Today was "Road To Hana" day! We got up fairly early, Russ packed snacks, lunches, more snacks. We hit the store to get last minute supplies. Then it was off on our adventure!
In the back of the convertible, Russell assumed his best Homecoming Queen pose and began taking pictures...
We decided to do the journey in reverse so we could get to the Gulch before all the tour busses. The back road is rough, dry, and desert-like.
We stopped to snap a couple of pictures of the sea arch. We wanted to stop at the "Sisters" but without our blue book, didn't know where to stop, so we pressed on to Alelele Falls. This is a lovely, big waterfall, that is an easy hike for Mom Edna to get to...
Here's a picture of Alelele Falls from our trip last year...
And here it is this year...
Whaaa----? It's all dried up! That was a bit depressing.
So we drove on the Oheo Gulch. We got there pretty early and started exploring. They've done a lot of development on the park and "safety" measures.
Still, the water was a bit low and made us sad.
Next we decided to walk to the big waterfall that is responsible for the little ones you see in the pictures above. So...off we strode...
Garry Found a Stick!
Then He Found a Tree to Climb
It was a lovely walk. A lot of up-the-mountain climbing, but Mom Edna was a trooper and hung in there. Then she began adopting one of Russell's habits: "Pick Something Up Off The Ground And Stick It In Your Mouth."
Actually, we walked beneath several Guava trees which had dropped the fruit on the ground. With a bit of scavenging we were able to find a few that were not rotten or swarming with bugs that found them first. So the group picked them up, peeled them open, and ate. Yummy!
We passed another tree, which Garry had to play in.
We walked about halfway up the trail until we came to the Bamboo Forest. We walked in a bit until we were surrounded by the plants. Then we stepped off the trail and secluded ourselves in a little clearing. We sat there, looking at the forest, listening to the wind, enjoying the coolness. And had lunch!
After lunch we walked back down the trail (much easier when going downhill) and back to the car. Our next stop was one of our favorite places--the Red Beach in Hana town.
Arg! The tide was in and the beach was completely submerged!
Oh well...on to the Black Beach. As we drove the weather began to mist, the sprinkle, then rain. So we stopped and put up the lid of the car. Then it poured! We waited out the rain, then went down to the beach.
Unca Dave Went for a Swim. The Water Was a Bit Deep
Garry Attempts to Hide
After that we were done. It was getting late and we had the entire "front half" of the Road to Hana to traverse. So we drove. Interestingly, all the other waterfalls were running and were very pretty. But it was raining and the clock was late, so we didn't stop to hike and explore. The car top was down so Damian maneuvered through all the hair-pin turns, one-lane bridges, cliffs and valleys.
We finally got home and everyone jumped in the hot tub to unkink from being stuffed in the closed convertible. Then Russ made a dinner of very yummy pork chops. We had our drinks, some ice cream, then hit the sheets.
<Yawn!> What a day!
---Aloha!
