Maui 2013 March 18 to April 4

March 18
The day began very early, with a trip to the airport at 4AM to pick up our girls.  However, after yesterday's ordeal, we were just happy they were actually on their way.  We were home again by 6PM and everyone hit their beds for a few hours.  Since the girls would be tired after only a few hours sleep, we decided to stay here and they could lounge by the pool or go for a nap if they wanted.  Now that Joanie had some babysitters, I was freed up to go search for some exotic birds on Haleakala.  I went to a campground just inside the park where there was a .5 mile loop walk, noted as good place to see the 'i'iwi, a exotic red bird with a very curved bill.  It often appears on Hawaiian prints, shirts, etc.  The clouds hung in from the 4,00 foot level on up, so I was concerned with visibility, but this area was protected by the forest, and so the clouds that swept across the mountain seemed to go around this area, and it was fairly clear for the most part.  Stepping out of the car, I immediately heard a very loud, distinctive and shrill bird call I had never heard before.  It was not long before I spotted some 'i'iwi birds, but they were very flitty and never sat long enough to get a photo, or were on the other side of branches.  I spent over 90 minutes trying to get a decent photo so I had something to show for my efforts.  I found a flowering tree that the 'i'iwi seemed to like, and decided to just stand very still nearby and let them come to me, but every time one sat in the tree, either the angle was not right, I would take a step and it would fly away, or some other person would approach and scare it off.  I had just about given up , I heard the bird call near by.  I peered around a tree, and there were two 'i'iwi, nicely perched so I got several good shots in.  Proof of my escapades.  I also saw two other exotic birds, an Apapane, a smaller red bird, and a brown and yellow bird that could be any of about four different species, but never stopped for me to photograph. (There were several other bird photographers there so I was not alone in my efforts.)  It started to rain a little, signaling the end of my birding.  It was 51 degrees in this area, but the temperature climbed back up to 82 degrees by the time I got to Lahaina. 

After dinner, and coffee break, we wondered down to Kimos for a drink.  Joanie and I had mai tais and the girls had lava flows. 
      
March 19
First beach day for the girls today.  After picking up their snorkel gear, we went down to Makena Beach.  We did some snorkeling early, but the water got a little choppy after noon and we just went in the water to cool off.  We decided, or actually Joanie decided, that we would rotate tasks, with Leah leading devotions today, and Lauren cooking dinner.  We did go for ice cream in the evening.

My waterproof camera has not recovered and I am now considering renting a camera before our snorkeling trip to Lanai next week.  Tomorrow we return to Captain Steve's for another whale watching trip.

Tonight we were sitting around, and Lauren suddenly says, "I really like you guys."  Later she told me she liked me, and she did not even have alcohol.  I can't complain about that!

March 20
After lounging around the condo for the morning, we once again went on a whale watching trip with Captain Steve.  This was Joanie and my third time in a month.  Every trip was different, and on this trip, we were surrounding by a pod of about seven whales, and some seemed to be fighting with each other over a gorgeous female humpback.  There was a lot of action, but no breach.  That means Wade still has the best whale watching pictures.  Grrrrr.   After dinner we went to Kaanapali for a sunset walk along the beach and shopping in Whalers Village.  Actually, I found some coffee and sat on a bench while the rest shopped.  I kept thinking about how wonderful it was to sit outside on an evening in a t-shirt, shorts and sandals and feel comfortable.  I could handle that all year round!  We finished the day off with a stop at Leilani's, where Joanie had FUN.  We also saw a big bird, the size of a heron, standing at the edge of the water.  It was something I had not seen before, but I seemed to be the only one that was excited about that.  Go figure!

March 21
Today was forecast as a day with showers.  There was also a high surf advisory for the Kapalua area, so we again headed south, to Po'olenalena Beach in Wailea.  Didn't see any rain, but plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the mid 80's, although the accuweather web site said it would feel like mid 90's.  We also found some good snorkeling, and Leah and Lauren saw about five turtles, including one Lauren almost stepped on while boogieing.  I am afraid to touch any cameras.  While snorkeling with the girls, Lauren gave me her waterproof camera for a minute to take a turtle picture, and the screen went funny and stopped working.  I hope she does not have the same issues as my camera.  I wouldn't want to see two cameras go in a week.  I will leave Leah's camera alone. 

The girls went to a luau in Kaanapali in the evening and we played a game after that.  We still need to go on a gecko hunt one night. 

March 22
They got it right today!  It really was overcast.  First it was time to return the Subaru to Hertz and pick up a new car at Alamo.  Much to Joanie's disappointment, Alamo got it right too!  I ordered a standard size car, and that is what I got.  Joanie was hoping for a Mustang convertible.  She moped about it for a while but I think she is over it.  We got a Sonata instead.  I also did a pit stop at Krispie Kream to bribe the girls to come with me to the airport and reward Joanie for cleaning the condo while we were gone.  I ordered her a glazed, cream-filled one and a glazed raspberry filled one per her request, and two chocolate covered, cream-filled ones for myself.  The first thing Joanie does when we get back is go for the chocolate covered one!  The weatherman and Alamo got it right.  Why couldn't Joanie?

With the weather being off, although dry, we decided to head north.  We stopped at Honolua Bay, a top-rated bay for snorkeling.  The path from the road to the water was very interesting, with huge, vine-covered trees which was quite unique.  We also watched a local carving wood.  Leah eventually bought a ornamental surfboard, and he quickly and stealthily carved her name in it with a chisel and piece of wood he used as a hammer.  Quite amazing to watch.  We then stopped on a side road where the surfers go to surf at the mouth of the bay, where the waves are often high.  We watched the surfing for a while, and then moved on to the north side of the island to see the beautiful, rough coastline.  We also walked to see the blowhole, but despite what was clearly a rain storm sweeping over the water a few miles off shore, the spout was quite feeble compared to what we saw a few weeks ago with Robbin and Cora.  On our way back, we stopped at DT Fleming Beach to walk on the beach and on the rocky peninsula known as Dragon's Teeth.  We saw a giant turtle swimming along the edge of the rock face.  Here too, an opening that often sends water shooting in the air with the bigger waves, was very silent. 

For dinner we went to Lahaina Pizza Co., and then the women did some shopping while I slaved in the condo (taking the sheets from the dryer and making the bed, and emptying the dishwasher, and everything).  Overall, I think we made the most of an off day, that of course was still over 80 degrees hot.

