Continuing where I left off . . . . .

Tuesday, April 07, Day 144, week 21, month 5 since diagnosis-

Kapalua- Loveland Home-
- 7:50am Michelle and I walked the trail to the East end, about 1.5 miles each way
- 2:30pm Michelle was down with one of the worst migraine headaches she has ever had. Comforted her with ice packs and put her down for a nap.
- Part of the group; Kathy, Dave, Scott, MaryJane, and I went to scout out snorkeling locations:
- Honolua Bay in a National Marine Sanctuary and Preserve,
- Mokule'ia Bay (Slaughterhouse Beach) Recommended by MaryJane. (She had snorkeled there with turtles and dolphins in the early morning on a previous trip).
- Honolua Valley Kathy re-named the little valley and trail to the beach her "Jurassic Park". Incredibly scenic huge contorted limbed trees, including Banyans, giant Philidendron vines, rain forest lush greenery. You expected to see Tarzan's tree house in the next huge tree you saw. Unfortunately we ran out of time to get MaryJane and Scott in the water as they had to leave for home by 6:30pm. So we returned home, had a chicken alfredo dinner and sent Scott and MaryJane very reluctantly on their way home. So sad for their stay to end!
-Tuesday-
Kapalua- Loveland Home-
- 6:20 am First breakfast and scripture study.
- 7:05 am Humpback Whale sightings
- 8:30 am Had second breakfast
- 9:45 am Driving the car,/em> Kahakuloa Village-
14.5 miles east from the house on Highway 30
4 miles of one-lane narrow winding road. First time I have seen 5 MPH Speed Limit signs!
- Passed a seven year old boy with his BB gun,accompanied younger girls. He was shooting chicken chicks in neighbor's yard and proudly showing us his kill!
- I bought three loaves of famous Julia's Banana Bread (one fresh eating, 2 freezing for Alpine), coconut candy, (I have learned to like fresh coconut stuff in Hawai'i), and freshly dried mangos.
- Dave and Lisa made similar purchases from Julia's niece at the "Green Stand"
- Got directions to "Maka????hema-whosit" waterfalls (three miles further . . .)
Lower Makamaka"ole Falls- eight-and-a-half miles further on the one-lane narrow winding road - really all the way to the end where civilization started again, then back a couple miles. We hiked half a mile from the road, past several very scenic pools, wild banana trees with fruits, and surreal landscape! Then continuing downstream, climbing 20 feet down Banyan tree roots, to the top of a beautiful 40+ foot waterfall. Then the long slow plod back up to the car.
- Dave drove the car heading west for home.
- Noted distances and locations of Olivine Pools and Nakalele Blowhole on the way home.
- Lunched, napped then got ready to go snorkeling
Honolua Bay - two miles east on Highway 30-
- 3:45pm left with entire group and all support gear
- FINALLY got in the water, only lasted about 35-40 minutes before getting really chilled.
- Found an underwater digital camera, a Wrist HERO- see to the picture and description to the right of this posting. Some poor soul lost $150.00 camera and the 50-60 pictures on it. Leaving a note for the owner if they come back looking for it!
- back home for dinner, games, relaxing
-Wednesday-
Kapalua- Loveland Home-
- 6:30am First breakfast and scripture study.
- 6:45am Humpback Whale sightings
- 8:30am Replaced a leaking bag!@##@
- 10:20am Went to Honolua Store for second breakfast, which ended at 10 am @##@!
- 11:05am Left Michelle resting, Kathy and Carol shopping, Dave,
Lisa and I sightseeing. I rode in the back seat of the car on top of the snorkeling gear bag with the wind in my thinning gray hair! It was like a guided tour trip!
Nakalele Blowhole- eight miles east on Highway 30- 60-70" spoutings, huge breakers, Way cool! Way windy!
Olivine Pools- another eight miles east- The surf was too high to get in the pools, but the power and intensity of the breakers was breathtaking and beautiful. I was bragging about keeping my socks dry as I was standing behind a ten foot high ledge when a thirty foot high spray from a huge breaker soaked me. It was incredible, and on video!
Honolua Bay - viewed from the highway above the bay, we determined our efforts to snorkel the day before were about 150 yards off the mark. It was decided it was too late to make another snorkeling attempt, so we returned home to lunch, finish packing the group, maybe go for one last walk on the beach, and then sadly for them take the family to the airport.
-Thursday-
Kapalua/Oneola Beach- Loveland Home- Just had a low key morning.
- 3:45am Got up to go to the bathroom, couldn't sleep. Michelle was
awake too. At 4:30am we got up and walked on the beach in our pajamas. There were tiny phosphorescent (glow-in-the dark) creatures in the waves and on the beach. They looked like stars in the sky only they were on the sand. It was pretty cool looking!
- 5:30am Went back to bed
- 10:00am Walked down to the small point at the east end of the beach behind the house and looking to make a relaxing rememberance place. Spent about one-and-a-half hours on a ledge six or seven feet from the breakers. Watched three Sea Turtles struggling in the surge trying to find a sandy beach, but stuck in a rough/rocky surf zone.
Returned home for lunch, and a nap.
Honolua Bay- 3:27pm Left Michelle napping, changed into snorkeling gear and went to leave a note about an underwater digital camera I had found on Tuesday. Then I snorkeled where we had scouted from above and had a thousand- fold better experience! I felt so bad that Dave and Lisa missed the real deal by a couple hundred yards! Returned home about 5:45 for a drive to Lahaina. Missed a photo op for a Maui sunset- dang!
-Friday-
Kapalua/Oneola Bay- Loveland Home- Breakfasted and studied scriptures at the small point at the west end of the beach. I video recorded some messages for posterity. All in all it was a Low-key day, lunch, cleaned some, napped and enjoyed the experience!
Honolua Bay- 3:00pm Left to take Michelle snorkeling! After about a ten minute adjustment period on a boogie board, she was paddling around in utter amazement. The diversity, beauty, and close proximity entirely overcame her inhibitions and anxiety turned to astonishment and she became truly lost in the moment. We snorkeled for about an hour-and-a-half before I tired out and began to get chilled. Michelle could have stayed out much longer, but I couldn't convince her to. We were reviewing a fish identification card that pictured about 60 different coral reef fishes and other reef animals, then gave up deciding we had seen all of them and many more! we then headed home and had a relaxing evening.
-Saturday-
Kapalua- Loveland Home- Had a quiet morning.
Lipoa Point- 7:15am Four miles east of the house on highway 30. Read scriptures with the sunrise. Returned home and walked down to the small point at the west end of the beach again to video more messages.
- 10:00am Watched the afternoon session of General Conference
- Lunched and left for the east side of Maui
Kahului- Went to the swap meet to buy an extra piece of luggage for our many purchases, and to check out locally made souveniers at reasonable prices.
Highway 36, the Road to Hana- 1:15pm with the top down on the car and a wonderfully smooth and comfortable ride, we cruised out the road to Hana. Incredible diversity of strange trees, foliage, in this rain forest. There were some taro-like Elephant Ear plants of some kind with leaves three feet wide and six feet or more long! The birds we heard along the way were like you would hear at the San Diego Zoo, or in some nature documentary. It was an encompassing experience. I had marked off several waterfall hikes but I did not feel up to much walking. We made it out to mile marker 17, nearly to the Halfway-To-Hana point.
Ke'anae, a tiny village- We parked for several minutes on the point here in wonder at the sea crashing against shore. We were right at eye level with the surf. The stark contrast between rolling azure ocean, brilliant celestial white breakers, and raw black lava columns and ledges gave pause for pondering. We created another rememberance location to visit in times of stress or anxiety.
- 4:25pm we started back for home.
Wahinepe'e Trail- 5:05pm We stopped and did a short ten minute hike into an inconceivably thick Bamboo and Eucalptus forest. It was a grove of two to three inch thick Bamboo growing 35-50 feet tall. You could not walk through the Bamboo the trunks were so close together.
- It was a long drive back home, knowing we had only one more day left in Marvelous Maui.
-Sunday-
Kapalua- Loveland Home- 6:00am Raised the TV at the foot of the bed and watched the Sunday morning session of General Conference. Napped, breakfasted, and cleaned.
- 10:00am Watched the Sunday afternoon session of General Conference. Napped, lunched, and did final laundry.
Took a final round of pictures of the house and yard.
Lipoa Point- 3:45pm We enjoyed one last walk/hike to a small isolated beach where the expert surfers go. Very picturesque, and pristine.

