Hawaii Vacation / KRTR

Our vacation this year was a two week trip to Hawaii--one week on The Big Island and one week on Maui.  The 50th state is just as beautiful as you've heard it is and this was probably our best trip yet. 

This banyan tree in Lahaina is the largest in the United States at over half an acre.  Amazingly, this is a single tree but banyan tree roots hang down from their branches to form new trunks and essentially becomes its own forest.

 

These sea turtles swam past us all morning long at Slaughterhouse Beach on Maui.

Our bodies were still on east coast time (a six hour difference) so it was no big deal to wake up super early and get to the beaches before most people.  This is Big Beach which is next to the mostly nude Little Beach.

A row of wind turbines.  I've always thought these windmills were beautiful in an art installation kind of way, but they're even more stunning against the blue sky and water on a ridge on west Maui.

Sunrise near the peak of Haleakala (elevation around 10,000 feet.)  It was cold at the top and we had to wake up in the middle of the night to get there on time but it was worth it.

Papakolea Beach is one of only four green sand beaches in the world.  It is surrounded by one of the most stunning views I've ever seen--this picture doesn't do it justice.  A massive wall of hardened lava, crystal blue water and green sand.  It was quite a hike to get there and a steep climb down to the beach but it's something I'll never forget.

I honestly don't remember where this was but I'm pretty sure I had just stuffed my face with two malasadas moments before.

A black sand beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park.

This is part of the Kilauea caldera which saw some major activity in 2018.  I don't know if a caldera is the same thing as a crater but these stickers seem appropriate nonetheless.

"Krater 96" KRTR is an Adult Contemporary station licensed to Kailua near Honolulu.