The Long and Winding Road

Thursday
Hmm, it really is Thursday as I write this. I've almost caught up. Usually I have been doing this a day or two later whenever I get time. When we were in Eastern Europe last fall, I was actually able to write while we were on the train. Now, there really isn't a train and I notice that I just don't seem to have as much time. Tonight is different as you will soon see.
We stayed at the Paia Inn for two whole nights, so you can imagine that it was time to get the heck out of dodge and check out some place new. First stop is the top of Maui, to the top of Haleakala, whether it is erupting or not. I have to say, it is impressive up there and quite chilly compared to the beaches below. What can I say about it? It is tall. It has old lava flows. It has a bunch of white telescopes on the summit. Why are they white? Do they really get that hot up there? I think a nice beige might be nicer. My recommendations. Get a cabin up there and stay over night. You and 12 of your friends can stay in the cabin for $75. The cabins have heat, pots, pans, & a roof. What else do you need? Or if you don't want to stay overnight, hike from the top of the crater to the lower looks out. It is about a 12 mile hike. Very cool.

The drive has several million switchbacks, and because I really like switch backs, we picked today to drive to Hana - on the east side of Maui. And because we are extra crazy, we decided to take the small beater road on the south side - the Pi'ilani highway. It is more like goat track than a highway.

The Good Section of the Pi'liani Highway


Looks Like Wyoming - Except for the Ocean Part

It takes a good two hours to drive to Hana along this road. It is slow going with many one lane bridges and narrow ledges. Parts of the road are so close to the water, you get spray from the waves.

Hana is a sleepy little town on the east side of Maui. It makes a nice contrast to all of the mega resorts on the rest of the island. We ended up picking up a one bedroom condo for two nights. We picked up another place on the water with an ocean view. It is really nice to be able to listen to the ocean roaring all night.

There are not many places to eat (or buy food, or do anything for that manner) in Hana. One of the few things to do is visit the Hotel Hana. They usually have some locals playing at the bar. often you can see the locals come out for Hula. Okay, we didn't get to see any locals dancing, bit we heard some good music.

Note - I really didn't come close to finish this post on Thursday. I finally got it done on Sunday, for reason's that will become clear.