March 23
It's beginning to sound like a broken record but the weather was off today again.  We all woke up several times over night because of the downpours.  It was still wet and threatening after breakfast, so we headed south again, in hopes of seeing at least a chance of dry weather.  The temperature of course was the usual 80 degrees.  We went to Big Beach for the day.  It was slightly overcast but warm, and there were black clouds hanging over Haleakela and the south side of the island, but they somehow stayed away.  The surf however was very high.  The lifeguard announced over his loudspeaker that anyone inexperienced or not a strong swimmer should avoid the water, and that they treat many severe back injuries due to the breaking waves.  This was enough to keep Joanie on the sidelines.  The rest of us did eventually go in, but had to be very careful to time it, because every now and then there would be a series of two or so waves that were extra high, and could slam you to the ground if you were not ready for them.  Once you got beyond the break point, it was OK, and you could bob with the swelling surf.  We were entertained all afternoon with skim boarders, who would throw their boards on the edge of the water and slide into the breaking waves, often being sent high in the air of slammed down by the force of them.  Some could do flips in the air over the waves.  On our drive home we hit rain in northern Kihei but it was dry in Lahaina.  However, based on the local gossip at the BBQ pit, I think we made the right decision to go south.  I BBQ'd steaks and met people from Williams Lake and Ottawa.  Where are the Americans?  At the beach we sat by people from Surrey and Langley.  The funniest thing I heard though was the fellow from Williams Lake tell the others about their whale watching trip and how much they learned about the grey whales.  In the evening we went for ice cream and I went to buy the shirt I picked out a few weeks ago, but thought I would wait to buy.  They did not have my size.

On a final moment of fun, we went grocery shopping at Safeway and Joanie was rummaging through our cart to find a lime, and suddenly she shrieked and jumped backwards.  There was a little lizard running around in our cart.  I assume he remained in the parking lot, because I was unable to get him out.

March 24
Today was a quiet day.  We went to church in Kapalua for Palm Sunday and then the Kirkhams came over for burgers and a swim.  After that, I had a quiet time, doing a Wade Oishi on the sofa between reading a book while the women went shopping.  They even found the shirt I had picked out but could not get in my size.  For dinner we went to Moose McGillicuttys for happy hour drinks for dinner.  I had kalua pig tacos and Joanie had fish tacos.  They were very good and the price was very reasonable.  Just a nice quiet day.

March 25
A red letter day.  Right after breakfast we picked up a waterproof camera which we rented for a week, as our two other ones remain in a bag of rice but may be beyond healing.  We went to Honolua Bay for snorkeling.  The rocky beach was full of people.  Getting in and out of the water was difficult because of the large, slippery boulders.  The first 100 yards or so was a bit murky, but then it clears up and the snorkeling was amazing.  In addition to some of the fish seen at other locations, we saw many other varieties including two foot chub fish, exotic colourful fish on the coral, and schools of larger fish of different colours hiding in the channels between the coral reefs.  I even saw a moray eel slither just below me and weave in and out of the holes in the coral.  Then, as I was making my way back to shore, I noticed the water was extremely dark to my right.  As I got closer, it looked like a black cloud.  I got nearer and discovered that it was a school of thousands of fish, each about a foot long, that moved in unison like some scene from the Lonely Planet.  I swan over it and saw in the middle of the cloud some large fish with florescent blue spines that must have been feeding on the smaller fish, and the cloud ebbed and flowed, opened up and closed around these fish.  It truly was like watching some nature film and was awesome to be in the midst of.  Of course, in TV I also saw something like this where the predators were sharks, so that thought crossed my mind as well.  When we dried off a little, we headed back to Kaanapali, but first stopped at the lookout above Honolua Bay.  Looking down at the bay, with its beautiful tropical water colour, as well as the breaking waves and surfers at the outer edge of the bay, you could actually see a large black spot in the water.  It moved and changed shape.  This was clearly the school of fish I had swam through. 

We then went to Black Rock for more sun baking and snorkeling, and topped it off with happy hour mai tais and beach nacho chips with kalua pork at Leilanis.  OK, two mai tais.  Joanie was having FUN.  After dinner I took the girls on our traditional gecko hunt, but this was not as successful.  The women then went for an evening dip in the pool.  All agreed that this was a super wonderful day, and a trip back to Honolua is in the cards.  We did book a snorkel trip to Lanai, but have to wait until Thursday because an earlier time was sold out.  

March 26
Another good day today.  We went to Kapalua Bay where Joanie, Lauren and Leah rented paddleboards.  I was not interested and instead became the photographer, trying to capture that exact moment when one of them would lose their balance and topple over.  After some time, Joanie managed to get up and stay up for a while.  Leah took much longer.  Lauren took over for Joanie, and on her first attempt, stood up and stayed up.  Kind of hard to shift your weight wrong when there is no weight to shift.  I did capture one great moment, getting a whale breaching in the background and Lauren on her board.  We also did some snorkeling and saw some different fish.  The weather was perfect, despite the gloomy forecast. It predicts showers every day this week, but we have yet to see any.

After the beach we dropped off our stuff in the car and went for a walk along the path towards Fleming Beach.  Part way there is a lava rock outcrop which is protected for the shearwater seabirds that next there in little tunnels near the end of March.  We checked around and only found one hole in the ground with a shearwater in it.  Neat to see though. Not much went on at night except walking to the grocery store and Boss Frogs to get our rental camera recharged and download the snorkel pictures we took so far. 

The last few days I have noticed a new trend in tattoos.  Apart from the tattoos of barbed wire, maniacal skeletons, and non-Asian people with Asian writing they do not understand, I have noticed many people with whole paragraphs written on various parts of their body.  It is a little embarrassing needing to hover over them at the beach for a few minutes trying to read their tat.  Perhaps this is a reversal of the old saying, a picture is worth a thousand words.  Very odd. 

March 27
This was to be a more slow paced day, resting up for our six hour Lanai excursion tomorrow.  We hung around the condo in the morning and even had lunch, which was a real novelty.  Yesterday lunch consisted of a few Maui chips on the beach.  After lunch we drove down to Polo Beach, which is just past the shopping mall in Wailea.  We tried out the beach umbrella we found in the condo, but soon gave up on that when the wind picked up and turned it inside out.  We played in the surf a little and spent a few hours there.  Like almost every other day, this was supposed to be an unsettled day weather-wise, and the black cloud we have come to know and hate, was hanging over the slopes of Haleakala, always threatening to descend on us.  By 4 PM it got socked in and the winds had picked up.  We got changed and went to the Shops of Wailea for dinner at the Burgers in Paradise there.  Then we had to rush back home because Lauren had to pick up a camera rental by 7PM.  Approaching the highway north of Kehei, the clouds were almost down to the ground, and it poured.  However, this only lasted until we were down to the flat stretch along the beaches south of Lahaina, and we did not see any rain again.  It does cause some concern about our trip tomorrow, in addition to the lack of bathroom facilities for six hours.  In the evening we played a game of Quiddlers together and went for an early sleep, for us that is.

