Canadian Buffoon's Disney With a Teen Vacation - 08/13 - The Wrap

[cindianne320]

Joining in! Too late for the contest but love the hidden pictures! Waldo and Mickey have been my favorite so far, but I loved the airline ones as well.

 

[TGM]

Hello Pkondz! I'm back to read about this trip!

The photos are beautiful! I'm using one as my wallpaper.

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll post one, tomorrow.
Tomorrow is a posting day.

*shudder* I despise this song. Mainly because, being named Annie, everyone sang this at me when I was younger thinking they were sooooo original.

And then, because I'm apparently a glutton for punishment, I signed up to play in the pit orchestra for our musical senior year of high school. And the show we were doing?

On the plus side, I did learn all the awesome songs, like N.Y.C., that don't appear in the movie. The downside was always turning when the director asked for Annie. And having Tomorrow and Hard Knock Life stuck in my head for months.

 

[pkondz]

OK ok here they are...

Gave up holding out in disgust?

1. 7:00am

2. Road to Hana

3. chicken (are you watching Survivor?)

4. Cream Puffs!

5. more ads for Ponzi airlines!

6. two

7. pork

Noted.

And, re: chicken. You mean Mark?
Of course I'm watching Survivor!
Have seen every episode... ever.

BYW, I loved all the kitties in the last update!

I specifically thought of you when I posted those!

 

[pkondz]

Joining in!

Well hi there!
And to the TR!
Glad to have you along!

Too late for the contest but love the hidden pictures!

Never really too late
as long as it's running.

And... thanks!
I had fun making them.

Waldo and Mickey have been my favorite so far, but I loved the airline ones as well.

Well, see?
You just earned 20 bonus points right there.

 

[pkondz]

Hello Pkondz! I'm back to read about this trip!

Well hi! Where ya been?
You've been gone for about 3 months.
Thought I'd lost ya.

The photos are beautiful! I'm using one as my wallpaper.

Thanks!
Wow! That's quite the compliment.

(As he posts the picture and promptly
changes the wallpaper back to Iron Man.)

 

[pkondz]

*shudder* I despise this song. Mainly because, being named Annie, everyone sang this at me when I was younger thinking they were sooooo original.

I promise that if we ever meet,
I'll sing it to you anyway.


Soooo... I'm guessing an invite
to the wedding isn't going to happen...

And then, because I'm apparently a glutton for punishment, I signed up to play in the pit orchestra for our musical senior year of high school. And the show we were doing?

You didn't! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

On the plus side, I did learn all the awesome songs, like N.Y.C., that don't appear in the movie.

So you're a silver lining kind of gal, huh?

The downside was always turning when the director asked for Annie.

Yeah, I could see that.
Sort of like when I'm standing in line
at Home Depot or something
and someone calls out "pkondz!"




I said it was like that.
Not that it actually happens.

And having Tomorrow and Hard Knock Life stuck in my head for months.

Hey! Did I get it stuck back in your head???

Cool!
I'm responsible for an earworm!

 

[orangecats2]

Yeah, I wonder what is going to happen to Mark. Do you think Tai will be able to take him home? I hope he doesn't get eaten.
Ginger cats in a lions mane are so darn cute! My cat would never let me put one on him.

 

[pkondz]

Yeah, I wonder what is going to happen to Mark. Do you think Tai will be able to take him home? I hope he doesn't get eaten.

I'm thinking if they get hungry enough
(and after they almost lost three players,
they seem to be feeding them a lot, so...)
and if Tai gets voted out... all bets are off.

Ginger cats in a lions mane are so darn cute! My cat would never let me put one on him.

Not even with staples?




Kidding!

 

[BibbitybobityLu]

Ack! I'm behind again!! But I see you said you are about to post an update soon so I guess I will just take a stab at those tricky questions cause clearly I am still in the running to win this thing

Next round:
1. What time do I leave the room for breakfast?

What time do you leave the room?? Just you?? Ermmm...6:43am??

2. We launch on an all day excursion.
What is it?

I'm just going to go with the herd and say something about a road to Hana?

3. Kay makes a new best friend.
Figures... She's an animal lover.
What is it?
Hint: Not a dog or cat.

Errmmmm...a tern? An Artic Tern?? Or maybe a dolphin??

4. We try a local baked treat that Elle thinks
is better than mine! What is it?
Hint: It's not been mentioned before.

What?!

I will explore my extensive Hawaiian baked goods knowledge...

...and say something totally unique like Cream Puffs! Whatever those are!

5. Did you see it? Bonus points if you did.

Awww nuts!

6. How many beaches do we visit?

1

7. What do I eat for supper.
Hint: think local.

I don't know I've never been to Hawaii!! I guess lau lau, kalua pork, lomi lomi salmon, poi, haupia and or rice


Oh and...

Okay. You can post the update now.

 

[pkondz]

Ack! I'm behind again!! But I see you said you are about to post an update soon so I guess I will just take a stab at those tricky questions cause clearly I am still in the running to win this thing

Your timing is impeccable.
I had just copied the update
to post it here...
Hit refresh and... there you were!

Ya got lucky, girl.........

What time do you leave the room?? Just you?? Ermmm...6:43am??


I'm just going to go with the herd and say something about a road to Hana?

Errmmmm...a tern? An Artic Tern?? Or maybe a dolphin??

What?!

I will explore my extensive Hawaiian baked goods knowledge...

...and say something totally unique like Cream Puffs! Whatever those are!

Awww nuts!

1

I don't know I've never been to Hawaii!! I guess lau lau, kalua pork, lomi lomi salmon, poi, haupia and or rice

Noted.
And I really had to consider your last guess...
You've got the rice part right......
Nah. Maybe if you'd said "chicken" or "beef" too.

Oh and...

Okay. You can post the update now.

Coming right up.

 

[pkondz]

Moon over Paradise

I don't remember, but I don't think I set the alarm.
Why bother?
Nothing scheduled for today.
Well... nothing with a specific time, at least.

Nevertheless, I was up and out of the room by 8:00am.

We had a long day ahead of us,
and one thing I wanted to do
was get some food so we could have a picnic.

This is something we really enjoy doing...
and never do.

We just don't!
It takes a little forethought.
A little planning.

And that usually feels too much
like... cooking.

And pkondz does not cook while on vacation.

Nope. Not gonna happen.
Well, except maybe while camping.
Or BBQing if we rent a cabin.
But that's it!


