Sunrise and sunset

Back in October while we were still living in park housing, we headed up to the summit one morning very very early for sunrise at the summit of Haleakala.



















Haleakala is said to have one of the best sunrises on earth. . .



We got to share the view, which was quite beautiful, with all these other people up at the summit visitor's center, (very romantic). . .












It was really really really windy and cold up there, waiting without the warmth of the sun.





Despite the beautiful view, in the end, we both decided we are more "sunset" kind of people.














On the way back to the parking area, we noticed this really amazing visual effect; the shadow of Haleakala mountain is popping up behind the clouds!












And then, there is SUNSET. . .














Here are a few views from the summit, looking down into the crater just after sundown. The lighting this time of day was stunning, not to mention the total and utter silence way up there at 10, 000 feet elevation!

The Garden

Our small garden, after one month. It is making pretty good progress and not too many pests yet. . .From left to right: tomatoes, red chard, kale, basil. Not pictured are: more kale, calendula, and a few jalapeno pepper and bunching onion.





The kale is delicious, as is the chard. We made pizza last night and ate some of the giant basil leaves.
Check out the post Haiku Cottage from mid November to see the progress.

(un)HOT LAVA!

A couple of weeks ago we went on a day hike near La Perouse Bay at the Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Preserve.


This photo gives a broad view of the landscape as you enter the Natural Area Preserve.


In the background you can see the backside of Haleakala. You can also see where the lava flowed down the slopes like a deep black river. This flow is said to be the most recent lava flow from Haleakala, although the date is uncertain and varies anywhere from 1400 to 1790.




The Preserve area is comprised mostly of aa lava rock, which is a very dark brownish-black color. The texture is very rough and abrasive and has a similar effect as sandpaper on your skin.







In some spots, the trail took us right along the shoreline near some beautiful tidepools.




The majority of the trail was very exposed to the sun and wind. This section of the trail had us walking right along the edge of some cliffs. There were a lot of super-strong gusts of wind that felt like they could knock you down if you weren't paying attention. We really had to be careful not to loose our hats!







This is another photo of where the trail goes right through the lava rock and along the ocean. Russell is a bit (unknowingly) camoflaged in this photo with his black and brown.



There were still a few visible remains left of the "King's Highway" in this section of the trail. This highway was built (pre-contact) so that messengers would not have to walk on the sharp lava rock. It was made to go all the way around the coastline of the island. It was quite a contrast to see the smoothed down stepping stones next to all the rough and jagged, unworn rock.


















In the background of this photo you can see the faint outline of Kaho'olawe, a now uninhabited island formerly used as a military bomb testing ground.

The water down below the trail had to be some of the clearest we've ever seen. And the color was like a blue-green coke bottle. It was a beautiful contrast with the dark aa lava rock.