March 28
It was up early today, 6AM!  Who gets up at 6AM?  We met at the dock for registration and a hearty breakfast of apple fritters and granola bars.  Some had fruit too.  The weather was good for our Lanai trip with Captain Steve, except for the rough seas.  Usually Capt. Steve does the whale watching trips and his assistant Carl does the Lanai deluxe trip.  However, for some reason, Steve did the Lanai trip.  We saw a couple of whales breach, although I was never in position to get a picture.  Then we went to a few quiet bays for snorkeling.  The Lanai cliffs were very picturesque and the water was the colour you dream about when you think of exotic locations. The snorkeling was great.  The first location was very nice with lots of yellow tangs and various fish we had seen before.  The second location, snorkeling around Shark fin rock, was amazing.  The rock forms a shelf under water, and there is a sudden drop off and then just open ocean.  The water was extremely clear, and we swam through large schools of colourful reef fish.  It was beautiful.  After this we were given lunch, which consisted of bread, meats, cheeses, tomatoes, lettuce, other toppings, veggies and dip and water or soda pop, as they say here.  We also did see a flying fish being chased by a barracuda, but that went quickly and again, no photo to show for it.  The trip back was rather wild, with high swells and the raft bouncing and sometimes getting airborne.  I have to admit that as much as I enjoyed the snorkeling, I was a little let down by the excursion.  Robbin and Cora raved about their experience with Captain Carl.  Carl explained a lot of things and offered to show snorkelers where he knew some octopi often hid, showed them some brown booby (birds) and was excited about where one could find reef sharks in Lahaina.  Steve was much less involved.  While the website says that dolphin sightings occur on 95% of their trips, with the raft surrounded by one or two hundred dolphins at times, we did not see a thing.  I have to admit that seeing dolphins up close was one of the main things that attracted me to this particular snorkel trip rather than a cheaper trip to Molokini.  Nevertheless, the snorkeling was great and the wild ride was fun.

The evening was spent checking out the sunset from the front of Lahaina, checking out a few stores including Hilo Hatties, and trying shave ice, a popular treat here.  That was very good and refreshing.

March 29, Good Friday
This was a day of challenges, concerns and disappointments.  It started when I reviewed my Hertz car rental receipt from when I returned my car a week ago, and discovered that over and above the $300 upgrade charge they quoted me, and a estimated other fee of $27 for who knows what, Hertz snuck through an actual "ACC" fee of over $177, more than half the upgrade fee!  I had no idea what this is nor was it discussed with me.  I felt totally ripped off and will need to pursue this further when I get home.  Then, we headed up to Honolua Bay for another snorkel in the bay.  We went to the lookout to see if the dark spot was there, indicating a large school of fish.  What we found was that the normally clear, aqua coloured water was brown.  Leah read that when the water looks brown from above, snorkeling is extremely poor.  So, we decided to head for Kapalua where the women planned to rent another paddle board and do some snorkeling.  There were dark clouds around, and before we got a few miles, the rain started.  The temperature, which was 78 degrees when we left, was now 72 and dropping.  We abandoned plan 2 and headed for the southern coast, and went to Chang Beach, which is just north of Poolenalena Beach.  There was some sun, but the dark clouds we had seen over Haleakala were there again, threateningly.  The beach was not very busy, and was windy.  I walked with the girls down the beach to check on the next beach over that we had visited together on our last trip.  The north end of Chang Beach seemed to attract a few nudists.  The image of a 65 year old man in a hot red banana thong is still etched in my mind, and he was far more dressed than his old wife.  We sat at the beach (south end!) but no one was overly interested in going in the water.  After only a few of us were left on the beach, and the black clouds were now overhead, the wind began to get wet.  I raised the question, "Is there really any point to us being here?"  The answer was no, so we left and consoled ourselves by going to Krispy Kreme.  We then drove through some showers back home, where it was still 80 degrees, and cloudy.  After a swim in our pool, we went to Kapalua to go to the Good Friday church service.  It poured from the time we reach Kaanapali until Kapalua, and rained throughout the service.  The temperature was now 68 degree when we left Kapalua at 6:15PM, but the weather and temperature improved as we headed home.  It was back to 78 degrees in Lahaina.  We went to Bubba Gumps for dinner.  We had a coupon for a free appetizer, and tried to decide which appetizer to choose.  The waiter then came, and told us that the appetizer for the coupon was for a spinach dip and chips.  There was no mention of any restrictions on the coupon.  I guess in Hawaii, do not accept anything at face value.  The dip was good and we did not make a fuss, although Joanie ordered a drink that was supposed to be one of their most potent drinks, but was very light coloured and tasted like a fruit drink.  I think the glass was so full of ice, that the drink was totally watered down and a little bland.  We mentioned it to the waiter, who we understood later runs the place, and he assured us that it was OK because the bar tender was one of their best.  Whatever.  The food was very good as usual.  The forecast for tomorrow looked like more unsettled weather, with a high surf warning for Kapalua, creating a high concern for how this vacation is ending.  The waiter at Bubbas blamed it on gobal warming. 

March 30
I woke up today to another cloudy sky.  I am still getting up between 7 and 7:30AM each morning, which is an hour earlier than at home.  We will see if that keeps up when we get back.  We decided that the forecast was not that great today, but the afternoon looked better than the morning, so we decided to stay around the condo in the morning, swimming in the saline pool for the first time (very nice, and actually warm).  After lunch we went to Kaanapali.  The girls snorkeled but by the time they got back, a black band of cloud that had hovered over Lanai and dumped rain there, was moving across Kaanapali.  It started to spit a little and somehow my desire to go in the water faded quickly, despite the 80 degree temperature.  We had now completed almost everything on the girls' bucket list, except a few things they added as repeat items.  One of those was happy hour and beach nachos at Leilanis at Whaler's Village.  Leilanis had great live music with a couple of guys singing Beatles, Eagles and other similar mellow old rock tunes that the whole place got into.  We went two rounds of mai tais and nachos with pork and Joanie was having FUN!  Lauren was enjoying herself so much that at one point she just started laughing until there were tears in her eyes, for no particular reason other than she was enjoying herself so much.  Having pretty much spoiled out appetite for dinner, we "feasted" on leftovers for dinner, including yummy leftover jambalaya from Bubbas for me, and apparently stale buns and chicken and hamburgers from Sunday afternoon.  Joanie skipped dinner all together.  I think the nachos did her in.  Later, we took and evening dip in the saline pool and Lauren and I finally made it into the hot tub, which was filled with people from the Lower Mainland.  After showering, it was off for drinks at Fleetwoods. (On the girls' bucket list)  We arrived just before 10PM and it took almost half an hour to get service.  We listened to the salsa band so that helped, but the waitresses ignored us.  Finally Joanie asked the bar tender, who gave us bar menus, but then left us for another ten minutes.  Finally a waitress came over and asked if we had been served.  She informed us that they do not take on new tables after 10PM, and you need to go to the bar and order your own drinks.  It would have been nice if someone told us that instead of ignoring us while others got service. 

What has been really surprising is how dead Lahaina is at night.  Walking home at 11:15, the streets were deserted.  Fleetwoods was not busy at all, even with a small wedding party joining in and somehow getting the band to play well beyond their 10:30 quitting time.  A few places with bars had some people in them, but for the most part, once the stores closed, the town went to sleep.  I guess party animals go to Waikiki, or, like us, go home and have a drink there. Actually, we are becoming more and more like our friends.  Going to bed at 11:30PM was not an unusual event these past several weeks.

