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Made it to Maui!

DaveNV

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Great pictures Dave!! They make me think about trying it on my next trip. We’ll see, i’m not the early riser in the family. :)

Thanks! I took about 150 pictures, deleted the obviously blurry ones, and will spend time editing the good ones when we get home. Look into doing the Haleakala drive the morning after you arrive on island, if you come to Maui first. You'll still be on your home time, so can get up earlier without a lot of problem. (Just don't rely on an unknown alarm clock to wake you up, like I did. ;)

It didn’t sound too cold either. Heck, we were 50 this morning and I was in shorts. :D

I think 50 degrees at 10000 feet elevation feels colder than it does at sea level. At least it would at my house. And going from 80s at sea level to 50 at 10K feet makes a difference to me. You Wisconsin types know cold better than anyone, so who knows? :D

Dave
 
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slip

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I was only teasing about the temps. We went up there during the day. My wife paraglided near the top and it was noticeablely colder then so it’s probably worse in the morning.

We are going to Maui first so it will probably depend on our guests also. I’ll definitely bring it up.
 

DaveNV

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So after relaxing for a bit, we headed out to find Snorkel Bob's, so I could get some anti-fog drops for my new snorkel mask. The design of this new mask, with its prescription lenses stuck with suction cups to the inside of the mask's glass front, makes it impossible to do the old "rinse in salt water, spit, smear it around, and go" process. By applying anti-fog drops to the inside of the mask glass, and to the outer side of the prescription lenses, then they can be put back into the mask. More drops on the inside of the lenses, and I'll be good to go. Found Snorkel Bob's right next door to the Java Jazz place where we've had breakfast a few times. :thumbup:

Then it was lunch time. We knew about the Haupia pie that Slip found at McDonald's on Kauai. But just last night we saw a TV ad that says McD's also has a teriyaki burger now. Oh yeah... The combination was too much to resist, so we went to the McDonald's in Napili for lunch. The burger was excellent! Yes, I know - McDonald's has never been known for their epicurean successes. But this time, they hit it out of the park. Add in a warm and tasty Haupia pie for dessert, and I was ready for another nap. LOL! Really surprisingly good.

On the way home we stopped at Kahekili Beach Park, so I could check it out as a possible snorkeling location. Nice park, easy to get to, and looks like it'll do just fine. Even at 4:30PM there were a number of snorkelers in the water. So there must have been something good to see there. Thanks for the recommendation!

So we're in for the evening. We may go down to the pool area and soak in the water some (Ssh! Don't tell anybody I talked my spouse into it! This is a first!!) Then maybe a Happy Hour drink or two. A good night's sleep is in order - I'll be ready. I'm still pretty wrung out from that Haleakala drive this morning.

Tomorrow: Breakfast at Slappy Cakes, and then we're driving the Road to Hana. A nice, easy day. :)

Dave
 

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Try this restaurant one morning for breakfast as it was recommended by a TUGger recently and it isn’t far from you.

http://www.808grindzcafe.com/

It was our plan to try the same restaurant in Kihei but it was closed the day I called for a job in the kitchen. I didn’t ask for how long so we didn’t try it.

Try Kimo’s too or Duke’s even closer to you. :)

http://www.dukesmaui.com/
 

DaveNV

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We are going to Maui first so it will probably depend on our guests also. I’ll definitely bring it up.

Decide ahead of time if you want to try it, so you can get your ticket. No ticket, no admittance for sunrise. They even have a couple of warning signs on the way up the mountain that you must have a reservation OR ELSE. One sign has neon letters two feet high saying if you don't have a reservation, turn around HERE! @taterhed's helpful note about getting tickets late helped me out, but you may not be able to count on that. For $1.50 it's easy insurance. Looking back, it may even be a good thing to buy tickets for several of the days you'll be on island, just to give you option of which day to drive up.

Dave
 
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slip

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We had the Teriyaki burger at McDonald’s too. I left that out of my report. We had that at the one in Lihue. We stopped in to check out what pies they had but they just had the regular pies and my wife noticed the burger so we shared it. The burger Probably won’t make it to the mainland or not Wisconsin anyway. :)
 

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I thought about getting prescription lenses for my snorkel mask too, but I got brave and tried snorkeling with my contact lenses in - surprisingly, they stayed in! Yes, it was risky and I wouldn't want to lose them, but I never did. I always bring a spare pair or two, so I wasn't super concerned in any case. If you wear daily lenses, then there is even less cause for worry. That's what I'm wearing now, so I'm going to try it again.
 

