Day 3: The Adventures of Jen and RaeRay...

Everyone awoke refreshed as a new day on Maui dawned. As was the norm, Jen and Ray were up by 5 a.m. waiting for the sunrise. In fact, she was up at 4 a.m. listening to the roosters crowing in harmony. This would be a day for the parents to see where Rae works a mere 4,304 miles from their home. They left out before 7 a.m. to get from Wailuku to Lahaina, a 20-mile drive, for Rae's toddler class that began at 8:30 a.m. Together, they would clean and set up the Kid Zone Maui gym before the children arrived. They also took a few silly minutes to act like kids, stretching and twirling and doing   plies in front of the massive mirrors. Rae had shown Jen and Ray the way to Front Street in Lahaina and a few must-see spots along the way. She handed Ray the car keys and sent them away.

Jen and Ray began the task of learning new routes as they crossed through the Lahaina Cannery Mall back to Front Street and turned toward the row of storefronts. They were ready for breakfast, so they parked next to the Pacific Ocean across from Fleetwood's restaurant (a creation of Fleetwood-Mac's Nick Fleetwood). It wouldn't open until 11 a.m., so they headed down the block. Across the way on the water was Cheeseburger in Paradise, another musically inspired eatery tied to Jimmy Buffet. There Jen and Ray filled up with pancakes and omelettes to get them through the morning. The sun was beginning to glisten overhead, so they needed to find a beach. This would be their first chance to tan in the tropical weather. They backtracked toward Wailuku to Puamana Beach Park, where they lay on the dark brown sand for about an hour and watched for whales along the horizon.

Front Street in Lahaina is a two-mile long row of stores, restaurants and galleries, and Rae had insisted that her parents see the Kush Gallery. Vladimir Kush is a Russian-born surrealist who moved to Maui about 4 decades ago as a starving artist. Over the years, his drawings, paintings and sculptures have made his a major name in the art world. The gallery host showed Jen and Ray many of his signature works and insisted that one of the $40,000 paintings would be outstanding back in Alabama. They didn't tell her they couldn't afford it, but she could likely tell. It was almost time to pick up Rae at the gym. She had a new adventure planned for the afternoon.

The road to West Maui from Lahaina give a look at the island's top tourist areas. Jen and RaeRay had spent their first two days mainly on the industrial and local side of the island. Now it was time to venture into the wilds. The road from Kaanapali just west of Lahaina to the Honolua Bay Beach surfer paradise is less than 10 miles, but driving it seems like an eternity with the tight twists and bends in the road overlooking crashing waves below and steep peaks to the opposite side. Jen and RaeRay stopped along the way for hikes through lush tropical paths that ended next to rocky cliffs and crashing waves. Slaughterhouse Beach was a wonderland of nature for families and surfers. Just past the Honolulu Bay was a massive blowhole spitting surf 200 feet into the air.

 A few shave ice stands dotted the route along the coast, and one of the farthermost was a canopy with a sign advertising Julia's banana bread. The robust Hawaiian sitting beneath the tent was happy and friendly, giving samples and tossing snacks aside to a group of mongooses lurking in the weeds. Rae immediately recognized him as a parent of one of the children she had met through her work. He said he lived in the village farther up the mountain where his aunt Julia made her famous bread. It was the type of community where you didn't fall in love with the girl next door, he said. She was likely your cousin. Rae posed for a picture with him before the trio continued their journey.

The final stop along the return home was at Maui Surfboards and ukulele shop outside Kaanapali in Lahaina. Wayneo Cochran was out front touching up a surfboard as his dog Tucker relaxed in a cool corner of the store. Rae had discovered his business during one of her early island excursions. They hit it off when he told her he taught children to play ukulele and donated many to schools. He showed her some musical tricks, and she vowed to return to buy an instrument here. Ray and Wayneo had plenty in common, since both had avoided the draft during the Vietnam era. Wayneo had moved to Hawaii in 1969 and ending up with a deferment. Ray had been saved by the No. 355 in the first draft lottery. Wayneo gave Rae one of his last Maui Surfboards stickers from the 1970s, and he also hooked us up with a deal on an ukulele for Rae's birthday gift. They didn't have much time to jam. Wayneo was getting a massage in 20 minutes.

Jen and RaeRay again stopped at a beach for a few minutes of sunning an whale watching on the way back to Wailuku. Traffic was beginning to build, so they needed to move on. They stopped for a few groceries at Safeway and were soon back at the condo. Before they arrived at home, Jen spotted a restaurant that had her laughing uncontrolably. The sign out front read, "Wei Wei BBQ 'n Noodles." She couldn't help thinking about the fifth little pig, who went wee, wee, wee, wee all the way home. She almost wee-weed before they could get home. Rae later prepared quesadillas with the roasted chicken they had bought two days earlier. They settled in for a calm Saturday night. Another good day was complete. Sunday would be one of rest.