Hawaii: Maui Day 2

August 7^{th, 2010}

Today was my parents twenty-eighth wedding anniversary. We woke up at 1AM for sunrise on the top of Mount Haleakala, the tallest volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. It’s technically active non-eruptive, and has erupted every 200 years life clockwork throughout its history. However, in its current cycle, we're on year 216.

We drove to Haleakala Bike Company, got checked in and headed to the top around 3:30 AM. Mom and I made sure we were on the bus with the honeymooners. It was just 9 of us in the van versus 30 on the bus. Our driver was quite and let us sleep on the way up.

It was 40 degrees at the top of the volcano, but there was a 20 mph wind that made it extra chilly. It was so cold that using a camera too much would freeze its battery. After about 10 minutes of standing in the wind and cold, mom and I decided to watch from inside the National Park Building. It was much nicer than outside. 

Let's just say it was incredible watching the sun come up from on top of the world. The glow looked like it was setting the clouds on fire.The sun itself was orange and almost blinding when it finally peaked over the clouds around 6. Then we could finally see the crater left from the volcano's active days. 

After sunrise, we drove down until we were out of the National Park, at around 6,500 ft. It was still chilly, but not nearly as windy. We made the mistake of not grabbing Drew at the top, so mom said she would wait for the bus. They were about 45 minutes behind us by the time we got going. It was a little nerve racking at first, winding down a mountain on a one speed bike with nothing but a small guard rail to keep you from going over the edge. After a couple miles I felt more comfortable though. 

The total ride from the National Park is about 23 miles long, with only 6 turns (right, right, right, left, right, left) and 4 small hills. About 10 miles down, there is a small town with some very expensive houses. Dad and I stopped at a little restaurant that he and mom had been to last time they were in Hawaii. It had a great view down the mountain. Mom and Drew met us eventually.

As we continued down, we went through some very wooded sections, passed horse shows, and a few cow pastures. We rode through two other little towns, one called Makwou. We arrived back at the bike shop around 9:30. I took a nap when we got back to the hotel. 

For dinner, we went over to the Whaler's Village. It had lots of shops and places to eat. We made a poor choice in going to a restaurant called Mai-Tai. It was by far our worst meal on the trip. We walked aroung the shops and picked up some souviners for friends and family back home.

We had dessert back at the hotel. I had a mudpie, with Kona ice cream, oreo crust, and mac nuts. After a short walk on the beach, we called it a night.