Day 4- Hawaii (Paia, Haleakala)

Another trip adjustment today. We'd booked this experience months ago. Mr. Bullington loves adventure time and reads Outdoor Magazine like it is his job. I love him, so I get suckered into many adventures that are not at a spa.  He'd gotten a wild hair to pay a bunch of money to have some hippies drop him off at the top of a volcano so we could ride down it on a bicycle and hopefully not die. My friend and Maui expert, Kim C, said it was fun and not that deadly, so I relented. Unfortunately, we received notice last week that as of February 1st, the minimum age had changed from 13 to 15, therefore, Thomas could not go. Perhaps the Hawaiian Safety Gods anticipated that Thomakazi whizzing down a curvy mountain road without impulse control or a lick of sense might end in catastrophe. I broke the news to him and proposed that he and I rent bikes and do our own thing while John and the girls risked life and limb. Apparently, my sales pitch worked a little too well. When we got there, I communicated that we'd love to all risk our lives together and that my 13-year-old son was quite adept at bike riding. They were totally taking the bait and they asked Thomas if he ever rode his bike. He said, "nah, I'm really not that good at it". John and I reacted with shock because this kid has ridden his bike through downtown Portland, all over Marietta, and on Mt. Biking Trails with his dad. And then the bike manager interpreted our reaction as two pushy parents trying to force their kid to do something he didn't want to do and even gave us a mini-lecture!  The truth is that I had promised Thomas mommy time and shave ice and apparently, that was too sweet a deal. So John and the girls headed to the top of Haleakala, and Thomas and I set out on our rental ebikes to explore Paia and beyond. It was a chill way to spend a morning and he got his shave ice and some mama one-on-one time. And, John and the girls made it back with bodies intact. #winning. And, did you know that ebikes have this little button you can push based on how lazy you are and it will give you a little push up hills and such. #winningwinning

Crazies

Lazies

We rode along the coast and stopped at several little beaches. This one was aptly named Turtle Beach

Shave Ice and a smile

We met back up and stood in a forever line to eat at Paia Fish House. It was tasty and worth the wait. We shopped around and then decided that although we were supposed to trade-in our minivan for a Jeep Wrangler tomorrow, there is no time like the present. We'd tired of the van life and wanted something a little more funl We swung by the airport and upgraded to a Jeep. Now we can feel the wind in our hair and the hair of our loved ones slapping us in the face. 

Jeep Hair Don't Care

We ended the day in the little park across from our condo. It's a thing to take your chair and libations out around sunset and hang out on the green. Some little enterprising Girl Scouts were working the crowd selling their wares. So we dined on Thin Mints... and Samoas.... and Tagalongs while the Hawaiian sun dipped below the horizon.

Keeping the Girls Scouts Afloat One Cookie At A Time