I drove back to the same Foodland
I'd been to the day before.
I grabbed some more muffins for breakfast,
and another Spam musubi
(at Kay's request, no less!)

I also grabbed some drinks,
some more fruit and some
pre-made croissant sandwiches.

Okay! I've got breakfast and lunch...
But how to keep everything cool?

I got that covered too.

I snagged a bag of ice and...

My next stop was just a block or two
farther up the road.
I popped into Boss Frog
and rented a small cooler
for the grand total of $2.08.
Not too shabby.


I zipped back to the hotel
and everyone was up and pretty much
ready to go.
We had some breakfast and I packed
our lunch into the cooler with the ice.
All set!

We left the hotel not long after 9:00am.
I didn't even bother to look at the time.
Who cares? No agenda! Free!


We piled into the car and...
Hang on a second.
First things first.
Gotta make sure the car is fueled up.

We pulled into a gas station
and I fueled up...
For a grand total of $10.
That's it?
Wow. I thought I'd driven a lot more than that.
Either this car is really good on gas,
or I'm just used to the generally higher
price of gas in Canada.
Just as a frame of reference,
gas (as I type this) in ND (just south of us)
is at $2.03.
Up here right now it's about $3.75.
And yes, I know I'm comparing USD to CAD,
but when you hand over a $10 bill,
it feels the same whether it's green or purple.
(Yes... purple.)

It's still less than the $30 I figured we'd burned up.


And it's while I was inside, paying for the gas,
that Kay met a new best friend.

The rest of the famn dambly was sitting in the car
(Don't worry. I cracked the windows.)
when Kay spotted something on the hood.

Well, hi there!

Of course she got out of the car for a closer look.

She was very excited.
When I came back out, she said.
"Dad! Dad! Look!"

He seemed pretty comfortable there.
So she got closer.

It actually licked her phone.

"Okay, Kay. Say goodbye to your little friend.
It's time to go."
"His name's Chromosome." She stated.

???

Well, I guess she gets points for originality!

"What's going to happen
when we start driving?" She asked.
"I guess we'll find out." I said.

I started the car and Chromosome
took off like a shot,
zoomed across the gas station lot
and zipped around a corner of the building
and out of sight.

Sucker moved fast.
And problem solved.


We set out on the first leg of our day's adventure.

Today we were going to drive the road to Hana.
The Hana Highway stretches from Kahului,
on the north shore, where Maui's main airport is,
to Hana on the east coast.
The distance between the two towns is only
about 50 miles,
but it takes about two and a half hours
to drive the narrow twisting road,
assuming no stops.

And you're going to want to stop.


If you Google "Best drives in the world"
your chances are pretty good that
you'll find the Hana highway listed.
(I did on two of the three lists I checked.)

How could we pass that up???


According to Wikipedia,
there are 620 curves
and 59 bridges to navigate
almost all of them one lane.
Sounds like fun.
Let's go!


It took about half an hour to reach
the start of the Hana highway.
And at first, it didn't seem to live up
to the hype.
Fairly straight highway.
Farmland or small towns.
Is this it?

It wasn't.


Just a few minutes of driving brought us
to our first stop.
Kay had read that Baldwin beach
had some nice white sand.
She had requested a stop there.
Why not?
I keep telling you, no agenda!
Are you not listening?

If you are listening, it's not going to help.

There's no audio with this chapter.


We parked the car and set out for the beach.
Beach #1, Baldwin beach.

A couple of things to note in the above photo,
Notice the red flag?
No swimming today!
We hadn't planned on it anyway, but...
See where the water line is?
Every now and then (not too often)
a wave would crash on the shore
and the water would flow right up to those flags.

There were a couple of people in the water.
They were either locals,
who knew what they were doing;
or idiots, who didn't.


Also, see that "rock" in front of
and a bit to the right of Kay?...

... Not a rock.
There were chunks of coral littering the beach.
I don't know if they're always there,
or if they were washed up today.
Still, we found it interesting.

Once Kay had filled up another jar with sand,
we piled back into the car
and set out for our next stop on the Hana highway.


In a few minutes, we arrived at Twin Falls.
Apparently, it's a popular place because
it's the first waterfalls of the drive.

The little stand at the entrance to the path
sells smoothies and other treats.
We didn't imbibe since no one was hungry
and or thirsty yet.

We started walking the path...
and walking...
and walking...
And I wasn't all too sure of exactly
where we were going.
Waterfalls, sure... but where were they?

I finally asked some folks heading
in the opposite direction,
how much farther the falls were.
"Well, it's not too much further." They said.
"Maybe another 100 yards.
But the fall's dry because there's no water."


Um... okay.


Another guy, heading back, piped up.
"It's amazing! You have to go see it!"
He was just being a goof, though.
And he grinned to show he was kidding.

So... no falls.
We turned around, our first stop a bust.


I noticed a little offshoot from the path,
so Kay and I went to investigate.
We followed it for a bit and came across
this shallow stream.

Not a lot of water.
I guess that explains the missing waterfall.

We backtracked to the main trail and...
Ruby and Elle were gone.

I found out later that they'd headed back
to the parking lot and waited for us there.

Kay and I were also going to head out,
when I saw another offshoot.
We followed that one and...
"Shhh.... do you hear that?" I asked.

You could clearly hear the sound of running water.
We followed the trail downwards.

The sign clearly called this "Twin Falls".
The upper falls were dry,
but the lower falls?

Wow.
Beautiful.

And to think we almost missed this!

We finally tore ourselves away from
this little patch of Heaven,
and rejoined Ruby and Elle.

"Did you guys see the waterfall?" I asked.
They shook their heads.
"Did you want to go? It's not far."
They were ready to move on, so they declined.
I wish they hadn't, but... oh, well.


We drove off.


I don't have a lot of photos of the drive itself,
since I was the one doing the driving.
I was really hoping Kay... or anyone...
would take pictures.
But they seemed content to just relax and look.

But I did pull over, early on in the drive
and I took this picture.
It's pretty indicative of the entire drive.

See the cars on the far side of the ravine?

This drive was a blast!
Some people may not enjoy tight, twisty roads.
But I thought it was fun!
The only downside was when I'd catch up
to other cars.
Sometimes I'd just pull over for a bit,
and let some space build between us.
Sheesh people, move!
What's the worst that could happen?
Plummeting hundreds of feet to your death
in a flaming wreck as you scream
at the top of your lungs?

Worth the risk.


We next stopped at Kaumahina State Wayside Park.
It was an overlook with a nice view of the north coast.

