The Reagan Report: Maui - Day 6

The morning of Day 6 was gorgeous of course, and we just had to return to Cane & Taro for their fantastic pancakes. Our agenda for the day was to drive part of the Road to Hana. (Which is a famous drive across Maui. Actually, it is widely acknowleged to be one of the most breathtaking drives in the world. ) It is a curvy coastal road with views of cliffs, beaches, waterfalls, and miles of rainforest. Typically this drive takes 3 hours one way, so our plan was not to complete it- and spend all day in the car. Our plan was to follow the Road to Hana ONLY until it led us to a waterfall. This was something that we absolutely could not leave Hawaii without seeing!

Our first stop was the Hana Bay Picnic Company, for their famous picnic lunch and a couple of smoothies. The first stop, actually the only stop that was necessary, was Twin Falls. :) With our picnic lunch in hand, we started to short hike to the first cascade. Joey was excited to get in that frosty water and climb up to the top. He jumped off of course, the first landing was about 20 feet high. Then, he couldn't wait to climb up to the next landing, which was 50 feet high!!! I didn't get a great picture of this cliff jump, but it was awesome! I stepped into the water a bit, and it was so cold!! We stayed a little while at the first cascade, and then began the 20 minute hike to the second waterfall. This one was exactly what I had in mind, and I was squealing with excitement when it came into view! It was so difficult to get to! We had to climb and amble across the most slippery rocks to get there, but it was so worth it!!! It was just what I had envisioned!!! Joey waded in immediately to check out the cascade from the water, once again frigid. Then, he saw a couple of guys jump off the cliff above- and planned exactly where he should aim his landing. Then, Joey hiked up to the top of the cliff barefoot, 70 feet above!!!! I got the camera ready, and he leaped ! I never thought I would be so excited to watch my beloved husband jump off a cliff !!! I love that he's so macho. Without even trying. He just is.

I hadn't planned to get in the water- once Joey told me how cold it was, but I just knew that I would regret it if I didn't. I had to put out of my mind all the visions I had of what would be swimming in there with me. (I am so not a fan of critters of any kind.) I made my way slowly across the slippery rocks into that icy water, and swam over to the large rock that was resting near the bottom of the cascade. Then I held my breath and swam underneath that waterfall. As the water hit my hair, the chill of it actually took my breath away. But I have never been more enthralled!! Joey jumped off a 50 foot and a 70 foot cliff, and I washed my hair in a Hawaiian waterfall. How many people can say that!!!??? For both of us, it was one of the most wonderful experiences we've had.

We were on a high as we hiked back to the farmstand at the entrance to the Falls, and Joey bought a freshly sliced pineapple for our drive back to the hotel. The drive was beautiful, and the pineapple was delectable.

We stopped at the famous Ono Gelato on the way back, and tried the coconut gelato. Beyond amazing!

Our plan for the late afternoon and evening was to find a beach with some ridiculously gentle waves. (Since I was fighting the urge to fear the ocean after our wave-rolling incident the day before.) I thought I would start small and work my way back up to the more robust waves at our hotel beach. As we were driving, we saw some toddlers playing on a beach in the tiniest waves imaginable, and I knew that was the place for me. We walked out and slowly waded into the water. Which was barely moving. That beach was full of sticks and tree roots, and hurt my feet. So, we set off to another beach that I had read about... Kapalua Beach.

Kapalua Beach was small, had gorgeous golden sand, and there were barely any people there. And, most importantly, the waves were gentle- not toddler gentle- just relaxing gentle. The only downside was the very large rocks mixed in with the sand. We did see a molting sea lion resting on the beach, which was so cool. Joey and I just floated there until sunset, until I felt completely comfortable in the ocean again.

We went back to the hotel and got cleaned up for dinner at Lahaina Pizza Company. The fried provolone was excellent and so was the Hawaiian pizza with pineapple!