Looping the East Side

Updates you may or may not care about: (1) Missy Kia has safely landed on Oahu and one of Tag's former students is totally psyched to be rockin' the minivan for the next few days; (2) as far as I can tell my beloved staph infection has been put to death and my finger is recovering nicely; (3) we have our own house on Maui for the final five days here and we've already harvested guavas and bananas from the yard; (4) Alice has often been a bossy grumpypants for the last week but she has two new molars to show for our collective misery; (5) and, yes, that means there are still two more to come (joy!). 

I think our trip to Hana is best depicted with the pictures we took along the way. The kids were great in the car, and Tag was an adept driver (we have a Subaru here, so it was an easy transition).  We kept them well "snacked" and there were plenty of interesting stops to keep us oohing and aaahhhing during our full-day journey. There is definitely a feeling of beauty overload by the end of the day. Another gorgeous waterfall... okay, I'll just snap a shot out the window during the drive-by. 

Departure time: 8:30 am

This was the first waterfall we stopped for on the road to Hana. It was hidden and involved a short trail walk. No one slipped into the gorge, so it was a fun way to start the day!

Snack stop at Aunt Sandy's banana bread stand. Warm loaf right from the oven, and a bag of dried tropical fruit plus nuts. YUM. 

Me looking like an Arabian sheik at the Ke'anae Peninsula. I've been avoiding the sun because my antibiotic causes problems when mixed with anything fun (i.e. sunshine and alcohol).  

These lava rocks and coral pieces are begging to be thrown  in the waves. That's how they got so smooth, right?

Look fast at the next pic and you'll feel like you were there. 

Now THAT is some fantastic point-and-shoot photography.

I caught Benji's rock mid-flight. It looks like a UFO coming to take us home. 

Watching the waves. Alice's dress was catching some air. 

Bathroom break at the Wailua Valley State Wayside (anywhere else this would be an "overlook"). Benji just loves to go in the wild. I just love that he lifts his shirt-- very attentive. 

Taro fields from the lookout. 

Collecting coconuts at the Kahanu National Tropical Botanical Garden. This was before we paid attention to the warning signs about them  falling on your head.

Taking a trot at the garden. 

This is the largest existing Heiau, or native Hawaiian temple, on the whole chain of islands.

Alice would call this "annudah nack." You would call this an ice cream sandwich. I would call this a bad parenting move. It got so messy that both kids willingly threw the final melted remnants out their windows for the geckos. 

Drive-by waterfall shot near Hana. 

Rounding the south side of the island. The landscape is remarkably different-- dry and rocky-- but beautiful in its own way. 

Back at home: 5:00 pm