On the news like 2 weeks later they start talking about swine flu and how it may affect travel plans to Mexico...so we didn't want to risk having troubles with our travel...so we switched it! Now we were on our way to Maui!! Still way exciting, and in the good ol' USA!
We decided to go with another couple...totally the way to travel! They were dropping kids off to family in Boise, ID and then flying out of there, so we decided to tag along. (the $300 + we saved in airfare had a lot to do with it too!) So we found child care for the kids, took the dogs grandparents, and headed out! It was actually a really fun road trip...we were singing at the top of our lungs for most of it, and had a great time! Then we came across one of the worst storms I have ever been in, bar none.
The picture really doesn't do it justice, but that cloud was so big and low and eerie, and then there was this blank wall under it...you couldn't see anything but gray, filled with lightning streaks every few seconds. We were very excited that the road went right under it. We got dumped on, hailed on, and blown around like crazy. It took me awhile for it to dawn on me, but I realized, "Oh yah, this is what happens before tornadoes!" So I started looking around for funnel clouds! Very freaky, but we found daylight on the other side and we had the knowledge of going to paradise soon!
So enough of that crappy part of the story huh?!?! We flew to Maui the next day and WOW!!! You could literally just point the camera at the dirt and have an amazing picture! However, we did sit in an airplane at the gate in San Fransico for an extra hour and 45 minutes! Crappy start, but we FINALLY got in the air. Landed in Maui, got our car, and then headed to Costco to stock up on food for everyone during the trip. We were laughing so hard at Costco because we had used so much of our luggage room to pack some really nice snorkel gear....that we bought at Costco....(do you see where this is going?) Yep, they have all of it at the Maui Costco. But who cares?! We were in Hawaii!! Nothing could get us down!
Checked in to the our hotel and then hit the beach for the evening! My first time in the ocean, I got schooled by a wave and it totally filled my sinuses and stole my sunglasses. Who cares though...still in paradise! (that is a reoccuring theme of this trip!!)
Our first full day in Maui, we decided to drive the infamous Road to Hana. It is a drive that goes all the way around the island, and there are tons of spots you can stop along the way to hike or swim. So fun. So we loaded up the convertible....only way to do it!
This was our rental, a Chrysler Sebring. No offense to anyone, but there is a reason that Chrystler is so in trouble, every one that I have driven STINKS!! But then again, who care?! It is a convertible in Maui for crying out loud!!! :)
Note the bare shoulders...this is key to the sunburn later. Joel was driving and Ryan was navigating, so Tara and I got to sit in the back like two little kids. We left early in the morning and it was pretty cool, so we were freezing for the first half of the day. We stopped at a gas station to fill up the car, and they had one of those hot chocolate machines...sweet! So I got one to warm myself up...started drinking it....it was coffee. :( Some sort of vanilla latte whatever...like I know the difference! So got rid of that and kept freezing for awhile.The drive is an all-day trip, but it is absolutely amazing. I swear you could point your camera at the dirt on the road and it would be an amazing picture! We hiked to a few waterfalls, did some boulder hopping to get to some of the them...in flip flops...wouldn't recommend this method. We also found this place called "The Garden of Eden" that you can walk all around....it is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The entire island is!!