While I Kay and I were taking these photos,
Ruby got Elle to pose in front of a tree.
She was standing by the tree,
under some overhanging branches when...
They heard some guy telling his girlfriend/wife/whatevs
that there were spiders and they drop from the trees.
She freaked out.
Elle just moved (rather quickly) away from the tree.
Good thing, too, since this little guy
was hanging around there.

Probably not dangerous.
Perfectly harmless, I'm sure.
Just because it was big enough
to carry away a small child...
Doesn't mean anything...

<shudder>

(I did look this one up for those who are interested.
It's a Black and Yellow Garden spider.
Non-aggressive. Bite would be similar to a bee sting.)


Who's ready to continue on?

There was a mad stampede for the car.

Oh.
Kay named the spider... Rex.
Fitting.



We drove on and admired the scenery
and tried not to think about giant,
man-eating spiders.

Eventually, we got to the halfway point.
It's not that hard to find, really.

See the grass roofed structure just past the red car?
That's where we had our picnic.
But the area is reserved for guests of the
little store in the foreground.

But that's why we stopped here.
(Well, that and it was lunch time.)

Several sources (guide book, internet)
had said this was a good spot to buy
banana bread.
Who was I to argue?

We got in line and shoved a pin in
this map as we waited.

We bought two little loaves of banana bread
and settled in for our picnic.
It was really nice, just to sit
out in the open and relax.

I asked everyone which banana bread
was better, theirs or mine.
Ruby and Kay said mine was better.
Elle said she preferred this one.

Kay is now my favourite child.
This will of course change
depending on the answer
I get the next time I pose
a similar question.


After we finished eating,
we continued on our trek.
Note that a few hours have gone by
and we've only covered about 25 miles
of the Hana highway.

And considering there are sights like these:

It ain't gonna get much faster!

This is Upper Waikani Falls.
It's also known as the three bears.
See the three separate waterfalls?
I guess there's not been much rain lately,
so the third bear is bearly there.

Sorry.

We hopped back into the car
and skipped just three miles
further up the road to:

Pua'a Kaa State Wayside Park.
This little falls ends in a small pool.
It then babbles along and drops again
into another pool ,before flowing under
a bridge in the roadway.

Can I please just live in Hawaii?
Would that be okay?
Please?

Continued Next Post!​

 

[pkondz]

Continued From Previous Post!​

Our next stop was the one
Kay was waiting for,
Wai'anapanapa State Park.
Quite the mouthful, right?
We just called it the "Black Sand Beach"
That's beach #2 for those keeping score.

When you arrive at the beach parking lot,
you're actually quite high above it.

My plan was to get down to the beach
as quickly as possible,
take some photos,
let Kay collect her sand...
and skedaddle.

"Dad?" Both girls chimed. "Can we go swimming?"

Ha! Places to go! Things to see!
Besides, we still had a loooong way to go.
I didn't want to be driving that road in the dark!

So I said "Sure. Why not?"

I told you. Nothing scheduled for today.


We followed a well-worn path
to the change rooms
and quickly changed into our suits.
Well, everyone except for Ruby.
She's not much of a swimming kind of gal.
Plus, the last time we were in Hawaii,
she managed to get a sunburn.... in the shade.

I kid you not.
In. The. Shade.

So I handed her the waterproof camera
and put her in charge of memories.


There was a set of stairs,
that looked like they were hewn out of the rock.
I'll have a picture of it later,
on the climb up.

We get to the bottom and...
it's black all right.

Take note of the boys standing on the cliffs.
I was busy watching the kids
and having fun in the waves.
But apparently they were jumping from there
into the water below.
They were more notable later...

The sand varied in texture and shade.
Right at the shore line,
it was the most "sand like",
but still a bit more coarse than you'd expect.
When you got in the water,
the sand became more granular.
Almost like small peas.
And where the sand was wet, it was black.
Where it was dry,
it was the shade of burned charcoal.

It was a fun and cool experience.
The girls and I spent at least half an hour
jumping the waves and having fun.

At one point, Kay headed for the beach
and got caught in the wash.
A wave knocked her down,
and the next few spun her like a top
before she was able to regain her footing.
She was laughing the whole time!

I'm so glad the girls suggested a swim,
and even more glad that I agreed to it.

We had a blast!
The coarse, pebbly sand made our feet
a bit sore from all the jumping we did,
but we all got out of the car for a bit
and got refreshed with some cool water
at an even cooler beach.


Once we'd had enough,
we collected Ruby and headed back up
to the change rooms.

Those stairs I mentioned earlier...

We were all liberally sprinkled
with the finer grains of black sand.
Luckily there were showers
just outside the change rooms.

Three to be exact.
But there was four of us.

Four?

Remember those boys I pointed out earlier?
The ones on the cliffs?

Well, they had quit and decided to leave
about the same time we did.
When we got to the showers,
one of them was there too.

I don't remember if Kay showered first
and went to change,
or if she decided she didn't need one
and just left.

What I do know, was that there was
one pole, with three shower heads.
And while this boy, about 19 years old,
Elle and I were rinsing off...
I must admit, it was... interesting.

The boy must've been getting ready
to go golfing.
At least I assume he was.
Pretty sure he had some golf balls
in a pocket...
Because as he showered,
he pulled his shorts open a bit
to rinse... well, everywhere.
And as he did so, he sang a sweet little song:
"Washing my balls! Washing my balls!"

Elle was a bit perturbed.

But, hey! If you're gonna go golfing,
you're gonna want to have clean balls.
Am I right?


Who would've guessed that this was
not the funniest thing to happen this day?


After we changed back into our clothes,
we headed back to the parking lot.
As luck would have it,
the cliff diving boys were parked close to our car.
They had a pick-up truck
and as we walked to our car,
the boys swarmed into the bed of the truck
and started to jump up and down,
hooting, hollering and leaping up and down
as the truck pulled away.

What a bunch of idiots!
But... they were having fun.
And they weren't just sitting on their phones.
So I silently saluted them and their antics.
Still... I hoped no one would get hurt
as they roared off while jumping wildly
up and down in the back of the truck.


I thought I'd seen the last of them.
But as we left the parking lot
and drove back to the highway,
we saw them one last time.
And I couldn't help it.
I burst out laughing.

They were pulled over to the side,
and several were lying under the truck
looking up and trying to figure out
if they'd broken a spring or a shock absorber.


