Maui II

photography by The Hubby
- except for the one blurry picture of hubby plunging into the water :p

Sunrise at Haleakala Crater

We woke up at 3am to drive 9000ft up the crater for this awesome view. OOooh! it was c-c-c-COldd as we waited, but ah! what a sight when the crack of dawn came! Commanding, yet gentle; awe-inspiring, yet humble. It was one of those moments you stood motionless and reflected on your life, start confessing your sins and wished you had given that candy bar back to the baby.

We took a short hike down the Sliding Sands trail at the crater after the sunrise. A gently-sloping easy path, but boy at 9000ft, was I out of breath!

Next was our adventure into the Hana Highway! Driving this highway is the ultimate tribute to the saying 'It is not the destination, but the journey that matters' - 52 miles of narrow, winding roads that lead into a subdued little town that didn't have a restaurant nor grocery store open past 7.30pm. We barely squeezed into the last store that was closing for the day when we got there.

On the way, however, is breath-taking scenery that errr...takes your breath away. Seriously, standing at the edge of the cliff, looking out into the far horizon, listening to sounds of the crashing waves, with the spray of ocean mist on your face, you feel there is no other place on earth you'd rather be.

One of the many many waterfalls along Hana Highway

We also stopped at a few turnouts and hiked/thrashed our way into the more obscure waterfalls/hideouts.

Venus Pool, looking out into the ocean

Our guidebook also rated it the Best Place to Ponder and Write a Great American Novel:

We decide it's worth more fun than that! :D Wheeeee!!!

Nirvana Baby! Wheeee!!!

Blue Pools - we had to ignore several keep-out warnings on the trail, and hike our way across boulders to find this gem. This place was absolutely surreal - the ocean washes up the boulders just 20 feet behind me.

Blue Pools

It was a little piece of paradise on earth. We stayed for the sunset, and I have no words enough for its beauty.


More photos here:
Topside http://scottpenny.smugmug.com/gallery/3595746#204451673
Underwater http://scottpenny.smugmug.com/gallery/3586596#203771869