...dreams do come true! So says Bruddah Iz.
This weeks dream came true...spending my birthday in Maui! A very short (3 night) business trip also provided for early season open water swimming in some of my favorite spots.
By the time I got to Maui it was late afternoon. I jetted to Kaanapali for a short refreshing swim before sunset. A quick change in the car and I was at the beach within minutes. While the waters around Kaanapali are generally flat today they were anything but due to strong winds. In fact, I was the only one in the water. It was a short choppy swim from Whaler's Village to Black Rock and back. Timed perfectly I was sitting at the Hula Grill Bar having pupus and a mai tai at sunset. When my head hit the pillow at The Ritz Kapalua I was already asleep.
The next morning I was up early as I had to jam a lot of fun in before a work reception that night. First up was a 6:45am raft whale watch in Lahaina. I had never been to Hawaii during whale season. What a treat to see these huge mammals in their natural habitat!
Post whale watch it was off for a solid open water swim. I headed up to North Kanaapali/Airport Beach and went for a long-ish swim down to Black Rock (the other side) and back. The water was calm and felt great.
Hunger set in so I went back to Lahaina for my birthday lunch of mai tai's and a cheeseburger at Cheeseburger in Paradise on Front Street. En route back to the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua I made a quick stop to Kapalua Bay beach for a short swim and nap on the beach.
Birthday greetings from family and friends along with a surprise room service gift of champagne and cookies from Shannon and the kids made it a great birthday! They are very good to me.
The next day I was able to get in two swims. The first, was a solid masters workout in pool #56 at the Lahaina Athletic Center. It was good to see Coach Mike again. He is also long time beach lifeguard on the island.
Post a very short business meeting and a very windy and cloudy client lunch I was back in search of open water and some sun. I headed to North Kaanapali next to the Honu Kai where we stayed a few years back for a moderately short refreshing swim. A short nap a small pupu platter and a mai tai it was the perfect meal to tide me over until a romantic solo sunset dinner at Malo.
Knowing Saturday was my last day in Paradise with a red-eye home I had no time to waste. The goal was to hit three beaches.
First up was back to Kaanapali Beach and Whalers Village with a long swim from Black Rock to the Hyatt and back. Roughly a 2.2 mile swim in calm, clear and warm ocean. Love it!
After that I was off to Napili Bay for ahi and mai tai lunch and a swim. Napili with its beautiful views is fast becoming one of my most favorite beaches on Maui. Oh yeah-I also had a quick nap!
With one beach left to go I dashed back up to the Ritz and D.T. Fleming Beach. It was windy and wavy which was fun. It wasn't a serious swim but a swim nonetheless. After again another short nap I went for walk out to the rocky point looking back at Flemings. That is when I spotted the beautiful rainbow. It was so fun to see and made for a special memory as I ended my time in Maui.
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole song Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World is one of my favorites and ends with the following verse~
"Oh, somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dream that you dare to, why, oh why can't I?"
What a wonderful world! Aloha hui ho!
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