MAUI SUMMARY
December • January • February • March • April
Day 49 - I've started doing more exploring off the main trail while on my morning hike. I've discovered an old dam and there are plenty of feral cows. It was cool and mostly overcast today. I swung in the hammock a bit until it got too cold. We went into Hana so Darren could watch some football on a big screen tv.
Day 50 - The whales really put on a performance today. We just set up chairs on the lawn and enjoyed the show.
Day 51 - It rained all night and day. The misty clouds made for an impressive sunrise but a rather dull-looking day.
Day 52 - Another morning waterfall hike. The drought isn't over but there was finally some flowing water again. The whales were very close to shore!
Day 53 - One of the other residents, Karen, was heading to Kahului, so I grabbed a ride. Her car did much better over the Kaupo hills! We grabbed some Thai food from a truck then she dropped me off so we each could do our various errands in town. We returned via the same road as the sun set.
Day 54 - I discovered a set of graves just off the road near the property. With just a few steps, I am transported into the feeling of being in a secluded jungle with a hidden temple. I've decided to come here often to read.
Day 55 - A large pod of Spinner dolphins passed by! They loitered for a while near the rocks, probably hunting for food.
Day 56 - The geckos are cannibalistic! A larger one ran right up and ate a smaller one. Apparently this cliff is situated along the path of some helicopter tours. Mix that with an outdoor, open shower... and well, there's potential for some revealing photos.
Day 57 - After my morning waterfall hike, I walked up the super steep path to the neighbor's farm. John was busy knocking down breadfruits off the trees. He said they have to ripen on the ground for a while. The taro patches were suffering because everything was so dry. Fortunately it started raining later as well as throughout the night, so hopefully that helped.
Day 58 - It was another laundry day... washing things in a bucket and hanging the clothes on lines strung between the palm trees. We popped into Hana for a bit.
Day 59 - I tried to find a path down the cliff to the beach, but it was too steep and overgrown.
Day 60 - We decided to explore the coastal section of Haleakala National Park. We walked along the top of the cliff until we reached the lava tide pools down below. We continued to make our way along the various points and inlets.
Day 61 - It rained all day so we hung around inside.
Day 62 - Last night was a big storm that churned up the ocean and filled the 'Ohe'o pools back up. We heard an ambulance headed in the direction of the national park and learned the road had washed out a ways down.
Day 63 - The 'Ohe'o pools have once again become a raging river to the sea. We've been sprouting sunflower seeds, which have been doing very well.
Day 64 - It was the 20th anniversary of fire department so we went to the station in Hana. 75% of their calls are medical emergencies; the rest are fires. The big truck outside was 8 years old while the giant water tanker was only 4 years. They started a diesel fire then demonstrated how to spray it out with a fire extinguisher.
Day 65 - A helicopter scoured the valley while I was on my morning hike. Perhaps someone had gotten lost or injured? Itn the afternoon, it was quite the production as some of the guys cut down a few of the large branches of one of the main trees. In the evening, I clambered about one of the lava points in the national park.
Day 66 - We tried something called egg fruit then spent some time at Hamoa beach. In the evening, while exploring the nearby area, we came upon a remote, small, dark cabin, supposedly the George Kewalo Kanalulu house. As it were, we'd just spent the whole day hearing assorted tales of local supernatural events and hauntings. Suffice to say, my mind convinced me that I heard something... not unlike a wooden chair being shoved quickly against a wooden floor, as if someone had jumped off of it while in the process of hanging himself. This was not the first strange event I'd experienced on the island. One time while parked overnight at Makena, I awoke before dawn and saw an early morning fisherman sitting on the lava rocks at the edge of the water, his headlamp gently illuminating the ocean mist around him. Suddenly, gently hovering above the water directly in front of him, there appeared the wispy shape of a woman clad in a white, semi-transparent, flowing gown. He never looked up and then instantly she was gone.
Day 67 - I keep discovering new and interesting things on my morning hike. Today it was white, powdery mushrooms and a bizarre "hammerhead worm". We drove down to the far end of Kipahulu (before Kaupo) and sat on the beach overlooking Lelekea Bay for a while. On our way back, we again wandered about Kipahulu Point Park and the Lindberg grave area again. We stumbled upon Maui Stables. Everything was closed but we could still enjoy the tiki statues. We asked around about the dark cabin a bit more. A ranger told us that it was empty, so there should have been no noises. A bit later, we learned from someone else that the last person who had lived there (sometime within the last decade) actually HAD hung himself!
Day 68 - Another exquisite sunrise, another invigorating morning hike, an afternoon reading in the hammock...
Day 69 - In the afternoon, we visited Kahanu Garden (or the National Tropical Botanical Garden). There was a vast array of plants and fruit trees (we sampled some kukui nuts; apparently up until 1819, it was forbidden for women to eat certain kinds of bananas!), a gorgeous coast, and numerous traditional buildings, including a massive heiau (a sacred, religious structure) called Pi'ilanihale. This location is believed to have once been the home of the island's most honored chiefs who ruled in the 16th century. Afterwards, we continued driving down the road to the Blue Pools, but there was a sign saying it was closed.
Day 70 - The days tend to blend together but are often a mixture of national park hikes, local walks, reading, and relaxation on the gorgeous cliff-side property.
Day 71 - Repeat.
Day 72 - We popped into Hana for some groceries. The basics are usually available but we have go to the bigger towns for specialty stuff. At some spots, the road becomes so narrow that it's a VERY tight squeeze to pass other cars.
Day 73 - I got a bit of a scare on my morning waterfall hike. I would usually leave quite early, right at dawn. This, however, also happens to be when the wild pigs are active. Up until now, I had only seen evidence or heard them snorting about. But this morning I saw a large, dark shape splashing in the the stream below... then suddenly I heard crashing in the bushes coming up bank straight toward me. I didn't wait to meet it face-to-tusk and bolted back down the trail. I decided to start my hikes a bit later in the morning.
Day 74 - We helped about the yard today... collecting fallen palm fronds as well as cleaning up the pile of discarded coconut husks and hauling everything to the top of the driveway where we dumped tt all into a large pile to decompose. A very large centipede expressed dismay at the disturbance. These things can apparently be quite painful.
Day 75 - We drove out via Hana to Kahului. We had planned to spend a couple days in Lahaina. Unfortunately the traffic was absolutely crazy, construction had closed down lanes, and parking anywhere (even at the beaches) was impossible. Things had become so crowded. So we simply ran some errands then decided to return home. We stopped for pizza night in Hana on the way back. We even got a second dessert pizza... cinnamon and sugar with lemon liliquoi (passion fruit) drizzle! The decorative flowers were also edible!
Day 76 - It was extremely windy all day, with an impressive lightning storm (but no rain or thunder) all night.
