  Well, we all know what they say about assuming!  Apparently there are no roads that run through the island.  The way home was going to either consist of turning around and returning the way we had come (along with all the other tourists) OR  (and this was the way we chose), continue on the road that would continue to outline the southern coast to the point in which we could actually see the lights of Kihei but where then suddenly led all the way back up north and west in order to reach civilization.  Does this make any sense?  Again I urge you to take a look at the map.  ("The Road" is outlined in yellow.)

The ride home might as well have been on another planet!  At some point the road tranformed from smooth black pavement to bumpy red dirt with a cliff side view.  As the sun set on the southern coast we had a front row seat.  I loved this half of the trip just as much as all the obvious beauty that had come before.  Between the landscape and the random shacks with the "true" locals out on in their yards I felt like I belonged to this island.  Perhaps it was the incredible darkness or the roads that were randomly scattered with a loan cow or chicken, but something left me feeling as though I was back in Ghana, Africa and on my way to visit one of the grass hut tribes.  I was in heaven.  Just the day before we had been up in the clouds viewing this beautiful oasis from above, today it was hands on, it put us smack dab in the middle of all the grandeur.