Four Wheels Are Better Than Two Sometimes

Last weekend we upped the ante with our ride, we added a run at the end. Tim and I and my brother are doing a triathlon at the end of July and we decided we better get our legs used to the shock of getting of the bike and running. It would probably have felt a lot better if we had started a little earlier. By the time we got around to the running it was blazing and miserable. We got it done though, 40 mile ride, 3.5 mile run.

Friday night we went four wheeling up Mona Pole Canyon.

It is not the type of place to hike or run, definitely not appropriate for a push bike, but perfect for four wheelers. We went with my parents and friends Eran and Hannah and their daughter Sydney. About a mile or so into the canyon it hit me, the smell...it's indescribable, but it is the smell of summer, of a canyon, pretty much the smell of heaven. We had a fabulous time, no major mishaps and only a little dust in the eyes and hair.

Mom and Dad

Sydney

A perfect spot to stop for dinner.

The mountain air is inspiring.

Black Sand Beach

One of our best days on Maui was when we drove the Road to Hanna. This is truly a "joy in the journey" type of trip. Hanna itself is a bit of a letdown, but the sights along the way are amazing. One of the stops is at the black sand beach. Apparently this is considered to be much newer land so the sand is not as refined.

I hope B's bottle of black sand didn't end up in the bottom of his backpack.
It's weird, it looks like mud but brush off like regular sand.

The jelly fish and rough waves

Kept us out of the water.

The lava tubes.Perfect spot for a self portrait.
The power of the sea in this area was awesome.

The blow holes.

Bubba Gumps Shrimp Co.

You can fry it, grill it, broil it, bake it, put it in tacos, serve it with pasta, etc. etc.

One of the first mornings we were on Maui I went for a run and passed Bubba Gumps Shrimp Co. and thought it would be a fun place for dinner. It sits out on the water and even though we couldn't see much at night, you could still hear the waves and smell the sea air.

It really wan't that late, but playing in the waves all day can wear you out.

We loved this bench.

Life is like a box of chocolates,

That night we definitely picked a good one.

Haleakala

From Wikipedia:Haleakala, or the East Maui Volcano is a massive shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the island of Maui. In Hawaiian folklore, the top of the volcano was the home of the grandmother of the demigod Maui. She helped him in his quest to capture and slow the sun and lengthen the day. One of the activities on most peoples "musts of Maui" is to see the sunrise on Haleakala. Last time we were there we didn't think it was worth the effort, but have regretted not going, so this time it was at the top of Tim's list. The morning we were there the sun rose at 5:45 a.m. Early, but even earlier when you find out that it is about a 2 1/2 hour drive to the top. Basically you go from sea level to 10,000 feet on a very windy road. If you have done the math, that means we got up at 2:30 a.m. to have this adventure. When we arrived at 4:45 a.m. the parking lot was already half full, we weren't the only ones with this crazy idea. And was it worth it? Absolutely.

We had been warned, but it was cold - like gloves and a hat cold.

Definitely not what you expect when you think of Hawaii.

When we arrived it was completely black,
I couldn't believe how quickly the sky began to change.

At 10,000 feet, you are actually above the cloud line,

That is the magic of the sunrise,
To see the sun come up and over the clouds.

Right as it was about to burst over the cloud line,

A guy from the national park started a Hawaiian chant,
It was a welcoming of the sunrise
And one of the coolest things I have ever heard.

The chant along with the sun it self was seriously breathtaking.
It actually made me quite emotional.
(Good thing it was still pretty dark)

Once the sun was up, most people took off for home (and a nap)
We hiked around a bit and checked out the other views.

I spent the rest of the week quizzing everyone
To see if they could pronounce the name.
Lots of funny versions.
Whether you can pronounce it or not,
If you ever go to Maui, seriously, don't miss it.

