Along for the ride

From Karin:

Earlier this week, with Grandma and Grandpop Kahn in place to babysit, Peter and I enjoyed a real adventure...riding bikes down the side of a volcano.  Sounds daring, doesn't it?  This adrenaline-inducing opportunity was given to Peter as a Christmas gift and, lucky for me, it was for 2 people.  There is really no good reason to point out that a) we don't know any other people on Maui b) Davis is far too young to blast down a 10,000 foot mountain or c) I was really the only viable option to accompany Peter....so I'll just say that I held my own and proved myself to be a worthy companion.

We were driven by a local tour company to the top of Haleakala where we were given a tour of the park.  We were above the clouds, but we could get glimpses down into the valley back towards where we live in Haiku, and we could see West Maui and the nearby small islands of Lana'i and Moloka'i.  From the summit, it was also clear enough to see the two tall peaks on the neighboring Big Island.  Standing on the rim of the volcano's crater was amazing; it was an entirely different landscape than anything I've ever seen before in a vast array of colors.

From the summit of Haleakala looking back down at West Maui.

Proof that we were at the top.

Looking down into part of the crater, you can see how the clouds hug the mountain.

After some time at the summit, our van driver Brian (a native Hawaiian with a serious mullet and a taste for 80's music) took us back down to 6500 feet to begin our descent. This tour company is unique in that you ride down the mountain with a map, not a tour guide, so you can go at your own pace (we averaged 20-30 mph- exciting and a teeny bit scary!), stop whenever you'd like to take pictures, have lunch or do some shopping.  It was great that it was just the two of us and there were no rules or schedules, the only timeline we were on was imposed by Carter's feeding schedule!  Dressed in warm clothes and dirt-bike-rider helmets, we rode 24 miles downhill around countless switchbacks, through open ranch land and winding country roads.  The landscape changed continually and it seemed like each curve provided a new, spectacular vista.  

This is a great look for us, no?  Before we started down, Peter and I were contemplating how our helmets got the many dings they each had.  We decided not to find out.

I love this picture.  Not sure if you can see it, but there's a skull and crossbones on the face guard.

Below is a video of me attacking (I use that word loosely) one of the switchbacks.  It shows you the steepness of the grade and some amazing views in the background.

It was a great day and a really thrilling way to see Maui's national park, large sections of upcountry and some small towns along the way.  We also made a quick stop at Seabury Hall, a beautiful private high school with sweeping views of Maui's north shore.  We hope to schedule a tour to check it out.  Follow this link:  Peter could teach art, right?  

Thanks mom and dad for a great day!