Day 2 - Haleakala & Hana

We got up well before dawn this morning at 3 a.m. Even being still adjusted to California time, this was hard, as we were not in bed early last night. Bill made french toast (a good example of why I married him) and we had this amazing low acid pineapple that I wish we could get at home. We dressed in our very warmest gear (still not very warm) and headed out. The road was incredibly twisty and turny, and tricky in the dark. I had half a notion that we would be among the first to arrive at the top, but we got the very last parking spot in the secondary lot. As we approached, the rim of the volcano was already filled with the outlines of the people already there waiting, so we asked a nice couple if we could sit down in front of them. They were very nice about it, and we were able to return the favor by loaning them one of the blankets we had brought from our condo. It was blanket-around-my-head-and-body cold, but Bill seemed ok. He did sit close and keep me warm.

We didn't have long to wait before the first hints of light started to illuminate the clouds filling the sky beyond the rim of the crater. It looked surreal, with little pools of mist falling through into the edge of the crater. The sky was turning beautiful shades of orange and pink beyond the clouds, and soon the clouds straight ahead of us began to glow orange on the top edge. Slowly the glow became brighter and more orange, spreading along the blanket of clouds below us. I guess I should stop here, as words really can't do it justice. I'm not sure pictures can either, at least not amatuer pictures. Suffice it to say that although I am not a morning person, I still considered the two hour (each way) three a.m. trek and the freezing cold to be worth it.

We had the brilliant idea to do the road to Hana the same day as the sunrise, as we were already halfway to the beginning of the road to Hana. What we didn't count on was our desperate need of a nap. We started heading toward Hana, and were in good shape as we were way ahead of the crowds. We stopped at the first site that sounded neat, which was Twin Falls. I didn't read the guide book carefully enough to realize that it was a 20-30 minute hike over rough, hilly terrain. We also had to walk over a few very narrow bridges (maybe a foot.) That was fairly tricky with a cane, though Bill held my hand to steady me. Toward the end, we had to climb over a bunch of randomly shaped, large, slippery boulders. We made it, and the waterfalls were beautiful.

Our next stop was one I had been looking forward to for some time - the Garden of Eden Botanical Garden. We were so exhausted that we parked the car in a shady spot and took a nap before we started exploring. They had a lot of really interesting tropical plants, as well as gorgeous views of the ocean below. We spent a couple hours exploring, and we got some amazing photos of plants and flowers.

From one point in the garden, we could look down on a beautiful waterfall. After we left, we went in for a closer look. Puohokamoa Falls looks like a postcard, and the pool below it was cool and refreshing. It was a bit dicey getting out to the pool, but it was worth it.

From there we went on looking for the black sand beach mentioned in our guide book. We did find a beach with dark sand, but it really wasn't black. At this point I was so tired I didn't even want to go explore the beach, so after Bill went down and took some photos, we headed back toward home.

Bill is going to finish this entry..

Pi was, indeed, tired. The term we use is "nappy" as in "prone to napping". We were only 12 miles or so down the road to Hana, so I anticipated a quick, uneventful drive either home or perhaps to stop for lunch. As we crested a rise, I saw a group of four young women, no older than their 20s, with two standing right at the roadside giving the "hitchhikers sign" quite clearly. My first thought was that their clothes and dress reminded me strongly of my wife when we had run into each other again, over 12 years ago.

I commented to Pi that perhaps we should give them a ride as far as we might have a common path. She said she thought they were joking about wanting a ride, and I was inclined to agree, but I mouthed "do you need a ride?" and they nodded affirmatively. I pulled off and asked them if they in fact needed a lift and in what we would later agree were "very cute French accents" they accepted. I cleared our stuff from the back seats of the rental car, and they discussed with the other two in their group who would go with us in the available seats. The two thumbers ended up getting in, and answered my query about their destination with "Pa'ia". We ended up driving them all the way to the beach to which they were going, apparently to enjoy a free concert.

[Pi inserts: When I saw them, I thought that, in the event they turned out to be the kind of hitchhikers my mom always warned me about, it would be fine, as Bill and I could certainly take them.]

Over the course of the various small talk (they were fluent in English, which is more than I can say of our French skills) we found out these details:

• One was from the French Alps, the other from the south of France near Nice
• Both were on holiday from school for the summer, presumably from university
• They had been here roughly two months so far, and both were returning home in less than two weeks
• They had been working at an "Organic Farm" near where we picked them up and living in tents (!) below the farm, which was apparently owned by a French expatriate who had lived in Maui for twenty years and had numerous French youth come and work for him at the farm in exchange for lodging and perhaps some pay
• They had no cars because it was far too expensive (being under 26, not citizens, etc) but hitched successfully and with regularity

We got them to their destination and let them out. I asked Pi to pose for a picture with them, but she was not up to it at the time. Sadly, we did not get their names nor tell them ours, so they shall remain nameless herein.

From Pa'ia we drove an interesting backroute through cane fields to Kahului and down to Kehei. It was lovely and a road we would certainly not have seen had we not picked up the hitchhikers. Nice how things seem to work out here...

After a short stop at our home base, we got dressed up (at least by Maui standards) and went to dinner at Sarento's, a highly rated restaurant that was recommended to us by a friend from HB (thanks K - Pi). We made reservations to be there at sunset because it has a great view. When we arrived we got a nice booth, which gave an elevated vantage point where we could see over the crowds. As the sun came down and we enjoyed our salad and entrees, we realized the sun would be setting behind Lana'i, amid light clouds clustered near the island. The sunset was lovely, and I was glad we had brought along the camera once again. We also had our waiter snap a photo of us in our finery. In any case, the food, service, and atmosphere at Sarento's was top-notch. We recommend it if you are in the mood for a fine dining experience.

-Bill (and Pi!)