A short five minute hop later,
we arrived at our destination of Hana.
Well, we arrived in Hana,
but it wasn't our destination.
It is the spot where many people turn around.
But some venture a little farther down the road.

Like us.

I wanted to visit the beach that @Captain_Oblivious
had spoken so highly of.

Hamoa beach.
Just 10 minutes south of the town of Hana.


And in case you're wondering what Hana is like?
So am I.
I must admit that I sneezed when we got to it
and I completely missed it.
It's small.
Blink and you'll miss it.

We followed the road to Hamoa beach
and eventually arrived here.

I think Elle and Ruby stayed with the car,
while Kay and I went to get her some more sand.

So, Mark? Does it look familiar?

It shouldn't.
It's not Hamoa beach.
This is Koki beach.
(And that's beach #3)
We'd made a wrong turn at Albuquerque.
Actually, we were on the right path,
I'd just stopped a little prematurely.


Ruby hates it when I do that.


Nice little beach though,
so I didn't consider it a waste of time.
Ruby might have felt otherwise.


Moving on... just another minute or so.


Ah. Here we are.
Hamoa beach.

Well, not quite.
Once again, we found ourselves parked
high above the actual beach.

There was a steep path leading down to it.
And when I say steep... I mean STEEP.
Any more of an angle and you'd need to rappel.

But the trek was certainly worth it.
Mark was right.
It is pretty!

This place just screams Hawaii,
don't you think?
(And that makes 4 beaches for the day.)

Kay gathered up some sand,
and we headed out.
And up.
Going down was steep.
But unfortunately, while we were at the beach,
someone must've gone and increased the grade.
Going up was not easy!

I must admit that by the time I got to the top,
my legs were definitely feeling it.

Worth it, though.
Think it was?
Tell me if you think it was
or was not for bonus points.


Once you've seen Hamoa beach,
there are only a few things left to see
on the road to Hana.
(Totally ignoring the fact that you've
already passed Hana.)

There's the Pools at Ohe'o.
Aka: The seven sacred pools.
Except they're not remotely sacred.
(It was called that to get the suckers...
er, I mean tourists to visit)
And honestly, when I heard that there
was a fee to see them... it just turned me off.

So nevermind.

There's also a fairly long trail
to see a bamboo forest.
We didn't have the time.
And I was pretty sure Ruby and/or Kay
wouldn't have the energy.

So nevermind.

There's Palapala Ho'omau Church,
the final resting spot of Charles Lindbergh.
That would be cool to see.
Wouldn't mean a darned thing to the kids,
and maybe Ruby wouldn't be interested,
but I would like to see it.

And I forgot about it, so...

No mind.

That just leaves Wailua Falls.
After that, you're encouraged
(and depending on the car rental company... forbidden)
to not go any farther as the road drastically deteriorates.


But first... Wailua Falls.

Truthfully, I'd forgotten about this too.
No one seemed overly interested with
helping me with the sights,
so what generally happened was this:
I'd downloaded the sights and their
mile markers earlier.
When we got to a sight and finished with it,
I'd look up the next sight and drive to it.
But somehow I either forgot to save this one
or I simply missed it and assumed Hamoa
was it (not including the seven pools
and Lindbergh's grave.)

But the nice thing about Wailua Falls,
apart from being gorgeous, that is, is that:
a. They're right on the road by a bridge, and;
b. There's going to be a crowd there.

And where there's a crowd,
it's usually a good reason to stop.
Not always (herd mentality) but often.
Besides, as we drove over the bridge,
I glanced to the right and went "Whoa!"
There was a parking area just past the bridge
and I turned in and parked.
Ruby didn't bother to get out of the car,
she'd been waterfalled out.


Amazing when you think of it.
There were so many breathtaking sights
and so many waterfalls on this trek
that after a while, the brain just says "Enough!"


A view back to the bridge from where we parked:

Green enough for you?

The falls:

It's a little hard to see,
but there's a fair sized pool at the base of the falls.

Now it was time to turn around.
The road had been fairly hairy before,
one can only imagine what it would be like ahead.
I'd heard that it was filled with tight hair pin turns
and gravel in sections.

I wasn't deterred in the least.
When Ruby and I were first married,
we lived in a little town about 12 hours
(by car) north of Winnipeg.
The first nine hours was paved one lane highway.
The next two were barely maintained gravel "roads".
I put the word roads in quotations,
because it meets the criteria in that it had vehicles on it.
But it was really more of an afterthought.
The last hour was paved... but so badly frost-heaved
that if you drove at the speed limit,
you'd go airborne in some spots.

We had some close calls on it,
heck, Ruby was almost killed on it.


Now that was a bad road.


So for bad road veterans like us,
The back half of the road to
(and maybe that should be from?)
Hana was a piece of cake.



mmmm.... cake.

Sorry.


At first, the road was perfectly fine.
Actually, it got better.
The narrow road and twists and turns
petered out just as the dense foliage did.
We were soon driving through cattle pastures.

Kay was thrilled.
She loves cows.
I told you she was an animal lover.

After a while though,
the road started to deteriorate
and we started to drive alongside some sheer cliffs.
(Sorry for the picture quality here,
but it gives you an idea at least.)

There was a fairly good stretch where
the gravel road would continue for a few yards,
hairpin around a vertical cliff on one side,
the ocean on the other
and then go for another few yards,
hairpin back in the opposite direction
and then repeat.
Over and over again.

It was fun.
Every time we came to a blind hairpin,
Elle would make this little breath intake sound.
I wonder how many times she saw
her life flash before her eyes?
Probably as many times as there were turns.


So... a lot.


Didn't get any pictures though.
Probably because Kay was holding on for dear life.


Eventually (after what seemed like a lifetime for Elle, I'm sure)
we exited the hairpin area,
the cliffs broadened out and we entered more level areas.
At one point, we were obviously driving through
a cattle rancher's farm.
We passed a cow walking along
just off the road on my side.
Kay yelled "Dad! Stop!"
I hit the brakes.
"What?!?!?" I yelped.
Had I hit something?
Did she drop her phone out the window?
What?!?!?!?

"There's a cow back there!" She exclaimed.
"Right on the side of the road!"

I started to laugh.
"Can you back up?" She asked. "Please?"
"Um, Kay?" I started.
"What? Dad! Back up!" She cried.
"That cow's just back there!"
"Kay..." I said again.
"Please Dad!" She begged. "I want a picture!"
I cut her off. "Turn your head to the right."
She did.
This is what she saw:

She was so engrossed in the cow
on my side a few yards back,
that she was completely oblivious
to the ones just outside her window.

