Last day in Maui

Alas...all good things must come to an end. Our fourth day on Maui meant we had to head back home. Although it was hard to leave, we felt so happy and so lucky to get to visit with Parvin and her family and to have had such an amazing trip. Luckily our flight didn't leave until 5pm, so we had nearly and entire day to explore and play.

Our first stop was a state trail we had spotted on our first day. Not only is it a hidden snorkelling spot that not many people know about, but it is also a pretty amazing hiking trail - along lava flows and the ocean. It was a little hot and super windy...but such a great hike!

Resting up before the hike...

These totally look like bones from a distance. They're not. They're just sticks. Sure fooled us, though.

Here's part of the trail where lava meets ocean.

We hiked so far, we reached the end! Neither of us could ever remember seeing a sign like this on any of our hikes - at Yosemite, Yellowstone, Glacier, Zion, Olympic or Banff. I guess there's a first for everything!

It was so cool listening to the ocean receed and tumble the lava stones around, we had to take some video of it...just so you can hear it.

After spotting countless giant fish from shore...

...we decided to get a little more up close and personal with some cool undersea creatures at Maui Ocean Center (where they have the largest tropical tank in the Western Hemisphere)! They also have the only tiger shark in captivity in the world. Will and I were enthralled for hours.Above: one small section of a giant coral reef tank

Below: a friendly surgeon fish and yellow tang

Above: Red Frogfish (whose matching coral makes them true fashion trendsetters in the reef).

Below: a very sleepy octopus all tucked in for a nap.

It was a perfect ending to a perfect vacation! Big thanks to Parvin and family for including us in so much of your fun! You guys are AWESOME and we miss you all already. MWUAH!