DaveNV

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I thought about getting prescription lenses for my snorkel mask too, but I got brave and tried snorkeling with my contact lenses in - surprisingly, they stayed in! Yes, it was risky and I wouldn't want to lose them, but I never did. I always bring a spare pair or two, so I wasn't super concerned in any case. If you wear daily lenses, then there is even less cause for worry. That's what I'm wearing now, so I'm going to try it again.

Unfortunately, I can't wear contact lenses. My prescription is too complex, and my eye doc says Nope. Oh well. I've managed since I was five years old wearing glasses full time, so this is just another wrinkle.

Interesting side note: I stopped at Snorkel Bob's yesterday to get some anti-fog drops for my prescription mask. The guy working there and I had a nice chat about my new mask, and how it works. He said some people will take an old pair of glasses they don't want anymore, remove the bows that go back to your ears, and wedge the front part of the glasses with the lenses inside a standard face mask. Kind of achieves the same thing my prescription mask will do, except I think mine doesn't look nearly as dorky as that would. :)

Dave
 
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DaveNV

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So this trip has been one of being flexible, and allowing for changes of plans. We had planned to have breakfast at Slappy Cakes, but Taffy19's suggestion of 808GrinzCafe sounded especially good, as did their online menu, so we tried that instead. There was a line literally down to the end of the sidewalk. MUCH too crowded. They said the wait would be about an hour. Sorry, it's just breakfast. So we went back to Plan A, and ate at Slappy Cakes, across from the resort.

It was very, very good! Something about “Banana bread French toast” just sounded slightly decadent. So of course, I had to try it. “With macadamia and walnuts, dipped in custard, and grilled.” Now, how awful could that be? Truth be told, it was really, really good! Too rich to finish, but I left feeling quite satisfied. The meal was made better by covering it in Coconut Syrup. (Is there any other kind in Hawaii? I don't think so. ;) )

Banana Bread French Toast.JPG

After breakfast, we had planned to do the Road to Hana. Well, best laid plans, and all that. :) We decided to head to Iao Valley, and see the Iao Needle instead. So we drove to Wailuku, only to get drenched in rain. The entire valley was socked in and raining. Hmm. Not going to go up there if we can't see anything. What to do...

So we went to the Queen Ka'ahumanu Center mall for a bit, to let the weather settle down. When we were done walking around, (and buying more shoes!), the weather was better down at sea level, but Iao Valley was still a no-go. So we went to Kihei instead.

It was a nice drive. Slip, I waved at Maui Schooner for you. Luanne, I also waved at Maui Hill for you. (Who said I don't think of my friends at times like these? ;)) We putzed around, mostly admiring the real estate in Wailea, and ended up at Makena Beach. Not the boat launch, but the State Park. It was deserted - couldn't have been more than 30 cars in the parking lot, probably because the weather was a bit sketchy. We spent time hanging out, putting our toes in the ocean, and admiring my two favorite lesser islands, Kahoolawe and Molokini.

Makena 2.JPG Makena 1.JPG

Wanting to kill a bit of time mid-late afternoon, and wanting to avoid rush hour traffic, we headed back to Kahului, and the Emerald City for my Warehouse Worker - Costco. (Just driving into the parking lot and seeing the building, I hear the song from the Wizard of Oz: "You're out of the woods, you're out of the dark, you're out of the night. Step into the sun, step into the light...") We bought a larger bottle of that amazing Koloa Rum Pineapple Passion Fruit (somebody drank the one we bought the other day. How did that happen?) Lo and behold, Costco has one twice as big, for only five bucks more. So, we had to have that. And a package of Manapua, because, you know, it's Hawaii. ;) I got us fresh deli chicken sandwiches and salad for dinner, some Mango salsa, and a bigger bag of chips (the local grocery store's price is bordering on extortion.) Even if I leave half this bag here when we leave, I'm still money ahead.

So we're back at the resort, having dinner and testing out that bottle of Koloa Rum from Costco. and then we realized tonight is Luau Night. We aren't attending, but we have birds-eye-view ringside seats for the event. The music so far isn't bad, but we're hoping for an after dinner show. Tahitian dancers and fire knives and so forth. Always a great time. I really like this resort. :)

KBC Luau.JPG

Tomorrow, we'll try again for the 808GrindzCafe breakfast, and the Road to Hana.

Dave
 
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DaveNV

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This is the real Julia's stand!

I wonder if the one before the blowhole is a franchise or a trademark rip-off.


I suspect it’s the real deal. The guy selling the product is the guy on the Julia’s website. I’m told they sometimes set up along the road in various places because not everyone goes by their main location.

