After our dinner trip to Lahania we went home and slept, we had a big day ahead of us. We set an alarm, got up before the sun (or so) and headed down to the Makena Beach and Golf Resort for our Run for the Whales 5k!!! Julie's parent's dropped us off at the hotel and we went to register. Unfortunately the races aren't as organized as they are here in Colorado, so we had to wait for the 1/2 marathon to start, about 45 minutes, so it didn't help too much to get there early. Either way, we were ready to run at sea level and right next to the ocean. Bill and Debbie found us before the start, and took a pretty neat picture of us:
We both did really well, I set a PR with a time of 26:05, and Julie rocked it with a great race of her own!! Sea level is fantastic!! Fortunately it was a fabulous day, and the least windy day of our trip so far, which could only mean one thing, it was time to go snorkeling! Bill had scoped out a snorkeling outfit from a harbor not too far away which took us down to Molokini, one of the most popular snorkeling destinations in the world! The small island is a horseshoe shape which protects it from the surf, and keeps the water incredibly calm and clear. It was about an hour journey out from the harbor to the island, which meant along the way we had some incredible chances to whale watch. Upon arrival, Debbie and I opted to take a short snorkeling class since we had very little experience in the sport, however Julie and Bill were literally the first two in the water. Good job by them. In the interest of camera protection we didn't get many shots of the fish or the snorkeling, fortunately Debbie was able to shoot one of Bill and Julie in the water:
We had about an hour of snorkeling fun, where we got to see a great number of fish, coral, and even a small shark. Julie's favorites were the ones that looked like an angel fish, and the puffer fish, and I liked the huge schools of fish that rode in and out of the coral with the tides! Excellent. While we were a little sad to leave Molokini, the ride home was probably just as cool. Our captain was able to find a good number of whales, and even had to cut the engines a few times because they got so close to us! We saw some jump just in front of us, and few slap the water, which apparently means something cool, it was really fun to watch. The boat ride also gave us free access to beer and wine, and some chips which Debbie was able to collect for us.
We wandered the dock for a few minutes while Bill checked out a trimaran, then we went back for another amazing sunset on the beach, and some food. Since we had done so much, the next day we decided to take it easy, and relax a bit while on vacation! We took a trip down to Charlie Young beach for a few hours. This was Super Bowl Sunday, so I had a natural instinct to find a TV and watch the game, so back to the condo we went. It being Hawaii, it was only about 1 in the afternoon, so we had some lunch and settled in. I think the game put everyone else into a trance, because at halftime they ask me "Do you want to hike on some lava for 5 miles instead of sitting here and watching this?", to which I said, "Of course I do!!!".
Bill had heard of a hiking trail south of Makena (site of our epic 5k) which was the location of a lava flow from 1790, the last time this island was active. Along the flow there was a feature called the King's Highway, which brought people and goods up and down the island during the royal years, and connected several beaches together. Julie and I decided to go all the way to see what we could find, while Bill and Debbie were content to sit on a closer beach and check out some tidal pools. Our hike down was a bit difficult, as it consisted of a straight road on medium sized lava rock, which started to hurt our feet after a bit. After a few miles Julie found a turn off, and it was the highlight of the hike, a small and lovely secluded beach. And Julie found a big piece of coral that she was really excited about, but I wouldn't let her bring it home!
It was late in the day, but we were able to catch the sunset on the beach near the car on our way back. The streak continues!
The next day found us preparing for a long trip in the car, as we set our sights to Hana. The road to Hana is a very long (about 35 miles), windy and incredibly scenic road which winds along the east side of the island. The road has 620 and 59 bridges, 46 of which are one lane! The speed limit on the road is 30, however most of the time you are doing much less than that, as you are avoiding tour buses careening around corners, slower tourists and crazy locals doing 45! The best part is that at most of the one lane bridges and switchbacks there is either a waterfall or an incredible view of the ocean.
We stopped for lunch at Wai'anapanapa State Park, which features a black sand beach and a few caves carved out from the roaring ocean. Pictures are the best way to show how cool the trip was, so I'll let them take over:
At the end of the road is the Eastern edge of Haleakala National Park (see part 1) which offers some more hiking and typically seven excellent waterfalls. Unfortunately for us, this is the dry season for Maui, so all but one of the waterfalls was dry, and the other one was but a trickle. The ranger at the gate was nice enough to tell us about the lack of water before we paid our entrance fee again, so we were able to turn around and find an alternate activity. We found a lovely beach, and just off the beach is the place where Julie and I are going to build our retirement house, just need a few more volcanoes to go off!
Unfortunately our sunset streak ended this night, as we tried to stop for dinner along the way, but were thwarted by a band of hippies who have not showered recently! The next morning we woke up, ate some breakfast, and headed to the beach for the last time. We went to the 'Big Beach', which is, really...um...a big beach. That night we also missed the sunset at the beach, because we were flying home...how sad!
We had a great time and we can't wait to find our next adventure! Thanks for reading!
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