The "View from the Top of the World" Story

It was an ordinary day. We are heading up the volcano! Yep, Haleakala in Maui, Hawaii. We wanted to see the sunrise so we checked the charts for the time of sunrise today and found out it was 5:38 AM. We set the alarm for 2:30 AM, struggled to get out of bed and met Jerry and Just Sue in the parking lot. Jerry is driving today so he doesn't get car sick on the way up the volcano. From the bottom to the top of the volcano is 27 miles. The volcano is located in the eastern part of Maui in Haleakala National Park which is a 30,183 acre park that includes the summit and the Kipahula Valley area. We pay a $10 fee when we enter the park and head up the hill. Extremely winding roads which are two lanes , but seem to be made for extremely skinny cars. It is still dark out when we started and not getting any lighter. A mist is falling, but we hope when we reach the top, which is above the clouds, it will be clear. There are many blind curves and areas where the outside lane is very close to the steep dropoffs, but being it is still dark and cloudy, we don't see that. If the clouds had lifted we probably would be more scared then we are now. At times the clouds and fog make it hard to see the lines on the road. It would be nice if the line of traffic was in front of us instead of behind us. We could just follow the lights. But, Jerry likes to drive very slow. Then, all of a sudden we rose above the clouds and the sky is brighter, but still misting. As we reach an observation area, we see all the trailers that carry the bicycles to the top for people to ride them to the bottom. Can't imagine how much that must hurt to ride 27 miles on a skinny bike seat. I know that it is all downhill, but you don't stand the whole way!! Then the sky starts to really brighten, but we can't see any sun. What a disappointment. We park and walk to a view area. Great time for a shot showing the sign saying we have reached an elevation of 10,023 feet. And ...... it's freezing! 40 degrees. The gloves and hats we packed in our suitcase for our June vacation really come in handy today. We stayed for an hour or so and finally the sun came through. Warmed us up! The Hawaiians call the summit the "House of the sun." Fantastic views of the massive depression which is the 7 miles across and 2 miles wide. 800 feet deep abyss which is primarily barren terrain. It was thought that the last time the volcano erupted was in 1790, but tests have shown that is was really in the 1600s. Close to the summit the US Government has constructed a neat
telescope. Great place to have one since there is very little interference from city lights up on the summit. Time for the ride down. We continue to the east as we descend and stop at the Sunrise Market and Protea Farm. Proteas are huge flowers that are very colorful. We end our day trip with a stop in Paia for breakfast at Charlie's. Biggest pancakes I ever saw. All I needed was one! Covered the entire plate and was darn near an inch thick. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Pixs from top are: Carol and LDub high on life, massive amounts of bicycles to ride 27 miles down the volcano, beautiful view showing roadway, flower at Protea Farm and Ldub eating a HUGE pancake for breakfast.