Day 9 - Friday Haleakala

Today Jennie and I woke and went to the pool after a coffee breakfast... nothing new there, I grant you, but THEN, after reading some good books, we hopped in the car at 3:00 in the afternoon and headed up toward Haleakala. This is a huge volcano. We started in the cold blustery rain down at sea level, and drove up into lush green farmlands. I commented more than once that this looked a lot like New England, with the thick forests on either side of the road. Up up we went. First 1,000 feet, then 2, then 3, etc. Soon we entered ranch land, rife with chickens and cows. It was beautiful land. The city of Kula lies up here, along the foothills of the great Haleakala. So we kept driving, and it got drier and drier, and then we broke out of the clouds... and we were driving on the top of the world. It was CRAZY. And never wracking. You felt queasy in your stomach looking at it! Back and forth up the switch back road. Passing signs for NENE birds, and then we were at the top and it was COLD, and it was like being on the TOP OF THE WORLD. Amazing. Spiritual. Awesome. Cold. And these little birds live up there. Okay, enough! We came down, saw the sun go down, then drove into a mist (back into the cloud), saw misty cows, and came back to the hotel a few hours later for dinner and sleep. Amazing. Everyone should go up there if they can and experience it. Here are some photos!!!

Awe!!!! SWEET!