Maui - Thanksgiving 2010

This was the longest vacation I've had in quite a while and now that I'm home, it's definitely taken some time to adjust back to the real world. Going to work tomorrow will be a real shock to the system! Every time the heater comes on at home, I think it sounds like waves!
Dad and I got in to Maui around 6pm on Thursday night (Linda ended up staying at home with her mom and dad) and we picked up Cindy a couple hours later. We drove to our condo, which was just north of the Kaanapali Beach area.
On Friday, we laid by the pool then headed to Kaanapali Beach and had dinner at Hula Grill near Whaler's Village.
On Saturday, we embarked on the Road to Hana about 7am. We had lots of stops, some that worked out and some that didn't (note to self - don't use an outdated guide book for the Road to Hana!). We decided to also do the "Road from Hana" and encountered about 100 cattle, 30 of which were meandering down the road alongside us. Not what you want to have to worry about when a) it's dark and b) your Jeep's "Check Engine" light is on! In all, the "back route" probably only saves you about 30 minutes. And for us, it probably took us an extra hour since we ended up taking the car back to the rental car agency. Rather than getting another Jeep (which is like having a car from the 1980's - no power locks, windows or trunk), we upgraded to a Cadillac SRX. Our dinner that night consisted of McDonald's and Pizza Hut.

On Sunday, we rested up from our busy Saturday, then went on a sunset sailboat ride before our dinner at Lahaina Grill. So yummy!

Monday was the start of the Maui Invitational. Such a bummer of a loss, though...we were up for 30 minutes of the game against UConn (the eventual winners of the tournament, even though they weren't even ranked!) and ended up losing by 4 points 83-79. The 40+ free throw attempts by UConn (thanks refs) was the nail in our coffin. There were about 300 Shocker fans there, including Don & Shirley Beggs, Brian & Joy Heinricks, a bunch of Phi Delts/Kappa Sigs and Mike Cline and his family. It was great to see so many familiar faces! And, one of the Shocker freshmen, Tyler Richardson #22, is from my hometown, Huntsville, AL! After the loss, we had burgers at Kimo's....good food and great views.

For dinner that night, we went to the Feast at Lele...a luau that's not just a luau. It was a 5 course dinner with 5 different sets of dance from different Polynesian islands, including, of course, the Hawaiian luau. It was great!

On Tuesday, we skipped the Shocker game vs. Chaminade in favor of going to the 'Iao Needle. That didn't take too long, though. It was Cindy's last day on Maui, and for dinner, we went to Mala Ocean Tavern.

After we dropped off Cindy at the airport on Wednesday morning, Dad and I did some price checking at Wal Mart and then Costco (which was a total madhouse!). Then, we headed to the Shocker game against UVA (my other alma mater) and the Shox played a great game! We ended the tournament 2-1, with the only loss being to the winner of the tournament, UConn. Still can't believe that UConn knocked off #2 Michigan State and #9 Kentucky! After the game, Dad and I went to Kimo's (again) for drinks and pupus with Mike Cline, his sister, mom and her fiance. Can't beat that view!

Thanksgiving was a lazy day. I don't think I even left the room until it was time for dinner! We went to Duke's Beach House...Dad had turkey, but I just couldn't bring myself to NOT eat seafood! I had the seafood risotto...yum!

Our last day was eventful. We got packed and watched the Bama v Auburn football game before we headed to South Maui. We went to the Shops @ Wailea and then to Big Beach, and ended the day by walking along the Keawakapu Beach (one beach north of Wailea beach) and watching the sunset...over the water and not over the mountains! We had our last dinner at Five Palms...it was a random place at the Mana Kai hotel, but was delicious! After having Mahi Mahi and Opakapaka for every meal, this place had the Walu fish, which was amazing! It was a great end to a great vacation.