Life's Journey

Roy and I just got back from yet another amazing trip… Hawaii! Honestly I can't go there enough, I love it! We went to Maui and met some friends there and stayed for 6 days. This was our second trip to Maui but there was still so much to see and do… and I had two bucket list items to check off!

Let me tell you about the trip first. There's nothing better than sitting on the beach, listening to the sounds of the waves, smelling the sea air, and having a frozen fruity umbrella drink in your hand. In fact, I'm ready to go back!  We stayed in the Kaanapali area which is just north of Lahina. It was a great area because it was far enough from the touristy chaos but close enough that we could get there within a 10 minute drive. I should add the disclaimer that I took a break from chemo before this trip so I felt like a person and was able to do everything I wanted to do. This is week three without treatment. I honestly didn't realize how bad I was feeling until I started feeling normal again.

On our first day Roy and I took a road trip to explore the northern portion of the island and stopped off to view a 60 foot blowhole. Then we met our friends for yummy drinks on the beach. We decided to go to Lahina for dinner that night and found Fleetwoods. This is a restaurant and rooftop bar that looks out over the water and is owned by Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac! They have a sunset ritual with music and stories of hawaiian legend - I highly recommend going here. After a few drinks we headed to Lahina Grill for dinner - it was over the top fantastic! The next day we all went on a Trilogy 40 ft catamaran cruise to Molokini to do some snorkeling. It was awesome, we saw whales and huge sea turtles on the trip to the island. On our last full day we golfed the Kaanapali Kai course which had amazing views and was a fairly easy course so we didn't get frustrated! On our last night we went to Mama's Fish House for dinner. Nothing compares to Mama's, they have their own private beach, beautiful décor, and fantastic food!

Ok, on to the bucket list… first up - PARAGLIDING! If you've never done this before - DO IT! Roy decided to sit this one out so my girlfriend and I did it on our own. We had a little adventure trying to find the meeting spot but eventually got there - and we were early. So, we went on a mission to find some coffee (it was an early morning). We stumbled upon Grandma's Coffee House. The cutest little spot, it's an old building that they converted to the picture perfect coffee house - what a great find! After a little coffee perk we met the crew for our paragliding adventure. We met the crew at the landing spot toward the bottom of Haleakala Volcano. There were quite a few people there but we were the only ones going tandem (we were attached to a guy who knew what he was doing) ;). We all loaded into the van and took the windy road 3000 feet up the volcano. This was our take off spot. There was a small grassy area and the edge of the mountain. This is where the adrenaline started! The crew laid out the parachutes and made sure everything was good to go. Next step was to strap us into the harnesses. My tandem instructor walked me through what was going to happen during take off and landing. It's pretty simple - you just start walking together super fast then running… just keep running until you are well off the ground. Basically you just run off the edge. We went first… walk, walk, walk, run, run, run, and we were in the air. One hiccup… I lost a shoe during take off. Luckily I noticed it right away and we yelled down and someone else was able to pick it up for me. Geesh! Although I quickly didn't care that I was the one shoe wonder… I was gliding/soaring in the air, we were above the clouds, it was silent and beautiful. I could see the northern peaks of Maui and the ocean in the distance.  The harness had a seat built in so once we were up and in the air the seat just kind of snuggled under me… it was like a swing in the sky. My tandem instructor taught me how to steer and let me have control for awhile. When we were about to cross into the clouds a little he told me to watch our shadow on the ground for something called "the glory". As I watched our shadow on the ground it grew bright and a rainbow ring formed around it… when we got a little lower the center of the rainbow ring turned into a bright star of light. There's no good way to describe this in words, it was awesome. The landing was very gentle and the entire trip took about 15 minutes. I will never forget this experience, it was amazing!

On our last day we planned a stop at Iao Valley on the way to the airport. The Iao Valley State Park is in the heart of the Northern part of Maui. We took a short hike to the observation point that looks over Iao Needle - an erosional feature which abruptly rises 1200 feet out of the valley floor. The valley is lush and full of beautiful plants and flowers. There is a rushing creek that runs through the bottom of the valley. Exploring Iao Valley was on my bucket list, I didn't realize that this was going to be a quick one. There aren't a lot of trails in the area and it is very well preserved to prevent too much traffic. But standing in the valley and looking up at the needle and doing what exploring we could was unforgettable.

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to take this trip and to check two items off my list. We had a fantastic trip that neither of us will forget. I was definitely not ready to leave. I can still close my eyes to escape to the sounds of the beach.

Hugs and Smiles,

Sarah