Hana Highway

Before I left, whenever I mentioned I'd be traveling to Maui, the first thing out of my conversation partner's mouth was usually "you have to take the road to Hana!" And this was no subtle recommendation; they were adamant! At first I had no idea what Hana even was, and I certainly didn't know much about a road that may or may not go there. But, I grabbed my trusty travel book and quickly discovered a few things:
1. Hana is a city.
2. The road there, while only around 60 miles, takes nearly four hours since it is so narrow and curvy.
3. It is supposed to be one of the most scenic drives in the entire country.

So, I figured after a relaxing day on the beach, I was up for an adventure! I started out bright and early and first stopped at the Hookipa Lookout, which was gorgeous. I was informed that this was a prime surfing area and advised to come back to watch surfers ride waves. Noted.



After leaving Paia, the last major town before Hana, the road started twisting and getting more narrow. I had no idea then just how narrow it would get, but for portions, it was down to one lane.

I was blown away by the scenery along the road. There were so many waterfalls, and sights like this:

Taken at a rest area along the road.

It reminded me a lot of Iceland because of the gorgeous landscapes right along the road. Oh, and the lack of cell service was quite familiar, too.

I started off listening to music and singing along as I meandered through what looked to be a tropical rain forest. But, then I realized I had to concentrate as to avoid an accident. One lane bridges are no joke!

Here is some of what I saw. Amazing!



I stopped several times along the road, and it was quite rainy at some points.

Thankful for my trusty purple hood and umbrella.

The rain bounced off of the trees and made them look even more green and beautiful. And since I set out so early, sometimes I felt like I was in my own little forest hideaway since there weren't other people in sight.



Some more views:

Maybe the Honda Civic that I junked three years ago is now advertising plate lunch somewhere.

And a little video:


After being in my car for about three hours, I started seeing signs of human habitation again, mostly in the form of little fruit stands that starting popping up along the side of the road.

Since Hana is the only city on that side of the island, I was expecting a rather large one. I was not expecting a village of fewer than 2,000, but that is indeed what Hana is. It was quaint and scenic, and I even stopped by the shoreline, but it didn't seem like there was a ton to do there.

So, instead, I got back into my car and started the trek home.

Ha! Home. Like I live there.

Although, I certainly wouldn't mind.

I did absolutely nothing on my third day in Hawaii...and it was everything I hoped it could be

Beach day today!



I don't think I moved from a two foot radius. I plopped down with my towel and book, and pretty much did an impression of a rock the entire day. P.S. How incredible was it to see this whenever I looked up?


I'm currently reading In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. After reading Girl on the Train, I've been loving suspense novels by British authors. While this one isn't quite as addictive as Girl on the Train, I still can't wait to read it everyday.


My view for most of the day. Everyone was looking at me like I was drinking a beer at 9 am (not that I'm above that).

Just typing that makes me want to get a beer, which I just might have to do. Hey, I've worked hard today and deserve one, right? RIGHT?!

Second day in Hawaii

After falling asleep to the sounds of the ocean crashing (yes, I was that close to it), on my second day in Hawaii, I set out to Lahaina. Check out these views along the way!

Lahaina is a historic city and even features an old courthouse, which was the built in 1860. The nerdy, law grad part of me was super pumped to see it!

The courthouse also contains a museum about Maui's history, so I looked at all of the exhibits and even watched a short documentary.

Taken from the courthouse's balcony.

I walked around downtown Lahaina for a while and then hung out under this banyan tree and people-watched. I enjoy watching tourists quite a bit, but I think feuding couples are my favorite types to observe. Bonus when they're snipping at each other on their honeymoons. And since it was Maui, there was definitely a lot of that.


At the banyan tree (originally planted in 1873) with a tiny photobomber.



While walking downtown, I also discovered vegan pineapple frozen yogurt.

This was seriously everything!

Oh, and I got to see some more spectacular views, which I enjoyed as I simultaneously stuffed my face and fought off ice cream headaches.