All she said was "oh".
And then took a bunch of photos, of course.
I may have had to restrain her
from leaping out of the car.


Moooving on.


The south side of Maui
is so different from the north and east.
You go from lush, lush, lush to...

well, desolate.

At some point, we passed this ravine
and Kay snapped a photo as we passed.
When I was gathering the photos
of today's trek, this one seemed oddly familiar.

Where had I seen this before?
(And no, I didn't mean while we were driving. Sheesh.)

On a hunch, I zipped over to Mark's (@Captain_Oblivious)
Hawaii TR and found this photo there.

Different angle and zoom, but...
Pretty sure it's the same spot.


Speaking of buts...


As we drove along,
with not much but dirt to look at,
we came upon a sign
that warned to not to attempt to cross
the stream if the road was flooded.
I wasn't too worried about it,
since it looked like it had been dry for a while,
considering the lack of water at some waterfalls.
Nevertheless, I was a little bit worried,
since I didn't want to have to
turn around at this point.

We crested a hill and saw where
the streambed crossed the road.
(Why did the stream cross the road?
Tell me why for bonus points.)

Two things stood out.
1. It was bone dry, so no problem crossing.
2. There were two pick-up trucks parked
on the opposite side of the road.

As I approached the trucks,
one of them quickly pulled a U-turn
and pulled away in front of me.
"Great" I thought. "I hope he doesn't drive slowly."
If he did, I'd be stuck behind him for miles.
Luckily, he was probably a local who was familiar
with the roads and left me (literally) in the dust.

I was concentrating on the departing truck
as I drove by the other one, still parked.
Kay was looking out the front passenger window.
Ruby was looking out the passenger side rear window.
(Yes. Kay was in front. It helps her not get car sick.)
Elle... Elle was looking out the driver side rear window.
So her face was mere feet from the parked truck
as we passed it.

As we passed it...

As we passed the truck, a young man's
high pitched voice rang out
in the still, dry air.

"Lookit my bum! Lookit my bum!"

Elle's eyes were drawn to the sound.
She let out a little wail.
It was a combination of "ew" and "nooo!"
Sort of an "Ewwwwnnnoooooeeeewwww!"


She'd just experienced her first full moon.


"My eyes!" She cried. "Can't unsee!"

Of course the rest of us howled with laughter.
"What colour was it?"
"White!"
"Was it tanned?"
"I don't know!"
"Was it hairy?"
"Don't ask me that! I don't know! Yes! No! I don't know!"
"Where was it? In the window?"
"Yes!"
"Hanging out or pressed up against?"
"Hanging out! Stop asking me about it!"
"Elle got mooned! Elle got mooned!" We all chanted in unison.

Mocking and teasing Elle provided us with much
needed entertainment for the next several miles.
So, thanks for that, bare-backed truck driver.

Elle, however, was permanently scarred for life.
The rest of us, not so much.


We still talk about that event.
More so than anything else we did on the trip.


We continued our drive in high spirits.
Well, three quarters of us did.
The other quarter just moaned
and kept repeating "Why? Why did it happen?"


Eventually, the unfinished road
became a finished road.
The twists and turns became
gentle arcs and rises.
I had more time to look around
and not concentrate on the road so much.
I even spotted some whales off shore.

At one point, we passed a road sign.
It said "Winding narrow road next 7 miles"
I looked over at Ruby.
She looked at me.
"They're warning us of that now?!?" I blurted.
If this practically straight road was worth
warning about, what was that last part?
(Perhaps a sign reading "Abandon all hope...")


The day was getting long and we still had a ways to go
before we'd get back to our hotel.
I'd planned ahead and knew of a great place to eat
that was only a little further on down the road.

We rounded a bend and saw a sign for "Maui Wine" winery.
I thought about stopping,
but didn't think anyone else would be interested.
Too bad.
I wouldn't mind possibly picking up a bottle for my Dad.
"Hey." Ruby says. "Why don't we stop and see
if we can get a bottle of wine for your Dad?"


Sometimes Ruby's kind of spooky.


The front of the vineyard is decorated with
these graceful carvings.
About 150 years ago, King Kalākaua planted
a ring of cypress trees and it was there
that he would watch his hula dancers.
Hula was banned in 1830,
but the king brought it back.
So without those trees, and King Kalākaua,
the tradition of hula might not exist.
In March of 2012, a high wind uprooted one tree
and snapped another in half.
Examination of the trees showed that they were
rotted inside and the rest would (for safety)
have to be removed.
A Maui sculptor was asked to carve the stumps.
He carved them into Hawaiian guardians,
obelisks, an infinity vessel and King Kalākaua.

We ventured inside where
a tour group was tasting some wines.

We looked around a bit and,
after the group left, tasted and bought
a couple of bottles of wine.
Who knew you could make wine from pineapple?
Well... who knew you could make it taste good?


By now, we were getting pretty hungry.
But Grandma’s Maui Coffee restaurant
was just a few minutes up the road!

They grow their own Arabica coffee,
and while I'm not a coffee drinker myself,
I was hoping to bring some home for my Mom.

And it didn't hurt that their baked goods
and desserts were supposed to be delicious.


Pie! Please Lord. Let them have pie!!


We arrived and... it was closed.
I've since checked their web site
and they close at 5pm.
I'm positive we were there before that,
but... I guess that's the Hawaiian way.
"No customers? Close enough to five."

I did have an alternative (or three)
a little farther in Kahului.
We settled on a place called Da Kitchen.
The reviews I read mentioned the extensive menu...
and the huge portions!

Ruby ordered a Caesar salad
(whoops! forgot to take a picture of that.)
Elle ordered fish & chips.
It was enough fish to feed three people.

Kay, after much discussion, settled on a noodle dish.
She managed to eat maybe... half of it.

And I had to have a loco moco.
In this case, the Kanak Attack Combo Moco
Teriyaki Chicken, Teriyaki Beef, Chicken Katsu,
2 eggs, onions, mushrooms all over white rice
and topped with gravy.
Very healthy and light.

I hardly put a dent in this monster.

The good news though,
is our room has a fridge and microwave.
So we could bring back what we didn't eat.
And there was a lot left over.

After finishing our meal,
we pried ourselves out of our chairs
and waddled back to the car.


It took a while.


About half an hour later,
we arrived back at our hotel.

