We went to Maui again. We weren't planning on it, but it was one of those situations where we couldn't say no. It was the middle of May, and we got one of those fare alert e-mails from Travelocity advertising flights to Maui. After doing some research, we discovered that seats were available for the week around July 4th, we would have to make only one stop each way (Denver to change planes), and that the fare would be less than $400 per person, round trip, with all fees and taxes included, including baggage fees. Condos were cheaper than when we went three years ago. It was too hard to pass up.
We had talked in the past to some friends of ours, the Johnsons, about going to Hawaii some year. We called them and told them of the deals that we found. Rather quickly, we had travel buddies on our trip! It was going to be the four of us: myself, Lori, Libby and Sara, the Johnsons: Mark, Sue, Courtney (who is in Libby's class), and Natalie (who will be in 4th Grade this year and is friends with Sara), and Julie, who is a close family friend of the Johnson's and rides often with Mark on the tandem. Mark and Julie were going to do a lot of riding while in Maui, so they packed a tandem bicycle to take with them. It fit in two regulation sized suitcases so they wouldn't be stuck paying the oversized baggage fee.
We'd leave in the morning on Tuesday, June 30, which happened to be my birthday, and start our trip back the evening of Wednesday, July 8 and arrive back in Kansas City around lunch on Thursday July 9. The end of June could not come soon enough. But one day, I woke up to the girls wishing me "Happy Birthday." I smiled and knew we were off to Maui! So sit back, get comfortable, and get ready for a "Sports Guy" length blog entry.
DAY 1 - WE'RE ON VACATION!
The traditional first picture of vacation. We always take this picture so we remember where we parked at the airport. 
Sara and Natalie in the airport in Denver. I think our layover was only around 2 hours. At least the plane left Denver on schedule.
On our flight from Denver to Maui, I didn't have the window seat. But, for some reason, I glanced out the window at just the right time. We were right over San Francisco and Oakland.
Libby and Courtney and their two buddies somewhere over the Pacific.
During the flight, one of the flight attendants announced that it was my birthday. I think one of the girls said something. At least the whole plane didn't sing "Happy Birthday". It was nice of them to do that for me though.
This is what it looks like coming into Maui. We're looking northwestish. The airport runway is in the middle from left to right. The fields in the foreground are sugar cane.
Once the plane lands in Maui, everything is a whirlwind of activity. Everyone is just rushing to get off the plane. Then, it's the long walk to baggage claim, where luckily all of our items made it to Maui. Then came the announcement over the intercom. The girls were wanted over at the information desk. Someone (Sue won't say who) arranged for the girls to get the traditional Flowered Lei Welcome. Pretty cool for the girls. Then it's off to get the rental car (for us, a Sebring convertible from Alamo), and head to the condo. We found the condo pretty easily. It's in Kihei, and we've stayed in Kihei the previous times we've been to Maui. We got all our stuff inside and checked the condo out. Besides all the normal stuff, there were beach toys, snorkel gear, and four boogie boards for our use. Then it was off to the grocery store for food and drinks. One tip. Always sign up for the grocery store loyalty cards when on vacation. It's a great way to save some money. When I got back from the grocery store, I discovered that I could not get the top on the convertible to go up. I looked in the trunk and it looked like someone MacGyvered part of the system. So, it was a 20 minute drive back to Alamo to get a replacement rental car. At least I made it back before sunset. Here's the pool just outside our lanai (patio) and the surrounding grounds: 
Sunsets in Hawaii. Every night seems to look like this. I think just about every night we would grab a beverage, and head outside (if we weren't there already) to watch the sunset. No flying insects, comfortable temperatures and a gentle breeze off the ocean. Perfect!
Yup, it was my birthday (43rd if anyone wants to know). The girls (all of them) surprised me with hand made cards and way too many presents. It's a birthday I'll never forget.
We obviously made it down to the beach. The beach was about 125 yards from the condo across a wide expanse of lawn that was part of a county park. The beach really wasn't good for swimming (it was too rocky), but that didn't mean that you couldn't go down there and have fun anyway.
After 8 or 9 hours in the air, going back 5 time zones, making an unwanted trip back to the airport, and celebrating my birthday, it was bed time.DAY 2 - IF WE'RE IN HAWAII, WE NEED TO GO TO THE BEACH
It's an unbelievable feeling to wake up to the sounds of waves hitting the beach. You wake up, open the screen on the lanai, smell the flowers and the sea air, and wander outside. You look around and you see the ocean, the incredibly clear sky, and the palm trees. It's a different kind of grass between your toes than what you're used to. You make your way to the beach, absorbing everything that's thrown at your five senses because everything seems so perfect, you don't want to forget it. Finally, you're on the beach, toes digging into the sand, water rushing over your ankles. It's cool and refreshing, warm and relaxing all at the same time. Welcome to a morning in Maui.
There was a posting on the bulletin board at the condo of a free yoga class on Wednesday mornings out near the beach behind the condo. Lori was excited about the prospect, so I told her to grab her towel and get out there. Four other women showed up for the festivities. Lori's the one in the blue shirt and the flowered shorts. 
After Yoga Class let out, it was time to pack the cars and head off to the beach. Mark and Julie went riding today, so it was the four of us along with Sue, Courtney, and Natalie. The weather was great and we were all ready to plop down and relax on the beach. Sue took this shot of us in the convertible. The only two vehicles to have while you're in Hawaii are a convertible or a jeep.
We went to one of the beaches that Lori and I liked, Kahekili Beach. Kahekili is located on the north end of Ka'anapali. Great facilities: huge parking lot, picnic shelters, restrooms, showers, and grills. It was about 35 minutes from our condo. Here's Lori and Sue getting some sun on the beach. 
A couple of shots of Sara. She looked like a local out on the beach. She did a great job in keeping up with the older girls. 
Looking south down Kahekili Beach toward the Sheraton at Black Rock. It was incredible how uncrowded all the beaches were while we were in Maui. Great views of Moloka'i and Lana'i. The girls swam and went boogie boarding. 
If you're on the beach, you always need to do one of two things: either build a sand castle or dig a big hole. Seeing that the North Koreans were threatening to launch a missile towards the Hawaiian Islands around the Fourth of July, the girls thought it would be prudent to do their part in helping to construct beach front defenses just in case the NK's came calling. Cortney and Libby are working on the bunker, while Sara makes sure that no detail is overlooked.
Here's Lori and I supervising the construction of our country's defenses. 
Here's the girls with the bunker almost complete. Libby is making some finishing touches, while Courtney and Sara keep watch. 
Sara's all bundled up after a long day at the beach. She was a little cold, but she still wanted me to keep the top down on the convertible. 
The always seems to be some sort of road side park where ever you go. This one was a little nicer, with a lawn and picnic shelters. Most of them are places where people have pulled off the road often enough where it's become a de facto park. This one was between Ka'anapali and Lahaina. 
Heading back to the condo, we passed Mark and Julie. Lori did a great job getting their picture as we sped by them.
It was great to be back in the ocean again today. Sometimes I don't think I realize how much I miss it. One more thing: my supposedly "Water Resistant" Timex watch wasn't as "water resistant" as I thought. This was the first tech item that I would lose on the trip. More to come later.
DAY 3 - BIG WAVES AND A BIG PARTY
Today was going to be a truly "Hawaiian Vacation" kind of day. First we were going to the beach, and then we were going to a luau. The beach - Big Beach, located south of Wailea. The luau - The Old Lahaina Luau. Let the fun begin. But first, another shot of the pool, grounds, and beach first thing in the morning.
Big Beach is and interesting place. It's either dead calm, or pretty gnarly. Today, it was pretty gnarly. The message board on the beach said that the surf was 4 to 8-feet. It honestly looked to be bigger than that. Had to put a few restrictions on the girls today as a result.
Libby is rocking out her new surf shirt (some call it a rash guard). It obviously helps with getting too much sun, and it looks cool on her too!
Sara's enjoying another day at the beach.
One of the great things about Big Beach is that it's a beach where a lot of the locals go. Because of this, I guess, there are several taco / burrito places that bring what look like old FedEx delivery trucks out and sell food out in the parking lot or on the road across from the parking lot. The girls ate an early lunch at the condo, but I had to have freshly made fish tacos at the beach. You couldn't ask for a better beach food. I should have taken a picture of lunch, but the food distracted me. 