We then topped off the gas in the car and returned home for dinner, during which we had to change out a leaking bag. What bad timing. We missed our last Maui sunset photo opportunity, and it was a gorgeous one too!
- 7:25pm We left for the airport, about forty minutes later than we had planned. Stress was higher than we had wanted. Our Marvelous Maui experience was over. Our flight ended up being delayed from 9:10 to 9:40 so we had a bit more relaxed airport experience.
- 9:35pm We left an unreal Marvelous Mortal Maui to travel to a real Heavenly Home, a journey of about six hours, where loved ones waited whom we were anxiouus to see after 15 days seperation.

The Hawai'i 30th Anniversary Trip final wrap-up
We thank all the family, family friends, neighborhood family, and ward family, whose prayers, fasting, efforts, generosity, and physical support made this experience possible. I have felt better physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually than I have in many, many months, perhaps even a year or more. I wish to convey a special thanks to Dave and Kathy Peterson, and Carol and Lisa Dickison who accompanied us and shared in these incredible events and memories. Mere words cannot communicate the appreciation and gratitude we all feel to Lynette Loveland for the contribution of her Kapalua home for our use. She has acted so generously that I am reminded of the scripture found in John 14:2-4, where she has become my "personal savior at Kapalua". Thank you Lynette. Thank you Jim and Laurie. We love you.

Of course we know the source of all these ministering angels we are surrounded by, and we thank our Heavenly Father for His love and compassion. He has provided not only that which we need for salvation and exaltation, but He has also blessed us with that which "brightens the eye and gladdens the heart." We are so blessed!