The Road to Hana

We've eaten a lot of pig over the past two days, so we're going to have a change of diet today. No luau. Since we don't have to keep to a schedule, we're going to drive the road to Hana. But first, another stop at Safeway for breakfast.

Hana is a small town on the farthest south-eastern part of Maui. There are two roads. The short road is dirt, covered with boulders and pot holes. It is a violation of your car rental to drive on this road. Almost all maps point this out. If you did drive this road, you would probably be in pain the rest of the trip. We're not driving this road.

On the way, we need to drive through Kahului again. On Saturdays there is a local flea market My Lovely Wife wants to see. We drop by for a couple hours, and she bargains with the local produce sellers.

The paved road to Hana is a lot of fun if you love driving and you're in a small car. Passengers should take precautions to prevent car sickness. The road is smooth, narrow, and has hundreds of curves. In some places, the speed limit is 10 MPH. This is why a 50 mile one-way trip often takes three hours. Besides, Hana isn't really the destination. It's just where most people turn around. The road is its own reward. We're driving a Toyota Corolla which is perfect for this road. As I said, it's narrow, and many in SUVs have a difficult time.

I took a picture on this road in the 80's that hangs in my office. I've always wanted to re-shoot it. Today is my big chance. Everyone wants to stop at this waterfall that's in the middle of a curve. To shoot this picture, you'll probably have to park illegally. And yes, I did. Illegal, but safely. Since this might be the last time I come here, I blasted away with the bazooka. I had one good shot in the 80's. I'm determined to get better this time.

After the waterfalls I want to make a little better time. There's another location I want to shoot and don't want to get there after the light has gone. Just past Hana are the Seven Sacred Pools where a small stream flows through a lava bed. The National Park Service has arrived as well, and will ask for another 10 dollars, unless you kept your receipt from Mount Haleakala, and you come within 3 days. We're on the third day of this receipt, and we get in free.

We're in luck! The light is still good, but there are a lot of tourists in my pictures. The truth is, you only get the gorgeous shots without people when you pay the government a lot of money. That's how Hollywood does it. I'll just have to live with tourists in my pictures. Besides, I've always thought the problem with Thomas Kinkade paintings was the lack of people.

My Lovely Wife, who has a sense of humor with a camera, takes a shot of me taking a shot. But she sets her angle so I look as if I'm taking a picture of young women in bikinis, rather than the waterfall. I swear I was shooting the natural features!

It's now about 4:30. Sundown will be in 3 hours. We decide to have dinner at the Hana Ranch Restaurant. This was recommend to us by another person working at our hotel. This is a beef ranch, so we won't be having pig tonight. I have their signature burger, and My Lovely Wife orders some braised beef which is glazed. Both were excellent beef, but I wondered why the restaurant glazed the beef My Lovely Wife had. This was some of the best beef you might ever eat. It really didn't need to have it's flavor changed with teriyaki sauce.

After dinner, we headed down to Hana bay. There's a dark sand beach here where the locals picnic. I shoot some more pictures, and we head back to the hotel. Since it is very late in the day, there are very few cars on the road. Most tourists have already left. That means fewer cars to dodge and an even better drive.