Maui 5

As sunset approached, big buses full of tourists pulled into the Haleakala to watch the sun go down. We left right before sunset to check out another part of the park.


High above the clouds.

We stopped and walked through the campground at Hosmer's Grove. Very interesting place - considered an experimental forest because of the non-native tree species introduced in the area.

HUGE trees!

Following an easy hiking trail led us to a scenic overlook with a stream/creek below. This area reminded me so much of Alaska. It was lovely to enjoy the setting sun and listen to the birds and water.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that there are pheasants in Maui! Pheasant hunting is a big deal in South Dakota, so of course D knows all about it and is an expert in recognizing the bird's call. I thought he was kidding about hearing a pheasant but lo and behold, we saw one run across the street on our drive up to the crater.  



Ring-necked pheasant. Sorry, horrible photo - the light was fading fast. And the pheasant was a quick little guy.

We tried unsuccessfully to get photos of these red birds that flitted above us, but they were too fast!



Making our way further down the mountain. Sunset time!

Maui 4

One afternoon we decided to drive up to Haleakala National Park and check out the crater at the very tippy top. On the way up I started to get super nervous about the narrow, winding road to the visitor's center. What made it worse was the fog/cloud bank rolling in so our visibility was reduced. Being afraid of heights is a big bummer and D had to stop a couple times for me to get acclimated to the drive. He offered to turn around but I didn't want to be a big baby and ruin his chance to see the crater, so we pushed on! 

After a couple hours of driving, our little Jeep finally made it to the first visitor's center which is located just inside the official park entrance. I think it was $10 to enter. The park rangers seemed a little...grumpy? It was odd.



This center was tiny but had a lot of informative signs.

The Nene (pronounced "Nay-nay)" is Hawaii's state bird - close to being endangered. There were signs posted everywhere warning people to NOT FEED THE NENE! We didn't see any Nenes at all.

We went all the way to the top! So many switchbacks.

You never see phone booths anymore, right? Think about it - when is the last time you saw a honest-to-goodness phone booth? Maybe in some podunk town or something but we don't have any in Anchorage. This was the 2nd one we saw in Maui. I think D thought that I was making a big deal of this sighting but then a family came by and also took photos of this very same phone booth. The phone worked and everything!




Making calls to my imaginary friends.



I know next to nothing about birds but I'm becoming more interested in them. Love this little bandit bird with his mask. Anyone know what it's really called?

It was another set of switchbacks before we arrived at Visitor's Center #2. It closed at 3 p.m. so we weren't able to go inside. The air was noticeably thinner and colder up here. I think it's a 3 degree drop in temperature with every 1,000 feet? We brought pants and long-sleeve shirts to change into for our walk around the area.

The second main visitor center.

This was a HUGE desolate area. D and I both think it looks like what the surface of Mars would be. All red rock and mountains.

Made me nervous to look over the edge. A steep drop over the cliffs.

The structure in the photo is an enclosed information/viewing center. We drove up there and poked around.





This plant may have been the only greenery up in Haleakala.



More lava rock with all of it's interesting pits and crags.

Back down at Visitor Center #2.



The Ahinahina is a plant that only grows in Haleakala National Park - nowhere else in the world - and is now endgangered.



Juvenile Ahinahina.



Mature Ahinahina at the end of its growing period.



Last and final information center at top. Our little Jeep is there on the left.





The magnetic peak - the mapping feature on my iPhone didn't work so well up here.

The real magnetic peak.



The land mass in the distance in Hawaii - the Big Island.

We weren't allowed to drive any closer than this to the Observatory.

In the bathroom at Haleakala. Um, really? Has there been a big problem with people drinking out of the toilet?



Maui 3

Most days for breakfast one of us would get up and make a big pot of coffee (from a bag of Kona beans we picked up at Safeway), then follow it up with fresh fruit - pineapple, apples, papaya or bananas - and yogurt or bread. Very simple but so delicious.

Here are a few random photos of our travels...

Big snail we came upon during a stroll in downtown Lahaina before dinner. Not sure we have snails in Alaska. I do not recall ever seeing them, at least not this big.

Doing my best Tiki statue impression.

Beautiful banyan trees on the highway near Olowalu.

We did a ton of driving and consequently saw all sorts of activities outside our car windows. These people were paddleboarding - standing or kneeling on a surfboard and moving themselves along with a long paddle.

I pretty much lived in my bikini - never knew when we would want to jump in the water!



Beautiful coastlines - this was between Lahaina and Kihei.



Taking advantage of the highway pullouts to take photos and watch for whales.

Molokini

Local fishermen casting out into the surf.

Love this little boy and his fishing pole with a red/white bobber.

 

On previous trips to the islands I had always heard that bringing home lava rocks and other indigineous items is BAD LUCK. Supposedly many of these purloined items are mailed back to Hawaii every year.  So I knew better than to pocket these types of souveniers.

What the heck was I doing in this photo?! Weird expression, but my legs look awesome so I am including it.



Content to just sit and watch the ocean.

After driving back up the coast we stopped to try some coconut water from a roadside stand - basically a coconut with a straw poked through the top. Didn't taste like much but we also talked with the very friendly couple that runs the stand and purchased some organic, homemade coconut oil. This stuff is amazing - we have cooked with it AND used it as a lotion. Now we wish we had picked up a couple more bottles!