Day 8 - Maui, Hawaii

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We woke up to the sound of three alarms (2 cell phones). Kids were cooperative. By the time we left home, it was already 2:45 am. Roads were pretty much empty. We wore 2 layers of clothing, and took our jackets, gloves and caps. We reached Airport area in 40 minutes. After travelling south east, we started climbing the mighty Haleakala. Roads were narrow, but well marked and constructed. We could not see the landscape outside because of the lack of light. After 6500 feet, you could feel the cold air seeping in. We reached the summit and the viewing area by 4:35 Am. There were few cars already parked there. We might be 15th car. As soon as we opened the Jeep door, cold air hit us hard. It was very windy and cold. We hurriedly took all the accessories and headed to the viewing area. It is a circular dome like structure with windows around for viewing.
Sun would rise on the left side of the entrance. After 15 minutes inside, we went out and stood between the ledge and the dome. By 5 am, we could see little bit of light on the horizon. After a while, none of us can feel our fingers. They were numb. It was so difficult to operate even the video camera. But we did see at least few unfortunates (bravados?) in shorts and t-shirts. Slowly, the light started with yellow and orange streaks. There were clouds beneath us since we were at 10100 feet. There were also few clouds above us. This made a very surreal scene. When the light reflects on the clouds beneath, it disperses the color better? Crowd had gathered by now and some of the cars had to drive back a mile or so to another parking spot. There were few professional camera dudes as well. Everybody was busy taking pictures now. P1 and P2 were felling cold, and sleepy. Still, they managed to stay next to us. Sun came up around 5:40 am. It was a one-of-a-kind experience. I would not call it a religious experience though. After the Sun came out, the temperature went up by at least 5 degrees from 42 to 47 (may be).
We spent some time inside the dome and headed to the visitor center. From that vantage point, we could see Big Island and all of Maui. There is also an observatory there. I am not sure, if visitors are allowed there. We got some information about the lookout points as we would start driving back. There were number of hiking trails in that area. We were not in a condition to do any of that. We were all hungry and the kids were at their wits end by now. We pulled over in three lookout points. The landscape reminded us of Arizona. Top of Haleakala is a desert. They get about 10 inches of rain. The area looks like lunarscape.
Our stop for breakfast is the Kula Lodge. It is situated in a beautiful area at the foothills of Haleakala. It is on the rainy side. The views were spectacular. Kula Lodge restaurant has excellent views with glass panes all around. We had omelets and pancakes. We felt like all the suffering was worth it. We headed straight back home. By the time, we reached the resort it was close to 11 am. Our neighbors were checking out. She dropped most of the groceries that they had. It was nice of them. After a hot shower, we went to sleep. Everybody was knocked out for next 3 hours. P1 and P2 had noodles with pasta sauce. I had some Subji and leftover rice. Appa and Amma had arrived in NJ.
By 5 PM, we left for Black Rock in Kaanapali. Kids were not prepared for swimming and they regretted it after seeing the water. We wanted to witness the Sunset ceremony performed there every evening. One of the natives, lights the ‘Leis’ on top of the black rock and dives into the water. While P1 and P2 were playing in the water, we were treated with two sea turtles getting very close to the shore. We spent next 30 minutes, tracking them. Even during primetime, and prime location, the beach was not crowded. We walked to the Whaler’s village. This is where we parked. You can validate parking, if you buy something from the stores there. Ice cream was the best choice. After spending time and money in Baskin Robbins, we headed back to Papakea. We had home cooked dinner and went to sleep.

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