Maui

Hello and welcome back to Nomad Dad Life! Today will be a little different travel experience than our last one to Fairbanks. If you haven’t read that post, please do so here. We traded the ice sculptures for sandcastles, boots for sandals, and winter jackets for swimming suits. With this trip we wouldn’t be loading up our vehicle and exploring because you can’t drive to this location. We decided to take a real vacation, or a vacation from our vacation, as some of my friends put it and flew to Maui with the kids. Fae had always wanted to go to Hawaii, and the flight from Anchorage was only 5 1/2 hours so we figured now would be a good time to do it instead of flying 13 from Minneapolis.

It is almost hard to believe Alaska and Hawaii are in the same country. They are two completely different worlds. The only similarity is how isolated they are from the rest of the United States. The only direct flight got into Maui around midnight, so we didn’t get to explore right away. We just made our way to the resort. The next morning, we needed to get a couple things for the kids that we couldn’t pack. Target and the airport were in the same town on the opposite side of the island from where we were staying. Instead of cutting straight across the island both times, I decided to take a different route to see more of the island. That was almost a big mistake.

Maui Death Highway

By the way, it turns out the route I took with the kids and Fae is called the Maui Death Highway. Unknown to us, rental cars aren’t allowed. I didn’t know this until after the fact, of course, but it was interesting to say the least. The first dozen miles were fine and like any other road. Then the two-lane highway became a one-lane highway, still with two-way traffic. The first couple of stretches weren’t bad, but there was a 7 mile one-lane stretch with the road barely wide enough for a car, with a cliff down to the ocean on one side and, a mountain on the other. They had sporadic places for a single car to pull over if it met another car.

If you weren’t near one of those pull overs, someone would be backing up on this road for a long ways to get to a spot to pull over just far enough for the car to get past them. There is no room for error, and tires are pretty much hanging off the edge just driving normally. One-lane road around blind corners, mud and rock slides can happen at any time, and the road can give out sending you down into the ocean. The Maui Death Highway lives up to its name.

Here we are going on it with two kids in a rental car. . .Luckily, we were able to get behind a local who knew the road so we just followed his moves on the road we survived the Death Highway! We were able to get the drinks and snacks we needed for the kids and maybe some new underwear for the driver. . .

Vacation Mode

All jokes aside it was nerve-wracking, but it was a great experience and we got to see a lot of the island that most people didn’t get to see. It isn’t as picturesque as the rest of the island, but it is wild and untouched and breathtaking in its own way. The route we took from Lahaina where we were staying to Kahului is only 40 miles, but it took over 2 hours to get there. All the curves, one lane sections and dangers make it slow traveling. On the way back to Lahaina we took the “normal” route, which was a lot safer, but a lot less excitement!

After our Target run it was time to get out and enjoy the Hawaii sun! Now as a pale Norwegian from Minnesota, the sun is pretty much my enemy. However, I had gallons of sunscreen ready for this trip! We made the short walk from our cabin at the resort to the beach. Quick stop at the bar for some refreshments and it was time to get some Hawaii beach time!

The kids were excited to swim in the ocean this time. The water in Oregon was too cold to do more than splash around in, so they didn’t really get to swim. Here the turquoise water was plenty warm for them to spend hours in the water, and that is just what they did! The waves were small so they kids didn’t’ have to worry about getting knocked down and could just enjoy their time. They got to see a lot of sea turtles swimming past and could hear the humpback whales calling when they put their heads under the water.

Changes

Of course, with the fires a lot has changed on Maui. We were there before the disaster. We obviously haven’t been back after the fires so I can’t speak for what it is like now. The island was simple and beautiful. It allowed you to experience more than just beaches. It had farmland, forests, and volcanoes in addition to some of the best beaches in the world.

We got to experience Lahaina how it was meant to be. After the day on the beach it was time to find some food. We made the short drive to the main part of Lahaina. It was busy with both boat and car traffic. Sunset cruises were taking passengers out on the calm water, and fisherman were coming in with their catch from the day. There was a group of kids getting surfing lessons, which was pretty cool to see. The kids really enjoyed that and even wanted to ask if they could try it themselves. Our children were 20 months and 3 years old at the time so obviously they couldn’t try it then!

For how much was going on in the city nothing was rushed. There was a calm presence around everything. Yes, it is Hawaii and there were a lot of tourists. There wasn’t the rush that we have experienced in other touristy areas. People really took the time to relax and enjoy the scenery and appreciate this little slice of paradise. Even waiting in line for some famous Hawaiian shaved ice was an enjoyable experience!

I know life will never be the same for so many people on Maui. So many families relied on the money from tourists coming in to provide for their families. From my understanding, most of what we got to experience there won’t be experienced again by tourists for a long time. Front Street was packed with shops and restaurants. The marina was busy bringing tourists on tours of the waters around Maui. Perfectly maintained golf courses were busy no matter what time of day.

Reflection

Things can change fast, and nothing can be taken for granted. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, and things don’t stay the same forever. Our next post will talk about more of our time on the island. After all they have been through there, I don’t want to make light of the situation. Our experience was completely different from what is happening on Maui after the fires. We had an amazing time and a great experience.

If you haven’t done so already, please follow our journey on social media by clicking a link below!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter