Hawaiian Vacation--Hana post 2

Swimming pool with falls photo by N Knott

Trio of falls photo by N Knott

Stone bridge over falls photo by N Knott

Picnic lunch. . .perfect solution for lunch

Hiking to the ocean photo by N Knott 

Salmon leftovers from our dinner became a picnic lunch for our excursion to Hana. We were up early on Wednesday as it is recommended to leave early for the better options for parking. It is a twisty road. . .like not at all straight for the entire 65 miles! We left at 6am and returned around 4pm.

The scenery is beautiful. There are many picturesque waterfalls. Although we brought our suits, we didn't swim in any of the pools. People who did swim, said it wasn't as cold as they had expected.

Hana was one of the places we didn't go when we were in Maui with the family because all those twists and turn could have caused carsickness which would not have been pleasant!!!

I highly recommend the trip to Hana! The amount of cars and traffic on the road was a lot. I'm glad that we left as early as we did because we were a little ahead of the steady stream of traffic behind us!!!

Selfie gorgeous view in the background photo by N Knott

We did stop and sample the banana bread from Halfway to Hana. While it was good, the consensus was what I make is better. (Good comment because now I'll make more!)

The views were spectacular. All of the photos in this post were from our drive to Hana. Daughter, N, took the majority of the photos. She has a good eye to frame the scenery and she is quick to snap the shot. Also, she has long arms and long fingers so she is a master at taking selfies!

Scenic views photo by N Knott

We stopped at most of the sites listed in the guide book along the route. Sometimes, there wasn't space to park; so we waved and passed. On our way back, we stopped at a few of the places to make sure we saw it all!

At one point, we took a detour for a couple of miles. We drove to a small town. Along the way, there were stands with flowers and produce. You paid on the honor system. It was fun to see these!

At the end of the road, we parked and walked a bit to the ocean. Again, the views were spectacular!

Rocky outcrop photo by N Knott

Our salmon salad picnic lunch was just right. When we arrived back at our condo, we snorkeled from our condo beachfront. We saw even more fish and LOTS of turtles. For dinner, Bob barbecued some local fish that we had picked up at Costco. It was good and perfectly cooked.

Shoreline view photo by N Knott

Thursday was our day to take the Pacific Whale Foundation snorkeling trip to Molokini Crater and the Turtle Arches. When we took this trip with the family, it was too windy to go to the crater so seeing it this time was extra special. I can't say that we saw any different fish or more fish than we had seen off our beach; but, the water was crystal clear so that made viewing amazing. Unfortunately, there were no turtles at Turtle Arches for the second time. We did see some turtles in the ocean from the boat on our way back to port though.

Although it was windy and the water murky, we snorkeled again from our condo's beach. We did see a turtle; but, it was tough to see more than the its shape because the visibility was so poor.

One last view photo by N Knott

What was totally CRAZY about the trip was that when we were boarding, I heard N say, "Hey, I know you!" Turns out one of the crew members was a swim team mate from N's high school days. For as large a planet the earth is, it is also a small world! They were able to get in a little catch up during the trip.

Bob cooked chicken on the grill for dinner. It was delicious. Leftovers became the base for lunch the following day.

On the boat to the crater photo by N Knott

Costco fish and asparagus photo by N Knott

N and Jamie photo by N Knott