Libby and I in a semi-self portrait.
Lori and I with a calm looking sea behind us.
The girls are all holding hands as they play in the surf. Didn't want any of them to be washed out to sea! I'm the dumb one on the left a lot closer to where the waves were breaking. And yes, the tops were well over my head. 
As I said, I was sent out to where the waves would break to take some shots of the waves as they came in. In this next photo, I'm actually standing as this wave came in. It really was that big. On a couple of waves I got knocked down by the combined effect of one wave coming in and the undertow from one wave going out. From past experience, I knew not to struggle, but just try and get flat on your back. This way, the odds were that you'd float a bit and the incoming wave would carry you into shore, and you wouldn't tear your face off on the sand and rocks because you were on your back. It was kind of a rush actually.
The whole gang on Big Beach. Too bad we didn't get one of the huge waves in the background. 
The girls did actually get to have fun at the beach. They enjoyed all the wave action and seeing me tossed around like a rag doll in the surf.
Have you ever wondered what a lifeguard's office looks like? Well wonder no more.
Our day was only half over. It was time to get cleaned up, try to get all the sand out of places that I didn't know that I could get sand into, and head off to the luau. Yes, they may be cheesy, but when in Hawaii, you have to go to a luau. It's really a good time. We went to the Old Lahaina Luau, which most people say is the best luau in the State. You get a fresh, real flower lei, an open bar (the drinks are watered down, but you don't want several hundred drunk folks being dumped out onto the streets at one time), all the food you can eat, and a live show. Sara was really excited to be going to the luau. She got to dress up, eat roasted pig, and watch people dance. I don't think it gets any better than that.
Libby and Courtney were really looking forward to the evening as well.
Believe it or not, Sue actually let us take a picture of her! 
Sara and Natalie wanted their pictures taken as well.
The Gregor Family Luau Portrait: 
There were plenty of activities (besides going to the bar) before the luau actually began. There were arts and crafts demonstrations, strolling musicians, and hula lessons. Here are the girls taking a quick hula lesson (while Lori starts on her Lava Flow). 
The Johnson Family Luau Portrait: 
Courtney and Libby waiting out the little rain shower that passed through. 
For some reason, this is one of my favorite photos of the whole trip. Mark, Julie, and me. Until they see this, I don't think that they knew that I was behind them.
And here's the center of attention for tonight's festivities. It's the Kalua pig. Kalua is the method of cooking the pig by wrapping it in banana leaves, burying it with extremely hot rocks, and cooking until it's extremely tasty.
We finally sat Julie down long enough to get a photo of her.
Lori and I after the rain shower. Things dried out pretty quickly and the staff dried the tables off as best they could.
Courtney and Libby mid-meal. Libby was drinking a lava flow (the non-alcoholic version of course).
Sara had to pose with one of the performers. She was looking forward to this the whole time we were there.
I don't think we left the luau until sometime after 9PM. Both girls fell asleep in the car on the way back to the condo. They needed their rest for tomorrow.
DAY 4 - THE CLIMB UP HALEAKALA
Day 4 was going to be one of those long touristy days. Today, the whole gang (including Mark and Julie) were going to make the drive up Haleakala. Haleakala is the just about dormant volcano that makes up the entire east chunk of the island. The top is at 10,023 feet. You can drive from the sea to the top in 38 miles. Haleakala is a National Park so the roads will be in good shape and everything will be taken pretty good care of.I was up early, again, and wandered out to the beach. These are the West Maui Mountains.
This is the back of the condo building. Our unit was on the first floor, second from the right. We're just to the left of the palm tree at the left edge of the pool area. The Johnsons were also on the first floor. They were all the way to the left. 
And a picture of some of the trees between us and the beach.
Before we began our trek, Lori was scheduled to do another yoga class. This time she had the instructor all to herself. They were out there next to the beach for about an hour and a half doing yoga stuff. I think this is a picture of yoga stuff.
They seem to be really concentrating. 
Here they are doing some twisty thing. 
On the way to Haleakala, you pass the Pu'unene Sugar Mill, which is usually belching out smoke at an incredible rate. This place burns the unused leftovers of the sugar producing process. It usually looks like an EPA violation to me. 
