Occasionally Adventurous: Day Six Maui

We purposely had a slow morning, testing digestive systems after troubles last night. We walked to the local market for bagels and had breakfast on the lanai. By mid-morning we were ready to move on and decided to head to Haleakala. By the time we turned onto Highway 380 heading northeast, we suspected that rain was in our immediate future. One of the interesting things about each of the Hawaiian Islands is the variability of the weather and the different climate zones. Today we could look down to the coastline and see sunshine. The drive up the mountain was first just cloudy, then misty, then rainy. We drove in and out of clouds and rain, with an occasional burst of sunshine. Around one hairpin turn the sun would break out and we could see blue sky. The next minute, rain. It made for a beautiful drive, even though we couldn't see the wide vistas you usually associate with climbing a mountain. On the drive up we listened to the Haleakala CD guide we purchased with the road to Hana CD. We drove up to the summit, and made our way slowly down. We had to skip a couple of the overlooks that were enveloped in clouds. We stopped at the visitor's center at 7000 feet and took a lot of photos. Our favorite stop was at Hosmer Grove, a pine forest deliberately planted with a variety of species of pine and other forest shrubs. We were excited to spot several i'iwi birds. They teased us by landing near the trail, but usually took off before the camera could be pointed in their direction. I did get one pretty good shot. While I was trying to keep the camera from going into its battery save mode, I shot several photos of the clouds and trees. Even on this short half mile hike we were in and out of clouds and misty rain.

After leaving the national park, we drove down highway 36 to Kula and had a late lunch at Grandma's Coffee House, and old establishment showcasing island coffee and baked goods. We resisted the goodies and had healthy sandwiches! Back at our apartment, we sat on the lanai sharing the computer and reading. Around seven we headed into Lahaina to Aloha Mixed Plate, where we sat at the bar drinking mai tais while waiting for a table. Dinner was great, and inexpensive. Aloha is right next to the Old Lahaina Luau grounds, and we could hear the music from the show. We nursed our second mai tais after dinner until the luau traffic had cleared. A relaxing and happy day!