Sunset at 10,000 Feet

On Wednesday, we did the classic Maui tourist thing: we went up to the top of Haleakala. Apparently you really want to go at sunrise, where your view is unimpeded by the other mountain on Maui, but it turns out sunrise is early, which is a problem for me and those I'm hanging out with, so we went at sunset instead.

We'd been warned about the frigid weather at that altitude and time of day, so we all took fleeces, windbreakers, or both.  It didn't get really cold until the sun went down, fortunately, and until then, we had some amazing views.

It's not often you find yourself above the clouds.  I think this is what most people think heaven looks like.  I find it hard to disagree.

I almost liked it better when a wispy cloud drifted in front of the sun.  Kind of a surreal look. [Incidentally, all these photos are straight out of the camera; I'll tell you if I mess with a pic before I post it.]

These views were really a bonus; we hadn't expected to see this sort of light magic going on in the clouds (although all of us were snapping photos like mad).

We had hoped to see down inside the crater on top of the mountain, but it was full of clouds too. Still pretty, but not ideal.

And this is a picture of the trail that my hubby went back and hiked today while I went on a snorkeling cruise.  He gets seasick; I don't hike 10 miles at altitude.  I guess we each have our own forms of sanity, no?

Closer to sunset, we got some pictures with actual color in the sky.

And this next one includes the Haleakala observatory.

And last but not least, I'll leave you with one my hubby took of the moon rising.  It's tiny, but you can see the sliver of the moon in the top of this photo.

And with that, I bid you good night.