Sunday morning we were up at 5:30 to go watch the morning session of conference. After conference we returned to the hotel, had breakfast, packed, and were on our way to Haleakala. I have been to Maui many times and have heard how impressive the views are from the top of the Haleakala volcano but I have never had a chance to go there.
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| Kahului from near the summit |
To get to the top of the mountain you take route 377 outside of Kahului and follow the signs up the mountain. It is a windy road with lots of switch backs. You also have to keep an eye out for all the people on bicycles. You can pay to be driven near the summit than ride down on a bicycle. Not sure I would like to do that.
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| Haleakala crater with Mauna Kea on the big island in the background |
Haleakala is the top of Maui and it is believed that at one time it was over 13,000 feet tall. It's current elevation is 10,023. Erosion has created a large crater on the north side of the peak. The creator is filled with several cinder cones and is quite impressive.
We stopped at several of the overlooks and the visitor centers. That is where we learned about the fragile environment and plants like the endangered Silver Sword.
After the summit we returned to Kahului and had a late lunch. We checked into the airport and watched a movie we had rented called 'The 100 Foot Journey'. It was very entertaining and with all the cooking in the movie it made us both hungry for Indian Cuisine. We flew to Honolulu and checked into our Delta Flight home. While waiting for that flight we watched a 2nd move, "Babette's Feast" that was also a show about food.
The flight home was very crowded. My seat wouldn't recline and someone had brought a cat on the flight that mewed the entire 6 hours. I didn't sleep a wink and instead read and watched movies on my iPad. I'll be jet lagged this week.
