Day 5- Haleakala "House of the Sun"

Haleakala is an active, but not currently erupting, volcano that last released its fury in 1790. Over 200 years later the land surrounding the lava flow is still barren. The summit rises 10,023 feet above sea level. The crater is 3,000 feet deep, 7.5 miles long and 2.5 miles wide - a total of 22 miles in circumference.

So we missed what was to be the highlight of our trip, sunrise atop Haleakala, which led to plan B: sunset atop Haleakala. We got out the sweatshirts and headed up the mountain once again, this time on our own terms. Along the way we passed the Protea farm in Kula along with the random unoccupied stand selling fruit and/or proteas. I saw a $3 sign and thought it was a little high for a flower out of a garden; but was pleasantly surprised to find five proteas in my bunch for $3!
The drive up was becoming more and more ominous as we got closer to some pretty heavy gray clouds. We started to think that our sunset was not going to happen.

Then, in the most surreal way, we broke through the top of the clouds, and it was nothing but blue!

On our journey to the top the landscape quickly changed to rocky and sparse.

The silversword is one plant that actually likes it up here. The story goes that they only grow in high altitudes and live about 50 years at which point they will bloom once and then die. "Science City" only serves to add to the mystique of the volcano. This area is off limits, except to personnel. I wonder what they are really doing in there?Aaah! Welcome to the top and bring on the altitude sickness. We should have brought more water with us given the headaches I had in Colorado; but we toughed it out with no problems. Magnetic Peak is full of iron-rich cinders and has a magnetic field strong enough to deflect a compass needle. The iron is also what gives it that pretty rust color. Here is the massive crater that can actually fit Manhattan island inside of it! It's huge and looks like another planet altogether. I hear you can hike, bike, and ride horses through the crater...maybe next time.

Although the Jeep thermometer said 52 degrees, with the wind whipping us it felt a lot closer to freezing. We arrived at the top a little early and could not bear the cold for too long. We found ourselves a prime parking spot and decided we would wait for the sunset here. It was also perfect for people-watching. A car would pull up, a door would fly open with the wind, a person or two would jump out to take a picture, then run back to the car. We started playing "How long can you stand the cold?" The couple that lasted the longest and surprised us both were in shorts and tees only!

Going......going......gone!

This is my favorite sunset picture. You need sunglasses just to look at it!I love the way the clouds resemble waves along the shore.So we raced the sun down the mountain, but lost. It got dark very quickly and we still had a bunch of unlit blind turns to make. This is when I developed a sudden fear of cows...yes, cows! We got used to looking for tailights; but after coming around one turn we had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a herd of cows that were wandering in the road. Are you kidding me?! Surely there must be a "leash law" for these cows. They could cause some serious damage! Nevertheless, it was the best sunset I had ever seen.