Just one last thing to check on...
I stopped by the front desk
and asked if it would be possible
to do a late check out the next day.
Our flight wasn't until later on in the evening,
so it would be nice to have the room for
as long as possible.

"I can let you have a late check out of 3pm..."
The front desk guy said. "For $100."
I debated for a second,
then decided it'd be worth it.
But in for a penny, in for a pound
"Can you do any later?" I asked.
"How much later?" He replied.
"Hmmm... six o'clock?" I queried.
"Any later than three will cost $500." He stated.

!!!

"Three o'clock's fine." I quickly said.

That taken care of, we returned to our room
and settled in for the night.


The end of a very long, but fun, day.



Contest!

10 points for anyone who’s witnessed the horror!
Captain_Oblivious, Curiouser&curiouser!,
franandaj, rndmr2, Gracefulskinny,
MHSweb79, SnowWhiteOz, Terra Nova guy,
natebenma, jandlinz, afwdwfan,
SoccerDogWithEars, irene_dsc,
queenbetsey, Steppesister, MAGICFOR2,
Thumper_Man, DonnaBeeGood,
orangecats2, TheLittleKatie, BibbitybobityLu


Previous chapter's questions and answers:

1. What time do I leave the room for breakfast?
Answer: 8:00am (20 points, 10 points +/- 1/2 hour, 5 points +/- 1 hour)

2. We launch on an all day excursion. What is it?
Answer: Road to Hana (10 points)
(or road trip, or at least two things on the trip
or one exact thing... Judge's decision is final!!! <phew>)

3. Kay makes a new best friend. What is it?
Answer: Lizard (20 points)

4. We try a local baked treat that Elle thinks
is better than mine! What is it?
Answer: Banana bread (20 points)

5. Did you see it? Bonus points if you did.
Answer: Peanuts! Get yer peanuts, here! ( 5 points)

6. How many beaches do we visit?
Answer: Four (15 points)

7. What do I eat for supper.
Answer: loco moco (10 points)


Answers:
Captain_Oblivious - 7:30, Hana, chicken, malasada, saw it, 2, pork - 25 points
Curiouser&curiouser! - 6:30, beaches/waterfall, turtle, cake, nope, 2, pulled pork - 10 points
franandaj - 7:00, Hana, chicken, cream puffs, saw it, 4, mixed plate - 35 points
rndmr2 - 6:00, Haleakala, horse, cream puffs, saw it, 2, pulled pork - 5 points
6travel - 7:47, Volcano, lizard, butter rolls, saw it, 2, pineapple burger - 35 points
Gracefulskinny - 6:53, Hana, bird, Mauna Pua, saw it, 2, mac salad - 15 points
MHSweb79 - 6:45, volcano, turtle, Malasadas, saw it, 7, poke - 5 points
SnowWhiteOz - 7:45, Space Flight Laboratory, lizard, Malasadas, saw it, 3, poke - 35 points
Terra Nova guy - 7:15, volcano, chicken, haupia cake, saw it, 1, pig roast - 10 points
natebenma - 6:00, Hana, bird, banana bread, saw it, 2, poke - 35 points
jandlinz - 7:00, Hana, bird, cream puffs, saw it, 2, poke - 20 points
afwdwfan - 6:45, whale watching, whale, donuts, saw it, 1, pork - 5 points
SoccerDogWithEars - 6:38, black sand beach, chicken, coconut (yuck!!!), saw it, 2, shrimp - 15 points
MAGICFOR2 - 8:32, Hana, chicken, Malasada, saw it, 1, loco moco - 35 points
Mrs T 2009 - 7:15, black sand beach, goat, Honi Kuki, saw it, 2, lau lau - 20 points
irene_dsc - 6:45, Hana, turtle, pineapple, saw it, 2, pig - 15 points
queenbetsey - 7:00, Hana, gecko, n/a, n/a, 3, pastel hawaiano - 35 points
Thumper_Man - 7:00, sightseeing, turtle, Malasada, saw it, 2, chicken - 10 points
DonnaBeeGood - 7:45, Hana, Mongoose (!), cream puffs, saw it, Opakapaka - 25 points
Steppesister - 7:43, Hana, rabbit, cake, saw it, 2, lau lau - 25 points
TheLittleKatie - 7:30, Hana, turtle, cream puff, saw it, 2, pig - 25 points
orangecats2 - 7:00, Hana, chicken, cream puff, saw it, 2, pork - 20 points
cindianne320 - saw it - 5 points
BibbitybobityLu - 6:43, Hana, dolphin, cream puff, saw it, 1, rice - 15 points


Thinks I'm a blowhole - 6travel - 5 points
Research assistant - jandlinz - 5 points
Barefoot and drunk - SoccerDogWithEars - 5 points
Mmmm.... bacon - MAGICFOR2 - 5 points
Keeps cattle in her belfry - queenbetsey - 5 points
Asked for points - Steppesister - 5 points
Also asked for points - orangecats2 - 5 points
Found Waldo & Mickey and planes, oh my! - cindianne320 - 15 points



Standings:
6travel - 175 points
franandaj - 175 points
irene_dsc - 165 points
SoccerDogWithEars - 160 points
jandlinz - 155 points
natebenma - 155 points
afwdwfan - 150 points
Gracefulskinny - 150 points
Captain_Oblivious - 145 points
Curiouser&curiouser! - 145 points
SnowWhiteOz - 145 points
orangecats2 - 140 points
DonnaBeeGood - 135 points
Steppesister - 130 points
Terra Nova guy - 130 points
MHSweb79 - 115 points
Mrs T 2009 - 115 points
TheLittleKatie - 115 points
MAGICFOR2 - 110 points
rndmr2 - 100 points
vrajewski10513 - 85 points
BibbitybobityLu - 80 points
DISNEYMOON10121991 - 80 points
cinderkelly - 70 points
queenbetsey - 65 points
GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes - 60 points
Thumper_Man - 60 points
cindianne320 - 20 points
ForeverDance - 10 points
ougrad86 - 5 points
Self_resqing_princz - 5 points
mmeb144 - 0 points


If I've made any mistakes,
let me know!

Next round:
1. One last excursion before we leave.
What is it?

2. What treat did we eat? (again)

3. Might as well keep the trend going...
How many beaches do we visit?

4. Did you see it? Of course you did.
It was obvious. If you didn't, don't wine.
Just go back and look.
Bonus points if you saw it.

