Friday, May 9, 2014

.:Hawaii 2014–Part Two:.

Wednesday in Maui was spent doing the Road to Hana. We had been told by numerous people that this was a must do. We rented a couple of cars for those that wanted to go, and got on the road first thing in the morning. The drive was incredible! There were so many beautiful things to see, I know we barely scratched the surface.

Our first stop on the Road to Hana was Twin Falls. We hiked up to the falls, where we were treated to a little singing, hand holding, and undressing by some foreigners. What a treat!

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The scenery was terrific, and we sometimes just stopped along the roadside to get some pictures.

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I think one of our favorite stops along the way was this peninsula. The color of the water was amazing. It almost didn’t look real!

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There was a cool old church on the peninsula.

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We stopped at a state park that has a black sand beach. There were also some caves that we went into. It was really neat!

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We drove home along the backside of the island, and while it wasn’t quite as interesting as the first part of our drive, there were certainly still some pretty sights.

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The next morning we headed out to Molokini to snorkel. Yep, I decided I was still going to go. We took a boat out to the island while the guides on the boat helped us get our snorkeling gear ready and answered any questions.

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I impressed the guides with my sea urchin injury before getting into the water. To my surprise, the snorkeling went great! No fast breathing, and no other injuries. The water was so clear – it was beautiful. Fish were just swimming all around us. It was so amazing!


After we did the front side of Molokini, our boat took us around to the back side. The water was the prettiest color of blue here, it looked like it was dyed. You could see the back side of the crater, but then it just dropped off into darkness. It was a little exciting, but also a little scary. Who knew what was going to swim up out of that darkness? We saw a reef shark cruising along the back side, which was pretty cool. The other cool thing we discovered? If you went under water just a few feet, you could hear the whales singing! It was so amazing!

Once we finished the backside, we headed to a place where sea turtles like to hang out. We got in the water, and after some searching found quite a few. They would just pop up right next to you, which was again cool, but also a little scary – they are strong!


This nite we went into La Haina to wander around and shop, as well as eat at Fleetwood’s. We ate up on the roof patio, and the food, atmosphere, and service was incredible.


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There was live music, and even some history about Hawaii that included bagpipes and a conch shell!

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The next day was our last full day in Hawaii, and we decided to make it a beach day. It was a gorgeous day, and we were sure to get in our fill of sun, sand, and water! We hit the boogie boards for another go, and just enjoyed the gorgeous weather.

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Of course, we had to hit Ululani’s for one last shave ice.

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That nite we went to Outback for one last dinner together. And we just had to document the creeper van we had been sporting the entire week we were there together. It was pretty awesome to be able to all ride in the same car together, though I’m sure we got a lot of looks.

Creepers!

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The next day it was time to head home, and we were lucky to be able to meet up in the airports on Maui and Honolulu. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, but we were certainly ready to get home to our kids!

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It was an amazing week, and we are so grateful that my parents made it possible for us. They put a lot of effort, time, and money into making sure that we had an amazing experience, and that’s exactly what it was! We won’t soon forget this trip!

I think it was also a really neat trip for all of us to be together because leading up to the trip, my dad had gotten seriously sick and spent some time in the ICU. It was a very scary time for our family, and we were so relieved when he pulled out of it and that he was able to still come on the trip. We always love spending time with each other, but I think this just reinforced how important our relationships with one another are. I maybe started crying when I first saw my dad at the airport; it was so good to get eyes on him and reassure myself that he was okay! No more scares, Dad, okay? 

When are we going back?

2 comments:

suzanne said...

2016. It's on the books!!!! Great trip. Awesome family! Blessed

Dani said...

Less than two years! Can I make a paper chain to count down? It was so fun to reconnect as grownups. I forgot how cool my siblings were! Not really, but you know what I mean. :)