Heading back down the mountain was even more of a trip than going up. Now I could see more of what Sandy had been watching.
The weather was even more diverse as the fog and rain had rolled in . The summit and higher elevations was sunny and bright but as we come down the mountain the fog was like soup and then the rain really began to fall.
We stopped at several overlooks but nothing compared to the view at the 2nd Visitor center.
Finally, back at the bottom, I checked the gas again and it had miraculously returned to the 1/2 tank level. Even so we found a gas station quick and topped off the tank.
Now it was back on the road to Paia.
Just outside Paia we hit the traffic. Its just a little 2 lane road and it was stop and go with the emphasis on stop. We were looking for Mama’s Fish House. Once we finally got through town we spotted it on the left. The surf was clearly visible and raging as we pulled into the parking area. As we were waiting in the line of traffic a Hawaiian Santa strolled past, white beard and all. His photographer on his heals. Clearly they had been doing a photo shoot for something. We couldn’t resist. Sandy rolled down the window and greeted the jolly old elf.
A valet stopped us before we could find a place to park. Too bad for us, there was no room at the Inn. The valet informed us that the restaurant was closed to anyone without a reservation. He recommended we try “Colleen’s” so off we went in search of lunch. Next time we’ll make sure we have reservations.
Colleen’s wasn’t on the water and wasn’t on the main road. It looks bigger from the outside than it is but the food was excellent and the staff were fun and knowledgeable about the area. According to the waitress the top surfing area in Maui is “Jaws” and suggested we shake off the disappointment of Mama’s Fish House and go looking for that. She said it was a side road just a little farther along the main road.
So that is exactly what we did. Unfortunately we didn’t find it. We ended up going way too far and apparently hit the upper end of the road to Hana, narrow, twisting with one car bridges all in the pouring rain. The search was an adventure in itself but finally we called it an afternoon and headed back to Ka’anapali. We’ll have to did deeper into “Jaws” another time.