Last days in Maui

I thought I would throw up a couple pictures of the sunset we had from our seats at a small restaurant on Maui. The ocean was about 5 feet from the window. Waiting for our food we could watch sea turtles poking their head up all around the shore.

The last day in Maui we decided to drive up Haleakala (the big volcano on the island). The view of the crater is supposed to be spectacular. However, when we got up it the clouds were so thick that we couldn't see 10 feet in front of us, much less the entire crater. The 3rd picture is the view we had and the 4th is the view we were supposed to have. The elevation change is about 10000 ft by the time we got to the top and the weather went from 87 to 41 very quickly. Even though we didn't see anything, the drive was pretty.

More Maui

Well I am back from my break so I thought I would get some pictures up. These pictures are from a snorkeling trip we took to a volcanic island off of Maui called Molokini. We weren't going to do it originally because it was expensive and we were told by a friend of ours that it isn't as great as it was years ago. However, we got a good deal on a trip at the last minute and decided to go. The boat we went on was a Pacific Whale Foundation boat, so all the money they made went to help all their causes (of which there was a fist full). They take you on their boat at around 6:30 and while you are getting out to the site about 9 miles from Harbor they fed us muffins and juice. Once they got us out to the cone, we snorkeled for a couple hours. There were a lot of other groups there so the water was pretty full, but it was a good time. They then get you back on the boat, give you a snack, boat over to Maui and snorkel at a place that has a high number of sea turtles. After another couple of hours they get you back on the boat and have a BBQ. All said it was a good time. Most of the pictures are from that trip (so maybe you can excuse our hair). More to come later.

PS. the last picture is Karlee at the place we stayed.

Exploring Maui

Day One: We decided to drive around the island and get an idea of things that we wanted to do with the rest of our time here. We explored Lahaina - an old whaling town that now has lots of shops/restaurants - and the beaches nearby. Then, we drove into the up country to see some areas away from the coast. I was surprised to see that much of Maui near the coast is brown & rocky . . . not sure what I was expecting. In the 4th picture, Brandon is standing beneath a banyan tree. This is a large tree that grows roots down from all of it's branches. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures, haha.

PS. For all you foodies (like me), today we had a delicious breakfast of quiche & french toast - followed by an Italian deli for lunch. We ended the night with Taco Tuesday at a local restaurant.