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Made it to Maui!

DaveNV

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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.

I'd be happy with trying it, if I had a better car. The Mustang we're driving has over 40,000 car rental miles on it. It's had a hard life. Runs well, and has served us fine, but I don't trust it to deal with crazy drivers on a too-narrow road. Another time, another trip, and in a better-suited vehicle, and I'd be up for it. Same with the road past Hana.

Dave
 

DaveNV

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Delete this.
 

DaveNV

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So today we had a very full day. It started out with breakfast at the 808GrindzCafe in Lahaina. (It's located in the same strip mall as Foodland.) It's worth finding. Again, there was a line down the sidewalk, even though we got there 20 minutes after they opened for the day. I was not leaving a second time, so we hung around. They had a sign that their credit card machine was busted, so Cash Only. Luckily, Foodland had an ATM machine. We finally got in the door about 30 minutes later, and I figured out why it is always so busy: They have exactly NINE tables, that seat a total of 24 patrons. No wonder! There is a vacant storefront right next door, and I asked if they were going to expand into that space. Our waiter said Yes, they actually are. It should be open next month (I think he said next month.) So hopefully it won't be so hard to get a seat in the future.

The menu was extensive, and very affordable. After looking it over and over, I finally closed my eyes and pointed. I ended up with a Country Omelette, which is a two-egg omelette with Portuguese Sausage and assorted fillings. Came with hash browns, and was a fine breakfast. Not too much, but tasted great. I'd definitely eat there again. Spouse had Crab Cake Eggs Benedict, which looked great. With coffee for the both of us, the total bill was only $23. A huge bargain. This place will be popular no matter how many tables they have. Definitely recommended.

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After breakfast we grabbed a drink from the Starbucks next to Foodland, and then, it was finally time for the Road to Hana. We've done this drive before, so knew what to expect. But when we went last time, it was mid-September. Things were dry as a bone. Not one waterfall was visible anywhere. Even the Seven Sacred Pools at Kipahulu were bone dry. So we had high hopes for today.

We were not disappointed. We have the GyPSy Guide app on the phone, so after bluetooth pairing it to the car, the app launched, and our tour guide was right in the car with us. Best $6.00 ever spent on an app. https://gypsyguide.com/tour/road-to-hana-maui/

Weather was decent - not too sunny, not too cloudy. We dropped the top, and set out. Several hours, assorted stops, miscellaneous waterfalls viewed, a side trip to the Keanae Peninsula, and lunch at the Nahiku Marketplace later, http://roadtohana.com/nahiku-marketplace.php, we came away with a number of great pictures, and some awesome memories. Yes, the Road to Hana has a million turns, two million one-lane bridges, and traffic can be a mess, but it is so interesting to see. Really a fun drive. (But then, I own a Porsche Boxster convertible, as my "me" car, and I like driving on winding, twisty roads. I had fun today, and the Mustang met me turn for turn. I think the car was happy it was getting some love and attention as more than a transport vehicle for tourists.)

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Probably the most interesting part of the drive was the side trip to the Keanae Peninsula. This little community was the scene of a major 1946 tsunami, and the only building not destroyed was an 1856 church made of lava rock with coral mortar. It's a beautiful building.

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The ocean surf was incredibly rough as it broke on shore. Easy to see why no swimming is allowed!

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On the other side of Hana, 45 minutes on the other side, in fact, is Kipahulu, with the so-called Seven Sacred Pools. Last time, they were dry. Not so today. In fact, there was a bit too much water, so there was only a few pools, and everything was pretty wet. Lots of water moving down the way. But arguably, the best picture of the day was a waterfall as part of those Pools, with a bridge above it. Traffic heading into this end of Haleakala National Park drives across that bridge on the way into the Park.

