Hawaii Vacation - Day 06: Haleakala Crater

Today, I could have gotten out of bed an hour later than I did.  Most of the excursions I'm scheduled to take occur sometime between 7:00 am and 7:30 am.  Today's excursion was scheduled for 8:15 am.  At least, I had the time to relax after breakfast and get things done.

- - - - - -

Around 8:00, I went down to the gangway and it started to drizzle.  I waited a while before heading towards the queuing area for the Kaleakala Crater excursion.  When the tour guide arrived, he told us that the weather at the top of Kaleakala crater is unpredictable and that we might not be able to see anything due to the clouds. 

We then started our trek from sea level to 9727 feet above sea level on a road with many switchbacks.  It was hard to remain seated through those switchbacks with no arm rest, and it was a miracle that I didn't get sick.  Rising from sea level, we encountered a cloud bank around 6000 feet above sea level, and it got worse as we continued up to the top.  At the bottom of the mountain, the temperature was in the 80's.  At the top, it was in the low 30's, and I was glad that I brought my winter coat that I knew I'd need when I returned to New York.  This coat almost got left in my car, in order to lessen the weight of the luggage that was going to Honolulu.

 

None of the pictures I took today are much worth posting, so I put an image from the Park Service at the top of this entry to provide an idea of what I was hoping to see.  The image above is what I did see.  Hardly worth the effort to go to the crater, isn't it?  Maybe next time, assuming there is one, I'll get a good picture.  Since we had time to kill before the driver's next tour from the ship, we stopped by a souvenir shop and at the local Safeway.  If I had been thinking, I would have picked up another roll of clear adhesive tape.  But I can't think of everything when on vacation....

Hawaii Vacarion - Day 05: Maui and the Road to Hana

Today, my excursion would take me on the road to Hana.  I may have overspent to take the deluxe version of the trip.  But it was worth the extra money to take a private mini bus (max. 8 people) charter to a small town in Maui known as Hana.  

- - - - - - 

Waking up before dawn, I proceeded as if the original time listed on my ticket was the real time for the trip. This allowed me the extra time needed to have a leisurely breakfast at the onboard diner.  "Diner" would only be an expression of an idea - what should a 1950's version of a diner feel like, and how could they recreate that feel as appropriate for a cruise ship?  This, NCL did quite well on this ship, as it had all the fittings of a diner doing business in the era I grew up.

Around 8:00 am, the ship came into Maui, and a group of us went over to the 3 tour buses waiting for us. After we were told which buses we were assigned to, it was into the buses and off to the races.  Our tour guide was very chatty, something I had a hard time getting in to at this hour of the day.  Soon, we were on the Road to Hana.

The Road to Hana is a scenic drive to a town in the middle of nowhere on the island of Maui.  It is one of a handful of places where settlements could be placed, Hana being the most important site along the road. But to get there, one has to travel on a 1 1/2 lane twisting road on which one covers 39 miles in 2 1/2 hours each way (excluding bio breaks and a lunch break.)  None of the pictures I can take would do this road justice.  However, I would never recommend for people to drive this road themselves - inexperienced tourists ruined our return trip to some degree by not knowing when to yield for oncoming traffic.

Our tour guide, Sue, delivered an interesting commentary as she drove along the road.  She went above and beyond, by volunteering to help people get pictures of themselves with sights along the road as a backdrop.  I would gladly take this tour again if I had her as a driver.  Although we were enjoying ourselves, I could tell that this excursion was slightly longer than it needed to be.  And I might take exception to a couple of stops along the way for roadside souvenir shopping.  Yet, on the whole, this excursion provided good value for the money, and would be something I'd recommend to others.

Once back on the ship, I called RQS, then hopped into the hot tub for a quick soak.  At this time, I realized that I need to buy better fitting swim forms.  The forms I have are too small, and were a compromise when I bought them.  Now, I want forms that look better on me.  But until then, I'll make do with the ones I have.  

Now to get ready for tomorrow's excursion - a trip to Haleakala Crater.  Hopefully, I won't have any problems, as I will be going up to 10,000 feet above sea level....