Slice of Life Day 26: Hawaiian Cowboy--Paniolo

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After getting up at 2:00 a.m., riding to the top of Haleakala, seeing and sunrise, taking a bike ride down the volcano, and having a photo shoot with bikes, it was time to load the bikes back up and head down the mountain.  The area we were now in is called Upcountry Maui. In the distance, we could see a small town. This was Makawao, which was once named one of the top 25 arts destinations in the U.S.

As we were waiting for the guides to load all the bikes back into the trailer behind the van, we checked out the area. We were now on the mid-slopes of Haleakala. This Upcountry is famous for the Hawaiian cowboys or paniola.  We did not visit Makawao, but we did get to see a paniola.

The history of this area is interesting. In the 1790s, an explorer, Capt. George Vancouver, gave a handful of longhorn cattle to King Kamehameha I. The king put an order of protection on the animals. They could not be slaughtered. The cattle took surprisingly well to the land and they multiplied. By the 1820s, they were tearing through towns and devouring crops.

In 1832, Kamehameha III brought in horsemen of Spanish descent from Mexico. They taught the Hawaiians skills of their trade. That lifestyle and the skills are still seen on Maui's half-dozen or so surviving ranches.

Ranching became Maui's third largest industry after sugar and pineapples. Makawao would be a great place to visit. In July, they have Hawaii's largest paniolo competition at their rodeo. It would be fun also to just meandering through the shops, boutiques and art galleries. With the arts community and the paniolo heritage, it would make a unique stop as you visit Maui.

Slice of Life Day 25: Biking Down Haleakala

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We had gotten up at 2:00 a.m.. We rode to the top of the highest point on Maui to see a sunrise. We took a look at the whole island from the top of this volcano. Now it was time to climb on a bike and head down the mountain. Well, I have to admit I couldn't do it. The vertigo and nausea had hit me on the way up that morning. It didn't get easier. So, I made the call to ride in the van and watch Darrell do the biking. The Maui Downhill guides were great about it. They didn't want me on the bike being scared to death! Our driver, Doug, took us to the next part of this tour. We went part way down the mountain to where the bikes awaited us. All the bikes were especially fit for each person. R.C. was the guide to ride in front of the group. Tony drove the van and watched from behind the group.

The tour was qualified to drive on the road. They took it slow and were very careful. It was beautiful to see the countryside this way. I had the chance to really talk to Tony and find out all kinds of information about the land. He was a really fun and nice guy!

The bikes made switchbacks. They went down the hills using their brakes. We stopped at a lavender farm for breakfast and then they got right back on the bikes and took off down the road.

After going for quite awhile, they stopped for a photo shoot. It was fun the way they posed us on the bikes for these shots. They took our cameras and took lots of pictures for us.



R.C. would show us how to sit on the bike. Then he grabbed a camera and took shots. R.C. and Tony were just the best guides ever. We were a family, for sure! When they dropped us off at our hotel later that morning, each of them gave us a hug. Now that's family!

 

I teased Tony and told him since I spent so much time with him in the van, I had to have a picture with him. He finally agreed when he realized I was serious. R.C. snapped our picture. What a fun group!

 

We had the best time and enjoyed ourselves so much! We wrote a letter to Maui Downhill before we left the island telling them how much we loved our time with them. I know there are other bike tours, but this is the original one and they have a class act!  Maui Downhill, you are the best!!!!

 









 

 















Slice of Life Day 24: Haleakala, Highest Point on Maui

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After seeing the sunrise on the volcano Haleakala, we drove a short distance so we could see the other side of the island.

The view of the volcano looked like we had landed on the moon. This crater is amazing.

The view from any side of Maui was beautiful.

This early morning view while the sun was still creeping up the sky was breath taking!

Since it was winter (February) when we took this tour, it was only 20 degrees at the top of this mountain. The wind was strong at this altitude, too. So the wind chill was even lower. You can see the heavy jackets and gloves that they gave us for this tour. What an amazing site!

Slice of Life Day 23: Sunrise on Haleakala - House of the Sun

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Haleakala= House of the Sun
Our tour bus, driven by Doug, picked us up at 3:00 a.m. We were tired and groggy but Doug made it fun. The bus was full of sleepy people. We traveled 1/2 hour to the headquarters for Maui Downhill. There we got our helmets and heavy coats and gloves. We then went on to the top of Haleakala Crater. That trip took an hour.

When we got to the top, it was so dark you couldn't even see the person standing right beside you. We moved to the area where we would best see the sunrise. And we waited, and waited and waited. Slowly we began to see this amazing sight.

