August 23 - Sites and Sights in Maui

Lyle and I are in Maui.  We found a good airfare and booked accommodation at off season rates.  Not only that, we paid for all this before the Canadian dollar dropped so dramatically against the U.S. dollar.

Today we drove from Sugar Beach to La Perouse Bay.  I was curious about two things.  First, was the lava rock at La Perouse in Maui going to be similar to the lava landscape we had seen recently in Iceland.  Secondly, I wondered if La Perouse, the first European to set foot on the shores of Maui, was the same scientist and navigator who landed on the eastern shore of Australia in the late 1770's.  The answer to the first question was "no" and the answer to the second question was "yes".

The lava formation at La Perouse in Maui didn't appear very similar to what we saw in Iceland.  We were't sure exactly why  We think perhaps that in Icelnd the lava chunks were  bigger and more black in color.  Perhaps it was just the temperature.  In Iceland everything was clear and cold.  Today in Maui it was hot and humid.

To answer the question about La Perouse, we went to the internet. This adventurer was indeed the same man who explored both sides of the Pacific Ocean.  He was not especially fortunate in choosing his landing spots.  The site of La Perouse Bay in Maui was desolate with a rocky foreshore.  Even today the last six miles leading to this cultural and ecological site is curving, narrow, and rough.  In Australia, Botany Bay had an equally unprotected foreshore.  The main settlement was soon moved to the more protected harbour at Sydney Cove.

Now you may ask what all of this has to do with seeing or not seeing.  The answer is, absolutely nothing!  Whether we see or do not see depends on the cards we are dealt.  There is more to life than just sight.  Life is a wonderful adventure with many facets, and here in Maui, Lyle and I are enjoying all that this tropical island has to offer.