Everything is not always bright and sunny in paradise. The winds blow across the Pacific and this is the first landmass that they hit after a couple of thousand miles, so clouds always seem to form up on Haleakala. But, they usually don't extend all the way up the mountain. Today, the clouds seemed to be between 5,000 and 8,000 feet. It actually got even foggier than this a little ways up the road.
This is what a lot of the road up Haleakala looks like. Nicely paved for the most part, but no guard rails and not much of a shoulder, if any.
At around the 8,800 foot level, there is a small parking lot that accesses a short trail that leads to the Leleiwi Overlook which provides a pretty cool view of the crater (actually a caldera). We decided that we were hungry and it seemed the perfect place to lunch. Here's the whole gang (except for Sue who took the picture).
This is a view of the crater area from the area above the little overlook shelter. It took a little bit of climbing to get here, but it was worth it.
One of the cool plants that we found up here. There doesn't seem to be that many different varieties, but those that you do see are pretty unique. 
Libby and I got a little bit ahead of the rest of the gang as we hiked our way uphill. We found some pretty cool vantage points up here. 
Sara is showing off her climbing skills. She really had a blast hiking up the hill.
One of the plants that is unique to only the islands of Hawaii and Maui is the Silversword. They live for around 50 years, flower once, then die.
It was beautiful at the top. The temperature was in the 60's and it wasn't too windy. Here's Julie, Courtney and Libby modeling the latest in big sunglasses.
The views at the top are spectacular. The colors seem to be changing constantly. You definitely don't see this in Kansas! 
Here's the group photo up at the very top:
Met this guy around 8,800 feet while we were having lunch. Rode all the way up the mountain. 10,023 feet in 38 miles. He said it took him around 5 hours which really is pretty good, especially on a non-carbon framed bike and without optimal gearing (the biggest cog he had on the back was a 25). One day, I'll have to try doing this myself. 
After getting most of the way down the mountain, instead of turning toward the ocean, we went inland to go to the Tedeschi Winery. They have a tasting room and sell several varieties of wine including a dessert wine and a pineapple based wine. We toured, we tasted, we bought a couple of bottles! 
There is something about these life-sized statues on Maui...
That was about it for the day. Grabbed some dinner and hit the pool when we got back to the condo. Tomorrow was going to be the half way point of the trip.
DAY 5 - THE 4th OF JULY
(OR GIVE ME LIBERTY OR MY STRAWBERRY LEMONADE RUM DRINK)
The Fourth of July. What could be more American than going to the beach in the morning, then going to watch fireworks at the end of the day? That's what we decided to do. For the beach, we went to Kama'ole II (there are three Kama'ole's) which are on the south end of Kihei. Our condo was only a couple of miles away, and the beaches have showers and restrooms, and there's plenty of parking, so it sounded like a plan. As usual, the beaches were not crowded and we immediately found a spot to plop down on. The girls grabbed their gear and hit the water. Libby and Courtney are messing with the boogie board while Sara is just floating.
One of the things that seemed to be big this year was paddle surfing. They use a somewhat larger surfboard, stand on it, and use a paddle to get around. We saw tons of people doing this. That's Libby, Lori, and Sara up front.
Looking south down the beach. Too bad it was so crowded!
Sara's having a blast on her boogie board. She'd use it the normal way, she'd sit on it, and she also would stand on it like a surfboard. I couldn't keep up with her!
I just couldn't get enough of these guys. These guys would pop out of the sand around the maximum point of where the waves washed up on the beach. We tried, but they were too fast to catch. They had little holes everywhere that they would escape down.
Taken with Sue's water camera. It's Libby going farther out in the ocean to begin her run.
Looking northerly along the beach. The West Maui Mountains are in the background on the left. Kama'ole I is just past the point that juts out in the middle of the picture. 
Libby finishing up a run on the boogie board. If we were here in Maui any longer, I think we would have had to buy her her own board. 
Getting some sun while watching the girls boogie board and play in the Pacific.
Here I am going back into the water for another run on the boogie board. 
After doing the beach in the morning, we went back to the condo to get cleaned up for the rest of the day's adventure. Sara wanted me to take a picture of the flowers.
Sara couldn't get much more patriotic.
