Kealia Costal Boardwalk

    Birdwatching was on the agenda today.  I have been collecting new birds in my journal all week, but today we went to a half mile long boardwalk that meanders between the ocean shoreline and a large wetland and pond.  There are 42 species of birds found only on the Hawaiian Islands, 31 of them are on the endangered species list.  There are also many species like the Cattle Egret which were not native to Hawaii, but once introduced to the islands have thrived.  In addition to the birds who live here year round there are also some who make the more than 2000 mile journey from Alaska, California, Japan, Australia and Polynesia.  

     As more and more land is developed for the tourist industry birds are losing their natural habitat.  Hawaii is working with the Federal Government in developing wildlife sanctuaries to protect the remaining species.  Across the highway from the boardwalk is the Kealia National Wildlife Refuge.  A big, new Visitor Center was built there, but wasn't open today.

     I have a bird identification app called IBird on my Ipad.  It lets me search for birds with dozens of identifying items - color, size, habitat, shape of the bill, color of the eyes etc. etc.  It is so much better than a book.  Once I have identified the bird I can record it in a journal on my IPad - where I saw it, the weather, how many.  I keep a list of birds visiting my home bird feeder, another list of birds at the cabin, and a "traveling" list.  I have added a dozen birds on this trip.  Today I added a Hawaiian Stilt, a Hawaiian Coot, a Black-crowned Night Heron and a Pacific Golden Plover.  The Plover flies here from Alaska!  One of the most flourishing of the species is the Maui chicken - they show up everywhere!

    We had fish tacos for lunch at Maui Tacos, yum.  Then a quiet afternoon while I worked on my Hawaiian appliqué quilt.  This evening we joined friends Margo and Jon from the Ullr Ski Club who are also in Hawaii this week.  We strolled around downtown Lahaina and then had an amazing dinner of Macadamia nut crusted Mahimahi and watched the sun set.  All in all a fabulous day!

Iao Valley State Monument

      After another cool night we were happy to feel the weather warming up.  I packed a picnic lunch and we drove deep into a valley in The West Maui Mountains or the West Maui volcano.  The Hawaiians call it Maui Komohana.   This very old volcano makes up the western one-quarter of Maui.  Since the eruption 320,000 years ago, the West Maui Mountains have undergone a lot of stream erosion.

    This erosion has created the Iao Valley Monument- a foliage covered rock which abruptly rises 1200 feet from the valley floor.   In the early days of Hawaii it was used as a lookout to spot invading enemies.  Today a series of walkways take you across a small river, around a nice botanical garden and  finally up 132 stairs to a lookout (not the top of the needle).  I am happy that I wasn't huffing too much more than some of the younger folks when I made it to the top.

     The valley is one of the rainiest places in the U.S., but today the sun was shining.  However the rainforest was very green and just bursting with flowers.  Our tour guide app told us about the history of the area as we drove.  This valley is the site of the battle of Kepaniwai where the forces of Kamehameha I from Hawaii Island conquered the Maui army led by Kalanikupule in 1790.  It was called the "Battle of the Clawed Cliffs."  It is known as one of the most bitter battles fought in Hawaiian history.  Ultimately it led to unification of the Hawaiian Islands.

    There's nothing but steep walkways and a parking lot at the monument so we drove back a short ways to  Kepaniwai Memorial Park.  This park honors the many immigrants who played a role in the history of the Hawaiian Islands. There are several covered picnic shelters and a number of other structures including traditional Hawaiian dwellings and homes of the people who came from Portugal, China, New England, the Philippines, Japan, and China. It was a very pretty place for a picnic.

We came back to the condo and discovered several green turtles playing in the surf just two yards from the sea wall.  We watched them for a while and then took a nice swim.  Getting out of the water was a challenge today with both high tides and high surf.  We both ended up crawling out covered with sand.  Just like the turtles!  I'm not sure I am rid of all the sand yet.  Hahaha. 

