Life on the Mountain

Maui is an island only 26 miles wide and 40 miles long, but driving takes much longer than you would expect. From the airport in Kahului to Morgan’s home in Kula is 16 miles, but at best takes about 30 minutes. Kula is 3,000 feet up the Haleakala volcano, and the property where Morgan lives is slightly higher than that. Owners are Reid and Danielle Emminger, and they first rented a space beneath their home to Morgan, but she recently moved into a separate building on the property. That left the downstairs apartment open, and Reid and Danielle graciously let our family stay there. 

Julian and the Emminger children, Rosie, 5, and Rowan, 2 ½, became immediate friends. In a matter of minutes, Rosie and Julian were best friends. They had two electric cars, which both could drive like adults, and plenty of other wheeled toys that made our boy feel right at home. Morgan described Danielle as “always smiling,” which we discovered to be true. Reid is a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines, but he was home to welcome us. Our extended family had suddenly grown. The mountain property supports hundreds of fruit and flowers, surrounding a chicken pen and vegetable garden. Plans have a milk cow coming in the future so the family can become as nearly as possible self-sustained. Morgan picks lemons for her tea and watches nature for her soul. From her balcony, you can see the ocean on both sides of the island and the North Maui Mountains in between. A steep and twisting lane leads to the property, assuring a certain degree of privacy. About a dozen houses line the road, and Morgan lives in one of the last ones. 

The drive up and down Halelakala is treacherous, even on the main roads. Morgan trained us on a local lane that twisted straight up the hillside and landed only a few blocks from her home. Down the slope, the school where she works is only a few miles away, and a hardware store, drug store and food-truck park not much farther. Our family survived on the food trucks for the first two days. Morgan’s wedding was a few days away, and we all were stressed and busy.

RaeRay's Great Adventure: A Family Gathering

Day 1:

Flying to Maui was the first family challenge. Morgan would be getting married in five days. Jenny, also known as Gammy, was to be matron of honor, Kaki and little Julian would be playing parts in the ceremony, and Michael Ray, Grandaddy in Julian’s eyes, would give his first-born Rae away. All of this would take place in Kihei on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The first leg of our trip took us from Huntsville to Dallas, where we had about an hour to aboard the Skytrain from the B terminal to the A terminal. DFW’s trains were especially speedy for 3-year-old Julian, but it was Grandaddy (Ray) who was almost shut out as the electronic voice announced the door were closing. We didn’t need to hurry, though. Our next flight straight from Dallas to Maui was to be delayed by at least an hour because of what the pilot called a problem with the right engine. He said it had been corrected, but the paperwork was taking a while to complete. He could have provided a little less detail, and we would have been more comfortable with the situation. The plane was probably half full at best, so Gammy grabbed a vacant window seat for the trip. Kaki and Julian were able to take over the four-seat spread across the middle of Row 34.Grandaddy joined Gammy a few rows back. Finally, the jolly pilot assured us all paperwork was done, and hoped to make up the lost time over the Pacific Ocean. A few naps and a few snacks later, made better by a TV screen on each seat back, the 8-hour flight ended with a long line at the Kahului airport. Everyone had to show their Travel Safe papers from the Hawaii website, with proof of a negative Covid19 test, hence avoiding a 10-day quarantine on the island. At the end of the process, a few stairs took us to an awaiting islander named Morgan (Rae), who had brought leis for each of us and two for Julian. It was a warm welcome. Shortly afterward, we loaded a half-dozen or so bags in the trunk of Rae’s Honda and headed up the dormant Haleakala volcano to the town of Kula.

