Haleakala - The House of the Sun

Trip to Haleakala summit - 10,023 feet above the sea.

Since there are no roads connecting the beachy southwestern Maui to the neighboring - really, just wave up the hill - upcountry, this journey began by driving nearly a quarter around the island out of the way. (There are a few rumors about this lack of road - Oprah not wanting people to build on her (also rumored) land, the state and/or local landowners trying to spare the still un- tourist-ized region the kind of development that comes with new roads, sheer inconvenience that sometimes comes with island life - ) So. After some rain, some horses, some lavender farms, some for sale raw honey, more rain, mist, half an hour of switchbacks, and my hypochondriac faux altitude sickness at a mere 6,000 feet, we emerged from the clouds.

Take that 40degrees and 60+ mph winds - you are no match for my beach towel turned super thermic skirt! (You are.) Many hid from the elements in the observation tower, watching a few seasoned hikers ascend the valley, and a handful of cars gather for the event. I tread carefully outside. When the pink started glaring I found them, ten or so photographers and sightseers, shivered behind a wind-breaking clump of lava. We laughed about frostbite, agreed that Haleakala sunsets are just as great as their more famous rises, and I tried to distract from my clicking with altitude-affected chatter. Some came to watch the horizon, others came with ridiculously expensive camera equipment to capture the horizon, (they came to Maui to take this picture), and no one could understand why I wanted to take pictures of them, instead of the absurdly beautiful melting sun.