Maui Sugar Industry

    We did a lot of baking at my house when I was growing up so C&H Pure Cane Sugar from Hawaii was a staple.  We have seen sugar cane fields in the rich volcanic earth in the valley between the two volcanoes here on Maui.  On our trip to Hana we saw some of the irrigation ditches and tunnels that bring water from the wet side of the island to the valley.  As we went from the airport to our condo on the opposite side of the island we drove past an old sugar processing plant.  There was also a small sign for a "sugar museum."
     Today we visited the Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Museum which is housed in a sugar plantation manager's residence.  This was a pretty home with high ceilings, big rooms, and tall windows.  The thousands of immigrants brought here from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, as well as smaller groups from Norway and Germany lived in multi-roomed buildings like barracks. These many ethnic groups eventually blended into the rich cultural mix that is Hawaii today.

     When the sugar workers went to the fields they brought lunch in a box.  As they shared their favorite foods the Hawaiian "mixed plate" lunch of rice, salad, veggies and shredded meat was born.  It was one thing Jennifer was determined to eat when she and Arik came here on their honeymoon.

    As tourism grew, sugar plantations diminished and there's only one producer left still shipping sugar to California to be packaged as C&H (California and Hawaiian) Sugar. The museum was small and we only spent an hour there but learned a lot about Hawaiian history.

    On our way to the museum we saw a Target store!  So I was finally able to get a cord for my camera to link it to my Ipad and download pictures.  There's a lot of beautiful ones.  I have included on from the top of Haleakala.  

     The weather remains unusually cool and somewhat windy, but the sun is bright and flowers blooming outside my window.  

Stormy weather

     Despite forcasts for rain we have just had a lot of wind today.  A cool front moved in last night and brought grey skies and a strong wind.  We closed the big slider to the lanai for the first time to keep our living room a little warmer.  It was damp and overcast this morning, but soon the skies turned blue and the weather got warm except right by the water.

    Time zones made this Super Bowl Sunday start early.  We watched a bunch of the pregame shows as Terry and Connie packed for their trip home.  In honor of their last day we went to a Hula Show at the Lahaina Cannery Mall.  This is one of the free shows offered around the island.  Several generations of a few Hawaiian families participated in the show.  Our favorites, by far, were three little boys who danced with great flair and athleticism.  It was a fun show.  

    We got back to the condo to watch some of the football game and to enjoy the commercials.   We also stepped out on the lanai and watched a bunch of  kite surfers who were taking advantage of the strong winds.  It is a beautiful and scary sport.  Finally it was time to drive the about 50 minutes across the island to the airport.  

    As we approached the airport we saw a cruise ship in port.  This explained why there were so many busloads of visitors in Lahaina.  Many of the ships anchor off Lahaina where most of the historical stes and shops enjoyed by cruisers are.   This huge boat was in the Kahului port on the commercial side of Maui so everyone had to be bussed across the island.  We said our goodbyes and left Connie and Terry at the airport for their overnight flight home to snowy Minnesota.

    On our way back from the airport Rick and I stopped at a Mediterranean Pizza parlor. We got back to our condo with a pizza in time to catch the last bit of the Super Bowl.  It's going to be a pretty quiet night. Have a safe trip back, Connie and Terry!

Maui Ocean Center

    All week we have seen whales and sea turtles just off our lanai.  I have googled many questions about them: are we seeing just humpback whales or are there Orcas too?  Why do they leap out of the water?  Why are the green sea turtles hanging out on the rocks?  I love being able to look up answers right away.  However we all thought it would be interesting to learn more so today we went to the Maui Ocean Center.

     This aquarium consists of a number of indoor and outdoor exhibits.  It has the worlds largest collection of living Pacific corals.  We saw hundreds of varieties of tropical fish, including my favorite the state fish of Hawaii, the Humuhumunukunukuapua which is also called the rectangular triggerfish or Hawaiian triggerfish.  It is a beautiful yellow, black and white fish, but mostly I love the way the name just rolls off my tongue.

