We have decided to go wander around Lahaina, the last area we’ve not visited this trip, and then picnic at a beach park on the way back. Its another gorgeous day over here in Kihei, but it is supposed to rain later, so we want to move out early to avoid getting caught. On the drive over to Lahaina, the clouds are building up on the Wailuku (east) side of the mountains, but the sun is shining over here producing some cool looking rainbows of the Kealia National Wildlife Refuge.
As we get closer to Ma’alaea Harbor, we can actually see the end of the rainbow on the slope of the Olowalu mountain range. Cool.
Even though the skies are sunny here, and the clouds are behind us, the winds are so ferocious today that it is pushing the rain over here. Seriously, its a downpour and the clouds are no where near us! Fortunately, as we round the edge of the mountains and turn northwest toward Lahaina, the rain stops, but the rainbows continue A double rainbow even!
Driving into Lahaina, it looks like the rain is being blown in again, but only a little bit. We take our chances on Front street and luck into a parking spot in the free lot (literally the last spot in there) and begin our walk through town. We’re being Tilly Tourist today, just wandering around, window shopping and half heartedly following the historical trail. It is too early to eat, and we have our poke picnic supplies anyway, and it is far too early to drink, so we just humor ourselves walking around, people watching and avoiding all the cosmetic hawkers on the sidewalk (there must be 5 or 6 of those cosmetic stores now – each with beautiful people trying to get you to try their product for free. Yeah, right, been there, done that, not free and not worth the time or aggravation!).
We do manage to stop for photos at the Baldwin House, then pause at the Wo Hing Chinese museum with the cookhouse out back….
Before turning around and meandering back to the car. We make another pit stop at the tourist center behind the Banyan Tree for the restrooms, then walk through a very interesting historical display (seriously, it was interesting) before walking back to collect the car and go picnic.
The beach park, Launiupoko, is nearly deserted when we arrive and we have the choice of picnic table locations. We decamp to one closest to the water and set up shop with our Poke and left over rotisserie chicken from Safeway. The setting is beautiful, the weather is great (if you forget about the hurricane force gale that suddenly blows through causing us to grab hold over virtually everything on the table before they become ocean debris) and the lunch hits the spot (its the last of the poke….sigh, sad).
On the way back, we stop at Ma’alaea Harbor to shop the Pacific Whale Foundation sale. Ed had bought a great t-shirt there for $10 when we went out on the celestial cruise, but unfortunately, is was a Ladies – so now I have a great t-shirt! We successfully found more cool shirts – this time Men’s – and one Ladies shirt for me, then stopped for an afternoon beverage at Beach Bum’s BBQ downstairs on the harbor. It is a very fun little place, open air with the harbor in front of you (or behind you if you are sitting at the bar as we were), tons of out of state license plates lining the walls and the tantalizing smell of BBQ wafting through the entire area. Ack – we’ve already eaten and we’re hungry again! We successfully resist the urge to order something (especially when we see the massive pile of nachos that comes out for another patron) while we quaff down a couple of beers, then head back to Kihei for the afternoon.
Later we head out for What Ales You?, watch a little football, chat with Jess behind the bar, then walk back to the cottage, stopping on the way to take pictures of the clouds ringing Haleakala.
Another perfectly relaxing evening, hanging out on the patio, cooking dinner and enjoying the cool evening.
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