The Final Day on Maui

I love this photo of my family. This is looking in the window of the Pioneer Inn. We had to stop for a bite and a sip after our boating adventure.



On our final full day on Maui we all went out on a evening catamaran sunset cruise.
The weather was amazing and the people were great! It was a great way to end our week together in paradise.

Snorkeling

Today Chelle, Dad and I went on a snorkeling excursion. It was awesome! The water was so clear and you could see everything under the sea. We boarded a catamaran near the aquarium and headed to the Molokini crater for our first dive. Next we went over to Lahaina and swam over the coconut reef. The whole trip we were blessed to see several whales hanging out and at one point we even saw a mother whale with her baby. We were also joined by three turtles as we went back into the harbor.




I didn't have an opportunity to upload the photos from yesterday so here we go.


The night before last we all came together at our place and grilled burgers and hot dogs. mmm mmm!





Yesterday we drove around the island and headed down the road to Hana. We stopped off at the Twin Falls and did a little hiking. Both Eric and I swam under the falls. The water was the freshest I experienced in a long time.





On the way back we stopped and watched the surfers. The photos and the video don't do it justice. The waves were huge and there are actually a million surfers, you just can't see them too well.

Risky Behaviour Update!

We just discovered that driving through the treacherous areas yesterday was in violation of our rental car agreement. So if Hertz ask, we were never there. ;-)

Friday in Maui

Friday Morning we headed out on adventure. We took the minivan through its paces and fortunately it handled the challenge well. If you look at the map above you'll see where we went. We left Kihei (where we are staying), headed North on 31, then North on 30 continuing on the 340 through the marked area that says "Do Not Drive Between These Points" and then back down and around.

The photos don't do it justice, it was the thinnest most curvy one lane road you can imagine. In fact calling it a road is being very generous. There are several spots where if you are met by an oncoming car, one of you has to back up until you can find a wider spot in the road to pass. There are not many places with much of a shoulder and passing is challenging. However, the views are beautiful and almost make it worth taking your life in your hands.










Once we made it around the top of the island, we ate lunch at the Fish Company in Lahaina. We did a little shopping and site seeing before heading off to the beach to watch the sunset.

First Full Day

We had a great lunch at Kimo's in Lahaina as we drove up the coast.


Front street in Lahaina. It's a cute little working town with a fishing problem.


We had beautiful weather and thoroughly enjoyed a relaxing afternoon on the beach.


On the road home, we stopped at one of the several "Scenic Overlooks" to take in the sites.

Christmas 2006 with the family part deux

Mom and Dad Shaffer arrived on Monday the 8th and Eric flew in on Tuesday.
We thoroughly enjoyed opening our Christmas gifts to each other and getting to spend time together. It's been a year since I have been with the family and several months for my beautiful wife since she has been with her brother, mother and father.




Here are some adorable pics of our puppies. They are spending time with their friends at the Mar Mel Doggie Day Care while we are here in Hawaii. Chelle and I already miss our babies.