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The drive back was uneventful. A quick stop to fill the gas tank, and we headed back for a quiet evening at the resort. Eleven hour day. Lots of food to eat before we leave on Saturday, so we're cleaning out the fridge. All in all, a great day, but I must say, I'm exhausted. :thumbup:

Dave
 
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DaveNV

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I forgot to mention lunch at the Nahiku Marketplace. (See the link above.) It's basically a cluster of food trucks and cook-to-order food places, on the Road to Hana. Nothing to look at, but the food was incredible! We both had Marlin Fish & Chips, and it was nearly more than we could eat. $16 each, cash only. So fresh and tasty! Absolutely worth it.

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Dave
 

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Beautiful photos again and waterfalls too. Is it still closed for swimming?
 

DaveNV

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Beautiful photos again and waterfalls too. Is it still closed for swimming?

We did see two people drying off in a parking area near a waterfall along the route heading to Hana. But I didn't see anyone swimming in the pools at Kipahulu, so I'd say it's probably still closed for swimming. The water was pretty high, and streams were running pretty fast.

Dave
 
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DaveNV

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It seems this trip is going to be a lot about food, and some about what we saw, and then some more about what we didn't see. :)

Its our last day on Maui, and we wanted to do something new, that we hadn't done before. So we decided to visit Makawao, an artist-colony-ish place on the flanks of Haleakala. We had read in the Seattle newspaper about a glassblower who does remarkable work, and whose shop is a living classroom, where people are given the opportunity to learn how to blow glass. It sounded interesting, so we thought we'd go check it out.

But first, breakfast. Leoda's is a place we'd heard great things about. It's on the way to the rest of the island, and seemed a good place to stop to eat. And, as it happens, when we got there, it was lunch, or nothing. Nothing "breakfast" was listed. (Apparently we were too late for breakfast... Not that it really mattered.) As we are great at compromises, we decided on an early lunch instead: A Spicy Tuna Sandwich on Maui Wheat bread, with avocado, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Served with pineapple coleslaw on the side, and a Maui Brewing Company Rootbeer to drink. Very, very tasty. The spiced tuna was great!
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We asked if they had any malasadas, but they said they didn't have any. They recommended we go to Stillwell's Bakery in Wailuku, where they have excellent malasadas. Sounds like a plan to us!

Then we set out for Makawao. A quick trip across the island to the Hana Highway, then to the Haleakala Highway, a fast drive up the side of the mountain, a quick left turn onto Makawao Road, and a mile or so later, we were in Makawao Town.

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There are any number of interesting shops in the town, all with an artist's touch. At one woodworking shop we saw this amazing Koa wood table, made from extra-rare blond curly Koa. The artist is a genius with wood. Notice what he did with the top of the table. Very creative! Don't look at the price. It'll give you palpitations.

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The glassblowing shop was interesting, but a letdown. Oddly, there was very little original glass work that I hadn't seen before. Some of it was pretty ubiquitous. I'd have asked questions to learn more about things, except the artist was singularly disinterested that we were even in the shop. I tried twice to engage him in conversation, but he was too focused on playing a game on his phone than talking to a potential customer. What's that you say? Why, yes, I definitely DO think he was more than a bit of a jackass. :rolleyes:

We stopped into Komoda's Bakery in Makawao to ask if they had any malasadas. They said they were sold out, but recommended we go to Stillwell's Bakery in Wailuku for the best malasadas on the island. Hmm. That's two recommendations the same day in two different towns to the same place? We need to go there.

So we did. Turns out we'd eaten lunch at Stillwell's the last time we were on Maui. Maybe that was why the name was familiar. The place smelled like fresh-baked goodness, and the glass case next to the cash register had all sorts of exotic-looking pies in it. And then I asked the big question, "Do you folks have any malasadas?" The girl at the register looked at me like I had mental issues. "Why, no. Sorry. We are a conventional bakery. We don't SELL malasadas." "Ever?" I asked. "No, we don't. Never have, never will," she replied. And a baker who was standing there backed her up, and asked "What gave you the idea that we did?" So I told them they'd been recommended twice today in different parts of the island, as having THE BEST malasadas on the island. The baker started to laugh, and said, "I can't imagine why they'd say that. We have never sold malasadas. We don't have a fryer." Well, that stinks, now doesn't it? I was psyched up for fresh, piping-hot malasadas fresh from the fryer, filled with gooey Haupia or lilikoi custard filling. Looked like none of that for me! Why the hate for malasadas by a "conventional" bakery? And what's a vacationing retired sailor-boy to do?

