Maui!

Because plane tickets were super cheap, Todd and I spent 8 days in Maui!

If I'm being honest, I think we really went because I'm in "pre-baby panic mode" and have to fit in all kinds of fun stuff while I can...

We decided to save $2,000 by foregoing hotels and we camped our way across the island.  Now, it's not easy to camp while 5.5 months pregnant.  But it was a very unique way to really get to know Maui.  We spent 3 days in Hana, one on the volcano, and the rest on the West/South parts.

Our first camp site was a "tent city" of homeless families.  There was a thick array of domestic disputes, police men, cockroaches, and apparently crystal meth at this site.  We were glad to get out of there!

Kanaha camp site.  Not for the weak hearted!

We spent the first day driving around the West part of the island swimming, snorkeling, and shopping.  And avoiding our camp site.

22 weeks at Black Rock

Lizard Whisperer

Todd eating a block of cheese.  It wasn't easy to accommodate his diet but we did OK.

Tide pools at sunset.  Perfect way to end the day.

The next 3 days we spent in Hana exploring everything around there.  It was so relaxing and beautiful.  I'm glad we had a lot of time instead of one day, like most people take.

Ching's Pond, one of dozens of falls/pools on the road to Hana.  Great for cooling off and cliff diving.

 

It started down pouring on us.  We were already soaked so we hiked in the rain.

New fashion trend?  Or Todd trying to keep his shorts dry? lol

In Hana, we camped at Wainapanapa next to this black sand beach.  It was fabulous.

Once it stopped raining this was a great site.

Hamoa Beach- great for body surfing!

Freshly roasted and brewed coffee from freshly grown beans at this farm!

Best salad of the trip.

Sunrise at Wainapanapa was phenomenal.

This is after one of the two showers I took the entire trip.  Gross, I know.

Red Sand Beach off the beaten path.

Todd spent 45 minutes wrestling this coconut open so we could eat it. :)

I was starving and we ate the entire thing.

As the sun set we'd sit in the black sand and marvel at the world around us.

We watched sunrise from the Venus Pools.  Gorgeous, overcast or not!

Venus pools

 

Locals sell their garden's surplus all along the highway.  Ever heard of an ice cream banana??

Ancient Banyan tree on the Pipiwa trail.

Such a cool hike!

Classic "Seven Sacred Pools" tourist photo. lol.

Though crowded the 7 sacred pools were incredible and one of my favorite places on Maui.

Pregnant cliff diving!  By cliff I mean 2 foot ledge ;)

We camped one night on the 10,000 foot elevation volcano, Haleakala.  Temperatures were freezing at night!

I hiked 2 miles in the time Todd went 9.  NINE!  This was sliding sands trail.

Looking over West Maui, Lanai, and Molokai.  To our East we could see the Big Island capped with snow!

Sunrise- can you see the volcanoe's shadow?

 

Sunrise made a rainbow along the horizon.

Sunrise was cold!

Sunset was lovely.

Our last couple days we spent on South and West Maui.  The snorkeling was awesome, we saw tons of fish and friendly turtles and could hear whales singing when we were in the water.

"Dude"

We body surfed, swam, snorkeled, and relaxed to our heart's content.

Our last day we did a whale watching tour at sunrise.

We saw hundreds of whales on our trip, and got to watch a dozen or so up close on our tour.  This one is waving at the camera.

They were just so darn big!  And we could hear their songs on the boat.  I find whales so intriguing and beautiful.

What a great trip it was!  One day I hope to take our unborn child back to Maui so she can experience it from the outside :) I missed Avery like crazy while we were there but she had a great time with Grandma and her Aunts and cousins.  Plus I think having alone time with Todd was good for us.  We're coming on our nine year anniversary and I am still learning things about him.

It felt great to be in the ocean again.  It's the best remedy I've found for all my pregnancy woes.  I do wish we could have surfed there, but all things in due time.

  Three cheers for Maui, and for returning one day.