March 31 Easter Sunday, and Leah and Lauren's last day
Finally, a sunny day with no showers in the forecast for days!  We went to Kapalua for Easter service.  There were an estimated 700 people there and they had people directing traffic for the overflow parking lot.  The service started with a blowing of the conch, followed by two hula dancers dancing to a praise song.  A reggae band who tours the world led worship, giving a reggae flavour to several familiar songs.  Joanie was quite into this.  I enjoyed it as a novelty, but would not necessarily want to hear more, although I know I will after Joanie bought their DVD.  Not only was the service different, but I also went to church for the first time in my swimming trunks, with shorts over top.  Afterwards, they had boxes and boxes of fancy Krispy Kreme donuts.  We got changed and head right to Honolua Bay to get in snorkeling one more time in this awesome location.  Unfortunately, due to the recent rain, the bay was still not very clear, making the snorkeling less than spectacular. 

After this, we went to Napili Bay, a nice medium-sized beach, which was very crowded today.  Unlike neighbouring Kapalua Bay, where the coral is very near the water's edge, this beach had a sandier swimming area, with a coral reef further out.  Joanie and Lauren rented a paddleboard for an hour, while I did some snorkeling.  The water was not that clear, and the fish were sparse, but I nearly ran into a giant turtle and saw several others here.  For dinner we went back to Lahaina Pizza Co. and we visited Boss Frogs for the last time, returning the girls' snorkel gear and my rented camera.  We have been here many, many times with our friends and the girls for various reasons.  Home made rum punch ended the day.  tomorrow morning the girls fly back at 9:15AM, but who knows.  Allegiant Air has had a terrible of record of flight delays, and we hope we will not see a repeat of the flight here.

April 1
It was good to wake up and find that the one hour delay Allegiant Air posted on their website last night was still in effect. A check of their flight advisories indicated that for the past several days they had three or more flights with delays of over a day.  I will never travel with them again!  We got the girls to the airport by 8AM.  Allegiant had a very strict 40 pound weight restriction and Lauren ended up paying a $50 overwieght penalty.  I check our luggage restrictions later, and it would have been cheaper to check in a second bag for $35.  After the airport, Joanie and I went to Sugar Beach and had a nice hour walk down the beach towards Maalaea Harbour.  We noticed that the structure at the end of the boardwalk for the bird sanctuary beside the beach that we walked on in week one was burnt down. 

We spent the rest of the day in the condo, where Joanie was doing laundry, or at the saline pool.  There was a marked decrease in the number of children around due to the end of Spring Break for many of them.  It began as a sunny day, but by the mid afternoon, dark clouds moved in.  It cleared again later but the evening was certainly cooler than it had been up to now.  After dinner we took another walk down Front Street and Joanie got a shave ice.

April 2
Today was to be our last day going to the beach, since we don't want to have wet clothes with us, and we need to be out of the condo by 11AM.  It was to be a tough day.  We had at least six rum punches to drink, a "slushie", a Maui beer, and most of a bottle of wine.  Could be a FUN day.  We had a rum punch and were off.  Joanie wanted to go to Kapalua for one last snorkel and I thought it would be nice to go to the beach on the north side of Black Rock in Kaanapali.  It is a very long, sandy beach that we had not visited yet, and best of all, it had a free parking lot.  The weather was sunny, but the temperature had dropped a little the last few days, with highs only reaching 79 or maybe 80, and lows being a cool 16 degrees.  We arrived at the beach, and as we settled in, a fellow came running by announcing that no one should go into the water because a shark had been spotted in the area.  We learned later that about 8:30 this morning, a surfer was attacked by a shark, which took a bite out of his thigh and leg.  He will recover.  We decided to walk down the beach, since we couldn't swim, and perhaps we might see this shark.  We of course did not really expect to though.  All of a sudden I noticed a long shadow in the second ridge of waves coming ashore and I watched for a minute, thinking perhaps it was just a long rock just under the surface.  A minute later we saw a dark object swimming only about ten feet of shore right where we were standing.  Sure enough, as the waves crashed over him we could clearly see that it was a dark shark, with a fin even sticking out of the water.  It swam by and then headed towards deeper water.  We made sure to tell some of the hotel staff that were stationed along the beach keeping an eye on their customers.  A while later a policeman came from around Black Rock on a skidoo and cruised up and down the beach for a good mile or more, warning anyone who tried to venture into the water.  It was all very exciting, even if we did not get to swim.  We had lunch there, eating leftovers of spam and chicken burgers, and then headed to Kapalua, a few miles to the north.  We were a little cautious about going in the water but there was no one warning any of the swimmers, so we assumed the shark had not come this far.  We did some snorkeling, but somehow I found it different without a camera.  I saw several fish I wanted pictures of but all I could do is look.

We came home and had a beer and slushie, and later enjoyed a rum punch.  After dinner we packed out suitcases, which was a challenge due to the weight restrictions.  I had a four inch square opening in my suitcase so we went and bought a little something that would fit there.  Then it was home to finish up the wine.  A long, tough day.  Not looking forward to going home tomorrow.  If the weather cooperates we will drive up Haleakala because we can wear our warm clothes that we will travel home in and save space in our suitcase.
 
April 3
A beautiful day today, but we spent the morning cleaning up a little, getting rid of garbage, etc.  It would have been a perfect beach day but we must leave the condo by 11AM and don't want to deal with changing clothes, wet towels, etc. so putting on pants and going up Haleakala one last time seemed to make sense.  Beside, we heard later that the beach north of Kaanapali was still closed all day and was being patrolled by two police on skidoos because of the shark sighting.  Alamo had a deal where you could return the car empty so I figured I had more than enough on 3/8th of a tank of gas so it would be near empty when we returned the rental car.  When we got south, we could see that the clouds were half way down the mountain, but we decided to go anyway, having no plan B.  We stopped at the first site just inside the park, the short loop walk by a campground where I saw the exotic red i'iwi birds with the curved beaks a few weeks ago.  This area has a number exotic bird that are endemic to Hawaii.  Sure enough, we saw quite a few of them, but it was difficult to take good pictures because they were so flighty.  Also, the cloud started just before the park entrance, so clouds would sweep in and out, making sharp photography more difficult.  After a while, we returned to the car, where we ate the lunch we made from the leftovers in the condo.  Joanie decided to stay in the car and read a book, because it also drizzled a little from time to time, while I did part of the loop again to see if I could get a better shot at the birds.  For the longest time, I parked myself near a few trees that the i'iwis frequented, but they always seemed to go on the opposite side of the tree from where I was.  I did see another smaller exotic bird and got a nice picture.  Finally I was ready to give up and go, because Joanie would probably get impatient.  Suddenly, one of the i'iwis perched in a tree right in front of me.  I got off a good few photos.  And then another bird landed in the tree.  It was of similar size but with green colouring.  I got quite excited to see a new exotic species, and started clicking away.  When they left, I started further on the trail back to the car, when a number of other bright red birds, not i'iwis, landed in a tree beside the trail.  Out came the camera again.  It was as if God was saying, OK, you wanted to see some exotic birds, well here they are!  Needless to say, my return to the car was delayed, to Joanie's dismay.  I don't know why she was worried.  She knew I was only a short distance away, and everyone else including the park ranger left, so there was no boogyman around.  We decided to try driving a little higher even though we were in the clouds now.  We were at about 4500 feet and the summit was at 10,00 feet.  The temperature here was about 50 degrees, but as we reached about 7000 feet, we got above the clouds and it was perfectly clear the rest of the way up.  The temperature actually climbed as we got higher, up to 60 degrees at the top.  The most pleasant the weather has every been for us here.  We enjoyed our afternoon and then headed down the mountain to return our car and go to the airport for dinner and checkin.  The climb had taken a greater toll on the gas than I thought, and half way down the mountain, the fuel light went on.  Fortunately I was almost coasting all the way down to Kahalui, so the gas consumption was very low, but Joanie was not amused, making outrageous and violent threats if we got stuck.  I soldiered on and we made it to the gas station by Costco with fumes to spare.  I bought $2 worth of gas just to be sure we did not get stuck a block from our destination. 
Checkin went very smoothly and we left on time, at 9:25PM, for San Fransisco.  However, neither of us got more than a few minutes sleep at a time.  We left San Fran at 7:40AM, 4:40AM Hawaii time, and again had no success getting any significant shut eye.  We arrived home to sprinkles, the first rain in some time here.  And this is why we were so sad yesterday to say goodbye to Maui.  Even after six weeks, leaving that climate was hard to do. 