    The green sea turtle exhibit had some baby turtles that were fun to see.  The adult turtles in the exhibit were much smaller than the ones in our front "yard."  I liked watching the jelly fish floating in a tank lit with a blue light, but I am very happy that they have not visited us in our little swimming beach.

The center has a 52' tube that takes you "under the sea" to watch eels, sharks, manta rays, and all sorts of big and small tropical fish.  A sign near the tank explained that "yes, sometimes the littlest fish get eaten, but the fish are fed every day and usually don't bother catching lunch."

    The center was pretty quiet so we could take our time as we walked around.  It is Saturday today so the roads and parks were really busy.  A storm front is coming through and brought winds and waves.  We saw lots of surfers at the beach parks.  Lots of small tents and camping vans in the many narrow parks along the beach.  There are just porta potties set every quarter mile or so and no showers.  It made me itch to think of crawling into bed covered in sand and salt.  Yup, I m old!

    We went back to downtown Lahaina for dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise which is right on the ocean.  Since we went early we got a table upstairs with a great view and enjoy listening to some good live music.  It's our last dinner with Terry and Connie.  They fly home tomorrow.  What's more fun than one Nesbitt man?  Two of them!  The older they get the more they are alike.  It's just uncanny.

Kihei Beach Time

     We drove south along the western shore of Maui to the towns of Wailea and Kihei.  During WWII the Wailea shore was a training area for the Marines in the Pacific Theater.  Ulua beach was named Little Tarawa by the Marines who were training for an amphibious landing on the island of Tarawa. 

     After the war ended tourists began flocking to Maui.  In the 60's the Lahaina Beach hotel opened in the  Kaanapali area.  In the 70's the beginning stages of the Wailea Resort opened on the southern end of the island and tourists discovered the great beaches and calmer water in Maalaea Bay.  Today this resort has over 2000 homes and condos, 6 hotels, three golf courses, and several shopping centers.  The area also has a large residential district for many fulltime Hawaii residents.  

    One of the big issues on Maui is the lack of affordable housing for the many folks who work in the service industries that support the huge tourist business.  We have often wondered while watching shows which highlight people who move to Hawaii to open a small business if these folks are aware of the high cost of living.  Apparently many new residents are gone after less than a year.  Maui has a package of info for folks who are thinking of making the move to help them understand the costs.

     We went to one of the large beach parks which has big shade trees and lots of grass.  We set up at a picnic table and walked the beach.  The sand there is much finer than our little beach.  BUT there were about a hundred times more people.  It was a very busy spot on the sunny Friday morning.  We have noticed that Hawaiians often have large family gatherings in the many beach parks.  This park was no exception.

    We enjoyed our picnic lunch at the beach and then stopped for more food.  Everything on Hawaii is expensive except for the sunshine.  While it's cheaper and more fun to have breakfast on our lanai and lunch at the beach, Minnesota shoppers would never call it cheap.  We have supermarket sticker shock every time we go.  It was great to find a five buck rotisserie chicken for dinner tonight.

    After our usual afternoon siesta Rick and I went back to the tiny, but very quiet, beach and swam with a crowd of five other folks.  I just can't get enough time in the warm water.  Today we watched a couple green turtles tumbling in the surf break.  They kept rolling in the waves long enough that it looked like they were doing it deliberately.  

    A few clouds have rolled in with the sunset- maybe it won't be perfectly sunny tomorrow.  

A Long and Winding Road To Hana

      There are surf warnings all ever Hawaii this week.  Our side of the island is quiet, but the east side has some big waves.  We stopped at an overlook to watch the big boys (and girls) play in the big waves.  It takes such strength and balance to make their rides look easy. Just beyond these overlooks is favorite Maui tourist day trip.

   The road to Hana is one of the most scenic drives in America.  In the early days of Hawaii it was a 5 foot wide trail.  Modern road construction to Hana began in the 1870s.  An unpaved road was built to help with the construction of the Hämäkua Ditch which was part of The East Maui Irrigation System.  This ditch brought water from the rainforests to dry central Maui to support the sugarcane industry. Parts of the ditch are still visible from the current road.  

