It was the worst of times, it was the best of times...

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July 20th 2014

Published: July 21st 2014

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Hawaii2014

Waiting For the Sun That Didn't Rise...

(doesn't really look like what you think of when you think "Hawaii", does it?)

Well, 1:30am came pretty darn fast. But we were up and ready for our Haleakala volcano sunrise tour pickup at 2:45am. Things started out great as it turns out the 4 of us had the luxurious 8-passenger van and guide to ourselves. The weather was iffy as we left but we had 3 hours until sunrise. Our guide, Scotty, was very personable and knowledgeable, informing us about all things Hawaiian during the trip to the dormant volcano. We had hopes that the sunrise observation spot, at almost 10,000 feet above sea level, would be above the clouds and rainy weather we were experiencing.

Although it was warm and muggy when we left the hotel, it was in the 40s at the observation point/visitor center when we arrived around 4:30am. And cloudy. And very windy. VERY windy. And, oh yeah, with a driving, stinging rain blowing into our faces and we walked from the van to the visitor center. But it would all be worth it when we saw that glorious sunrise...

That didn't happen. The clouds never cleared, and although the rain mostly let up, we spent a somewhat miserable 90-minutes waiting and hoping, guarding our prime viewing spot

Some of What We Could See

of the Volcano Landscape.

from what would normally be 300 - 500 people all wanting to see the same thing. This morning, there were less than 50 people there.

We still enjoyed our tour and learned a lot about Hawaiian history and the language from Scotty. The tour included a nice breakfast on the drive back down the volcano, and we were back to our resort by 10:30ish. And after raining on us all morning, sometimes flash-flood type rain, the weather broke just as we arrived back and we were greeted by sunny, blue skies. We could hardly believe it could be so different in the same day.

The Weavers immediately hit the pool, and, as usual, made fast friends with the staff and other guests. Jeff found the fitness room, and Allison had some alone time. We were determined not to nap so we could get our bodies adjusted to Hawaiian time.

Dinner was at Ferraro's Restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort just a mile away. The dining area is completely outside, and we had a prime sunset-viewing table thanks to the Weaver's research and reservation. We had a wonderful meal, and a beautiful sunset. And we had a nice

Jeff & Allison at the Peak.

talk with our waitress who was from Hagerstown MD, came here for a visit 15 years ago, went back home where she and her husband sold everything they owned to be able to move to Hawaii. It was an incredibly enjoyable finish to an exciting and memorable day.

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