Category Archives: maui.

bff adventure – part II

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Saturday, August 11th.  We arrived on Maui around 7am and had one thing in mind… breakfast at Kula Lodge.  I truly don’t have words to describe the breath-taking views from this cozy little restaurant overlooking the entire west side of Maui.  The lodge is tucked in on the slopes of Haleakala and is completely surrounded by nature’s bounty.  I close my eyes now thinking about this wonderful place: wishing I had another hot cup of coffee, a delicious strawberry Belgium waffle, a fire roaring next to us; wishing I had Husband, Julie, Cc & Ray beside me; and just one more chance to walk through the amazing flower garden and attempt to capture their delicate beauty.  The views are so spectacular; my pictures will never do it justice.  If you ever make it to Maui, you have to stop into Kula Lodge… it’s like a fairytale coming to life!

I know what you’re thinking – “there’s no way those flowers are real” – seriously, you should see them in “real” life!  I am in absolute awe of His creation.  Just think about what He was thinking when He designed those flowers, that back drop, and it’s nothing compared to the detail He put into me, and you.  “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” psalm 139:14

Refreshed, energized, and full of dramamine (well, I was full of dramamine), we started our climb to the top of Haleakalā.  Holy windy turns, scary drop offs, bicyclist everywhere, screaming breaks and engines roaring “I think I can, I think I can”… we actually made it to the top of the world.  I’m pretty sure it took us about 5 hours {an hour and a half to be exact} to drive 20 miles, I can’t imagine what would have happened without my dramamine.  My partners in crime (Brady & Julie) can’t fathom what motion-sickness feels like… they played on their phones, read articles, and could “sit on their heads” without the least bit of nausea.  I looked at them reading and felt nauseous!  Thanks dramamine, you’re forever my life-saver.

Haleakalā National Park is 10,000 ft above sea level (waaaaaay above the clouds); the air is thin, crisp, and cold… totally amazing.

“I ku ka makemake e hele mai, hele no me ka malóelóe – if the wish to come aries, walk firmly.  if you wish to come do not be hesitant, for you are welcome”- Hawaiian proverb posted at the visitor’s center.

 Paia Fish Market is home of the very best fish burger on the face of the planet!  I had the Mahi Mahi burger {not really sure why they call a grilled fish filet “burger”, but I give them permission to call it whatever they want as long as they never change their recipe}… it was outstanding and super affordable!  It pretty much melted in my mouth.  We had gelato after lunch at Ono Gelato Co. – mmm mmm mmm!

ʻĪao Valley Needle, made of old lava remnant, is a historical landmark that rises to 1,250 ft (elevation 2,250ft), which makes it higher than the Eiffel Tower!  Aside from its beautiful rainforest, ʻĪao Valley has great historical significance.  It was here in 1790 at the Battle of Kepaniwai that King Kamehameha I clashed with Maui’s army in his quest to unite the islands.  Even with ʻĪao Needle serving as a lookout point, Kamehameha defeated Maui’s forces in a ferocious battle that ultimately changed the course of Hawaiian history.  King Kamehameha has definitely left his mark throughout Hawaiian history; remember the battle at Pali Lookout?

We headed down to a little beach town called Lahaina to see where the oldest Indian banyan tree in the world resides.  It was planted In April 1873, and marked the 50th Anniversary of Christian missionary work.  The tree was imported from India and was only 8 feet tall.  It now stands over 60 feet high and has 12 major trunks in addition to a huge core.  It is so humongous; my camera couldn’t capture the whole thing in one shot.

This is one of the best spots for whale watching from December – April.  The whales come down from Alaska every year to breed and give birth to new calves.

Island of Lāna’i…

Lāna’i on the left and Moloka’i on the lower right corner.

Before heading to the airport, we stopped by Cheeseburger In Paradise for happy hour and to let our Maui experience soak in… what a beautiful day.

Sunday, August 12th.  We slept in a little and made it to the 11 o’clock church service.  After church, we went to one of our favorite lunch spots, Fresh Café; they have the best salads and chai tea lattes.  Then we stopped by the mall to share a little Japanese love called mochi… it’s like a gummy wrapped around ice-cream. Ah-mazing!  We had a few minutes to run home, get freshened up, and head to Marsha’s {Cc & Ray’s dear friend} for an incredible Hawaiian style dinner. 

Monday, August 13th.  Bless you Monday for finally giving us [Julie & me} a little time to relax.  Let me just give a shot out to my champion Husband b/c we have been going nonstop for well over a week now and he has been working the whole time and never complaining…. he’s simply amazing!  Anyway, Monday was absolutely wonderful.  We woke up when our little eyes were ready, spent some quality time reading and sharing the Word, then headed to the beach and sat there the majority of the time in peace and quiet, with our books opened.  Nothing like peaceful beach days.

And can you believe the day got even better?!  Husband and his awesome sweetness brought home a half a dozen cupcakes from Cake Couture that we got to enjoy AFTER going to dinner at Goma Tei (our favorite place for Ramen)!!  He’s the best.ever.period.

Tuesday, August 14th.  Puffy-eyed and not so bushy tailed we woke up before anyone should ever wake up to be first in line at Pearl Harbor.  Well, we made it without having to wait in line… I’m pretty sure that is a record breaker for most Pearl Harbor visitors.  I’m honestly not too much of a morning person, but let me smell a fresh cup of coffee and my engine starts firing; let me drink a fresh cup of coffee and I’m ready to conquer the day… that didn’t exactly happen for us that morning.  We found a little “snack shop” at Pearl Harbor that charged $2.50 for an itsy bitsy cup of keurig coffee… I wish I were kidding you!! I’m not dogging a keurig – I have one and absolutely LOVE it, but the woman running the thing hit the smallest cup size and then asked for $2.50 and only had powder creamer.  The nerve. 😉

As soon as we stepped foot into the first museum everything changed… the coffee didn’t matter and either did the time on the clock.  The presence of being on the grounds of a place that was nearly completely destroyed just a few decades ago was gut wrenching.  On December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked, sending hundreds of aircraft bombers to destroy the United States; 2,402 people died, 1,177 were from the USS Arizona alone.  The USS Arizona Memorial is built over the remains of the sunken battleship, the final resting place for many of the crewman… the oil dripping from the sunken ship filled the air, and is still leaving its trail in the ocean.  Let us always remember the heroes who fought for our freedom and who are still risking their lives for us today.

After Pearl Harbor we went to Wailana Coffee House for some of the best coffee in Waikiki (I guess it was worth the wait) and then went home and took a looooong nap.  We cooked fresh fish for dinner and had a relaxing last evening together.

Wednesday, August 15th.  Before our very first run together, we set a goal to run 5 miles by the time Julie left… Wednesday was a beautiful morning for a 5-mile run… I actually can’t believe we made our goal after our enormous food consumption and lack of running the past few days.  Mind over body.  We ended their vacation at the Cream Pot for some unbelievably delicious crepes.

“Cause if you never leave home, never let go

You’ll never make it to the great unknown till you

Keep your eyes open, my love” – n2b