Almost done...

We also managed to squeeze in a helicopter tour of Maui. I'd never been in a helicopter before...it was wonderful. We flew over the whole island. We started by going to the top of the volcano, and we flew straight through clouds to get there. It was great...and a little scary. I kept thinking, "what if we are flying faster than he thinks and we crash right into it?" and other irrational thoughts. Alas, we were fine.

This first picture is of us with our pilot, Chad. There were 7 people all crammed into the helicopter. Tight quarters and man, it was hot! Where was the A/C?

These next pictures were taken going over Hana...the lush, tropical part of the island. We didn't have time to drive the twisty road to Hana, but I think we got an excellent view anyway.



This next picture is where they filmed the opening of Jurassic Park. As we were flying over it, the music inside was the theme song from that movie. Awesome.

This shows what a pineapple field looks like. Our guide was saying they plant in neat rows like this, so they can drive the tractor up and down, harvesting the pineapple on one side and then down the other. He also said pineapple is more expensive in Hawaii for this reason...they are all picked by hand.

This is just a picture of the coastline, but I was so impressed with the clarity of the water. You can clearly see the reef underneath. I've never seen water so pretty.

And finally, one more picture of how beautiful Maui is. This is also the last picture I took before feeling rather sick. I seriously had to focus to keep the food inside of me...kind of like breathing through a contraction. I vaguely remember Brian asking me if I was ok, but my eyes were closed and I was concentrating on a happy place. It actually worked. Too bad it's never worked in childbirth. :)

Overall, it was a great ride. My illness was really just a moment, right at the end. I'd like to ride in a helicopter again. So fun.