Compromise, of course. I'm great at it. So we had the most amazing banana cream pie instead. It was fantastic!!! Stillwell's rocks, even if they don't sell malasadas.

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It was raining again as we left Wailuku, (No Iao Valley for us this trip, apparently.) We decided to head to Lahaina to wander around some more.

My sister is house-sitting for us, taking care of our pets, and making it so we can be out here and not worry about things at home. I wanted to get her something nice as a thank you gift. She said she really wanted a nice, floor-length muumuu. Only one store I know of would be likely to have that, and it's Hilo Hattie's. And they did. I found the perfect muumuu, kind of dressy, just the right color, and at a price that was almost reasonable. After we left the store I went directly to the Post Office and mailed it to my sister at my house. She'll have it in a few days. She doesn't know it's coming, so she'll have even a greater surprise.

So that kind of wraps up this part of our trip. We're back at the condo, getting ready to start packing for our flight tomorrow to Lihue, for the second week of our adventure. Still need to do a bit of laundry, clean out the rest of the fridge, load the dishwasher, straighten things up, and get ready for the airport shuffle tomorrow morning. We plan to have dinner at the resort's Ohana Grill again. It's a good place to eat.

We've enjoyed our stay on Maui this time, more than I think either of us expected we would. This resort is very, very comfortable. I give full props to Diamond Resorts for this location, and to Grand Pacific, for giving us an exchange we felt was a real step up. We're happy.

See you on Kauai!

Dave
 
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slip

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Sounds like a great week and you still have one more to go!!
 

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Enjoy Kauai! We are heading out in a few minutes for a stay at MKO. Unfortunately can’t bring the dog. So it will be a little shuffling back and forth between home and the resort to visit and feed our abandoned family member.
 

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For your next time in Maui, here are some Malasada Places. I really like Stillwells. All their bakery products are very good. You can also eat sandwiches and other lunch items. Locals say it is the best bakery on the island. My daughter had her wedding cake made there a couple of years ago, and it was wonderful.
 

DaveNV

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For your next time in Maui, here are some Malasada Places. I really like Stillwells. All their bakery products are very good. You can also eat sandwiches and other lunch items. Locals say it is the best bakery on the island. My daughter had her wedding cake made there a couple of years ago, and it was wonderful.


Thanks! I agree their baked goods are great. I just found it amusing that two different places recommended their Malasadas, and they don’t even sell them.

Dave
 

DaveNV

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Not trying to hijack your thread .... but Beautiful day at MKO...:)

View attachment 6859

I like that view! Suggest starting a new thread, so your posts don't get lost. This one is already five pages long with over 100 replies. :)

Dave
 

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We are here at the KBC now, and thought I'd clarify about the breakfast buffet. It is open Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. That came directly from the cashier/hostess at the buffett. There is an a la carte menu on Wednesday. No breakfast is offered on Tuesday and Thursday.
 

MrockStar

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I like that view! Suggest starting a new thread, so your posts don't get lost. This one is already five pages long with over 100 replies. :)

Dave
Dave NW we are going there next summer, thank for all the info. AL & Linda Mrock.
 

DaveNV

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Happy to share. Have a great time!

Dave
 

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Thanks! I agree their baked goods are great. I just found it amusing that two different places recommended their Malasadas, and they don’t even sell them.

Dave
We’re going [back] to Home Maid Cafe tomorrow for malasadas, and I’ll be happy to report back on how they were. We ate there this morning, but wanted to do something else first.
 

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Here is a photo we took a few weeks ago at Haleakala sunrise. I also included a photo of my favorite sign.

I spoke with the ranger at the gate, he said they have to turn away 1 out of every 4 cars. That is about an hour up the mountain.

That is after numerous signs warning visitors that a reservation is required.
 

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