Our first day was eventful in all the best ways. Our flight from Spokane left at 5am, so we stayed at our Uncle and Aunts place so the dogs could stay on their normal schedule with our dog/house sitter. We set the alarm clock for 2am and at 245am I went into Ayla’s bedroom to wake her up for a quick car transfer but she heard the door open and immediately sat up and said “is it time to go to Maui?”. “It’s time!” I said. She shouts “YAY!” and shoots out of bed and gets her shoes on and is talkative the whole rest of the morning. Our flight from Spokane to Portland was quick and smooth. However, when we were going in for landing, the plane all of a sudden revved up and quickly started to ascend again. Once we leveled out the captain came on and said that the radio frequency had interference with another flight so they had to attempt landing a second time. That was a little concerning, but we had a 40 min layover in Portland and still easily made it to our next and final leg of the journey. After waiting an hour on the runway, we were finally off and on our way! The flight was perfect. Ayla slept for the last 2.5 hours, so when we landed she was well rested and ready for the adventures ahead.
We landed at 10am local time, so we were excited to take advantage of the day. We headed to Kanahena Natural Area Reserve [The ‘Āhihi-Kīna‘u reserve] first thing. This is a part of Maui we have always wanted to explore but we’ve never made the time for it – so today was the perfect day to make the time. The drive there was nice; it reminded us a lot of the lava areas on the Big Island. The Natural Area has a trail that leads to outlets that are known for snorkeling, but are considered more advanced waters. The views from the trail leading to the water were gorgeous. Once we finished our little hike there we continued onto the road to the La Perouse Memorial, which is located in La Perouse Bay at the end of Makena Alanui Road. Along the whole road of the reserve is a tall chain-link fence. We kept wondering what they were trying to keep out. Well, on our way out of the reserve, we got out answer – GOATS! We saw our first Maui wild goat. It was awesome – had horns and all! Heading back into town, there were several little pullouts along the road that allowed you to enjoy little sand areas with expansive views. We made a couple stops to get our toes in the sand and enjoy some splashes from the waves.
After our exploring, we headed to Monkey Pod – our favorite! However, we’ve only gone outside of happy hour times once or twice in our 11 years coming here. So, we figured we’d order a real meal and see how it compared to our normal fare. We of course got Mai Tai’s; I also tried the Cat’s Pajamas (ginger, lemon, turmeric, honey & orange). Having just come off being under the weather I figured it would be a good drink to start the vacation. If you like ginger, I highly recommend it. For food we got a cheese pizza for Ayla, Maui Cattle Company cheese burger with fries and the Bulgogi Pork Tacos. All the food was good, but their happy hour offerings remain the winners in our minds.
After dinner, we headed to our condo complex to enjoy the pool until our condo was ready for check in. The pool area was ranks top 3 for me on Maui. The pool goes 6 feet deep, is very large, and also has a kid pool and two hot tubs. The gym overlooks the pool, so I am hopeful to get some workouts in this trip while AJ and Ayla get extra pool time together. Once we could check into the condo, it was time to unpack and head to bed! We were very impressed with our condo at check in; they had a Maui welcome basket on the counter, lots of Kona coffee on display at the coffee maker and Hawaiian music playing on all the TV’s. It set a welcoming tone. Then, around 530pm local time Ayla said she was tired and wanted to go to bed, so we got her all tucked in and she was instantly out!
We don’t have any plans this first week, but if the rest of the trip goes as great as today went, we are in for a great vacation! Once we have a chance to walk the condo grounds, I will post some pictures from around the area too, it’s a beautiful complex.
Stay tuned for more!
Kanahena Natural Area Reserve [The ‘Āhihi-Kīna‘u reserve]
