Pure Joy!

Pure joy is grabbing a red cruiser and heading to the Alaskan coast for a Sunday morning bike ride...

 

...and heading to a chocolate lounge for a divine mocha and a salmon truffle.  I probably won't have cravings, but it was not half bad.  When in Alaska!

  

Hiking in Daylight at 10pm

I was in Alaska for the longest day of the year, which was awesome, but really only having two hours of darkness can play serious mind games.  I was itching to go exploring after dinner with my team, so I headed to the nearby state park for a lovely walk in the woods and a beautiful drive along the coast. 

 

After being faced with mosquitoes the size of small animals, I abandoned my hike and opted to visit the wildlife refuge and the boardwalk the stretched into the most gorgeous marsh.  I even had my first moose sighting!

The craziest part is that there were still tons of people out hiking and bird watching (I didn’t know that was an actual thing!).  I talked with some locals who said that summers are always packed with outdoor activities and by the time the short winter days come, everyone is ready to sleep the days away from exhaustion.  Considering the amount of people that were still going strong when I headed back just after midnight, that makes perfect sense. 

Solo Travel = Plenty of Headspace

I celebrated my last night in Maui (at least for now!) with dinner on the beach.  To be perfectly honest, it was not as romantic as I imagined it to be since sand kept getting in my take-out, but I couldn’t think of a better night than taking in the beautiful Hawaiian sunset.  I loved how much it changed colors and personality within such a short amount of time!

While at my beloved Kihei beach, I started talking to a woman from Oregon who was visiting Maui for her son’s vow renewals to mark his 10 year wedding anniversary.  She asked me if I got lonely when I traveled by myself so much.  It can get lonely at moments, but to honest, I love having the headspace to just think since I don’t often do that in my daily life.  She had never thought about it like that.

Before catching my flight the next day, I headed to Lava Java for a morning coffee (could they have a more fabulous name for a coffee shop?), stared at all the stand-up paddle boarders that speckled the pristine blue waters and soaked up some Hawaiian sunshine by the pool.  Goodbye Maui! 

Don't go chasin' waterfalls [Maui is the exception].

I absolutely adored my drive on the Road to Hana, but I don’t think I fully got it during my first visit.  I was surprised there was so much hype around such a small city that didn’t have a whole lot to it.  Like the super analytical person that I am, I continued researching the island and asking for suggestions of things to do so I could see some other great sites during my week back on Maui. 

A friend told me that I had to do some hiking and exploring near the Seven Sacred Pools area just past the city of Hana on Hana Highway so it was back to that area once I touched down in Maui.  Along the way I really took the time to enjoy the beauty of the area and stopped at many different waterfalls and paid a visit to a couple black sand beaches as well. 

 

It wasn’t until close to dark that I reached the Seven Sacred Pools area, but I had just enough time to run halfway up the root covered trail and just far enough to get some beautiful shots of pools, an awesome banyan tree, more waterfalls and the beautiful moon!

It really is not about the destination, but about the journey and all the experiences along the way…in life and even on the Road to Hana. :)