5. So you saw it. But did you see the other one?
More bonus points if you did.

6. What place do we re-visit for a sugary snack?

7. Who gets picked for TSA pre-check?

8. Who gets patted down at security?

9. Our flight was not on time.
Early or late? How early or how late?

10. What do I unfortunately have to do
when we get home?


Good luck!

Coming up... Last (partial) day in Paradise.

Real life update​

 

[BibbitybobityLu]

Ya got lucky, girl.........

Nevertheless, I was up and out of the room by 8:00am.

Oh damn it!

And yes, I know I'm comparing USD to CAD,
but when you hand over a $10 bill,
it feels the same whether it's green or purple.
(Yes... purple.)

It's not fair, our money doesn't look like Monopoly money

Whale hello there Mr Lizard!

"His name's Chromosome."

Oops. Sorry. Mr Chromosome.

"What's going to happen
when we start driving?" She asked.
"I guess we'll find out." I said.

I started the car and Chromosome
took off like a shot,
zoomed across the gas station lot
and zipped around a corner of the building
and out of sight.

Sucker moved fast.
And problem solved.

That could have gone south pretty darn fast...

Today we were going to drive the road to Hana.

Yay! I said something to that effect!

According to Wikipedia,
there are 620 curves
and 59 bridges to navigate
almost all of them one lane.
Sounds like fun.

Are you not listening?

Did you say something?

Ooooohhhh....ahhhhh.....

Wow.
Beautiful.

Some people may not enjoy tight, twisty roads.

What's the worst that could happen?
Plummeting hundreds of feet to your death
in a flaming wreck as you scream
at the top of your lungs?

Worth the risk.

Ooooo!!! So prettyful!

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no

I asked everyone which banana bread
was better, theirs or mine.

Damn it!! I was going to say banana bread! Stupid other people guessing the wrong answer for me to copy

That's beach #2 for those keeping score.

Why aren't I in Hawaii right now?!?!

What I do know, was that there was
one pole, with three shower heads.
And while this boy, about 19 years old,
Elle and I were rinsing off...
I must admit, it was... interesting.

The boy must've been getting ready
to go golfing.
At least I assume he was.
Pretty sure he had some golf balls
in a pocket...
Because as he showered,
he pulled his shorts open a bit
to rinse... well, everywhere.
And as he did so, he sang a sweet little song:
"Washing my balls! Washing my balls!"

Well you can't beat good hygine!

So I silently saluted them and their antics.

With how many fingers?

(And that's beach #3)

This place just screams Hawaii,
don't you think?
(And that makes 4 beaches for the day.)

Worth it, though.
Think it was?
Tell me if you think it was
or was not for bonus points.

It was worth it

Now it was time to turn around.
The road had been fairly hairy before,
one can only imagine what it would be like ahead.
I'd heard that it was filled with tight hair pin turns
and gravel in sections.

Hey Donald!

Moooving on.

So artsy

We crested a hill and saw where
the streambed crossed the road.
(Why did the stream cross the road?
Tell me why for bonus points.)

To get away from the boy on the other side who was washing his balls...

As we passed the truck, a young man's
high pitched voice rang out
in the still, dry air.

"Lookit my bum! Lookit my bum!"

Elle's eyes were drawn to the sound.
She let out a little wail.
It was a combination of "ew" and "nooo!"
Sort of an "Ewwwwnnnoooooeeeewwww!"


She'd just experienced her first full moon.

That's really good to know

white rice

See? Rice! Just like I said! Points?

"I can let you have a late check out of 3pm..."
The front desk guy said. "For $100."
I debated for a second,
then decided it'd be worth it.
But in for a penny, in for a pound
"Can you do any later?" I asked.
"How much later?" He replied.
"Hmmm... six o'clock?" I queried.
"Any later than three will cost $500." He stated.

!!!

$500?!

Previous chapter's questions and answers:

1. What time do I leave the room for breakfast?
Answer: 8:00am (20 points, 10 points +/- 1/2 hour, 5 points +/- 1 hour)

2. We launch on an all day excursion. What is it?
Answer: Road to Hana (10 points)
(or road trip, or at least two things on the trip
or one exact thing... Judge's decision is final!!! <phew>)

3. Kay makes a new best friend. What is it?
Answer: Lizard (20 points)

4. We try a local baked treat that Elle thinks
is better than mine! What is it?
Answer: Banana bread (20 points)

5. Did you see it? Bonus points if you did.
Answer: Peanuts! Get yer peanuts, here! ( 5 points)

6. How many beaches do we visit?
Answer: Four (15 points)

7. What do I eat for supper.
Answer: loco moco (10 points)

BibbitybobityLu - 6:43, Hana, dolphin, cream puff, saw it, 1, rice - 15 points

BibbitybobityLu - 80 points

Next round:
1. One last excursion before we leave.
What is it?

Oh man here we go again...and there isn't anyone to copy off!!

I don't know! You went see some wildlife? I have no idea what you can do in Hawaii. No clue!

2. What treat did we eat? (again)

The thing you got from the van at the side of the road? Are you going to make me go back and look??

3. Might as well keep the trend going...
How many beaches do we visit?

2

4. Did you see it? Of course you did.
It was obvious. If you didn't, don't wine.
Just go back and look.
Bonus points if you saw it.

I would like some cheese to go with my wine. Oh and more peanuts please

5. So you saw it. But did you see the other one?
More bonus points if you did.

I Donald Ducked

6. What place do we re-visit for a sugary snack?

The shaved ice place?

7. Who gets picked for TSA pre-check?

Ruby.

8. Who gets patted down at security?

You.

9. Our flight was not on time.
Early or late? How early or how late?

It was...late?

Late by...three hours??

10. What do I unfortunately have to do
when we get home?

I DON'T KNOW!!

But if I have to guess...you had to clean out the fridge? Meh. That will do!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

We parked the car and set out for the beach.
Beach #1, Baldwin beach.

Wow, that is beautiful!

But I did pull over, early on in the drive
and I took this picture.
It's pretty indicative of the entire drive.

Cool! That drive sounds fun!

We next stopped at Kaumahina State Wayside Park.
It was an overlook with a nice view of the north coast.

Again, so beautiful.

We got in line and shoved a pin in
this map as we waited.

Cool! Nice touch!

We get to the bottom and...
it's black all right.

Wow it's really dark!!

It was a fun and cool experience.
The girls and I spent at least half an hour
jumping the waves and having fun.

Aw that's nice. That's my favorite thing to do when I go to the beach.

(And that makes 4 beaches for the day.)

