The island of Maui is rather small for someone from the great state of Texas. Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian Islands with a land area of 729 square miles. It is 48 miles long and 26 miles across at its widest point. That is smaller than from the West side of Fort Worth to the East side of Dallas.

But what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in sheer beauty. There are 81 accessible beaches. 39 with public facilities. Sands may be white, gold, black, salt and pepper, green or garnet, due to ancient volcanic activity. The Haleakala volcano (dormant) covers a vast amount of the east side and is almost 2 miles high (approx. 10,023 feet). Approximately 3,000 humpback whales winter in Maui waters. There are only 7,000-8000 humpback whales in the world. An adult whale is 45 feet long and weighs 40 tons. The humpbacks migrate from the Alaskan waters down the U.S. west coast and come to the Maui waters to give birth. They do not eat while here; going as long as two - three months without food. When it is whale season (from November - March), it is not unusual to see them from the shorelines. When I was staying on the West side in Ka'anapai for a week, I could see the whales every morning from the lanai (patio). The sunsets on Maui can be breathtaking. It seems that no two are the same. The colors are vivid and diverse, and the patches of clouds in the air add a striated spectrum unlike anything I have ever experienced. The road to Hana, world renown, is an all day adventure filled with gorgeous waterfalls, lush greenery, and heart-pounding ocean views.

In future posts, I hope to share some of the pictures and video I have of the sunsets, whales, ocean scenery, and waterfalls.

Until next time.