Maui Dec 2018

We spent a little time in the LAX USO during our return trip Los Angeles layover...lots of Bob Hope memorabilia, very nice USO though you have to depart the terminal and walk a couple blocks outside security.  Arrived back in Denver on schedule.  A few comments about the trip: 1.  We flew on Delta's "Basic Economy" fares for the first time...very cheap tickets that come with no assigned seats until check-in 24 hours prior to takeoff, and no free checked bags, though a carry-on and personal item were free.  Since we had the Delta Amex credit card, we got 2 free checked bags, so it was a good value flight, and the seats were acceptable, though very hard to sleep in coach seats.  Southwest is going to start flying to Hawaii soon, which could drive down flight costs. 2.  Everything on Maui is expensive...expect to spend 30-50% more than on the mainland, except at Costco! 3.  Best time for whale watching is probably Jan-Mar...we were early in the sea...

After having some early morning rain accompanied by some farewell rainbows   We departed our condo and drove to the Maui Ocean Center, where they do research, coral reclamation, etc.  They had excellent displays of tropical fish, rays, sharks, turtles, and more. We then drove to a wetlands preservation site...only about 60 acres of protected wetlands left on the island.   We walked the boardwalk, and saw some endangered Hawaiian ducks, black with white beaks We then visited the Sugar Museum, which told the story of the sugar industry on Maui.  It started in the late 1800s.   The central lowlands between the two volcanic peaks were the best location on the island, but there was little water available, so they had a massive irrigation project over decades to channel the water.  There were entire company towns built, with workers brought in from mainly China, Japan, and the Philippines to do the backbreaking work of...

Today was an all-day trip called the Hana Experience, a tour by Aloha Hawaii.  We got picked up at 6:30am at our condo by a shuttle bus, and after picking up about 10 more people, rode to Lahaina, switched buses, and headed for Hana, a small town on the east side of the island, formerly the center of sugar cane production but now very isolated from the western part of the island by the quality of the roads through the rain forest.  According to our guide, our trip would involve over 600 sharp turns and over 60 one-lane bridges, plus no guard rails and precipitous drops as close as one foot from the road (sometimes unpaved, and rental cars are not allowed on one stretch due to this danger), so this is why we chose to let someone else do the driving! The northern Maui shore has huge waves, sometimes rivaling the big island, here is one beach where surfing competitions are held   We stopped at some colorful eucalyptus trees   and at a roadside...

After watching the Chiefs pull off a dramatic win over the Ravens, we chilled out a bit.  With high winds again, there were sailboarders running the waves all afternoon.  We drove about 30 min south and east to Ma'alaea Harbor and took a 2 hour Calypso sunset tour. We both had delicious lobster meals were entertained by a very talented singer who played multiple instruments and of course saw the sunset