Awesome! One can never visit too many beaches!

Ooh that's cool, but also kind of spooky!

 

[TGM]

Well hi! Where ya been?
You've been gone for about 3 months.
Thought I'd lost ya.



Thanks!
Wow! That's quite the compliment.

(As he posts the picture and promptly
changes the wallpaper back to Iron Man.)

I read the last WDW TR, but then I got an email recently from the DIS, and then you were brought up in conversation, so here I am!

 

[MarieLightning]

Picnics are always so much more fun in theory than in practice. Because in practice, you have to prepare it all. In theory you're just chilling out eating on the ground.

(Though we are planning a picnic when we 'trek' up Mont Royal with friends this summer... probably sandwiches and juice boxes. We're quite the elaborate gang)

I definitely not what you mean about not cooking on vacation. Like... if you have to cook for yourself... are you really on vacation? No. I take it about as far as bringing Poptarts for breakfast when it comes to preparing my own food on vacation. Though I'll probably steal your trick and buy muffins this time around. Not sure I'll get them from Tim Hortons though. The one closest to our place (I say closest because let's be honest, you can find a Tim Hortons on about every street corner - I'm just slightly exaggerating, in my parents' suburb city there's three in a 2km radius. Two of them are on the same street. You could literally get a small coffee, drink it while walking to the next, and then go order another one. Except you probably wouldn't be done with the first one yet. That was a long parenthesis, I apologize if you got lost along the way. I made it a different color to help the interlude!) tends to run out of muffins. What self respecting Tim Hortons only has two chocolate chip muffins in its case at any given time? The nerve.

The price of gas in the States is ridiculous. If I owned a car it'd probably make me cry. One would think it'd be higher in Hawaii of all places.

That ain't no baby Florida lizard.

That beach picture is gorgeous. That water beats any Caribbean beach I've ever been on. Turquoise water is so overrated. (Unless it's winter time and I need a getaway then who cares about overrated)

My personal take is that the idiots in the water are idiots no matter what. I don't think there's such a thing as 'knowing what you're doing' when there's clear indicator that the water isn't suitable for swimming. Swimming skill is only somewhat helpful if you get swept into strong current. If anything I'd consider locals to be even more of idiots for being in, cause they should know better.

Man, just reading about Ruby and Elle not being around anymore is giving me anxiety. If I lose my wife in a crowd I panic. Like she's five and can't figure out how to get places.

Good on you for exploring and spotting the lower falls! Most people probably bypassed it when they found out the upper falls were dry. Too bad that the other two missed it.

I'm admittedly not one for tight, twisty roads, but I'll do them if I trust the driver enough. The only experience I've had with them was on the Quebec peninsula. It was beautiful, in a terrifying way.

Holy mother of Spiders, whyyy

I like that 'Halfway to Hana' sign. I especially like the quotation marks around "The Original".

Aww, how sad. Now you have to disown Elle. Oh well, I'm sure she'll have a good life (she's just gonna have to swim home is all).

Lots of waterfalls! I think I like the Pua'a Kaa State Wayside Park one the best. I just like that it sneaks under the road.

Ruby's proficiency to getting sunburnts mirrors my own. I definitely empathize.

Black sand looks so cool

Washing my balls. That sounds like a nice, original composition. It's nice to see youth taking such strong interest in sports like golfing

So, I'm a bit of a lazy bum. I think I would have personally enjoyed Hamoa beach better from the camera screen once whoever ventured down came back up Though I think I'd prefer going up the steep path than down it - I'd be scared of tumbling down with each steep step.

Oh, right there. Elle's reaction to the road going along the cliffs. That sounds about right

Good to see Donald's enjoying his Hawaii vacation, too, chatting up local birds.

This is turning out to be quite the traumatizing trip for Elle. She might need therapy.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

3. chicken (are you watching Survivor?)

I am
I wonder if Mark the chicken survives to the end without being eaten, will they give him a spot on the jury?

 

[Terra Nova guy]

And, re: chicken. You mean Mark?
Of course I'm watching Survivor!
Have seen every episode... ever.

Me too. I might also have Buff collection that grew embarrassingly larger than it should have...

 

[rndmr2]

Great update!

Beautiful pictures!

Gas here in Western NY is higher than a lot of the country (about $2.33 or so). We had it down to 1.75 or so but that didn't last long, I just hope it doesn't get back to over $4/gal. That hurts when you drive for your job, sometimes as much as 40-50 miles or more one way.

I would have passed out if I saw that lizard on my car! (BTW same goes for that crazy spider too!)

I love all the waterfalls, too bad the upper of the Twin Falls were dry but great that you were able to get to and see the lower ones. I think the ones at the Pua'a Kaa park were my favorite. There would never be too many waterfalls for me to not want to go look at them.

Love the black sand beach! I remember seeing one when I was there years ago but I don't think we actually went on it. I know we didn't swim there (my Mom wasn't a fan of the beach).

That one beach (Hamoa?) was definitely worth the trek down (and back up) to see it.

Poor Elle had a traumatizing day! First she had to hear that one guy sing to his balls then to get mooned!

That is a crazy drive! Where I used to live in Virginia (near Roanoke) there were a couple of roads like that we had to take to get home to our little town (New Castle) from Roanoke or Salem which is where you went if you wanted to do or see anything. They were about 35-40 miles from our town. The one road leading to where we lived was up the side of the mountain and had a lot of really sharp switchback type curves (with no guardrail), luckily there wasn't a cliff on one side. What was really scary is that there were this huge logging trucks that would go up/down, it was scary to have one coming towards you on one of those curves.

Next round:
1. One last excursion before we leave.
What is it?---------------I'm going to give my guess from the last one another shot and say Haleakala

2. What treat did we eat? (again)------------Shaved Ice

3. Might as well keep the trend going...
How many beaches do we visit?----------2

4. Did you see it? Of course you did.
It was obvious. If you didn't, don't wine.
Just go back and look.
Bonus points if you saw it.-----------Definitely saw it! Not a fan of wine but I would love to try pineapple wine.

5. So you saw it. But did you see the other one?
More bonus points if you did.-----------------------Yes

6. What place do we re-visit for a sugary snack?--the shave ice place

7. Who gets picked for TSA pre-check?--------Ruby

8. Who gets patted down at security?--------you

9. Our flight was not on time.
Early or late? How early or how late? ----------- 2 hours late

10. What do I unfortunately have to do
when we get home?--------------Shovel snow