Thor and I took a drive from the dry west side of Maui to the verdant green Iao Valley for a lovely short hike.
In this view from the plane as we landed, there was a clear contrast of the flat, dry west coast with the steep hills and ravines that catch clouds and funnel rain. Maui is an island with distinct climate zones.
After a week of heat and sunshine at the beaches in the drought conditions of October, we decided to take a break in the moist green of the Iao Valley. We’d been there on a previous trip, and it’s a pretty short drive from Kihei. What was new was the need to make a reservation for a spot at the small park, but it was easy online.
The geography is impressive, to say the least.
Geologist Thor enjoyed the topography and layers of history.
Even in Paradise, there’s always a joker….
We followed a trail from the Needle viewpoint down along the stream among the tropical foliage and trees.
Heading back down the valley toward the sea:
Another old stone church on the way:
We were visiting during the “shoulder season,” and appreciated the thinner crowds almost everywhere — especially at the beach! — but for some reason all week there had been insanely long lines at our favorite shave-ice shack in South Kihei. But finally, after our hot hike, we scored a creamy-smooth shave ice with assorted topic fruit syrups atop a scoop of macadamia-nut ice cream. Mmmm!
And then it was back to our favorite beach to play in the waves and float above the lights shimmering in the nurturing blue sea. Aloha!
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You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s Caribbean suspense novel from Book View Café is ISLANDS, which draws on her experiences working as a scuba divemaster on various islands, and also her research into petroglyphs. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
