Greetings my devoted readers! (aka moms and Nana).
Today was an adventure. Did we set out to have an adventure today? No, we did not. What happened? Poor planning and lack of research. In the age of Google such things should not happen, yet they did.
When we got up this morning Jacob wasn’t feeling the best. I noticed the table on our balcony is covered in pollen, and I learned the mango trees are in bloom so I’m blaming that. Jacob needed some down time which was no problem. I used the time to read on the balcony, and get a load of laundry and dishes done.
Yesterday evening we went to the store to stock up on snacks in case the rains really came in and we would be stuck in the condo. Luckily, while we woke up to gray skies, it was dry and warm outside. I wanted to get outside for a little bit so I wandered over to the general store and a few gifts shops to do some shopping. I also stopped by a cafe and got a latte. It was nice to be out and about. I really like how laid back Kihei is. When I got back to the room I took a snack break on the balcony. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice the cheese I bought yesterday had some mold on it…. and when I checked the date on the bag is expired last week. Oops! Unexpected penicillin?
After that delightful surprise I decided it was time for another walk. I called my mom and chatted with her while I walked up and down the beach. It was beautiful out with the sun peaking through the clouds.
After my walk, Jacob was feeling better and felt up to going out. I wanted to drive up north and go by Lahaina and Kaanapali. A coworker suggested the Burger Shack at Fleming Beach so I thought that would be a good destination. Figured we could have a nice chill drive, see a little scenery, have a nice lunch and then head back.
Car photos never turn out so I don’t have much to share from our drive, but we did see a lot of the recovery that is happening after the devastating fire in Lahaina. Many homes and businesses are being rebuilt, and the main downtown area remains closed. We stuck along the main highway and didn’t venture too far into town but it was still really shocking to see the miles of damage from the fires.
We continued on our way to Kaanapali. I didn’t have much in mind for here other than driving by and seeing what it was all about. I was impressed with the large resorts and the shopping options. After checking it out by car we continued on our route to lunch.
We parked at Fleming Beach and considered our $34 parking fee a donation to Hawaii. The Burger Shack has a fantastic view of Makaluapuna Point and Fleming Beach. Even though the skies were gray, it was warm and we could hear the crashing waves during our lunch.
Jacob got one of their milkshakes! It looked and tasted amazing. We both enjoyed our lunches and had free entertainment of watching the birds being clean up crew every time someone left their tables.
After lunch we decided to walk over to Makaluapuna Point also known as Dragon’s Teeth as the lava formation looks like dragon’s teeth. Here is my photo to prove it.
We walked about and took in the views and crashing waves. I asked Jacob to take my photo!
Once we were done with this lovely walk I thought we’d be heading back. Jacob suggested that we take the highway north instead of south to drive around the north side of the island on our way back. I thought this sounded good because we’d get to see more of the island. What neither of us knew or realized is that part of this stretch is miles of a one-lane road, with steep cliff drop-offs and multiple blind corners. This which we did not realize until much too late to attempt to turn around.
It was difficult to get a photo that really captured how narrow the road was and I also didn’t want to distract Jacob by taking a million photos. This stretch of road is called the Kahekili Highway. Feel free to Google it and you will see words like “dangerous” and “perilous” used to describe it.
When we look at a map and see a hwy number we did not expect it to be this. Granted, it was a beautiful drive, but I would have enjoyed it more had I been prepared for what we were getting ourselves into. I sometimes send my dad our location when we are traveling so he can follow along on our journey. For most of this drive we didn’t have signal but when his messages came in it was clear he had done more research on the road than we had and asked if the road was even passable (barely! Sorry Dad, we made it!) Since I have no good photos to share, I have this beautiful map instead.
When we saw the sign for “State highway begins” I knew we were at the end of that harrowing journey and I was glad to be back onto a regular two-lane highway (I literally cheered). I’m fortunate that Jacob is such a dependable and steady driver, and he didn’t sweat it at all. He said the road reminded him of the hood canal.
We are back at our place now. As we were driving in the rain started to fall and it is a bit gusty outside. It looks like Oahu is getting pelted with rain right now. We will see what tomorrow brings, I just hope this all clears up for our flight home on Tuesday.
Until then!