Thursday, October 17, 2019 – Hana, Maui, Hawaii
On morning three in Hawaii I did a little better with sleep – I didn’t wake up until 5:45. I thought I could go back to sleep, but I looked out the window and the sky was just starting to get light with the sunrise. My favorite time of day and there was no way I could stay in bed, so I got up and went for a run. I ran by Hamoa and Koki Beaches just after the sun came up. There were no clouds and I could clearly see Hawaii – the Big Island. It was a great run and definitely better than more sleep.
When I got back to the cottage Chrissy was up. We had some coffee, then set out to find the Red Sand Beach. It was early so we were able to park near the trailhead, which is behind the community center in Hana. We had to hike around a peninsula to get to the secluded cove beach. When we arrived we had the beach almost entirely to ourselves. The beach is clothing-optional and there was one guy stretched out in the sand taking advantage of his option. We both opted to keep our bathing suits on but were not bothered at all by him.
Despite growing up in Florida, neither of us really get into sitting on the beach. But this beach was stunning and we ended up sitting for about three hours. We were in and out of the water a few times as we talked, read, and even napped a little. As the morning wore on a few more people arrived and the naked guy eventually joined the ranks of the clothed. Most of the new arrivals were tourists, but a couple of local guys showed up and sat and talked with the formerly naked guy. They sat in the sand and we couldn’t hear their conversation over the sound of the waves, but it seemed that they were solving all the problems of the world. I thought about walking over to see if I could join them, and now I wish I had. I bet that was an interesting meeting of the minds.
We left the beach around noon and stopped at a roadside stand for fresh, delicious popsicles. I had pineapple-orange-mango and Chrissy had chocolate-banana. They were made with coconut water and no added sugar and were delicious. Then we went to Koki Beach for the world-famous (?) Huli Huli Chicken. If it’s not world famous, it should be. Barbeque chicken with rice and salad overlooking a cove, beach, and small island. With a cold beer too. It really doesn’t get any better than that.
Where Are We Going Now? 