Traversing the Road to Hana!

I got a nice night of sleep -- finally -- on July 4th, and woke up refreshed. My plan was to travel to Hana, one of the most hyped experiences on Maui. It was definitely an experience to remember! The first part of my journey took me to Paia, where I had breakfast at Charley's:

My yummy eggs benedict breakfast...first time I tried eggs benedict, and I learned that I liked it! :

Willie Nelson is a famous patron of the restaurant:

Charley's is the last, but certainly not the least, of eating places before Hana! :) Here is the link to the restaurant, a MUST EAT place...

http://www.charleysmaui.com/Home/

The road to Hana is about 35 miles of winding twisting roads. It takes several hours if, like me, you follow the speed limit, which is often 15 miles per hour or less. There are many stops along the way to enjoy, including waterfalls, aboretums, and places for refreshments. There is a CD for sale to inform travelers of recommended places to stop. I chose not to buy the CD, instead winging it, and driving straight there, then making stops along the way back. The waterfall below is past Hana by several miles:

I also saw the O'heo Gulch and the Seven Sacred Pools, before going to Hamoa Beach, pictured below with it's black sand. I used a hat I had bought from the gift shop in Hana before seeing the waterfall, O'heo Gulch, and Seven Sacred Pools -- the hat was quite effective in keeping the sunscreen out of my eyes while I jogged on the beach for the second straight day! :

I had a pleasant lunch at the Hana Ranch, pictured below, after my jog:

The gift shop, where I bought the aforementioned hat, a t-shirt documenting my survival of the trip, and some other trinkets, two of which contained some black sand. The worker was very friendly, helping me pick out gifts I was lookng for:

Of course, I did not take any black sand from the beach. I was told the spirits would punish me for that!

Below is a picture of one of the one way bridges typical of the road to Hana -- speed limit 5 miles per hour:

I just stopped at pretty waterfalls:

Some depictions of the winding roads I traversed:

And the livestock I encountered:

After two difficult days, traveling the road to Hana was a nice change of pace. You can go fast on the road -- I saw many people do so -- but I prefer to go safe and slow. The views are nice, and the ride was peaceful, in my experience. Others told me they got sick with the twists and turns, but I found the slow ride soothing. Jogging on a famous, black sand beach was an experience I will remember, and I will also remember the very friendly people I encountered, such as the worker from the gift shop. The experience was not what it was hyped to be -- it was different, not necessarily better or worse. It should not be missed if you are going to Maui.