Maui March 9 to 17

March 9
It was a very overcast day.  We decided to head south to see if the weather was better, and descended on Po'olenalena Beach.  There was lots of sun, but it was extremely windy, making snorkeling out of the question.  In fact, while Joanie played in the surf, I found no need to get wet and have to sit on a windy, sand blown beach. I even saw a few turtles getting tumbled around in the surf.  When we returned, it was still very overcast, and word at the BBQ was that there were heavy rains in the Kahalui area.  After dinner and talking with our girls, we drove to Whaler's Village to do some shopping, but it began to rain and did not let up, so that before we even entered the parking lot, we decided to turn around and head back home.  It was a cool 65 degrees. 

March 10
The weather forecast was dismal for today.  We returned to the church in Kapalua, which is set in an open structure on a golf course, concerned that we could get cold and possibly wet.  However, not only did it stay dry, but the sun even came out during the service.  The nice part of Maui is that even when the weather is off, the temperature is still in the upper 70's Fahrenheit (mid 20's Celsius).  We really enjoy this church, and even though the pastor reminds me a little of a typical American TV evangelist, his messages are very fresh and thought provoking.  Our friends Ryan and Stephanie had a baby boy a few days ago, and the service began with photos of the new church addition. 

Since this was not a beach day, we drove back to Kapalua Bay after lunch to take a walk along the shore from Kapalua to DT Fleming Beach, a distance of just under two miles one way.  We crossed a rocky point where shearwaters, a sea bird, have their nesting area in late March and April.  I made a mental note to return here before we go home in April.  We enjoyed a beautiful coastline with big waves pounding the lava beds, whales, and surfers riding the waves at one of the beaches.  Despite very ominous black clouds overhead, a short shower, and increasingly high winds, we had a great time.  After dinner we went to Whaler's Village, where the women shopped and Robbin and I walked along the shore walk in front of the hotels. 

March 11
Another dismal day according to various weather forecasts.  Both south and north Maui was expecting clouds and showers all day long, and presumably also mugginess, because the 81 degrees was to feel like 91 degrees.  The Robbin and Cora treated us to breakfast at Cheeseburger in Paradise, where I enjoyed eggs benedict and Joanie had some strange concoction.  She claimed it was an omelet, but if it doesn't have cheese in it, it ain't an omelet as far as I know.  For their last full day here, they decided to chance it and go to Polo Beach in Wailea.  Chance of rain was 60%, but we hit the 40% all day.  In fact, we had clear blue skies and hot weather.  The waves were very high again and after one tumble, Joanie and Cora were done with boogy boarding.

Robbin was a little more reluctant to go in the water, but eventually did.  We had an incident last week at the Black Rock that can now be told.  He feels he is not a strong swimmer, so is a little cautious around water.  He and Cora went out snorkeling for the first time, and he told Cora he did not want to go as far as the point of the rock.  However, before he knew it, they found themselves drifting out there, and the waves were increasing in strength.  Joanie and I had been out earlier, and found it a lot of work to get back to shore.  It seemed we could kick out legs all we wanted, and we went nowhere.  Every now and then, a wave would surge and move us forward, until we were finally in far enough so that we were able to make good progress on our own.  Well, while Robbin was out there, the water seemed to start moving around in the little cove around the corner of the rock point, and Robbin began to panic.  He kept taking his mask off to clear water, and had trouble, feeling he would not stay afloat.  He called for help, and Cora came to him.  He got to a rock, but with the waves bashing him, he hit his knee on the rock and drew blood.  Cora too had a big rash on her legs from the rock.  They got help from a fellow on a board, who towed them to shore.  There were a few others who also needed help getting back.  Robbin was very shaken up by this.  He got medical attention.  Joanie and I were unaware of all this.  We thought they must be having a good time snorkeling because they were out there a long time.  They did go on a trip to Lanai a few days later that included snorkeling, and it was good that he did do it and have a good experience, because after the Black Rock incident, he was reluctant to snorkel again.

After a home cooked meal of nasi goreng, we went to Fleetwoods for a final drink before R & C returned home.  We hoped perhaps Mack Fleetwood (of Fleetwood Mac) would be there, but he was out touring.  The bar was very nice, with a rooftop patio and cushioned benches, and of course live music.  However, the special drinks were $14 each, so we nursed them for a long time.  We decided one was enough, and went home for some wine after that.

March 12
Packing day.  After a leisurely morning, it took us over an hour to drive Robbin and Cora to the airport, due to traffic delays caused by road construction in south Lahaina, and just high volume around the Costco area.  After a visit to Walmart, we returned home and spent the day there, doing some cleaning and laundry, and some admin work, like catching up on missed afternoon naps (Joanie), and paying bills (Gerry).  After dinner, we walked to the Cannery Mall, and  the vitamin store across the street for some delicious flax seeds.  Due to lack of sidewalks on some streets, requiring some detours, the walk was longer than anticipated, but good nevertheless. 

Joanie's tooth aches have disappeared with the use of the anti-biotics, so she developed new problems.  Yesterday she took a beach plant while floating in on her boogey board, and seemed to jamb her shoulder.  It is not only still sore, but she has a bump as well.  Since she still has full mobility, we hope it is only bruised, but otherwise, we will abandon the dentist and find a doctor instead.  I read tonight that one of the things people should do when entering or exiting the ocean is never turn your back on it.  If Joanie had heeded this advice, she may have prepared for that rogue wave that smashed her and Cora with such lack of disrespect. 

March 13
Today was a great rain day.  Despite the forecast, we saw only blue skies.  We went to Kapalua Bay to try the snorkeling.  It was very good.  In the morning the water was calm, and there were fish within twenty feet of entering the water.  I did find the water cooler than in the south, and on the second snorkel I quit early because I was getting a chill.  The water also got rougher as the day wore on.  I also saw a whale do five full breaches not too far off shore.  It was quite a show.  Finally, as we were about to leave, there was a very large male turtle swimming at the corner of the beach, a few feet from shore.  For dinner, we tried the Lahaina Pizza Co.  There was a line up the stairs the entire time we were there.  They specialize in deep dish pizza and it was wonderful.  They also had good live music.  We may need to come back with our girls.  What a great day!

