Maui - Way Better Than The Dream - A Forbidden Excursion

by Jeanie Evans
(Cole Camp, MO. USA)

My trip to Maui was a lifelong dream come true - but it turned out to be soooo much better than I ever dreamed it would be. We went with family and friends and stayed at Ka'anapali Shores Resort on the western side of the island just north of Old Lahaina. Everything was so beautiful and clean. Four of us gals had rented a small car and wanted to see the "real" Maui. We decided that if we turned left out of the resort and kept the ocean in view, we would eventually return to the resort (please don't laugh). We didn't know until after we returned, that the trip we were about to take was not covered by the insurance on the rental. As we traveled out of the inhabited area, the road got narrower and we saw very few cars. The road began to carry us up the side of the island. Straight up the side of the mountain on our right and straight down the side of the mountain on the left - right into the ocean in many places. The road had many right angle turns with barely room for two cars to pass. The turns were blind, so we had to stop and honk to make sure no cars were coming to meet us. We knew we might be in trouble when we saw the US mail truck down off the side of the mountain lying in a ravine. We took a vote as to finding a wide spot to turn around and go back. I was driving and voted to go on as this was an adventure we would never have again. Everywhere we looked over the ocean was so beautiful and each sight would have made an excellent picture postcard to mail back home. As we ascended, we found a small native village. Just a few small homes and a church. However, some enterprizing folks had rigged a smoothie cart with a 100 foot extension cord. We couldn't resist and stopped for a chat and fresh, homemade locally grown fruit lusciousness. The horse in the picture was standing so still we could have reached out and touched him from the car window. The wild philodendron covered the mountain side with leaves a foot across. The sun sparkling off the impossibly blue water made our hearts soar with gladness that we had dared to take the forbidden trip. To this day, I don't remember how we finally found our way back, but I wouldn't trade that memory for all the vacations I have taken since that day.