Sometimes it's about the journey ... not the destination. Such is the drive called the Road to Hana.

It's a lovely drive through a jungle-like environment, full of lush vegetation, waterfalls and more turns and one-lane bridges than most of us ever see in our lives! My most amazing husband (who is spoiling me silly) said he was glad he did it, but it would be hard to talk him into doing that drive again!

Funny, we never reached the destination (for some it's the town of Hana, but for many it's the O'hea gulch, a waterfall with several pools a way past Hana). We ended up taking another unexpected journey after we stopped at Wai'anapanapa State Park to sit on the black sand beach and enjoy a snack/lunch of some wonderful local banana bread and fresh pineapple.

We found a trail off the beach that we thought would lead us to some sea caves and back to the parking lot. It did take us through a lava field and past some amazing scenery on the coast.

In the end, however, it did not lead to our expected destination. When we turned off onto a trail leading away from the coast, we ended up at the Hana Airport, not the state park parking lot! Since we still had plenty of water, we knew we could make it back to the car - it would just be a loooong walk. Fortunately, we got a ride from a really nice local guy. It turns out his wife is a florist who runs a business shipping tropical flower arrangements to people all over the world (www.mauibest.com). Even though that journey took an unexpected turn, it was still a fun adventure!