Lahaina has gotten noticeably busier the last few days, and the average age has also gone down, with way more families with school age children and young people.  The most surprising observation I have found is the extremely high number of people with tattoos.  We are not just talking about little, discrete butterflies, but full arms, legs, shoulders, etc., and covering most adult age groups except perhaps those over 70, although there may be the odd old hippie.  There should be an awful lot of ugly, silly looking seniors years from now.

March 14
A day of surprises and compromises.  After spending the morning getting a few things done around the house, like creating a spreadsheet to track this vacation cost, we left in the early afternoon to drive up Haleakala, the local volcano to, to hike near the volcanic cinder cones and see the sun set.  We packed some buns for dinner and set off in a hazy afternoon.  As we ascended, Joanie saw some plants she wanted to photograph, but they were in a little town and there was no where to pull over.  As we got higher up, the switchback road was narrow with pullouts here and there.  I saw a pheasant, and since I have never got a good photograph of one of these, I pulled over and chased the thing down a field, until I managed to get a quick photo of it flying away in the distance.  As we continued to ascend, we saw a number of other pheasants along the road, and because it was quiet on the road, I could stop in the middle of the lane and take pictures out of the window. We saw a few other large birds which I managed to photograph along the road.  I hoped to see the famous Hawaiian nene, a goose similar to a Canada Goose, but limited to the Hawaiian Islands.  Despite the signs of nene crossings and nesting areas, we did not see any.  Joanie wanted to take a photo of some yellow flowers along the road, but I couldn't stop because there was a car behind me and no place to pull over.  As we got nearer the top, we entered the clouds.  The wind was soon howling and by the time we got to the parking lot at the sunrise lookout, the clouds were whipping across the parking lot.  We left with a temperature of 80 degrees, but it was now 43 degrees outside.  At the visitor centre Joanie bought a nice hoodie to wear because she under dressed for the cold.  It was a little big on her but did the trick.  We went to the shelter where people stand to see the sunrise, but it was locked up tight.  It was bitter cold, and any thoughts of hiking quickly disappeared.  The clouds rolled in so thick that any thoughts of seeing a sunset also vanished.  We managed to see the cinder cones from a lookout through little breaks in the clouds.  We decided that there was no point in staying here, although we did enjoy the drive up and the sights we did see.  We did stop to take a picture of the sign for the Haleakala National Park, and I spotted a few nene nearby.  A few miles down the road, we saw several more nene.  I was able to pull over for a photo.  As we entered the town where Joanie saw the plants and flowers she wanted to photograph, we could not find the spot, and I missed a scene she wanted to shoot.  By the time we got down the mountain, she was a little annoyed that she missed opportunities for photographing flowers, but I managed to get the shots I wanted of wildlife.  What can I say?  Timing is everything.  For the record, we did stop at a pullout where she did get some pictures of the yellow flowers, as well as some other plants. 

We stopped by Walmart to return a wrong coffee pot we bought to replace one that broke, and by now it was nearly dark.  Our sunset dinner was consumed in the Walmart parking lot.  When we got home, I tried on Joanie's hoodie, and it fit me well.  OK, so we missed the hike, the sunset, the nice sunset dinner, we froze to death and missed a few photos of plants, but I got great pictures of pheasants, skylarks, some chugars, nene, francolins, and cinder cones, and got myself an unexpected hoodie to boot.  Seems like a good day to me.   

March 15
Today is the Ides of March, but it was relatively uneventful.  We drove down to Poolenalena Beach and I found a nice spot under the trees.  Joanie and I did go out in the water together, and were bouncing in the waves, when all of a sudden she looked up and said "Oh no".  There was a look of terror on her face, and I turned around to see a huge wave descending down on us, and about to break right where we were standing.  I grabbed onto Joanie, but when the wave hit, we went flying and got smacked down on the sand.  Joanie of course was covered in sand and got bruised.  She is a sand magnet.  I was not, although later on the beach I scratched my skin and had sand under my fingernails.  It freaked her out though and she did not want to go in again.  I watched a man with a little baby playing in the water later, and when a large wave came, he just walked with it and held the little girl on to of it like she was body surfing.  I don't know when he never got knocked over. 

On our way home, we hit a traffic jam right at Ma'alaea Harbour.  We crawled at less than five miles per hour, with frequent stand stills.  This continued all the way to Lahaina.  It took almost two hours to get from the beach back to Lahaina, a trip that should take thirty minutes.  They were paving.  In the evening we dropped by Kimos for a drink and to listen to the local band.  I tried a Mango Colada, a creamy drink that went down well.  Joanie had some lemonade concoction that she really liked. 

March 16
Definitely not a beach day today.  It was very overcast and cooler, if 75 degrees is considered cool.  We decided to try conquering Heleakala again, since our park pass was good for three days, and we missed some nice views because of cloud cover the previous time.  We got only a few miles up before we were in the clouds and it did not appear that it would clear up, so we stopped.  Instead, we visited a nearby botanical garden, Kulu, and Joanie got her fill of photographing flowers, while I managed to find some birds to pursue, including a red cardinal that insisted on posing for me.  We had a nice time, and then drove to Makawao, and old Hawaiian town. There was not that much to it except some old shops, but we did manage to get in some shopping, which I of course was happy about.  Finally, we drove to Sugar Beach, just on the north end of Kehei, and walked along the beach.  The beach here stretches for miles, from this point all the way to Maalaea Harbour.  We dropped into a local bar for a beer to kill some time before the sunset, and then drove home for a late meal of BBQ pork chops.  A very good day again!

March 17
It was a not so hot day.  We went to church in Kapalua and during the service, the wind picked up for a while and it actually felt cold.  Last night I did some research on where some of the exotic birds on Maui live, and discovered a bird watching book which described a trail at the start of the Haleakala park where certain exotic red birds are frequently spotted.  I suddenly decided a third trip there would be good, but since our girls were scheduled to arrive at 8:15PM tonight, it would be too long to wait after a walk for them to arrive, and I did not want to drive back and forth from Lahaina twice in a day. Filed this away for some future day when the women want to go shopping. 

After church, I discovered that the girls' flight was delayed and they would not arrive until 10:30PM.  We decided to hang around the condo for the day.  As the day wore on, so did the flight delays.  Finally, the flight was scheduled to leave Bellingham at 1:10AM Monday, 8.25 hours late.  The poor girls were stuck in the Bellingham airport all afternoon and evening, and would now arrive here at 4:27AM.  A check of the internet indicated many complaints about similar delays on Allegiant flights to Hawaii a few days earlier.  Looks like a very short night sleep, but at least there should be no traffic jams.  We walked in town and watched the sunset from the harbour area of Lahaina, but I discovered that my underwater camera did not work, as it appeared to have water in it, judging by the memory stick which was a little damp when I took it out.  I hope a thorough drying will fix the problem, but I am worried, with some good snorkeling planned in the next few weeks.
   