There is a legend about the way this mountain got its name. It went like this: a mom complained that the sun sped across the sky so fast that her tapa cloth didn't have enough time to dry. So, her thoughtful son, Maui, went in the predawn hours to the top of the volcano. When the sun rose, he lassoed it, halting it in the sky. The sun begged to be let go. Maui said he would let the sun go if it promised to slow its trip across the sky for more sunlight. The sun agreed. In honor of the agreement they dubbed the mountain House of the Sun or Haleakala.
Bike Ride in tomorrow's blog!

Slice of Life Day 22: Feast of Lele Luau

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 When in Hawaii, everyone said we just had to go to at least one luau. We got ours booked before we ever left the mainland. Our travel agent helped us pick out Feast of Lele on Maui. There were several reasons for this.  The first is that this luau was noted in several books as the best one in Hawaii. The second reason is because it was actually on the beach!

There were about 200 people at our luau, but we had a table for two and it was close to the front. It was a perfect spot. Before the luau started, we were given lei's and also had a photo shoot with the ocean as our background. We had plenty to do before the show actually started.

This is a selfie...not the one the photographer took!

The name of the luau was Feast of Lele. Lahaina, which is the town for this luau, was first named Lele, thus the name of this luau.

This  luau was a journey through four Pacific islands: Tahiti, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Samoa and Hawaii. These are Polynesian islands.  We would get three items to eat from an island for each course. The waiter we had would explain what the food was. We sampled and ate that course. When it was done, the dancers would come and perform dances from that island. Along with this was a narrator who told us the history of that island and how the dances would show that history.

We ate things that we had never heard of...including poi. We had been told to be sure and try that. While there we found out that poi is a condiment (like ketchup). You don't eat condiments alone (like ketchup). When one of our meats was a little salty, the waiter suggested that we try a little poi with it. That would take out the saltiness. It worked. We also found out that poi is made from taro root.

The sky was amazing with the ocean in front of it. The food really was good and the entertainment was awesome! The same dancers would do their dance for that island then change while we ate another course and be back to do more from the next island.

The music was great. The food was, too. The dancers were so entertaining and we could see them so well since we were close.

The whole evening was perfect. We were so glad we saved this activity for the end of our trip. It just made us feel closer to these islands.  The only drawback was: it lasted three hours. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but we were to be ready to board a tour bus in the morning at 3:00. We were going to see the sun rise on Haleakala. But, that's for tomorrow's blog!  Aloha!


Slice of Life Day 21: We Love Front Street

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Today we are going to take a walk down Front Street in Lahaina, Maui.  This was one of our favorite places on this island. It was just fun to see the stores and watch the people.

We would walk down one side of the street and then up the other side. We parked at a small parking lot on a side street. Parking was very hard to find. We would use a credit card and slide it into a machine. There was no one there watching the lot.

 

Being a retired teacher, I got excited to see the King Kamehameha School right on Front Street. On one pass through the street, we saw parents lined up waiting for their children. Sure enough, not long after that, there were students coming out of the school with their teachers. The parents would meet them in the school yard and off they'd go talking about their day.

 

There was a huge banyan tree in the middle of one city square. It was so big actual activities took place under it. One day we saw an art show there. On an early morning when we were there, we saw the homeless just waking up and getting about their business of the day. It was like a town of it's own.

My favorite place on Front Street, of course, is the Lapperts ice cream/shave ice store. I had my first shave ice with ice cream there. We bought it in the store and then went outside and set beside the building watching the activities under the huge banyan tree.





Slice of Life Day 20: Cheeseburger in Paradise

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One of our favorite places on Maui was Front Street in Lahaina. It was full of shops with everything from trinkets to ice cream to clothes! The street was full of island history, too. I will be sharing more about that tomorrow. Today, I want to share a special restaurant on Front Street.

When we got to this street, we had to walk up and down it for awhile just to get the feel of the atmosphere. For part of the street there were stores on one side of the street and ocean on the other. Finally we decided we had to choose a place to eat. Right away Cheeseburger in Paradise caught our eye.

We went in the front door and were immediately led up stairs to a stuffed room. People were almost sitting on top of each other. We thought...What have we gotten into? But everyone was so happy and friendly we followed the lady to a table in the corner. You can see it beside the flag in the picture.

We had a great view of the street and ocean. Our waiter came up and gave us the menu. Then he noticed Darrell's hat.  He asked if he went to ASU. Darrell said, No, we love to visit there though! Well, our waiter had gone to ASU and he soon became our best friend!

We ordered a cheeseburger, of course, and had a great meal. The food, as well as the atmosphere, was great. When we looked at our bill, we realized that our new "friend" had given us a discount since we were ASU buddies! Go Red Devils!