Island Excursions

We went on several fun excursions around Maui.  Below are a few highlights from the lava fields, sugar plantation and goat dairy.

The lava fields are incredibly fascinating.  After driving through lush greenery to get to our destination, all of a sudden the landscape dramatically changes to large expanses of lava rock.

I love this picture of Will and Maggie!

 Off in the distance you can spot the island of Molokini, which is a snorkeling hot spot.

One new excursion that we experienced this trip was going to the sugar plantation museum.  Though it is a small museum we learned a lot of interesting historical facts about the plantation and the sugar process.  The mill was built in the early 1900's and immigrants from around the world came to work in the fields and mill.  Numerous plantation communities were formed to sustain these immigrants and oddly these communities no longer exist.  We also learned that sugar cane fields are burned before harvest. The sugar and water are all preserved in the sugar cane shoot, even when burned.  The juices are then repeatedly pressed and purified through various steps until the sugar crystals are sent to C&H and the leftover molasses is fed to cows.  (This is all a very abbreviated version of the real process).  Soon the Maui Sugar Plantation will close since production is too expensive to keep up and it is cheaper to buy overseas.

These enormous trucks are used to scoop and haul all the burned sugar cane.

This is the big scooper to pick up all the cane.

Sugar Plantation

Surfing Goat Dairy...always a family favorite!  

In past visits, we have been able to purchase a bag of hay for $1 to feed the goats.  I guess they have changed their procedures since all the baby goats were getting sick from the kids feeding them hay.  We ended up having to pay for a tour, which turned out great!  We were the only ones on the tour so the girls got to exclusively feed the goats and we learned all about the dairy and the island of Maui from a tour guide who was born and raised on the island.  The highlight of the tour was taste testing all their various goat cheese.  It is unfortunate that the cheese is so expensive because it was all so AMAZING!

Kisses