Family's First Visit to the Top of Maui

Even with a second dose of the Covid vaccine yesterday, and feeling down and out all morning, it didn't stop us from heading upcountry for our first "staycation" as a family of four. We had a fun airbnb way up in Kula (non refundable), so even under the weather we were still going. Luck was on our side though with the vaccine hangover mostly disappearing after a midday nap, and the weather giving us two of the best upcountry days you could ask for. 

We woke the kids up and immediately piled in the Kia to drive 3,500 feet up Haleakala volcano to our airbnb. The air was nice and cool when we arrived, which usually would have meant pants and sweaters but instead we changed into our bathing suits....for a dip in our hot tub. There were a couple of views through the trees of the rest of the island below. We could see Kihei on one side and Kahului on the other, with waves crashing on the North shore way down below. A crab cake panini from Kula Bistro, another dip in the hot tub with the family, a wonderful chat with my friend in Finland about the future, and another hot tub soak while watching satellites in a beautiful night sky capped the day.

 The real adventure started the next morning. After spilling coffee all over the counter and seeing how cute Catalina looked snuggled under the covers in her huge double bed, we packed up and drove down to Kula Bistro for breakfast. The coffee was great as was the food. Everyone was fueled up for a trip up to Haleakala National Park and a bird watching jaunt through the woods at Hossmers Grove. Catalina was fired up to find some i'iwi birds and other honeycreepers, while Fisher just wanted to climb up and jump off every thing along the trail. We had streaks of red flying all around us. The songs of the i'iwi, amakihi, and apapane serenaded us in what seemed like our own private wilderness. Hossmers Grove is one of my can't miss opportunities on Maui, yet is remains such a secret to most. 

  The weather was so grand, as were the views, that we decided to push the Kia a bit more and take the kids all the way to the 10,023ft summit of Haleakala volcano. The car handled it fine, and the clear skies gave us amazing views of the crater, lower Maui, and even snow on top of the Big Island. We hiked around the summit a bit. Catalina found some ladybugs, and Fisher managed to avoid falling on any of the sharp a'a lava rocks along the trails. Someday we will be back for a bigger family hike down into the crater and an overnight camp at Hossmer's Grove. 

  Fisher took a short cat nap on the drive down, but we weren't done yet. Our last stop was a local farm store back down in Kula. We picked our own strawberries, saw chickens and goats, and best of all, found a chameleon in a tree. The kids handled the chameleon crawling up their arms pretty well, even when it took a swipe very close to Fisher's eye. 

  It felt like our first real staycation as a family, if you don't count our amazing time in Savannah and New York last fall. Hopefully it will be the first of many long distance adventures to come.