Maui

This was definitely our favorite day in Hawaii and the one place we would go back to visit if we ever went to Hawaii again. To us, this is what Hawaii was SUPPOSED to look like.

We had an all day tour, so on the bus we go. We have a nice easy drive at first, partly along the shore then through the sugar cane fields. The cane fields are going away, mainly because they require so much water and water is a limited resource. We saw the last working sugar cane mill along the way:

Then we started what would be an almost 2 hour drive up to Haleakala National Park. We went to the crater, which is at 10,000 ft. That road takes you through some interesting countryside, including the house where Tom Selleck used to live, and a whole LOT of switchbacks to get to the top. Did I mention I'm prone to motion sickness? I was getting close when we finally made it to the top and the view was worth it.

Marcia thought she was going to freeze! It was a good 40 degrees cooler up here and it felt great!

Then it was an hour and a half back DOWN that same switchback road to get down to sea level again. We stopped and had lunch and then headed to Io State Park which is famous for this:

They call it "The Needle". Io State Park is a nice area. Some trails so you can see the mountains in different angles and a waterfall.

Then it was a drive back to the ship. We had a wonderful driver/guide who gave us a lot of information about the island in a humorous way and made the day just fly by. A guide can really make or break your trip. Back at the ship, we had to wait in a long line as we had to tender back to the ship. It seems everybody's tour ended at the same time and the line was REALLY long. That cold lemonade before getting on the tender tasted really good.