      The road construction continued in the early 1900s until the full road to Hana was opened on December 18, 1926. Construction of bridges continued through the 1930s and the road was not completely paved until the 1960s.  Many of these old one lane wide bridges are still in use.

     Today the Hana Highway is a 52 mile stretch which connects Kahului with the town of Hana. It takes about 2.5 hours to drive non-stop as the highway is very winding and narrow and passes over 59 bridges, 46 of which are only one lane wide.   There are approximately 620 curves along Route 360 from just east of Kahului to Hāna.  

    This is the rainy side of the island and the road is at times in the dark, tropical forest and at other times clinging to the edge of brilliant blue coves.  It is best to leave early before traffic gets heavy and backs up.  It is much easier to drive when the majority of the cars are going in the same direction.  Some of the two lane road is actually about one and a half.

    The app that Rick found which gave us a tour of Haleakala also accompanied us to Hana.  It was helpful to know when good overlooks were coming up and where the rest stops with bathrooms were.  We followed these directions to Wai'anapanapa State park which had a black sand beach.  Although I have been on this road a couple times I don't think I ever stopped at this pretty spot before.

    We continued on to Hana after lunch and enjoyed the pretty little town on a quiet cove.  The drive is mostly about the experience of the beautiful rainforest and scenic overlooks and not much about the destination.  It is not a road for those who suffer from motion sickness or who hate high bluffs and narrow bridges.

    On the way back the tour guide on the app gave us a short history of the Hawaiian people and some of the political process that was involved in making Hawaii part of the United States.  I am curious to learn more.  We also learned that there are no squirrels in Hawaii just a small variety of mongoose.  We saw breadfruit growing on trees and an avocado that was the size of a large grapefruit.

    We had a glass of wine, a homemade spaghetti dinner and then said "mahalo" for a great day with the nightly conch ceremony.  Another wonderful day in paradise.

Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

     Our destination today was the old whaling village of Lahaina.  First, however, Connie and I wanted to go back to an overlook on the bluffs that we visited on Monday in hopes that a woman who makes jewelry from sea shells and stones of Hawaii was there today.  We lucked out and both of us bought pendants which include green sea turtles.  A beautiful and fun souvenir.

    Then we headed to the nearby town of Lahaina. In 1802, King Kamehameha made Lahaina the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. He built a brick palace there and other royal buildings.  Lahaina served as the center of the Hawaiian government for over 50 years, until it was relocated to Honolulu for its harbor. 

    Lahaina was a major whaling port and fishing town in the 1800s due to its prime location on whale migration routes, calm ocean conditions and days of sunshine. As many as 400 ships at a time docked in the harbor.  When Kamehameha II gave permission for missionaries to begin settling in the islands, they too were attracted to the weather and soon were at odds with the hard partying sailors. The missionaries created many new island customs, including the first high school, first printing press, new way of dressing and introduction of the written form of the Hawaiian language.

     We went to Lahaina Courthouse Square also called Banyan Tree Park. This park is at the site of the Old Lahaina Fort built in 1831 to protect the town from riotous sailors when Lahaina was used as a port for the North Pacific Whaling fleet.   After the fort was demolished in 1854, a courthouse was built on the site.  We toured the old courthouse which has the Visitors Center, an art gallery, and a brief history of the town. 

     In 1873 Sheriff William Smith planted an India Banyan tree in the courtyard.  The banyan tree has grown to be the largest banyan in Hawaii and one of the largest banyan trees in the United States. Its extensive trunk and root system now covers 2/3 of an acre. It is simply amazing.

    We shopped a bit and found t-shirts for the guys and a quilt store for the ladies.  Then we made the traditional Hawaii souvenir stop at Hilo Hatties.  I bought a pineapple and some Hawaiian honey to make grilled pineapple for dinner.  