Dave
 

DaveNV

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Sea House is another good option if 808 is too crowded. It has great views.


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We may save that for a farewell dinner Friday night. The menu looks great!

Dave
 

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Their main location requires a little bit of adventure spirit. You need to drive up one lane roads and such to get to it. Some locals that way don't like tourists and they let you know! Still, I enjoy driving all the way around from time to time. It is a nice drive, even if sometimes you have to back up to negotiate the narrow roads. I've never run into bad pavement. just very narrow passageways on cliff sides.
 

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Based on Xan's recommendation, we had breakfast today at Soup Nutz / Java Jazz, in the strip mall across the road from the resort. It's quite a place visually. Eclectic isn't quite the right word for the decor, as there are things everywhere on the walls and ceiling. Very entertaining. (Chaotic might be a better word.) Don't let the name fool you, or put you off. This place is outstanding! The coffee and food were absolutely great. Very, very good. We had a Hawaiian Omelette, (like a Denver omelette, but it had pineapple. Excellent!) and Eggs Benedict. All of it tasted homemade. We will definitely eat there again.

Dave

View attachment 6707View attachment 6708View attachment 6709

Glad you got to check it out!
I couldn’t describe the “decor”, but it’s cool! And Great Food!


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Costco gas prices: I topped off the tank today, because we're driving up Haleakala in the morning. (Presuming I wake up. :rolleyes:) Regular Unleaded gas was $3.39 a gallon. That was what I paid for gas at my Costco at home the other day. Expensive to some, but pretty typical for me. :)

Dave

That’s cheap for HAWAII!


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...then we're driving the Road to Hana. A nice, easy day. :)

Dave[/QUOTE]

I’ll never do the road to Hana again! I’ll fly into the airport if I was with guests that want to go...they can drive. I also was able to stay one night at a condo in Hana, since it’s a long tiring drive. The humidity was unbelievable there!
There is a lava tube you can self explore for a few bucks (they supply a flashlight) near the Hana airport.
Don’t forget your park pass to get into that end of Haleakala.


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Yup.

If you just fill up your jeep at Costco every year, your membership fee is paid in about 3.5 tanks!
 

easyrider

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...then we're driving the Road to Hana. A nice, easy day. :)

Dave

I’ll never do the road to Hana again! I’ll fly into the airport if I was with guests that want to go...they can drive. I also was able to stay one night at a condo in Hana, since it’s a long tiring drive. The humidity was unbelievable there!
There is a lava tube you can self explore for a few bucks (they supply a flashlight) near the Hana airport.
Don’t forget your park pass to get into that end of Haleakala.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]

We have done the trip a few times just because. We usually drive all the way around. Its too bad there isn't a cut off road open to the public that heads through the Ahihi Wildlife Preserve off the Pilani Hwy. Really though, I wouldn't miss it one bit.

Bill
 
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I had given thoughts to doing the full loop, but decided against it. We're driving a Mustang convertible that has terrible ground clearance. We have to tiptoe over the speedbumps at the resort. I decided the full loop road was a bit more than I wanted to risk this time around.
Dave

Dave, I guess you're back home, but FWIW, that is our favorite loop and had even been improved in 2018, since our 2017 trip. Another way to do it is to grab late breakfast/early lunch at Loeda's, head to Kahului, grab some malasados, then take the loop back to Honolua Bay/Kapalua area...stopping for bread on the way. Mostly just narrow road, but edges have been cleaned up with new pavement and a big of cliff removal in the tight spots.
 
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amycurl

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Their main location requires a little bit of adventure spirit. You need to drive up one lane roads and such to get to it. Some locals that way don't like tourists and they let you know! Still, I enjoy driving all the way around from time to time. It is a nice drive, even if sometimes you have to back up to negotiate the narrow roads. I've never run into bad pavement. just very narrow passageways on cliff sides.

Which is why it was such a find for us. Right place, right time, warm bread...


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I don’t think that they are back yet. It is not a fast drive but so much better than when we first drove to Hana and made the loop on a not all paved road and deep cliffs on an eroded narrow road.

I will never forget when we met a VW Bus with a European tourist but we helped each other to guide each other safely without any road rage. ;)

Added more text.

We also have done the other loop a few times but turned back a few years ago when we had a chance to turn around and stopped driving it since then. Hope to try it again now I read that the road has improved. It is a beautiful drive.
 
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DaveNV

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That’s cheap for HAWAII!


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Costco has the best prices I've seen here. Some places were over $4.00 gallon.

Dave
 
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Dave did you drive to Hana today? I thought that was your plan. ;)
 
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