Maha'ulepu Trail and Some Horses

Yesterday was our last day on Kauai.  In the morning, Hana and Mom left the hotel early to go on a 2 hour trail ride at CJM Stables, a barn right down the road from the hotel, and Dad and I went on a hike along the Maha'ulepu Trail.

The trailhead is at the end of Shipwrecks Beach in front of the Grand Hyatt.  Convenient, no?

You climb up over the cliff that juts out over the ocean, and then you edge along the craggy coast until you reach Maha'ulepu Beach--about 2.5 miles from the hotel.

The ocean was on our righthand side, and we often stopped along the trail to look down at small inlets. All of them were cradled by lava rock that looked like acid had been poured over them.  Over time, the rock had been beaten down by pounding waves and they look weathered and pocked and melted down.

At certain places, we could see turtles in the water, cresting the waves then dipping back underneath them looking for food.

{on the left you can see CJM Stables, and on the far right, you can see the sliver of beach we are heading for}

{Dad on the trail}

{a coconut vendor enjoying the view}

After we passed the golf course, the trail dipped down and headed towards Maha'ulepu Beach.  Our footpath crossed horse trails.  We knew from the CJM Stables brochure that Mom and Hana's ride would lead them across the beach at some point during the ride.  Dad and I planned on hiking back up to the stables after the beach to wait for Hana and Mom to come in from their ride, and then hitch a ride with them in the rental car back to the hotel.

{Dad at the destination!}

{Dad's victory pose!  I don't know what he's doing...trying to lift off?}

{My victory pose!}

 The beach is like a secret, private beach since it can only be reached by hikers or by tourists with 4 wheel drive.

After walking down the beach a ways, we headed back to the trails and then hiked back up the horse paths leading to the barn.

{CJM Stables}

{the rodeo arena at CJM Stables}

{lots of friendly horsey faces greeted us upon our arrival}

{including this darling new foal and its mama}

{Cowboy guide John Wayne (really his name) leading the riders back to the barn}

{Mom riding Sweetie and Hana on Diamond}

All in all, a successful morning for the Beatys.  After we were reunited, Dad and I got to experience the "charms" of Hana and Mom's cowboy guide.  What a trip.  I'm glad that I missed out on dealing with him for 2 hours.  He seemed loud, rude and abrasive, but according to reviews on Yelp, other customers seemed to adore him.  Oh well, to each their own.

We left the stables to head back to the hotel to pack up for the next part of our packed last day on Kauai.

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The Perfect Sunday

As Bryan so eloquently put it, yesterday was a 10.

We drove from Lahaina to Kihei to meet up with Bryan's parents at their condo.  We loaded up their rental car with a cooler and four beach chairs.  After a brief stop at Safeway to grab some hummus and crackers, we made our way to Kula to check out the Surfing Goat Dairy Farm.  I had a serious hankering for their goat cheese, and I knew it would be the perfect snack for watching Polo in Makawao.

At the farm we had a mini tasting of their more popular cheeses before selecting our favorites: the Maui Secret (a more drained Chevre marinated in virgin olive oil), Ole! (creamy gourmet chevre flavored with jalapenos, artichokes, lime juice and cilantro) and then of course, the Udderly Delicious (salted, plain chevre).

After cheese shopping, we headed back into the car and headed towards Makawao to the Oskie Rice Field on Olinda Road.

{the road to the polo field}

We pulled off onto the rodeo grounds and drove through the pastures until we reached the polo field.  After paying our admission (5 bucks per person), we rolled through the field.  Skirting the red polo "wall," we made our way to the far end of the field.  The woman who was in charge of admission told us that that was the best place to watch the match--the sun wouldn't be in our eyes.

We parked our car, unloaded our chairs and our picnic and got started on snacking while we waited for the game to start.

My friend Shaina joined us along with her friend who owns and rides horses in Launipoko.

{the spectators}

{my favorite spectator}

{the polo field bordered by trees with a great view of the ocean--only on Maui}

{empty polo field}

{lucky ladybug found in the grass during the game}

{Flagger behind one of the goal posts--they raise their flags high in the air when a team scores a goal}

{polo ponies with their tails bundled up}

{polo players in action}

{our very enthusiastic "narrator"}

During the entire game, this ragged cowboy drank down beer after beer and provided colorful commentary of the goings on of the polo match.  You can get an idea of how amusing he was in the following clip:

Isn't he great?  

{look at those clouds}

{looking back across the field towards the mountain}

{riders switched horses between "chukkas" or 7 minute playing periods--the game we watched had 4 chukkas}

{ponies galloping across the field}

The first game we watched was the United States Polo Association Players Cup.  Afterwards, there was a second game played by the Maui Polo Club members.  It wasn't played with the same level of athleticism as the more professional teams, but it was still a blast to watch.  The last time I watched polo was back in Mexico City, and even though the games I watched in Mexico were far more exciting with players galloping full blast across the field at every moment--I don't think I can say that I watched at a more beautiful spot than yesterday's game in Upcountry Maui.

We left the polo field after the second game finished, and headed back into Kihei for an epic meal at Cafe O'Lei.  It was my first visit the restaurant, but I plan on making the trip out to Kihei to eat there again.  Delicious!

As Bryan said: Sunday was a perfect 10.

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Polo Preview

A little teaser of our afternoon yesterday watching Polo in Makawao.

Plenty more photos and story to come.

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Dressage in Makawao

My friend from work, Shaina, and I have bonded over horses, and we have both expressed interest in getting back in the saddle.  Shaina had called a dressage trainer from Makawao who told us to come out and check out the dressage show yesterday.

Shaina picked me up early in the morning, and we headed upcountry.  The dressage show was held at the Haku Baldwin Center in Makawao.  The organization is a non-profit that specializes in therapeutic horseback riding for the disabled as well as pet therapy.  They have rabbits, guinea pigs, cats, chickens, ducks and dogs that they use with patients to improve their wellness.

The facility also has an equestrian center that has two areas--one outdoor grass arena, and one indoor arena (Maui's only indoor arena).

Shaina and I arrived at the Haku Baldwin Center midway through the show.  We had missed the First and Fourth Level competitors, but we were able to watch most of the Training Level riders.

{judges set up at C}

The day was overcast and cool.  When we arrived, there was a light, misty rain.  Such a pleasant departure from the brutally hot Lahaina sun.

{spectators taking a seat in the grass}

The show was a mellow, casual affair--so different from my show days back in Mexico City.  The atmosphere was laid back, and the sense of community there was so welcoming.

{a Western Pleasure rider taking part of a pas de deux during the break}

We were told that earlier in the morning, the Western Dressage riders had done their tests.  I had never heard of this event, but apparently Western Dressage is becoming a more popular event on the Mainland.  The tests seem the same as those ridden by English Dressage riders at the lower levels.  I'm not sure how things change as the skills get more advanced.

{Dressage--Maui style}

{the scoreboard}

{the outdoor arena at the edge of the pasture}

{rolling fields and cloudy skies}

{great sign at the hot dog stand}

{hot dogs!!}

{water trough}

{fancy chicken}

{kale garden, fancy chicken with the rabbit hutches (the green mesh structures to the right) in the background}

Shaina and I left the show after watching all the intermediate Training Level riders.  As we walked back to her car, we introduced ourselves to a woman who turns out to be a dressage and hunter jumper trainer.  She gave us her flyer advertising lessons and horse leasing.  Over lunch at the Italian restaurant Casanova's back in the heart of Makawao, Shaina and I discussed calling this lady up and setting up some horseback riding lessons.  

Who knows?  Maybe I'll be back in the saddle sooner rather than later after all.

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