     During lunch on the lanai we saw several more sea turtles feeding on seaweed on the rocks just past the sea wall.  After our afternoon naps we went out to join them.  Rick and Terry joined me in the ocean today.  It is a great little beach that is well protected from the waves by a natural rock breakwater.  Now we're all pooped from the waves and the sun.  

Eucalyptus, Nene, and Silver-thorn

    Today we drove from 82* at sea level to 52* at the top of Haleakala.  Along the way we listened to an app that followed our route and gave us bits of history, geography, geology, and mythology.  We learned about whaling, growing sugar cane, Herman Melville's time in Lahaina, the myth of the fire goddess Pele and the creation of the Hawaiian Islands, and a lot about volcanoes and tectonic plates.

    Haleakala Highway is back across the island.   We headed up the winding road of switchbacks.  I remembered a perlious journey down this road when my friend Jo Ellen convinced me that we should take the tour which started at the top at sunrise and then involved riding a bike down most of the 37 miles of narrow and steep road. The National Park Service has prohibited vendors from bringing cyclists to the top for this ride after a few deaths and some bad accidents.  It certainly makes driving easier when you don't have roads full of amatuer cyclists.

    The road took us through up-country Maui with farms, orchards, and beautiful gardens.  We were lucky to have a clear day so that we could look back down and see the ocean on both sides of the island.  The air got cooler and cooler as we approached the park boundary.  While we were stopped to show our Golden Age National Parks Pass which got us all into the park for free, Rick saw the very rare  bird, the Nene, which is the state bird of Hawaii.  It looks like a goose.  

     When we were above most of the vegetation and into the lava fields we saw some beautiful spikey silver leaves on a plant called Silverthorn.  At the top of the drive we got out, climbed the few steps through very thin, cold air at over 10,000 feet to look into the crater.  This volcano hasn't erupted since the 1700's so there was no hot lava, dear Grandsons.

    We drove several thousand feet lower, back down the volcano and ran into a big cloud and light drizzle.  Our stop for lunch was at a campground in the park which was in a grove of Eucalyptus.  We took advantage of a little picnic shelter to get out of the drizzle.  We enjoyed watching the birds and smelling the scented air while we ate  Connie wanted me to mention that the pit toilet restrooms at this picnic grounds were the best smelling public bathrooms she has ever been in!

    While we were still in up-country we stopped at a lavender farm and saw many varities of lavender as well as lots of beautiful tropical plants.  My hands still smell wonderful from the lavender handcream.   The 82* weather was a shock when we finally got to sea level again.  We crashed with some cool drinks and put our feet up when we got "home."  We decided we were too tired to cook and went to the Maui Brew Pub for dinner.  I think its going to be an early night for us.    

Whales and Turtles

     The four hour time difference always leaves me ready to get up at 4 am when I first arrive in Hawaii. Despite a very comfortable bed I was up before the sun today.  Terry, Connie and I sat on the lanai drinking coffee and watched the sun rise.  Soon after we saw our first whale, and then another, and then several more.  In the couple of hours after sunrise we saw dozens of whales in the warm waters between Maui and Molokai.  It was wonderful. 

    We also saw a bunch of green sea turtles "honu."   There is a rock ledge about 40 feet from shore.  It provides a natural barrier from strong wave action.  The turtles come to feed in this area.  They are big guys with strong flippers which end in a sharp claw.  They are a protected animal so we have to stay away if we see one swimming.  

     We drove along the shore for a ways to show Connie and Terry more of the view they missed in the dark last night.  We stopped at several overlooks to watch some surfers and see more whales.  We ate  an early lunch, did more grocery shopping and had a nap.  

    Then the ocean was calling my name.  The shore just in front of the building is rocky.  There is a small swimming pool, grass, palm trees and lounge chairs.  A the end of the grassy area is a walkway to a small sand beach in front of the building next door.  Just perfect for a nice dip in the warm ocean.  

    We had an early "happy" hour and then grilled some pork chops on the fancy gas grills.  Soon it was sunset time and many of the residents head out to the sea wall to blow a conch shell as the sun sets.  A beautiful way to say goodbye to the sun, say, "mahalo" for the wonderful day, and give a salute to the evening.  The perfect way to end our first day on Maui.

