Hawaii 2009

Wednesday morning we were up at 3 AM to head to the Haleakala Crater to watch the sunrise on top of the Volcano. It took 2 hours to drive up to the top, and it was FREEZING COLD up there. Alen knew it would be, so he snagged the blanket off of our bed. I was so thankful. We had jackets, and gloves, but the blanket was a life saver. It was magical how the sky changed so quickly.

We then hiked to one of the craters. It took us an hour down hill to reach it, and 2 hours uphill to get back to the car. This is the only time I got a sunburn the whole trip. They say the sun is hotter there, and it definitely is, even at 9 am. It was worth the hike, but my calves ached for 2 days after walking in the sandy dirt on an incline for 3 hours.

After we left the volcano, we headed to Hali'maile to visit the town where Alen used to work, and live, while he worked in the pineapple cannery. We then headed to Pa'ia for lunch at a great fish house restaurant. We were told of a great snorkeling beach, so we headed there next. It is a hidden treasure. We saw the most amazing fish, sea turtles, and coral. We are totally going to come back on Friday, and do more snorkeling at