I also spotted the oldest church on Maui, Waiola Church, which was established in 1823.



Before heading back to Wailea, I went to the Farmers Market and Deli, which I thought was actually going to be a farmers market. When I walked in, I discovered it was more like a health food store. So, while I didn't buy tons of fresh produce, I did end up with some amazingly delicious vegan Sheppard's pie. Unfortunately, the picture of it kind of looked like throw-up, so I'll refrain from posting it. Take my word for it though: it was legit.

Hawaii!

I'm so excited that I can now cross Hawaii off my bucket list! My list of 'states I've not yet been to' is now down to three: Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Hampshire (and I'm hoping to change that soon).

My day started at 4 am Eastern Time, when my alarm off. I was ready and out the door by 5 am, and at the airport by 5:45.

I left from Detroit Metro Airport, and I couldn't get over how stress-free the first leg of my journey was. There was no line at security, I was able to check two bags for free, and the middle seat next to me was open. Perfect!

I decided against planning out my trip beforehand. Instead, I simply made a hotel reservation and rented a car. I figured I would decide what to do on the plane and once I arrived.



I had a quick layover in Phoenix, and then I was on my way to Maui. As soon as I boarded, I felt a sense of excitement, which was also mixed with a feeling of tranquility (this is probably because the plane's video monitors were all playing footage of waterfalls).

I sat next to a gentleman who was also traveling by himself, and we swapped stories and pictures of our prior trips. It definitely made the 5 1/2 hour flight go by much quicker!

Approaching the airport.

And I'm here!

I gathered my begs (which both showed up, thankfully), made my way to Wailea (where I would be staying), and checked into my hotel, which was right on the beach. This was the view when I stepped out of my door:


I'm in love.

I'm going to let electronic Kate explain more:

On my first day, I was so exhausted from all of the travel (with the time change, I had been up for nearly 24 hours) that I pretty much just got food and went to bed. Am I exciting or what?

When I went to the grocery store, I quickly discovered that while Maui is truly an amazing paradise, the necessities are so overpriced! $7 for hummus? Are you kidding me? I mean, I guess hummus isn't exactly considered a necessity...but it should be.

I know, I know, it's an island and everything has to be imported, but still, I don't think I was quick ready for the high prices. Thankfully, Foodland (the grocery store near my hotel) sells Ramen.

Halloween

My Halloween was kind of low-key this year. Since it's my favorite holiday, I still managed to celebrate for a good week leading up to it though.

Throughout the month of October, I watched a ton of scary movies (including Don't Breathe, Lights Out, Ouija: Origin of Evil, and the new Blair Witch).

I also celebrated by eating veggie sushi (carrots are orange and ginger is almost orange; therefore Halloween-y) followed up carving pumpkins.

The 'stab the living crap out of it' technique.

I hadn't carved pumpkins in over five years, and from the looks of this picture, that's probably pretty obvious.

The weekend before Halloween, I performed at Level 2 Comedy Club in Fargo, North Dakota. I worked with Dave Dyer, and we had a great trip! Unfortunately, I didn't take too many pictures, but I did get a shot of the fancy salad I had at the club.

Oh, and I also took this one to prove I was there.

On Halloween itself, Dan and I got into our costumes and headed over to HopCat in East Lansing.

Sarah Palin in 2008 and Hillary Clinton in 2016. Halloween is really just an excuse for me to rock a killer pantsuit.

Don't tell Bill this was my date.

Sadly, there weren't too many people dressed up, although we did find these folks. And we also got several compliments on our costumes.

Hillary needs to take a lesson from Harley on how to pose.

We also headed to Whole Foods for some Chicago Diner cake, where we got quite a few stares. Apparently, people have never seen Beetlejuice chowing down on vegan buttercream.

After Halloween, of course I had to hit up all of the Halloween sale bins. It took everything in my power not to buy at least 18 of these.