30 | December | 2012 | Duane's Dartboard

My Two Trips to Hana

December 30, 2012

Twice I have driven to Hana, an undeveloped tropical paradise on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Truthfully, my first trip was very disappointing. The second trip, however, turned out to be a memorable and worthwhile adventure.

So what was different?

First, there were many similarities. On both trips, I was with my wife driving a rental car along the same, winding road. The scenery and the small town remained unchanged during the two years between visits. Even the weather was identical on both occasions.

So why was the second trip special?

Well, the first time we were driving hard to reach a destination. The narrow highway prohibited us from traveling as fast as I would have preferred. Even the wide spots in the road annoyed me because other drivers would pull over and walk around to enjoy the scenery. Those sightseers had no clue that they were in our way, delaying us from reaching our destination.

For those unfamiliar with the Highway to Hana, it extends more than 50 miles across the north side of Maui. The narrow, winding route contains 620 curves and passes over 59 bridges, 46 of which are only one lane wide.
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