Maui 2013 - Feb 28 to March 8

February 28
Another sunny day.  After a relaxing morning around the condo and pool, we again went whale watching with Robbin and Cora on the zodiac with Captain Steve.  We got a discount as a repeat customer.  Half the boat seemed to be repeat customers.  Things started out slowly and I was concerned that this could be a disappointment,  We went quite a while without seeing any whale action near by.  then we found a pod, and a whale did swim under our boat.  Then they were off.  We spent a while searching again.  We did get reports on the radio from a boat we passed that was working on trying to release a whale calf that was entangled in netting.  Reports did not bode well for the little (relatively) guy. Finally, we found a mother, a calf and a male escort whale.  We stopped to watch them.  The calf was very curious about our boat apparently, and soon swam up to and under us.  I could see it clearly under water below me.  The adults followed.  Several times they surfaced around both sides of the boat, and looked like they would leave.  Each time the calf returned.  We had whales surfacing within ten feet of us, or swimming just below the surface beside the boat.  It was an awesome display.  Cora had made the comment earlier that she wanted to see the whale's eyes, and sure enough, at one point she looked straight into an eye.  She was pretty excited and moved by this. While I did not see a breach, at least not close enough to photograph as I had hoped, it was a wonderful trip, and we hope to come back with Carl, the assistant, who does the Lanai snorkel trip in the future.

In the evening we went to Whaler's Village to walk through the fancy hotels in Kaanapali.  This was fortunate, because it gave us a chance to check out some jewelry stores.  Once again, despite a hot day in Lahaina, it was windy and cool in Kaanapali.  We did end up at Lielani's for a tropical drink before heading home.  Joanie had FUN and laughed hysterically at some of the off colour t-shirts she saw in one of the stores. 

March 1
After breakfast we went to Hilo Hatties for shopping.  Good times.  We also arranged for Robbin to be a second driver on the rental car, which cost the same for the rest of their stay as taking it for a week.  But, even good times end at some time.  I was standing in front of the table of coffee mugs when one of the employees came past with a cart.   I stepped back to get out of his way, and knocked four boxes of mugs onto the floor.  All broke.  It was time to move to another section of the store.  I gave Cora a coupon for a free mug with her purchase, but warned her to make sure her free cup was not broken.  Then we ran into Ted and Marika (I still called her Trudy) Vroon, who were on a Hawaian cruise.

After lunch we drove to Maluaka Beach, a nice beach at the end of the Makena Road south of Wailea. We were able to sit under some trees for shade.  This is also on the edge of a point often referred to as "Turtle Town" by many tour operators.  (There are actually several locations referred to as Turtle Town, just as the beach and several others are sometimes named Makena Beach by different locals.  Not at all confusing!)  Joanie and I tried snorkeling but in the late afternoon the waves were a little strong and our masks kept fogging up.  We did see about four turtles swimming when we walked to the point.  We brought clothes with us so we could change at the washroom by the little parking lot, and then went to the Shops of Wailea mall to do some shopping.  Did I mention that I actually hate shopping?  Before shopping though, we ate dinner at the restaurant, Cheeseburger in Paradise, where we celebrated Cora's retirement.  Cora and Joanie tried a new exotic drink, Double Trouble, and Joanie had FUN. 

After shopping for a little while, (I put my foot down and stated I was not keen on every outing turning into a shopping trip), we tried to find our way to the waterfront walkway.  We could not, so we drove to the nearby hotel, The Grand Wailea, where we were informed we could only park using their valet parking, so we returned to the shopping centre, where we were stopped by a security guard who said we should not park there if we were leaving the property.  I don't remember going for a walk in Wailea being soooo difficult.  We broke down and used the valet parking at the hotel.  Joanie bought a $2 roll of mentos to validate the parking.  We strolled along the walkway behind the hotels, and took in part of a luau show.  We returned home by 9:30PM.

Vacationing is sometimes about being flexible and going with the flow. On Saturday, March 2 we made plans to go to DT Fleming Beach.  Just before leaving, Joanie called Ryan and Stephanie, local friends, to confirm plans to see them after church on Sunday.  Stephanie was taken to a hospital on the Big Island because she was pregnant and her water broke early.  However, Ryan still wanted us to come, but suggested not going to Fleming Beach because that is where he was going to take us.  After extending our coffee break until late morning,our plans changed to just hanging around here.  It was a busy day though.  After a time of reading by the pool, we went to the banyan tree to see the local arts fair. We stopped by a jewelry store first to shop.  After ten minutes I was done and left the rest to shop on their own while I worked my way back to the pool area for more reading.  After dinner it was off to the Catholic school bazaar near us.  The place was packed with it seemed everyone who lives in Lahaina.  We were done quickly though, and got changed to go to the hot tub.  It was full with another group, so it was back to the condo.  We even watched a little TV for the first time. 

March 2
Another sunny day.  We went to church in Kapalua, on the golf course.  This is where Ryan and Stephanie go, and we met Ryan in the parking lot.  We all enjoyed the service, and even knew most of the songs.  Visitors were given shell leis during the service.  Hilo Hattie would be jealous.  After church we did some shopping at the store near by.  Okay, it was only for ten or fifteen minutes, but we did.  Then we met Ryan and his children, Jonah and Avery at the Plantation golf course down the highway for brunch.  This is where the PGA holds a major golf tournament, and the trophy was on display.  We were a little worried about how much this was going to cost, because Robbin and I were going to treat Ryan. The cost however was very reasonable. We had a wonderful eggs benedict.  Afterwards, Ryan gave us a tour of the school where he works.  We then parted ways and drove a few minutes to DT Fleming Beach.  It was a little confusing day because plans kept getting made and broken.  On the phone Ryan talked about going with us to the beach, but then made no mention or show any intent to go with us.  Over lunch he asked if we wanted to drop by his house to get changed for the beach, but after the school tour, there was no indication that he still expected us to follow him home, so we said goodbye.  We however had a very good visit with him.  DT Fleming was beautiful as usual, and also very windy.  We came home at about 3PM and sat by the pool until dinner, drinking our frozen $2 slushy drinks.  I had a pina colada, which was 6% alcohol.  Not bad at all for the price!  Robbin and I BBQ'd steaks, and met two fellows from Kelowna.  They were new and asked about the system for BBQ'ing, and we told them it cost a bottle of beer.  They did end up bringing us beer, even though they knew we were joking.  In the evening, we wanted to get outside, so we walked down Front Street, and stopped for a coffee at our usual place beside Cheeseburger in Paradise.  We also did some shopping.  All in all another A+ day.

March 4
Things are getting really weird here in Hawaii.  It's only 10:45PM, and our friends have gone to bed, not unusual, but so has Joanie, and I am reluctant to admit that if it were not for this blog, I might join her.  What is happening to us?  I still get up every day between 7 and 7:30 and am always in bed before 12:30AM. 

