Monday morning, Kevin and I got ready to head out of our resort at 6am to start our Road to Hana adventure.  He had promised me that we could go on a hike, and Shannon had told us her favorite, which just happens to be at the other end of the island at the end of the Road to Hana.  After doing some research, I knew it was important that we get started early to avoid lines of cars driving along the narrow, twisting coastal road, and so we were prepared.

Unfortunately, we were not prepared for what happened when we got to our rental car and the battery was dead and the car wouldn’t start.  We called the rental agency, but they said we would have to pay for it (ridiculous, but whatever), so we called our insurance company for roadside assistance.  It would be a while, since they were coming from the city, so we tried to see if any of the hotel staff had something to jumpstart our car. No luck, we were stuck waiting for the guy to show up.  While we waited, Kevin and I did sneak in a quick game of Mario Party, however.

After the roadside assistance guy jumped our car, he mentioned that it seemed that the battery was bad, and that he wouldn’t let the car stop until we were somewhere it could be taken care of, so we headed to the airport to switch rental cars.  Also, not at all in the plans.  We were able to switch cars without any more trouble than the time it took us, and then, three hours later than planned, we were FINALLY on our way.

**One other random thing that happened during all of this, our weird “reef safe” sunscreen, which was crazy runny, managed to open and spill all over the inside of my purse.  Seriously.  Luckily, nothing at all was ruined, and with a lot of work in the bathroom while we waited for the new rental car, I was able to clean it up.

**Another thing, and definitely did NOT help Kevin’s mood, the only malasada place on the island that I could find, and where we planned on getting treats before we started on the actual road, was closed!!  There was a handwritten note saying that they were on vacation for the week.  No fried dough for us.  Supper bummer.

But yes, we were now on our way, and had completely missed the windo to avoid the crowds on the drive, but oh well.  It was so interesting as we traveled to the southeastern side of the island, because the scenery and foliage were completely different!  There is definitely a rain shadow effect going on, as the west side, where we were staying, looks surprisingly like Southern Idaho – dry, barren, scraggly plants and random black volcanic rock.  As we traveled southeast though, it became greener and more lush.

By the time we got to the Road to Hana, it was a beautiful lush rainforest!  It was such a beautiful drive, even with it being the dry season, and so many of the streams and waterfalls were mostly dry.  I was in awe around every turn.  Poor Kevin, on the other hand, had to drive the crazy road that didn’t ever have a straight part in it, and had probably 50 one lane bridges that you would have to navigate with the oncoming traffic.  And since we lost our early start, there was definitely traffic.

The trees were fascinating, with crazy vines coming down, overflowing with flowers, and many times growin super tall and right out of the cliffs along the coast.  You could also see evidence of where there were normally cool waterfalls.

A couple times, Kevin pulled over into a pullout so that I could hop out and take some pictures, but it was a tad dangerous, because I would have to cross the road and stand in it to get any kind of shot, because there was no shoulder to speak of.  It was worth it for the views, but Kevin banned me from doing that anymore, because he was worried I would get hit by a car.

After almost two hours of driving on the Road to Hana, we finally reached the National Park where our hike, the Pipiwai Trail, began.  Unfortunately, since neither of us knew the hike was in a National Park, we didn’t bring Kevin’s pass, but the nice lady at the gate let us through when Kevin showed her his Veteran ID, saving us $30.  At this point, we were happy for a win.  We used the restrooms, filled our water bottle, and hit the trail.

Kevin hates hiking, and although he agreed to do this with me, the events of the morning had soured his mood, especially after the crazy drive, and so he was determined to get the hike over with it as soon as possible.  He often got very far ahead of me, because not only was my heart rate in the high 160’s trying to keep up with him hiking UP the mountain, but I would actually pause to take pictures.  I wish I could have savored it all more, but harmony in my marriage was a bit more important – ha ha! 

The bamboo forest was so cool, and it made the craziest noises as the shoots would rock in the breeze and hit each other.  They sounded like an instrument, or even like they were about to come tumbling down.  The scenery was super cool, and changed throughout the hike.  I especially loved this gigantic banyan tree.  If you look in the picture, you can see a tiny man behind my head, which shows how giant it was.

We had worn our swimsuits because we were told that it would be nice to swim in the streams to collect off and clean off, but unfortunately, it was so dry that the stream beds were mostly dry.  In fact the big waterfall at the end was a small trickle compared to what it is usually, and so we didn’t stay and explore, but I had Kevin take a picture of me, and then we headed back down the mountain. (The sign behind me says: “Do not pass beyond this point.  Fatalities have occurred.”  It was funny how many of these signs were at different spots along the trail.)  It was a really cool hike, and although we did it super speedy (3.5 hours for the going up and down, something that usually takes 4-6 hours for people), I enjoyed it.  I was surprised how many people were trying to hike it in flip-flops – definitely not that type of hike – so many rocks and tree roots along the path, as well as it being slippery and muddy in many spots.

After the hike, we ate the sandwiches which I am so grateful I had made the night before for this adventure, because there was really nowhere to stop for food, and the few places we saw were overloaded with tourists.  Sadly, the road that could take us the rest of the way around the island and save us from having to redrive the Road to Hana, just going in the opposite direction, was closed, and so we had to backtrack completely.  Once again, poor Kevin for having to drive it.  It was interesting seeing it from the other direction, as the views were totally different, and super cool as well.  You could almost see a hint of the road between the trees on the mountainsides.

As we got closer to civilization, we were passing a beach on the East side that had gigantic waves.  These pictures do not at all capture it, but they had to be twenty feet high or bigger.  There were all these surfers running out there to surf the big swells.  It caused a traffic jam, but traffic jams seem to be a way of life in Hawaii.

By the time we got back to our rooms, we were done in and unable to move for a bit.  We did go to Brian and Rachel’s room to play Five Crowns with them, Kevin’s parents and Randy.  (It was my first time seeing him, as his family was staying at a different resort.). It was a fun way to end a crazy day, before I passed out in bed from exhaustion.