With Love, From Hawai'i Day 7

The Road to Hana. I had been told by many who have visited Maui, that this was not something to miss. Saving this for our last full day on the island, we made sure to pack food, water, and put in the Road to Hana tour CD. All necessary items. It was yet another beautiful day, and driving with our windows down and adventure in our brains, hit the road.

To tell you the truth, the road that we took to get to the beginning of the Road to Hana, almost had me turning back. It was the skinniest, unpaved and unguard railed, rockiest, cliff riddled drive that I have ever had the experience to drive. Our car was hugging the side of the cliff and if I were to have tried looking out the opposite window, I would not have been able to see where the roadside ended and empty air began. But all things come to end, thank goodness. We made it to the beginning, only a little apprehensive about the drive ahead.

This is one flat palm tree! Instead of growing out in all directions, the fraunds (leaves) grew out creating a fan-like pattern.

According to our lovely (CD) guide the Road to Hana has 59 bridges. This may not seem like a very large number, until you calculate that the Hana Highway from start to Hana is only 52 miles! That's alotta bridges.

Then consider that all of the bridges were one lane bridges. With traffic wanting to go both ways. Talk about a lesson in sharing and taking turns! I was amazed to learn that all but 1 of these bridges, dating back to 1910, is still in use.

The Road to Hana drives through the East Maui Rain forest. This made our drive cooler (temperature and well, awesome-ness). The vegetation and flowers were unreal.

At one stop, we had the fresh Banana Bread and the famous Hawai'ian Shaved Ice. The only thing I can compare it to is a luxury sno-cone, and even then I would tell people that although you may not care much for sno-cones, there is no excuse to not give Shaved Ice a try.

So while enjoying our Ice from Heaven on the Road to Heaven, we were able to listen to waves, and soon after see one of the most beautiful sights I have yet seen.

The turquoise water, the white surf, and the black rocks.

Heavenly Father certainly has an aesthetic talent.

... yes ... one more picture.

And if I had any doubts that I was driving in a Rain Forest, they were cleared up around the 4th rain storm. It had just stopped raining and I took a picture of the water cycle at work, the humidity just skyrocketed!! And all those green leaves and plants...whew!

I know that this isn't the best picture (the lighting is all off) but I continued to see trees like this one. An otherwise healthy tree, covered up to its canopy with a gigantic cousin of ivy.

Not cloud cover, but branch cover.

We were astounded when our CD tour guide pointed out that we were actually driving through the Bamboo forest section. My lucky bamboo doesn't look like this...

An Africa Tulip (which actually grow at the tops of large trees) I just happened to be on the highway above this particular tulip tree.

And after 600 curves, feeling like I was driving in a Nintendo game, we were welcomed...

Note: If you are interested in reaching the 7 Sacred Pools, it is not actually in Hana, but rather another 45 minutes past Hana. Due to the lateness of our arrival in Hana, and wanting to avoid driving this highway at night...sans street lights...well you get the picture...we turned around to make the 600 curves and 59 one lane bridges back.