So, it was off to Lahaina for the rest of the day to enjoy the street party and the fireworks. There was an art fair going on in front of the Old Courthouse. Here's all four girls in front of the Banyan Tree in the Courthouse Square. 
One of the places that we had to go to was Dan's Greenhouse. Dan's sells tropical plants as well as birds and pot-bellied pigs. Lori decided to have a staring contest with one of the birds. 
Since there always seems to be clouds and rain over the West Maui Mountains late in the day, there also always seems to be a rainbow present as well.
Since Lahaina was going to be the center of Maui's 4th of July Celebration, they wisely decided to ban cars from Front Street for most of the evening.
It was getting to be snack / dinner time, so we needed to look for some place to eat. Sue, Courtney, and Natalie really wanted to go to the Hard Rock, so that's where we went. I've always thought that the atmosphere in the Hard Rock's were pretty cool, but I've also always thought that the food was WAY overpriced and honestly, not that good. I ordered some onion rings and literally got 8 rings that looked like they were pulled out of an Ore-Ida bag. And they were overcooked. And they were only $6.99. Ugh. To lessen the pain, and to celebrate the 4th, Lori channeled her inner Lady Liberty as she honored her strawberry lemonade rum beverage. 
This is beginning to be a theme. Sara poses with one of her new buddies. 
Oh, yeah; it was another gorgeous night on Maui. The sun is just about to set. This photo looks northwest from Lahaina Harbor. The building in the foreground is Cheeseburger in Paradise (it's not related to the chain of restaurants of the same name). 
Here's a shot of the crowd gathering in front of the Hard Rock Cafe on Front Street to watch the fireworks. 
DAY 6 - SUNDAY, WINDY SUNDAY
Sunday. The girls got up and went to church. Any church that has the hula as part of the services is OK with me. We didn't have any plans for today. The trade winds came up with a vengeance. Constant 20+ mile per hour winds with gusts probably up to 40. We decided not to get sandblasted at the beach, but to hit the pool instead. It really wasn't too bad, since the condo building blocked most of the wind. Here's what it looked like on the beach around mid-day.
You can tell from this that the wind was blowing pretty good. Our condo is the building that is second from the left.
This was pretty much the order of the day. The girls went crazy in the pool, and I pretty much stayed in this position unless I needed to get up to grab another beverage, or to get up and grab the strainer thingee to clean the debris out of the pool. 
The girls spent several hours in the pool. In fact, I think that they scared some of the other guests away. 
One of the redeeming features of a windy day is that the sunsets are usually pretty cool. Tonight's sunset did not disappoint.
DAY 7 - THE ROAD TO HANA
This was going to be a full day. The Road to Hana. Hana is a small town on the east coast of Maui. This is THE driving adventure on Maui. 600+ turns and 80 or 90 one lane bridges in about 35 miles. Some have compared it to driving through the Garden of Eden. It's different every time. Not only were we going to drive to Hana, we were going to traverse the entire eastern half of the island. Simply put, we were making a lap of Haleakala. We had nothing better to do for the next 10 hours, so we packed a lunch and snacks, filled the rental slug up with fuel, and off we went. A couple of miles from the true start of the Road to Hana, the head navigator and photographer (Lori) informed me that the lens on our digital camera was stuck open, wouldn't close, and wouldn't take any pictures. In summary, the camera was dead. Luckily, Sue brought a camera, so we had a camera in the chase vehicle. Thanks to her for all of the pictures from today!
I can't tell you how many times we saw this sign!
Hey look, it's our Sebring convertible! 
This is why you need a convertible when you go to Maui. There is just as much to see above you as there is out the windows.
The Road to Hana twists, turns and follows the coastline for the most part. You can kind of see how the road follows the ocean. In the gap between the two peninsulas, the road drops nearly to sea level. 
We took a bit of a detour to go look at the Our Lady of Fatima Church which was constructed in 1860. 
Here's a view of the church from the main road. The church is in the middle of the picture. 
Hate to be a dork, but these kinds of waterfalls are everywhere. This year, there were fewer than in the past. It all has to do with the East Maui Irrigation Company who has control of a lot of the drainage on this part of the island.
