This was trip number two to Maui, this time staying in the Lahaina area at the Westin Hotel. Our first trip was ten years ago, with three of the children (Sarah was in Great Britain) and we stayed in Wailea. The last trip was with the Pierce County Medical Society, of which I am no longer a member, and this trip was with the Wilderness Medical Society. Much of the extra-curricular classes with the conference were Scuba related, though I did not bring my scuba gear or even my flippers. In fact, this is the first beach trip where I never sat out on the beach in the sun nor got in the water. Too bad. I was able to get a moderate amount of reading done, as well as resting up. Our last day was relatively free, so we decided to see some of the sites of Maui. First, we drove to the top of Haleakala, which is the 10,023-foot tall mountain on the main portion of Maui. It is still an active volcano, a shield volcano, in contrast to the composite volcanoes that are most common in the Pacific Northwest. A shield volcano is developed mostly by lava flows, rather than the explosive eruptions of the composite volcanoes, such as what we saw with Mt. St. Helens.
The last two photos are near the summit, and then at the summit of Haleakala, and the first two are looking eastward toward Hana, from the near summit.
After getting down, we decided to visit the Iao Valley, a short hike up a creek on the eastward side of the NW peninsula of Maui. Our hotel was on the other side of the peninsula, just north of Lahaina. The odd peak that you see behind me is called the Iao Needle, which is supposed to be a phallic symbol of the natives. Hmmm….
So, here are views from our hotel….
The last photo is of a famous boat that was built in 1978, that traveled from Oahu to Tahiti, to prove that the Polynesians were able to do that. It was repeated several years later in the same boat, using only the guidance of the waves and stars.
Finally, I would be remiss to not include a photo of Betsy and I had a cheeseburger at Cheeseburgers in Paradise in Lahaina.
Betsy also tried to hook up with a Swiss dude in Lahaina, but things fell apart quickly, and she decided to stick with me after all.