Day 9: The Adventures of Jen and RaeRay

 

 

Ray was up before 5 a.m. watching the patterns of countless stars over Hana and drinking coffee from a pot that had been prepped the night before. He figured owners Gabbie and Poe Franklin left it for the earliest riser to brew. Ray was first up in the house. Rae finally appeared shortly after sunrise, and she and Ray walked to the black rock beach to view the morning colors. Back at the inn a little later, they visited with Gabbie and Poe on the slope behind the building and watched the waves in the distance. Gabbie is Gabriel Franklin, who was once a filmmaker in Los Angeles and had worked on many movies, including "Men in Black" and "Jurrasic Park." His family had owned property on the opposite side of Maui for 50 years. Last year he bought this inn, which had been called Joe's Place, and began restoring it. The rooms begin at about $150 per night, which is a bargain anywhere on the island.

Jen and RaeRay's last day on the road in Maui was another maze of twists and turns, waterfalls and valleys. The infamous Road to Hana was, for these travelers, the road back from Hana. It was smooth roadways but narrow curves and bridges -- unlike the rocky path from the previous day. Again, the drive was more than two and a half hours, again with many stops for awesome sights. The first one was Wai'anapanapa State Park with high cliffs and more black beaches down below. Rae was delighted to find the two wanderers she and Jen had met the day before -- Savannah and Anna -- in the campground there. Adjoining the state park property was a well kempt garden with two decorated graves. The group marveled at the toys and flowers that adorned the plots and wondered who might be buried here. They never found out. The second stop was at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens in Kahanu. Jen and RaeRay visited with the keeper of the small gift shop and bought a few souvenirs. The garden tour cost more than they could afford for the few minutes they had to spend there.

Rae kept close watch for a food stand amid the winding curves that she had seen on a previous trip to Hana. It was called Kok's, which Rae considered practically the same as her sister Kaki's name. The tiny business was perched on a cliff with a beautiful view, and the aging lady who manned it was jolly and talkative. She laughed and chatted with Rae and welcomed her parents. She seemed to remember this Southern visitor who had last been here on her first visit to the island two years ago. The stand had a small kitchen in the back, and anytime someone approached it, Kok's dog ushered them away. As the Subaru continued through the lush forest, Rae suddenly saw a small lot on the side of the road and stopped abruptly. This seemed to be the spot where she had crawled through a lava tube on a previous visit. Sure enough, a thinning grove of vines exposed an entrance to the mountain. Rae donned her headlamp and encouraged Ray to follow. They crawled through the hole into a cavern through the rock. Ray was hesitant to go past the opening, but Rae insisted. They traveled maybe 100 feet or more into the darkness past a fork into another cavern. A bit farther, they saw light. The lava tube had another entrance higher up the mountain. RaeRay applauded themselves for being so adventurous and then moved back toward the car. The tunnel was becoming crowded with other explorers. This was one of Ray's favorite adventures during the Maui tour.

Jen and Ray hadn't really seen sea turtles on the island, other than a few heads popping up in the surf. That all changed as they arrived at Ho'okipa Beach County Park. An oceanside park here had a public beach with one side covered in sea turtles. Gawkers stood along a line watching as the gigantic creatures as they traipsed in and out of the water. Their endangered status prohibits humans from getting too close. Also at Ho'okipa Beach, Ray satisfied his growing hunger pains with a cheeseburger from Bob's Burgers food truck. This is the creation of another California film producer named Bob Voit. His aging food truck posts a promise that if this is not the best burger on the island, it's free. Ray finished his meal and nodded to the owner: "Keep your money, Bob." After that, Jen and RaeRay arrived in Paia for a bit more shopping and a chance for Rae to get away from her parents and have an acai bowl at a restaurant there. She was beginning to miss her time alone, but Jen and Ray promised they would be leaving the next day.

Before heading back to the condo in Wailuku, the group stopped at Kanaha Beach next to the Kahului airport. This is one of the best spots for wind surfing. They watched a few surfers as a heavy rain cloud floated along the shoreline in the distance. This might have been their last chance on Maui's beaches during this adventure, but Jen was determined to get in two more hours of sunning during the morning they would be leaving on Saturday. The ocean is one of her very favorite things.