On The Road To Maui

Maui is magical; its beauty is beyond words. Each incredible sunrise, every picturesque sunset – it was only fitting to renew our 10th anniversary wedding vows in this tropical paradise. We were blessed to have my parents, daughter and dear friend Julie join us on this special day.

After a magnificent celebration, we had 2 days to explore the island. Having driven the road to Hana on our honeymoon 10 years ago, we opted to drive to the summit of Haleakala this time around – 90 minutes of twists and turns through the mountains of this dormant volcano, to an altitude of 10-thousand feet! 


We were lucky – clear skies welcomed us as we reached the top – the view was spectacular. Nothing can prepare you for the deeply sculpted, richly colored landscape.

It reminded me of the Painted Desert! Mostly barren, there is some plant life speckled through the cinder rock, including a rare species only found on Haleakala!

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After another twisty-turn drive down the mountain and we were treated to yet another spectacular sunset as we ventured onto our final day in Maui.

We decided to end the week by snorkeling at 2 very different beaches.We began at Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve. Because it’s a marine life conservation district, no fishing is allowed, making it an amazing place to snorkel!

We left the lava rock coast of Ahihi Bay to the sandy shores of Ulua/Mokapu Beach – one of southern Maui’s most popular snorkel beaches, and with good reason – the coastline is a favorite hang-out of the magnificent Hawaiian Sea Turtles!  Take a look at what we experienced under the sea!

One last dinner with my fabulous family; one final Hawaiian sunset and one more sunrise along the beach before we head back to Chicago with a lifetime of magnificent memories.