Forks with Friends

Saturday's ride was pretty amazing because I got to share it with these friends: Me, Susan, Kristina, Mitch, Aislynn. So much more fun than riding alone. I rode from my house to meet them, then followed behind as they all cruised to the top of the right fork of Hobble Creek Canyon. Susan and I had more time so we did left fork as well. It was beautiful
I was especially glad to not be alone since I had some tire issues. I was completely unprepared and needed a few air cartridges and tubes. On my way to the bike shop to remedy that. Susan, of course, was prepared with rubber gloves, but thanks to Mitch, I didn't even have to get my hands dirty as I just watched while he changed the tire.

By the time I made it home, 63.3 miles. Better than the miles though was all of the catching up with friends.

Still Laughing!

So Thursday night we went to PF Changs to celebrate. We had both been working so we met at the restaurant. As I walked in and sat down, Tim blurted out loudly "Your thong looks great!". I got a new charm in Hawaii of a flip flop and it was pretty great, just a little old school terminology. We got some seriously funny looks and I think he turned a few shades of red. I still laugh every time I think about it.

Dynamic Duo

Two years

Two of us

Together

Too Amazing

Happy Anniversary Babe

Beastly

I hate to make myself sound too old, but I remember a time when they served you food on an airplane, and the movies were the best part of a flight. On a flight back from England I, appropriately, watched Bridget Jones Diary, twice. Time has always passed more quickly with a movie to occupy my mind. That is, until my most recent flights. The movies were so bad that they actually made it seem like time was standing still. The first one was called Company Men and was about a company that kept laying off its employees and their struggles to find work. Seriously depressing. Not what I want to see on my way home from vacation.

On the way home we got this gem:

"Beastly is an edgy teen romance about learning how to see past false surfaces to discover true inner beauty. " Basically it is a modern day rip off of the Beauty and the Beast story. I can't even put into words how painful it was. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 16% splat. Ouch!

Warning, this is what will happen to you if you are mean to others. Only true love can turn you back to this.

I have learned to deal with the lack of food, the small leg room and even the checked baggage fees, but it is too much to ask to have a decent movie on a five hour flight?

On Our Way to Paradise

Our flight was at 6:25 a.m.

Pretty impressive that we were there early enough to relax.

First picture on Maui.

This is the first real view you get after leaving the airport.

If you can't quite tell, it was BEAUTIFUL

A few shots of the pool area at our condo.

Sorry to start with blurry pictures from my camera.

I couldn't find the cord for several days and

Today Tim has my camera.

I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat waiting for more.

Soon, I hope.

Time For a Bigger Vehicle

When I left work yesterday, it was just me and lots of gym clothes/workout gear in my Pathfinder. Tim called and said that he and the kids were on the river trail running and would I pick them up. I did some quick rearranging but when I got there realized that they had Everest with them and B was on his bike. Did some additional rearranging and we were on our way. Oh, except we had to stop at Costco. I always seem to leave Costco with at least twice a many things as I ever intended to buy and last night was no different. (On a side note, the guy in front of us only had a bunch of bananas, seriously, who goes to Costco and gets out with just bananas).

Anyway, we got to the car and, "Houston, we have a problem". Poor Everest had already been squashed in between the bike and the car window, now add OJ and potatoes to the mix. Everyone but the driver had a LARGE box full of food on their lap. It was pretty comical. Of course I made them stay put when we got home so that I could document the moment.

Everest didn't care about the photo op, he was outta there.

Awesome Attitude

This post is a little overdue, oops. This is the ever so cute Ada. She has been taking clogging lessons and competing with her studio for the past year. Before going on summer break they had a big spring dance review. It was seriously one of the most fun performances I have watched in a long time. I've never clogged but that didn't stop me from wanting to get up and join.
Ada, of course was brilliant. She knew all the moves and is a natural born performer. The best part though came at the end. Apparently they have talked all year in their classes about having an "awesome attitude", meaning working hard, being positive, arriving on time, etc. Each class voted on who should receive the award. Do you see that big trophy in Ada's arms, she is Miss Awesome Attitude. Way to go Ada, great example for all of us.

I kind of wish she would stay little forever, she is so stinking cute.