Maui: Sugar Cane Train, Part 2
Coming to the end of the line on the northward trek, the Sugar Cane Train came to a stop and one of the workers came back and decoupled the locomotive from the cars. They continued a short distance further...
...to a switching track where the locomotive was then backed up to a separate set of rails.
Although we knew they would be back, it felt like we were being left in the wilderness of West Maui.
Yea, they are coming back to get us.
Once hooked to what was the end of the train, the locomotive began our return journey.
Since I grew up during the end of the reign of the railroads, I am still fascinated by the mechanics of how all this operates. Not so for the young ones who grew up with jet planes, rockets and Star Wars.
Halfway back to Lahaina, we stopped at the Ka`anapali Station where there was a small farmers market and a few food vendors.
I took the opportunity to capture a couple of shots of the full train.
My little buddy, Johnny, went for the shave ice with orange syrup. He did share a bite with his big buddy — but only one.
Orange syrup means orange tongue. And this is real — no Photoshop tricks.
As we crossed the trestle again, the engineer slowed the train and blew a huge cloud of steam over the golf course. You notice everyone was leaning out of the windows in order to get a shot of this spectacle.
Outside, are more beautiful late afternoon views — here, Lana`i sitting across the `Au`au Channel opposite Ka`anapali Beach. Our journey was coming to an end but not without sharing a lovely view of the West Maui Mountains, known to the Hawaiians as Maui Komohana and to geologists as Mauna Kahalawai. Whatever name you choose, it is a beautiful end of a pleasant rail adventure.
