Trip Journal Entry for Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011.

Good morning, Maui, Tuesday was our first and only full day of the trip without events for the Maui Photo Festival, so we were determined to make the most of it. So we decided to head south. Way south.

First Things First

We each picked up a few small items for breakfast when we went grocery shopping on Monday, so we didn’t hassle with heading downstairs to eat in the morning. But still, knowing we were heading down south to Kihei for a beach trip, we had one stop to make…Starbucks.

So off to the Cannery it was, and while we were there, we did a little looking for an Aloha shirt for our son, Christian. No such luck on Tuesday, but it was only a matter of time. Before long, we were back on the road and heading south.

Kam III, Finally

Although it was a shorter trip than usual for us, we still wanted to cross a few things off of our trip list. And seeing that our beach tradition had already included Kamaole Beach Parks I and II, it was time we completed the trifecta and hit Kamaole Beach Park III – Kam III, for short.

And to make the day all that sweeter, it was our son’s first trip to the beach and into the ocean all at once. What a lucky child, yah?

As one would expect of a nine month old, he wasn’t exactly sure what to think of the situation. With the waves coming at him and that strange new feeling of wet sand under his feet and between his toes. He was only out there for a few minutes – and he won’t remember any of it – but at least we have some adorable photos to show him when he’s older.

The rest of the time, I did my usual beach walk and photo session while he played in the sand with mama and grandma. We were probably there for about 45 minutes before it was time for lunch.

Gotta Have the Plate Lunch

Since we were down in Kihei before – back when we visited Kam I and Kam II on previous trips – we already had been to Da Kitchen for lunch. And since we were nearby once again, we decided to head back that way once again. We were in and out pretty quick, but the food was ono as always. I know there were probably a few other places in the general area that we could have ventured off to and tried, but we had a full day ahead of us still.

Going South, Way South

After we ate, we hoped back on South Kihei Road and get our adventure in the south direction. We weren’t exactly sure when the day started, but by now I had made up my mind that we were heading down to La Perouse Bay -which happens to be the southern most point on Maui. Seeing that we’d been to Wailea and Makena before, I knew the general area already. But once we made our way passed Beach Beach, it turned into what we like to call an adventure.

The drive itself wasn’t that tough, since it’s really just a single road so it’s not easy to get lost. Some parts of the road seemed almost impossible to pass, especially in our Nissan Quest, but we made it to the last parking area before the trail to La Perouse Bay.

I’ve seen that bay photographed quite a few times, and it has been on my todo list for sometime now. And unfortunately – as of this writing – it still is. I did do a little research ahead of time, but wasn’t exactly sure just how far the hike was between the lot with the cars and the bay area itself. And with grandma and our son staying behind in the car, Cindy and I started to explore and ultimately ended up about halfway along the trail before we turned around.

I could have easily spent another hour there at least had we walked the rest of the trail, but since I had the family with us, it would have been a little selfish of me. At least now when it’s time to wander over to that area again – for a sunset or what have you – I know where to go and what to expect. And that counts for something.

Stopping for Shopping

Seeing as we were already down in the Wailea / Makena area, and we had to pass it anyway on our drive back north, we soon found ourselves at the Shops at Wailea. While we typically enjoy the outdoor malls back home for a leisurely stroll in the early evening, it was just about peak afternoon this time so the heat was a little challenging. That was quickly remedied by a stop at Lappert’s right there in the mall. A shake, smoothie, and a root beer float, and we were back in business.

The other spot I wanted to hit up while we were coming back through Kihei was the 808 Clothing Store. I had taken a liking to their designs and shirts a few years ago (at the Whale Day Festival, I believe) and we had previously visited their store in Ma’alaea as well. About $100 later, we were leaving with shirts for ourselves, our son, and gifts for folks back home.

That pretty much wrapped up the shopping portion of the day right there, so we were back on the road and on our way to Ka’anapali once again.

Sunset Awaits

After we were back at the Hyatt, it was time to relax and cool off for a little bit after a busy day. Before we knew it, sunset was creeping up on us, and seeing how we hadn’t taken it in on Monday, I wanted to get down to the beachwalk and find me a spot to shoot it.

So I headed down with my camera looking for a little flair to put in the sunset shot. Once I found my spot, I happened to be shooting next to an older gentleman trying to capture the evening glory as well. I offered a few tips that I was using, and after the golden moment, we stayed and chatted for a bit. It was not only great to talk to someone else about photography, but also about the islands and previous trips as well.

But enough stalling, here’s the shot you’re looking for…

Just about the time this nice gentleman and I were finished trading email addresses, Cindy came strolling by with our son for our walk over to Whalers Village. It was time to renew yet another one of our travel traditions – jewelry shopping.

And this time, it was with a purpose in mind. We were headed to replace the original toe ring she picked up many years ago on our first trip, which she had to take off last summer while she was pregnant with our son. From what we were told in our early parenthood classes, a pregnant mother’s feet can swell up to a full shoe size during pregnancy, and may not necessarily go back to the previous size after childbirth. Guess you didn’t think you’d be learning something like that in our trip journal here, now did ya?

The Night Stroll

Fortunately, Cindy found the toe ring she wanted relatively easily, so we had some extra time to walk around one of our old stomping grounds and see what shops had changed, were new, and so on. After stopping to feed Christian – and tempted by that amazing pizza at Nikki’s – we were starting the stroll back to the Hyatt. It was a little longer walk than we were used to, back when it was just walking in the sand from Whalers to the Sheraton. But it was still a very pleasant night.

And although the night skies were whispering in my ear to come back and join them for a second straight night, I thought better of it and decided to call it a night. After all, it was a pretty full day as far as vacation standards go.

Wednesday Ahead

Looking ahead to Wednesday, it was the official start of the Maui Photo Festival with the evening opening ceremonies. Seeing as we put in quite a few miles by the end of Tuesday, Wednesday was looking to have a much more laid back feel to it. And for good reason, since once the workshops started, I’d be going full speed until Sunday morning.

More details on that in our next trip journal entry.

Mahalo,
– Kris