Hawaii Day Two:
We were all up around 5:00 AM due to the jet lag (which worked out perfectly) and made it out of the hotel about 7:15 after picking through the breakfast spread and packing the car. We heard nothing but good things about the Maui Revealed app and book, and we decided to download the app ($8 from iTunes). The app is very thorough and really led us to some off the beaten road places. From the hotel, it is about 45 minutes to the start of the Road to Hana (further referenced as RTH) and the begging of a very long day.
The RTH is a very narrow road that winds its way around Maui and has many scenic overlooks, hiking trails and waterfalls along the way. There are many many areas where you can only fit one car, so it can be a bit overwhelming for some to drive this. The Maui Revealed app tracked our progress and we were able to choose locations where we wanted to stop. Almost every place has some kind of name, but I do not think I can remember them all, and Hawaiian names can be difficult to pronounce/spell etc. Some of the things we stopped to do (with our 1 ½ year old) was hiking, waterfalls, Chings Pond, cliff jumping (not with the kid) at Venus Pools, which were otherworldly and very private when we went. We did skip the Seven Sacred Pools as the kid was sleeping and it was getting a bit late for us. While most people apparently turn around and drive back, we kept going as it sounded like it would be a sin to skip. Although mileage wise it is a bit longer, there were very few cars driving which made it very pleasant. I have no doubt that if we drove the other way, we would have gotten stuck behind many cars, as it was later in the day and getting crowded.
The second half of the RTH, which would complete our loop, started out on what could not even be described as a one-lane road. The narrow rocky service next to the steep ravines on one side and cliffs on the other, were a bit scary to drive through, and luckily since this is the road less travelled, we only had one really tight squeeze before made it onto a bit more spacious road. This drive is very different that the initial part of the loop. The first part had very lush vegetation everywhere, while for the most part, this was very barren, but breathtaking non the less.
After finishing our loop about 6.5 7.5 hours later, we made a pit stop at Wal-Mart for some essentials (Money Orders, Bluebird and some snacks). Once that was done, we headed back to our hotel (45 minute drive), where we currently await our gourmet Pomegranate meals for dinner.
Depending what happens after dinner and how tired/awake we are, we may go out for some more excitement which would come in a part two for the day. I do think I smell our food coming down the hall, so I will be back later.