One of our goals on the road to Hana was to get to Wai'anapanapa State Park, better known as the Black Sand Beach. Yeah, it's pretty small, but it's cool nonetheless. 
Down at the Black Sand Beach, on the right side there is a pretty cool lava tube. This is a shot from inside the tube. A couple of years ago, Sports Illustrated did part of the swimsuit issue here.
Just past Hana, we saw this. Not quite sure exactly what this was, but I think it was some type of shrine. The grounds were well taken care of, and there is a statue of the Virgin Mary (not Connie Swale) that you can see in the middle of the picture.
Past Hana town, the road winds it's way down the east coast. There are some pretty exclusive homes out here. I know that both Oprah and Jim Nabors have homes out here, with Nabors living year round out here, except for when they thaw him so he can go to Indianapolis in May to sing "Back Home Again in Indiana" at the 500.
Just past Hana is usually the final destination of most of the people who take the Road to Hana. It's a part of the Haleakala National Park in the Ohe'o Gulch area. It's more commonly called the Seven Sacred Pools although there are more than seven, and it's not sacred (discuss!). It's a stream that comes off Haleakala that drops into a series of waterfalls and freshwater pools. It's a pretty popular spot. We of course stopped and went exploring, swimming, and diving. In this picture, there is a small pool just to the left of the woman in the foreground. I jumped off the rocks into that pool. It was a 20 or so foot drop. A bit scary, but I'm glad I jumped.
Here's the first big pool and waterfall. You can see Libby (in blue) and Courtney (in white) just to the right of the waterfall. 
I went off on my own and went up one more level to the pool and waterfall that you see in the background. I'm to the left of the woman in the bikini. To get to the waterfall was about a 125 foot swim across the pool. After a week in sea water, the fresh water was a welcome change. 
Here's Sara and Natalie playing in the first really big pool.
Libby wanted to go see the next waterfall and pool back, so we went climbing up the rocks to the next tier. We made it to the waterfall that you see in the background. It's probably 150 or 200 feet back from where we are standing (I'm in the orange board shorts, Libby is in the blue surf shirt) to the face of the waterfall. Behind the waterfall was a cave that went 20 or so feet back. Libby thoght that climbing in the cave was pretty cool.
One more shot of where the Seven Pools finally dump out into the ocean. 
After leaving the Seven Pools, we kept going around the island. Most people, probably 95% or more, turn around and head back to their condos or hotels the same way they came. That's no fun! The road past the Seven Pools gets even narrower, the surface is very rough, and there's no cell phone service out here if you get into trouble. But, the views are awesome, and it's not very often that you get to drive on a State Highway (it still is State Highway!) that's on the side of a cliff right next to the ocean. You can see where the road is on the side of the two cliffs in the background.
This next photo shows the southeast side of Haleakala. It's all a pretty dense forest.
This is a pretty good photo that shows a couple of things. First, this shows the "average" condition of the road past the Seven Pools. Secondly, you can see what this part of the island is sparsely inhabited. It's in the rain shield of Haleakala, so this part of the island only gets a couple of inches of rain per year at the most. 
Some cinder cones on the southwest corner of the island with the uninhabited island of Kahoolawe in the background.
After winding our way around the southwest corner off the island, we stopped at the Ulupalakua Ranch Store, which is right across the street from the Tedeschi Winery that we went to a few days ago. Lori and Sara found a couple of locals to talk to.
The rest of the girls wanted in on the conversation as well.
On our way back to the condo, we stopped at Costco (yes, there's a Costco on Maui) and picked up a new digital camera. We were back in the game! After finally getting back to the condo - I think it was 10 hours after we left - and having a bite to eat, I walked into the living room and found out that Sara was channeling her "Inner Hula Girl." Let the party begin!
Sara decided to lead a congo line around the pool area. I was too damned tired to join in.
I finally got the opportunity to pose with Sara.
And here's our little Hula Girl with Lori.
DAY 8 - LAST DAY AT THE BEACH (OR A SHRIMP FOR ALL SEASONS)
Woke up to another gorgeous day in paradise. Wandered out to the car to make sure that everything was cleaned out from yesterday's road trip and thought I'd take a picture of the front side of the condo. The place was back from the main road, and the parking lot was small, but we had our own assigned parking space which made things a bit easier.
