Hawaii Vacation - Maui Part 3

The hikes in Maui were very unique. We hiked through a rain forest in west Maui one afternoon. It was through some kind of plantation and had a bamboo forest, old aqueducts, suspension bridges, and rock river crossings. At the end of the hike was a dam with a pool at the base. The pool was 8+ feet deep and there were some great ledges to jump off. I did my standard back flip, much to the disapproval of Erin.

Baby spent 75% of the vacation in her diaper. I think she liked the freedom.

We did a different hike in south Maui. This one went through some really dense bamboo forests, past some small waterfalls, and ended at a 400 foot waterfall.
Usually you only get a distant view of the water fall, but on this hike we could walk right up to it and some even swam under it.

At a different point in the hike there were pools of water running into the ocean.

Hawaii Vacation - Maui Part 1

Maui was totally different from Oahu. Actually, different parts of Maui were totally unique from each other. There were rain forests that got 300 inches of rain annually, and areas classified as desserts less than 50 miles away. From active volcanoes to surfing beaches Maui was amazing.

One of our first activities was Iao Valley and a famous landmark called the Iao Needle. It was a picturesque valley where 4 rivers come together. The "needle" is straight behind us in the following picture.I wasn't overly impressed with the valley, simply because you could just drive in and see it. I like to earn my views, but baby liked it.

Next we drove to the Wihee Ridge Trail. This was right up my alley. The hike stayed along the ridge offering terrific views in all directions. We had a Jurassic Park type valley on one side and the coast on the other.
The hike was a strenuous 5 mile out and back hike gaining 1500 feet in elevation.

At the top we were in the clouds, so the view was limited. Baby was beat from the hike up and took a nap while I ate my sandwich.

We went to one of Maui's many great beaches most days. Along the west side of the island were calm beaches with excellent snorkeling. Along the east and north sides of the island there were big waves, perfect for boogie boarding.

Evie was a constant battle at the beach. We had a tent to set up for her. It kept her out of the sun and away from the sand, but she must have felt jipped and usually complained.

When she whined loud enough I read to her. That didn't last very long either, and we were all in trouble when she found the sand. What a mess.