So, regretfully we watched the sun set over Lanai for one last time, and said good-bye to Maui Kai on Ka'anapalii Beach. We drove 30 miles south, and found another paradise! Hello Maui Kamaole! While we were a bit further from the beach, we had loads of room! Take a look...
The highlight of our stay on this part of the island (and perhaps the highlight of the whole trip) was our excursion to the top of Haleakala to see the sun rise, and then to bike part of the way back down. We were picked up at 3:30 a.m. Believe me, South Kehei Drive is VERY quiet at 3:30 a.m. I was glad we were together! We were driven to Kapalui with about 10 other hardy souls, fed muffins and coffee, then driven another hour and a half to the top of the mountain. We had been warned about how cold it is at the top! It was 45 degrees, a tad colder than at the beach level, but nothing to those of us from colder areas of the world. Apparently this drive is the shortest in the world to get from sea level to over 10,000 feet. We arrived before the sunrise, waited in the observation area, listened to the park rangers countdown every few minutes the wait time until sunrise (6:52 a.m.) and then...magic!
Waiting...
Almost...
Closer...
And there it is! The sun rose in all its glory, accompanied by native Hawaiian chanting and song. Truly a magical, once in a lifetime experience.
We then moved even further up the mountain (the sun rose over the crater, not at the peak) and explored the terrain. So much new knowledge!
But the fun part was riding (coasting) down part of the mountain. It was fun, exhilarating, nerve-wracking, tense, scary once when the woman in front of me lost control and went over the yellow line to the oncoming traffic lane, supremely peaceful, sensory-enhancing (especially through the eucalyptus trees and the lavender farm), thrilling, and above all, satisfying. What an adventure! We could see Kalahui, the fields of sugar cane, the coast and beaches where we were staying, the highway to Ka'anapali, the waters at Pai'a (see previous blog entry), all on a perfectly clear and beautiful day (except for a bit of "vog" - volcanic fog - from the mountains on the Big Island).
The next few days were fun, but just not quite as exciting. How do you beat sunrise on a mountain top? At Maui Mall, we ran into some celebrations of the Chinese New Year, the year of the dragon.
And just for those who shop at home at this store, we did go to Foodland in Kehei. The parking lot was not the least bit icy!
Today, Monday, we left Maui behind and headed to the Big Island. We have been here about 5 hours, and I have to tell you that I feel that we have found some of the true Hawaiian Islands. Hilo is quaint, to say the least. We are staying
here and find ourselves in a lovely, small hotel that has fresh anthurium bouquets in two places in our room, which has a kitchen, lovely bathroom area, internet access, cable t.v., and local birds singing their hearts out outside. We are in the heart of the rain forest, and for the first time this trip, we did experience rain this afternoon. We had supper at Ken's House of Pancakes, a local favourite hangout where they ring a gong and shout something when anyone orders a "loco moco" - rice with meat on top, eggs on top of that, and gravy over it all. Ken's has several versions of this island favourite, so I am hoping Ross will try it one night instead of the Mile High Clubhouse sandwich he had tonight! Tomorrow we are off to see what Volcanoes National Park has in store. Stay tuned!
So, regretfully we watched the sun set over Lanai for one last time, and said good-bye to Maui Kai on Ka'anapalii Beach. We drove 30 miles south, and found another paradise! Hello Maui Kamaole! While we were a bit further from the beach, we had loads of room! Take a look...
The highlight of our stay on this part of the island (and perhaps the highlight of the whole trip) was our excursion to the top of Haleakala to see the sun rise, and then to bike part of the way back down. We were picked up at 3:30 a.m. Believe me, South Kehei Drive is VERY quiet at 3:30 a.m. I was glad we were together! We were driven to Kapalui with about 10 other hardy souls, fed muffins and coffee, then driven another hour and a half to the top of the mountain. We had been warned about how cold it is at the top! It was 45 degrees, a tad colder than at the beach level, but nothing to those of us from colder areas of the world. Apparently this drive is the shortest in the world to get from sea level to over 10,000 feet. We arrived before the sunrise, waited in the observation area, listened to the park rangers countdown every few minutes the wait time until sunrise (6:52 a.m.) and then...magic!
Waiting...
Almost...
Closer...
And there it is! The sun rose in all its glory, accompanied by native Hawaiian chanting and song. Truly a magical, once in a lifetime experience.
We then moved even further up the mountain (the sun rose over the crater, not at the peak) and explored the terrain. So much new knowledge!
But the fun part was riding (coasting) down part of the mountain. It was fun, exhilarating, nerve-wracking, tense, scary once when the woman in front of me lost control and went over the yellow line to the oncoming traffic lane, supremely peaceful, sensory-enhancing (especially through the eucalyptus trees and the lavender farm), thrilling, and above all, satisfying. What an adventure! We could see Kalahui, the fields of sugar cane, the coast and beaches where we were staying, the highway to Ka'anapali, the waters at Pai'a (see previous blog entry), all on a perfectly clear and beautiful day (except for a bit of "vog" - volcanic fog - from the mountains on the Big Island).
The next few days were fun, but just not quite as exciting. How do you beat sunrise on a mountain top? At Maui Mall, we ran into some celebrations of the Chinese New Year, the year of the dragon.
And just for those who shop at home at this store, we did go to Foodland in Kehei. The parking lot was not the least bit icy!
Today, Monday, we left Maui behind and headed to the Big Island. We have been here about 5 hours, and I have to tell you that I feel that we have found some of the true Hawaiian Islands. Hilo is quaint, to say the least. We are staying here and find ourselves in a lovely, small hotel that has fresh anthurium bouquets in two places in our room, which has a kitchen, lovely bathroom area, internet access, cable t.v., and local birds singing their hearts out outside. We are in the heart of the rain forest, and for the first time this trip, we did experience rain this afternoon. We had supper at Ken's House of Pancakes, a local favourite hangout where they ring a gong and shout something when anyone orders a "loco moco" - rice with meat on top, eggs on top of that, and gravy over it all. Ken's has several versions of this island favourite, so I am hoping Ross will try it one night instead of the Mile High Clubhouse sandwich he had tonight! Tomorrow we are off to see what Volcanoes National Park has in store. Stay tuned!
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