Just back from 5 days in Maui. My first visit to Hawaii..and it was love at first site. The impetus was a wedding of one of my best buds, Mark Freeland, who couldnt have picked a more romantic/beautiful place to tie the knot. We were on the southwest side of the island, with full views of sunsets, great access to a marine reserve for diving/snorkeling (Ahihi-Kinau Marine Reserve), a nice little learning break for surfing, and good restaurants. Something about swimming with giant turtles, standing up on a surfboard for the first time, sipping mai tais with long-time close friends (my UNC boys & their wives)...tends to bring a perma-smile to the face. The beach pics here are from "Big Beach" at Makena State Park. And the sunrise shots on the mountain were taken at 5:55AM on the top of Haleakala National Park, a magical moment despite the throng of people that like me were shivering in their short-sleeve shirts. Next trip back I will definitely bring the bike to climb one of the highest single ascents in the world (the asphalt looked amazingly good for fast ascents too). On that point, my bike is getting rebuilt this weekend and my virgin post-injury bike ride is coming soon. Huge fan of Maui....and cant wait to get back. T
