Zippin'!

We got up really early on Thursday and headed to Flyin Hawaiian for some zipline action. The guys on the tour: Matt, Jason, Scott, Thomas, and Alika were very friendly. They had all our names memorized by the time we got to the top of the mountain. Since it was Tejal's birthday they carried her gear the entire time. The guys made a good experience really great.

The Hawaiian state flower is endangered, so we planted one and watered others that had been previously planted on the mountain. They are also trying to replace ironwood trees with endangered koa trees.

The zip lines were really fun. The last line was really long, fast, and high. I loved the view of the trees as I neared the end of the line. Oh, we even got to go backwards on one of the lines.

Here are a few videos to give you an idea of what it was like.

Critter Spotting: Maui

We saw a lot more flora on Maui than we saw fauna. We saw this hen and her 9 chicks in the parking lot next to the beach. We also saw a horse, a donkey, dogs, and a few mongoose. One of the rest stops had at least twelve cats. I saw a mouse--in the hotel room! There were all sorts of different kinds of birds. Ross saw some fish while snorkeling. Oh, and we saw crabs on the beach. On the hike I saw a little black worm, and our private pool had a well-camouflaged frog. And there were lizards all over the place.

Maui Yoga

Of course I had to take some yoga photos in Hawaii. Surfing has its own vinyasa: laying on the board arms out in front, paddling, chataranga/cobra, hopping up to a crouch, then spreading out to five pointed star, crouching back down, then straddling the board.
Blurry photo of me trying to get up into headstand. It was kind of funny to see the waves coming at me upside down.
Side crow in the bamboo forest. This was an awesome yoga rock.
I call this waterfall full lotus. It's my favorite yoga photo from the trip.

To Hana and Beyond

Wednesday was a very long day. We drove around the North side of the island, past Hana to get to Ohe'o Gulch. The drive was loooong, slow, winding, and narrow. It took us nearly four hours to get there. By the time we arrived Ross and I were both a little car sick. After eating a little lunch we felt much better.

The goal was to hike up to the Waimoku Falls in the Haleakala National Park and then go for a swim to cool off. When we arrived the signs said that no swimming was allowed due to high water conditions, but that the trails were open for hiking. We were both a little disappointed. I was wearing my bathing suit under my clothes, which made me very sweaty in the super-humid rain forest.

The hike was really amazing. We took the side trails to see the smaller falls and pools along the way. The bamboo forest was the bomb. When the wind would blow the bamboo would sway and creak. It was entrancing. When we reached the top we stayed at Waimoku Falls for a while. I even climbed up into a cave. When we started our hike back down I was soaked from the waterfall.

Back at the trail head we decided to take some pictures of the Seven Sacred Pools from the road. The fact that no swimming was allowed made for some really nice photos. We walked back to the visitors center to use the restroom and one of the park rangers told us they had just opened up the pools for swimming. Score! We were going to get to cool off after all!

We hiked up to the second or third pool and I jumped in. It was cold, but refreshing. Swimming against the current to get to the waterfall at the head of the pool was a work out. Ross finally got the courage to get in and swam across the pool also. We had our own private pool. It was spectacular. After a few photos we decided it was time to go. The drive back took about three and a half hours. After something to eat we passed out. This vacation was very tiring.

I think these are the Falls at Makahiku.
Top of the bamboo forest.
Me walking the trail through the bamboo forest.
This photo cannot even begin to convey Waimoku Falls. It was loud. The air and mist were flying off it. It was tall (400 ft). I can't believe people hiked all the way up (about 2 miles) then just turned around and came back down. It was really something to take in.
Seven Sacred Pools. I think the small round one in the middle is where we went swimming.
Our private pool.

Tuesday on Maui

Tuesday was a laid back day. We woke up around 6a and took a walk on the beach. On Maui Ross's bed time was 8p and we woke up around 6a. After our walk we went out for breakfast. We had heard of a really good place, but when we got there the line was out the door and there was a 45 minute wait. We decided to go somewhere else. Ross got an omelet and I got stuffed French toast. The toast had a layer of pineapple passion fruit cream cheese in the middle and was topped with cream, powdered sugar, and macadamia nuts. So yummy.

After breakfast we hung out on the beach for a couple of hours. Tejal and I chatted and Ross did some snorkeling. After we ate we headed into Lahaina for gelato. We walked around all the tourist shops and I found some really cool kimono bracelets. I annoyed the guy at the store because I recognized some of the other jewelry (people like to think they are the exclusive sellers, but sorry, I get around.) I looked up the bracelets online and discovered (not surprisingly) that they were way marked up. I'm going to see if maybe I can make the show in NYC in October and buy one there. I liked them that much.

Oh, and we saw the big Banyan tree in Lahaina. So very, very cool.

That is all one tree!

Even though we didn't do that much on Tuesday we were pooped.

Yeah, I'm Cool

These are the waves here in Maui.

Tejal, Ross, and I took a surfing lesson this morning. Tejal has been surfing before, so she was a pro. I was able to stand up on my first try and rode the wave a good ways. After that I went brain dead and forgot what to do. On my last try I rode in standing up the whole way, and I was even able to stick the landing. My fear was that I was going to get frustrated, but I didn't get upset at all, and it was a lot easier than my first time snowboarding. I came out with only a scraped knee and one bruise (one very painful bruise.) Also, I'm sore from all of the paddling. I am so glad that we went surfing. Surfing is something I'd definitely do again.