Long ride to Maui

    We left Minnesota late morning for a 3.5 hour flight to Phoenix.  Unlike many times we have left from MSP in the winter, there was no de-icing.  We arrived on time in Phoenix and had an hour to stretch our legs and get some food before the long ride to Maui. 

     Our ride over the Pacific was bumpy and required seatbelts a lot of the time.  The plane was old with little to offer in entertainment.  Lots of kids on the plane too.  We flew into the sunset and saw a froth pink clouds like cotton candy as we approached the chain of islands so far away from all other land masses.

    We landed about 30 minutes late which made a long ride even longer.  But a warm breeze blew through the open airport as we waited for luggage - we are in Paradise.  We found our rental car, crammed four suitcases in the trunk and drove across the island to the Safeway market for snacks and breakfast.

   Thanks to Google maps we found our condo without a problem and dragged our luggage up to the third floor.  Before even turning on the lights I threw open the sliding door to the lanai and saw waves glinting in the moonlight just steps from our new home.  

   It was 2 am Minnesota time as we sat on the lanai listening to the waves and feeling the warm breeze.  We headed to the two wonderful kingsize beds to sleep after a really long day.

Back to Maui

     The weather is warmish this weekend in Minnesota - almost 40.  However, it is not the breezy 80 that I look forward to on the beautiful island of Maui.  Soon Rick and I as well as Rick's brother Terry and our sister-in-law, Connie, will be enjoying the flower scented air of Hawaii. I can't wait!
     We are staying in a two bedroom condo near Ka'anapali beach.  It is on the sunny side of the island with a nice view of the warm waters between Molokai and Maui.  We have stayed in this area before and seen literally dozens of whales and their young enjoying the ocean.
    This will be a first trip to Hawaii for Connie and Terry so we are excited to share the experience with them.  There are so many fun things to see and do we will be very busy.  I just love to spend time in the water - both in the pool and the ocean - so we will set time aside for relaxation too.  I've got my sunscreen, water shoes, and sun hat ready for lots of Maui ocean time.
    Aloha.
   
   
 

Back Before Thanksgiving

     We met a lot of people on the road the last few days who were going south and could not understand why we were driving in the other direction.  I just can't imaging missing the holidays with my family.  We planned the trip to get back home in time for Bennett's birthday and for Thanksgiving.  I find it amazing that the warm Minnesota fall means that the grass is still green and I still have flowers blooming.   I really expected to find some snow on the ground when I was looking at the calendar.
    Our last 250 miles were uneventful except for the three deer who decided to cross the highway just in front of us.  I would have been seriously crabby if we had to spend a couple days in Iowa messing with a deer mashed on our bumper.  However, Bambi and his friends made it across the road safely.  We got home by mid afternoon and had the whole camper unloaded before dinner time.  We have this down pat now.
     We were gone 4.5 weeks, traveled over 4000 miles in the RV and around a thousand more in the car we tow.  We spent more time in big cities - Lincoln, NE, San Antonio, TX, Galveston, TX, Houston, TX and New Orleans, LA - than our usual trips.  We were in the plains, the desert, the seashore, bayous, rivers, forests, farms and miles of city sidewalks.  It was a trip of contrasts from the wide, open expanses of Big Bend to the crowded, urban streets of the French Quarter.  We were healthy and happy the whole time (not counting the irritating bites I had on one foot).  We had no problems with the RV or the car aside from the minor bathroom flooding which  required a mop up.         My house is a disaster.  We closed the cabin just ten days before leaving on our trip so I still have laundry, canned goods, and other junk from the cabin sitting around.  Now I have all the camper stuff too.  I am relieved that Thanksgiving is at my brother's house this year.  It may take a while to get this place back in shape.  But first I have to hug my grandchildren, I miss them more every time we leave home.
    Our next trip is to Maui.  I look forward to traveling with you all again.