One of the fringe benefits of this condo building was that we had a lime tree right out front. The caretaker of the building told us not to buy any limes at the grocery store, but to pick what we needed off the tree. We did what we were told.
We spent the morning and early afternoon at the beach. We decided to stay local and went to Kama 'ole II again. I didn't want to risk the new camera on the beach, so I left it back at the condo. Got more sun and went boogie boarding again. After the beach, the four of us went out to Lahaina again. Libby wanted to get a t-shirt that she saw there and we thought that we'd just wander around and spend the rest of the day on the west coast. Here's Front Street looking south. The Pioneer Inn is the building on the right.
Lahaina has kept a lot of there old buildings intact. They have an organized historic trail with a lot of documentation. Below is one of the structures on the trail.
Lahaina, being the largest town on the west coast of Maui, is a bit of a tourist trap (but without the wax museums and mini-golf courses). Besides the Hard Rock Cafe (which is less than a block away), Lahaina is also home to a Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. We didn't eat there - you'll see where we ate a couple of photos down - but Sara wanted a photo with one of the strangest mascots ever...
Looking south down Front Street. Lahaina Harbor is on the right. We're just to the south of Cheeseburger in Paradise.
The famous Banyan Tree in front of the Old Lahaina Couthouse. Pretty much the focal point in all of Lahaina. It was planted in the 1870's. This is all one tree. I think there are 12 major trunks besides the core and the whole thing covers around 2/3rds of an acre.
Here's the back side of the Old Lahaina Courthouse and the Pioneer Inn (which was built in 1901). The ocean is just across the street to the left.
I didn't have too many demands for what we were going to do while on Maui (except for hitting the beach early and often). One of the demands that I did have was going to the Maui Brewing Company and sampling some of their products. We were originally just going over there for a couple of beers, but the menu looked pretty good, so we stayed and ate. Sara's happy because of the chicken, Libby's happy because of the prawns in the Thai dipping sauce, and I think Lori liked her Guava Wheat. I was just polishing off my Rye P.A. After that, a Coconut Porter. Even better on tap than in cans.
DAY 9 / 10 - TIME TO HEAD HOME
The last day always has some mixed feelings. You're sad that vacation is over, but you're glad that you'll be sleeping in your own bed the next evening with the dog snoring on the floor next to you. This was going to be a long day. We were all up before 7 AM, and our plane wasn't leaving Maui until 10:20 PM. We thought we'd make the day as low key as we could. We took our time packing and Libby filled out the guest book (which seems to be becoming a tradition for her). This was probably her shortest entry, but she really didn't have to say anything else.
By the way, I had my final electronics fatality of the trip. I was charging my cell phone on the counter in the kitchen. Somehow, the phone got wet and died. That upped the total to three items. I needed a new phone anyway! After we got the car packed, Sara reminded me that we hadn't taken any pictures of what our condo looked like on the inside. She volunteered to be our tour guide. Here's the living room. The couch folded out into a queen sized sleeper. We had a couple of additional chairs and end tables. There were mirrors along the one wall. You can see the TV, DVD player, and boom box.
The kitchen area. The only thing we were missing was a dishwasher. We had plenty of dishes, pans, etc. There was a coffee maker for Lori, and a blender for me.
Here's the bedroom that Lori and I slept in. It had a large chest of drawers on one side and a big closet on the other. Plenty of room for our stuff.
And last, but not least, here's the bathroom. For once, the shower stall didn't have wet swim suits and towels thrown over the rail.
We decided to take it easy today to try and help with transitioning back to a non-vacation life. We thought we'd take everyone to the Iao Needle which is located on the eastern side of the West Maui mountains. Sue took this photo of the back end of our rental slug. We're headed for the cloudy gap between the two mountains.
The Iao Needle is in a State Park less than 10 miles west of the airport. There are numerous walking paths that run through the park. One of the path runs next to a fresh water stream. Sara saw these rocks and of course had to climb up on them. The stream in the background wasn't running as fast as it looks. 
Here's Libby rocking out her new tie-dyed Maui t-shirt.
Not to be left out, Lori wanted in on the photo action as well.
