The "Road To Hana" Story

It was an ordinary day. We were on our way to world famous Hana. Jerry, Just Sue, Carol and I had decided we wanted to take "The Incredible Journey-The Road to Hana" in our rental car. Hana is on the island of Maui in the Pacific. We knew it was a challenging trip so we left at 6:30 AM. We had a list of rules with us that stated: Don't trespass, leave early, research your trip before you go, bring a towel, check the weather, pay attention to yield signs, do not litter, treat everyone with respect, drive safely and slowly (may be hard for me), get back before dark, and don't swim at the top of a waterfall. Duh!! Told we should have a full tank of gas because there are no gas stations along the way. There have been many fatalities over the years because of the winding roads and cliffs. We were in a Chevy Trailblazer with 4 wheel drive so we knew we shouldn't get stuck anywhere. Jerry and I shared the driving for the day. We started our trek at the town of Kailua which is the true beginning of the road to Hana. To reach Hana, if we drive straight through without stopping, will take about two and a half hours. There are approximately 600 curves and 54 bridges. We decided the girls would count the bridges and the guys would watch the curves. Logical, isn't it? We were told to make sure we had bug spray with us because Hana is packed with mosquitoes as well as tourists. I imagine if I were a mosquito, a tourist trap would be my place of destination also. Our first stop was at the Puahokamoa Falls which were beautiful, but not as full as they are at times because of a dry spell in Maui. Most of the falls we stopped to visit had minimal amounts of water flowing over them. We made a stop at Waianapanapa Beach which is located in a State Park. The beach is set among lava cliffs and the sand is small, smooth, lava pebbles. Small sea arches and lava tubes lead to the beach. The beach is black! Beautiful!! We really enjoyed this stop. Finally reached Hana were we had lunch at a small restaurant on the beach. We finished lunch, hit the rest rooms and hopped in the car for more entertainment. Our next stop was the Ohe'o Gulch which ended with the Waimoku Falls and the Seven Sacred Pools. The freshwater pools are one of the most striking natural wonders in all of Maui and are considered sacred in Hawaii because freshwater is the connection to life. The pools vary in elevation and are connected by rushing waterfalls. Today, the pools are very low and the water isn't rushing because of the lack of rain. Jerry ventures towards the pools to take a dip while Just Sue, Carol and I walk toward the entrance to the ocean. At this point we had to decide if we wanted to continue on in the direction we were going or head back. The roads in the same direction were mostly unpaved and dirt and our auto insurance would not cover us if something happened, so we opted to head back the way we came and make a few more stops. On one extremely high and winding section we witnessed a minivan which had gone over the edge of the cliff. Pretty scary! We made our way back to our resort by 5:30 PM; tired, hot and sweaty, but with a lot of great photos and memories. The Road to Hana is referred to as "The Land That Time Forgot" and by traveling on it you will be drawn a little closer to heaven. In more ways than one!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Top right is Carol in the lava tube leading to the black sand beach, next is the Seven Sacred Pools and bottom right is Carol and I at the end of the pools and waterfalls where they enter the Pacific.