Maui Trip Report

Very relaxing trip. No travel problems in either direction, and easy in and out at San Francisco airport, as we took a train to and from the airport (BART).

We stayed at Napili Point on the North End of the Island. We had an Oceanfront, remodeled, renovated, 1 bedroom condo, less than 100 ft from the Ocean. Our Lanai view, including the Ocean, included both the Island's of Lanai, and Molokai. Snorkeling was a little longer walk. We had to walk about 75 yards down to a point which was the best entry into the water. We had a wind protected cove here, and in general the water clarity was excellent, and we had plenty of reef fish to see, plus lot's of Sea Turtles. In fact, my first interaction with a Sea Turtle almost caused me to jump out of my skin. I had been snorkeling with my wife Gayle, and every now and then we look about to make sure we were in close proximity for safety reasons. Well at one point, I sensed something behind me, so I turned expecting to see my spouse, and I found myself face to face with a rather large Sea Turtle less than a foot from my face. I had somewhat of a knee jerk reaction, but the creatures are quite gentle and placid, so I recovered quickly. We had plenty to see in our cove, squid, turtles, octupi, eels, groupers, any many colorful reef fish.

We spent about half our time on the beach or in the water relaxing, and the other half of our time seeing the Island. Driving the outer edge of the Island can be challenging due to the 100's of many one lane bridges, and many, narrow, one lane roads. The highlight of the trip was the Oheo Gulch area in the south part of the Island. We went on a 2 mile uphill hike on the Pipwai trail which leads through a large Bamboo forest, in which you pass multiple smaller waterfalls, and the big payoff is a large 800 foot at the end of the trail. We had packed trail mix, beef jerky, hawaiian banana bread, and cold beers for an enjoyable spread sitting at the waters edge at the base of the Falls. One of my top 5 hikes of all time, in my 51 years on this earth. Returning to the base of the trail, and turning left leads you to a series of 7 other, smaller waterfalls, with relatively large pools to swim in. We climbed up to Pool/waterfall #4 and had it to ourselves to enjoy. We could have spent hours here, but finally pulled ourselves away.

Our 2nd favorite adventure was a 2 hour America's Cup II sailboat ride into the 30+ MPH tradewinds blowing between Molokai, and Maui. This was under full sail, and we plowed into the wind, with the boat listing 30 degrees downwind. We sat braced ourselves on the high side of the boat, and I assure you, everyone onboard was drenched. A two hour adrenaline rush.

We also read for relaxation, visited a Luau, and dined at a number of excellent restaurants. Hailemaile General Store, Milagro's, the Fish Market, Mala's. The cocktail of the trip was a Mangorita! Fresh Mango, ice, lime juice, tequila, pureed.

We celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary, with a dinner at Hailemaile, and afterward, back a Napili a bottle of champagne on the beach, staring at the stars.

The beauty of the Island stuns you. Flowers, Birds, Water, Sky, Mountains, Clouds, Coral, Fish. The visual beauty is overwhelming, so much so, that you have to take other steps to utilize your other senses. I found myself at times just closing my eyes, by bring in my sense of smell, and focus on my sense of touch.

We'll be back, but our next big trip may be to Cinque Terra, or the Amalfi Coast.