I guess I should drop in a photo of what the Iao Needle actually looks like. As you can see, it's fairly cloudy / foggy up here. The winds hit these mountains and clouds form. It's usually clear first thing in the morning, but the clouds form up pretty quickly in the heat of the day.
This part of Maui is fairly different than most of the other parts of the island that most tourists see. For some reason, there are always buses of Japanese tourists here. Maybe it reminds them of home. 
It's actually pretty relaxing and scenic here in the little valley.
The river area seemed to be a great place for another family photo.
After the Iao Needle, we went to the Maui Tropical Plantation. It's a combination marketplace and large tropical garden. The garden part was fine, but the marketplace appeared to be on its last leg. We've been there before and it's definitely gone down hill. This is one of the cool plants in the garden area.
Out back, there was a koi pond. A huge flock (gaggle / covey / whatever) also hung out there looking for food. Like this guy: 
Lori had them eating out of her hand.
These flowers were everywhere in Maui. Plus, they smelled great as well.
One more shot of the local flora. I have no clue what this is, but it looked pretty cool.
What to do on our final evening on Maui? Since we were all packed up and had a couple of hours to kill, dinner and a sunset sounded good. But what to eat? The only answer was Maui Taco. Maui Taco is a chain of 4 or 5 Mexican food joints on Maui. It's run by a guy who was the chef / owner of one of the best high end restaurants on Maui. He combined traditional Mexican food with the local cuisine. The result was pineapple based salsas, guava and garlic mixed together, those kind of things. It's take-out food, but everything is made right in front of you after you order. Damn good fish burritos! That's what Lori's eating.
Can't remember what Libby had. We even bought the Maui Taco Cookbook.
After savoring another batch of Maui Taco, it was time to get down to the beach (at Kama 'ole II) and catch the sunset on our final evening in Maui. It was just the four of us, and a couple of hundred others gazing out over the Pacific to watch the sunset. It was a gorgeous evening and the views did not disappoint. Took a couple of amazing photos of the girls. I think that the light was just right. Here's Libby:
And, not to be left out, here's Sara:
The girls wanted to write their names in the sand. Who was I to say no. Again, here's Libby:
And, here's Sara:
The sunset on our final night was really spectacular. Pictures really can't give a Hawaiian sunset any justice.
One with people in it:
And, our final sunset photo from the trip:
Our plane didn't leave Maui until 10:30 PM local time. This was not the most enjoyable flight of my life. In fact, it was one of the worst. Neither Sara nor I could sleep on the plane for most of the 6+ hours in the air. The United Airlines staff was rude, inconsiderate, lazy and unmotivated. And those were their good points. No pillows for anyone in Coach. Blankets for maybe about a third of the passengers. Many of the audio ports didn't work. I let Sara use mine. The movie was Monsters Vs. Aliens. It's tough reading the lips of animated characters!Sara finally fell asleep about half an hour outside Denver. She was a zombie in the airport. Here's proof:
The plane to Kansas City was thankfully on schedule. After getting back in town, we picked Sandy up from Swanson's (the doggy daycare place) and went home. After unpacking, the girls slept / took naps. I of course, couldn't sleep. I finally conked out around 10 PM. I figure that I was up for around 36 hours straight (not recommended).So that's about it. Thanks for staying awake for the past hour or so.
And here's Libby just by herself.
I brought one of the cameras along with me and thought I'd attempt my first rolling interview.
I mentioned the rest stops earlier. If they had cookies we had to stop. I think Libby could have continued, but I can't pass up a cookie stop.
Meanwhile, back at the start, Lori and Sara ran a couple of errands, but came back to make sure that they would be there when we finished. 
Sara didn't think that Lori was doing a good job of being the Team Photographer, so she took things into her own hands. She likes self-portraits.
After Libby and I had our cookie break, we finished up the last half of the ride, which included an 8 block stretch along Pflumm Road that is pretty much uphill all the way. Libby didn't complain, and she spun her way up the hill without stopping. She was doing better on her mountain bike than a lot of people were doing on their road bikes. I was really proud of her. She commented that these hills would be a lot easier if there was a chocolate stop at the top of each hill. I think she has a valid point.
It took Libby and I about an hour of riding time to cover the whole route. I think that was about 15 minutes quicker than last year. Next year, we'll have to do the 25 mile route!
