Maui No Ka Oi

Okay...as many of you know, I took a quick trip to Maui. And I mean quick. I planned the trip in 4 days, and was on the island for 4 days. I have now been home in St. George for 5 days, and I'm afraid the nice tan that I got will slowly be fading. :(
My mom and best friend Leilani joined me in this adventure, and were delightful company!We left Salt Lake City during a snow storm, at which point the airplane captain told us we had to wait on the runway while the plane was being "de-iced." Not exactly comforting. Fascinating thing though. They have these guys in huge cherry pickers in the sky and long poles spraying the plane. The guy sitting next to me was kind of tipsy, and couldn't wait for the beverage cart to come along so he could purchase whiskey--"anything from the South." And he was so thrilled to be sitting in between women, that he offered to buy us a drink as well. I must say, my first time being offered, and it was very nice of him...:) Needless to say, this man was a character; switching between his ipod classic and phone for music and drinking, it was a great combination! Finally landed in Maui (I forgot how long that terminal is!), picked up our rental car (it was cheaper and easier to get a convertible car than wait the 2 hours for the other car we reserved!), and made our way to Kihei.
First order of business: Find food! And lo and behold! My first meal was at L & L's! Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love this place! We spent the next two and a half days exploring the island. Lani and I had been before when we were in school; mom had never. Went to the eastern side of Makena where you can see the island of Kahoolawe. On Thursday, we made our way to Lahaina and Old Lahaina Town. Visited many of the historical sites including: The Baldwin Home (ever watched the movie "Hawaii" based on the book by James Michner?), the old banyan tree, old fort, Old Lahaina Prison, and Lahaina Harbor. Ate at this great local restaurant called Aloha Mixed Plate. Fantastic! Went to the beach. Saw some whales breaching in the distance. On Friday, we decided to wake up early and drive upcountry. Headed towards the hippy town of Paia at 7 in the morning. Obviously nothing was open, continued towards Haleakala Crater and the town of Makawao. Tried to find this bakery called Kumoda's. Stopped and asked a local for directions, but his pidgeon was so bad! Continued towards Kula and stopped at this cool historic church. It was built in the 1800s for the Portuguese people who came to Maui to work the sugar cane fields. Very beautiful and ornate inside. Bout some little saint medals to send to Ta'ei in Brazil. I thought he might get a kick out of them! The closer to the base of the crater we got, the colder it got! Mom had to put her jacket on! And driving with the top down, you can just imagine! Decided not to make the famous drive to Hana. Since Lani and I had been, we figured it wasn't really worth it. Not to mention none of us were in the mood to deal with a winding road! We stopped at Costco on the way back to Kihei. Yes, Costco. Let me tell you. That place was packed! And even though the prices were pretty comparable to the mainland, it was still $4.50 for a gallon of milk! The first night we were there, we spent $68 on groceries! Ran into this guy who tried to talk to me. I think he was a little off his rocker. He could have been mistaken for a tourist. He was dressed to the nines in aloha attire, complete with matching hat! Back to Kihei for more beach time! It was at this time that I wished I had a video camera...Here's the story...Imagine with me if you can.
Susi: (Looking around at the plethora of people on the beach. She spots an older gentleman digging a hole behind his lawn chair. And thinks to herself, "Why is that man digging a hole? Did he bury his drinks in the sand to keep them cold? And why is he digging so deep?" Still intrigued turns to Leilani.)
Look at that man digging a hole...why do you think he's digging?
Lani: (Kind of irritated that Susi interrupted her reading) I don't know.
Susi: Hmmm...(Susi continues to watch, only to realize the man was digging a hole to put the back end of his chair in to make some kind of recliner. He sits in and puts his feet up.) HAHAHAHAHAHA! (Susi laughs boisterously and turns to Lani.) He fell out of his chair!
By this time, the man turned toward me (probably because I was so loud), also laughs, and goes back to digging. Susi continues to watch, and when the man is done digging, turns to her and holds up 2 fingers. She assumes it's because he means 2nd time around. SUCCESS!!

What a great moment! Such a great highlight in my Maui trip! Saturday morning we spent at the Maui Swapmeet. All I have to say is "BOOO!!!" Not at all what we wanted! Although I did find a pretty sweet ukulele, this swapmeet was very much designed for the one-time visitor to the islands who might never return. Our trip home was long...flew to LAX, then to SLC, then had to wait for a flight to SGU. Which never happened! Ended up flying to Cedar and driving home. All in all, a great trip. Maui's not my favorite island--I found it almost too touristy. But February is the perfect time to go. Little humidity, lots of whales, perfect temperatures. Great company (thanks for going with me on my whim!). Pictures to follow. Maui No Ka Oi.