Today we did not go shopping!  OK, going to Boss Frogs to look for snorkel equipment does not count.  Robbin and Cora rented equipment for a day, and ended up also buying a sunset dinner cruise, which was going for half price because they were trying to fill the boat.  We of course joined them.  But first, it was off to Kaanapali and the beach at Black Rock.  The water was a little clearer than previous visits.  It was a little eventful, but that is a story for another day.  We returned early so we could drive to Ma'alaea Harbor for our cruise at 4:30PM.  The sitting arrangements were not fancy, but the food was excellent.  Some of us had fish, ono-ono, crusted in macadamia, while others had prime beef.  Along with the Caesar salad, roasted potatoes, veggies, a delicious chicken and moist chocolate cake, we were very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food.  There was also a musician on board, playing Jimmy Buffet, Eagles and other mellow music.  He often plays at Fleetwood Mac's bar as well as at one of the hotels.  He was very good.  We enjoyed the sunset, with whales surfacing in the foreground.  The price, $49, included two free drinks, we had mai tais, and Joanie even had an extra free drink.  She had FUN.  Apart from the fact that we had to watch The Bachelor on TV in the evening, it was wonderful again today.  The oddest thing though was that we went to be at 11PM. 

March 5
After breakfast, we drove to the north end of the island.  We stopped at several lookouts over Honolua Bay, a  sheltered cove for snorkeling on a calm day, which was not today, and also a famous surfing place.  We watched in amazement as scores of surfers waited in the huge surf and then caught just the right wave, some standing and some lying on their boards.  It was like in the movies where the huge wave curls right over the surfer, and you thing they are done for, but then they emerge from the wave "tube".  The road above the site was lined with cars, and there were lots of people watching.  We then drove further, to a lighthouse (now a mechanical uninteresting tower) and the blowhole.  The coast was fantastic.  We stood in awe, watching the large waves crashing over beautiful, interesting lava formations.  I find blowholes are often over-rated, but this one was not.  We drove a little farther on the highway to get a better glimpse of a pyramid like outcrop but turned around after a while, knowing the road was going to get much narrower and rougher. 

The rest of the day was spent around our pool, and then in the evening, we dropped by Kimos for a drink.  Joanie had FUN.

Studying my Hawaiian bird book, we were intrigued by how bird sounds are written down.  The other day I saw a francolin, a quail-like bird, which made a very loud, piercing sound.  However, I could not describe it nor find words to record it.  The closest I came today was a red cardinal that is welcoming the sun every morning.  He seems to sing "tweeeet, tweeeet, weiner-weiner-weiner."  What that means I have no idea.

March 6
The day began early, dropping Robbin and Cora off at the dock for their six hour deluxe trip with Captain Steve to Lanai, for snorkeling, whale-watching and dolphin watching.  The zodiac has no washroom facilities so they are a little worried.  The only advice they were given from the local snorkel shop was, swim away from the other snorkelers if you have to go, and if you need to do a big job, make sure it is down stream.  Yuk!

For the past few days, Joanie has been suffering from a toothache off and on, and it has been more on than off lately.  It appears to be a problem with her crown.  We spent a while walking around town looking for a pharmacy which had something to numb the tooth.  We tried some tooth pain killer but that only seemed to work for twenty minutes or so.  It looks like we may need to explore dental work, but first, I need to find out what happens under my medical or dental coverage. 

Robbin and Cora really enjoyed their tour, and saw three whale breaches nearby, even though the only thing they had to show for it was a picture of a large splash, due to people always standing in front of them.  They saw hundreds of dolphins and enjoyed good snorkeling.

After dinner we strolled down Front Street and shopped at some of the jewelry stores there.  I might have seen some of these stores before.  I wrote my blog early today.  It is completed by 10:15PM, and Joanie and I are sitting alone.  Robbin and Cora are making Wade and Colleen look like wild and crazy night owls.

March 7
Today was an educational day.  It began with breakfast.  I learned about convection ovens.  I learned that if you place a stack of pancakes, that you slaved over the stove to make, into the oven, they will burn, even if the oven is only set at 210 degrees.  I also learned not to volunteer to make breakfast. 

After a dismal breakfast of salvaged pancakes, we went to Polo Beach.  Up to now, I thought Polo Beach was just a shorten form for Po'olenalena Beach, but we found it was actually a different, and very nice beach.  It was a mostly cloudy day and we spent hours sitting in the sun, due to a lack of shade, unlike at Po'olenalena. I used lots of sunscreen, but I guess it only lasts so long.  In the mid afternoon, despite the black, ominous clouds hanging overhead, the sun did manage to break through for periods of time.  With the heat and lack of wind, it felt like my legs and forehead were in an oven.  Robbin referred to Joanie as Aunt Jemima. 

We also managed to arrange for Joanie to go to the dentist tomorrow for her toothache.  That scrapped plans to go out for breakfast, something I do not care much about, being quite skilled at making pancakes and other breakfast dishes, but something Robbin adores doing. 

After dinner of leftover ribs, (I have yet to eat a rack that was not overly fatty), we walked down Front Street, checking out a few jewelry stores on the way.

I am wondering how things will change around here over the next few weeks.  Up to now, fellow tourists consist of mostly old people, including a high percentage of obese people, and young families with very young pre-schoolers in diapers.  I suspect that as Spring Break approaches, these will be replaced somewhat with families with school-age children.  Tomorrow is advertised as Town Party in Lahaina, but I can't see it being too exciting with the current crowd.  We hope to go to Bubba Gumps for dinner to celebrate a belated Robbin's birthday.  Joanie will no doubt have FUN, if the dentist does not take all our money.

March 8
Joanie managed to get an appointment with Ryan and Stephanie's dentist in Kahana, so we went there to see about her pains.  I was very apprehensive about what this would cost, since our dental plan required us to pay the cost first, and then apply for reimbursement up to the equivalent cost in Ontario.  She has x-rays taken, and the total cost was $135.  Of course this did not remedy the situation.  She required a root canal in the crowned tooth, and got prescriptions for anti-biotics and pain killers to see if she could survive until we get home.  She was also advised to make an appointment with a specialist for next Friday, in case things did not improve and she would require the root canal now.  I can only imagine the cost of that procedure! 

After lunch we went to Kapalua Bay, since it was not too far away.  We sat and waited patiently, sort of, for quite some time for a family of three to pack up and leave a parking spot in a crowded lot.  The man was in absolutely no hurry, despite out sitting a few feet away, waiting.  We needed to "hang loose".   The beach was beautiful and sheltered, and despite a write up which suggested snorkeling was poor here, there were lots of people snorkeling over the reefs not far from shore.  We of course decided not to bring the snorkel gear, but the boogie boards instead.  There was no boogieing to be done here, but we will be back to snorkel.  We also appeared to witness a whale rescue attempt.  There was a helicopter hovering overhead, and a number of boats, including a rubber dingy, following a whale.  Presumably the whale must have been caught in netting and they attached two bouys to it in order to slow the whale's swimming down..  We have no idea if they were successful.  This is the third time we have heard attempts to free whales caught in fish netting.  We hoped this was not still the first whale we heard about days earlier on our first whale watching trip.

For dinner we went to Bubba Gumps.  The food was delicious.  We walked along Front Street afterwards but town party which was advertised all week seem to be a fizzle.  Nothing special was going on so we returned home.