Hawaii

As our first Alaskan winter begins to melt away we felt it was the perfect time to get out of Bethel for a bit.  I found a conference through the University of California San Francisco on a Primary Care Update for 2013 in Maui, April 7th through the 12th.  In addition to the great topics offered by the conference, lectures adjourned everyday at 11:00am!  To sweeten the deal my mom was willing and able to come to Bethel and watch the kids for us so Mark and I could go just the two of us. 
We left Bethel Saturday morning and arrived in Maui that night.  We wanted to spend a good deal of our free time just laying on the beach or by the pool, but we also wanted to see some of the sites.

Conference registration didn't start till 3:00pm Sunday afternoon with two lectures later that night, so Mark and I decided our first day would be a beach day.  I was foolish enough to think I could go an hour or so without sunsceeen, and Mark was foolish enough to think the hair on his arms and legs would protect him.  In the end, after about an hour and a half we were both fried to a crisp.  So much so, that the next day when we picked up our rental (a convertable Camaro) we couldn't stand for the top to be down as the sun made our skin feel like it was going to melt completely off!  Needless-to-say, when people saw our beefy red burns and then found out we were visiting from Alaska, they had a sudden look of understanding (and pity) pass across their faces.  We spent the next 3 days hiding from the sun like vampires. 

Drive up to Halaekala, just below
the cloud line

A few moments later and we were
above the clouds

Crater of Haleakala Volcano

One of our car rental days we drove to the West side of Haleakala National Park.  This side of the park features the summit of Haleakala Volcano at over 10,000 feet above sea level.  The last time any lava flowed from this volcano was in 1790.  Very beautiful, but much dryer than we expected to see on a lush Hawaiian island.  We wandered on the trails around the crater for a couple of hours before making the curvy drive back to the hotel.
As our skin still felt very sensitive, we decided to rent the car one more day and drive the famous Highway to Hana and visit the East side of Haleakala park.  The East side of Haleakala park is just a few miles past Hana.  There is no road through the park to  connect the West and East sides.  To get to the East side you have to make the drive all the way around the island.  Many people only make it part way before turing back before their car sickness gets the best of them.

Highway to Hana

The drive was amazing; everything we had heard about it and more.  Although only about 50 miles long, it takes nearly 3 hours to drive as the speed limit rarely goes about 20 mph.  The road features some 620 curves and close to 60 bridges, the majority of which are a single lane.  At some points, the curve is so sharp and the road only one lane that signs are placed directing people to blow their car horns as they drive around so oncoming traffic can hear you.  This side of the island is what tropical is all about!  Waterfalls and flowers, bright green trees and plants everywhere!   
Our second to last day we decided to venture back out into the sun.  Equipped this time with broad spectrum, waterproof sunscreen of 70spf.  We applied, reapplied and reapplied some more.  Still we managed to get charred!  (Although, not quite as bad as day 1) 
From our hotel, it was easy and common to spot humpback whales out in the water.  Usually it was just their spray you saw, but more than once we saw the whales break the water.  Green turtles also frequented the shore line of the hotel.
We had a great trip!  But perhaps the event that we have told and retold to friends is this:

On one of our first nights in Maui, we walked to a little ABC store next to the hotel to pick up some beer and snacks to keep in our room.  (Resort alcohol is SO expensive.)  As we stood at the register checking out, the lady asked if we needed anything else, "some barbed wire perhaps?"  Without missing a beat Mark pipes up and says, "No thanks, just some handcuffs."  My face turns redder than my sunburn and the check out lady gives that embarrassed awkward laugh, the one that says "did I just hear what I think I heard?"  As we are walking back to the hotel, I ask Mark what on earth possessed him to say he wanted handcuffs to a complete stranger?!  He replied that she had started it with asking if we wanted any barbed wire.  Aghast I looked at my husband (who thought he was pretty slick with his quick response) and informed him, "Honey, she asked if we wanted any bottled water!  NOT BARBED WIRE!!"