Maui 2011: Day Six; Going Up Country, Breakfast with Willie

Pa'ia is a funky little bohemian town on Maui's north shore. Just down the road lies Hana (been there, done that) or you can head to "up-country" and begin your journey to the rim.

First stop....the world's best macadamia nut pancakes at Charley's where rumor has it...Willie Nelson appears frequently (he owns a home in Pa'ia). We've yet to see Willie, but we keep coming back for the pancakes. We call them...man hole covers.


Haleakala is the world's largest dormant volcano. It's expansive crater stretches 7 miles long, 2.5 miles wide and 3,000 feet deep. The name Haleakala is Hawaiian for House of the Sun.

Twenty-seven thousand acres are designated as the national park to preserve its unique features. The twisting park road was just the adventure we needed on Friday.

Up country was wet on Friday and a thick band of clouds hung like gauze at 5,000 feet. We climbed and climbed (sometimes is white out fog reminisant of the pacific NW) and were rewarded to some decent "peeks" at the top.

Haleakala Crater Road offers views of the island at every turn. As you climb, towering eucalyptus groves and silvery grasslands give way to forest of fir and short scrub vegetation.

We hiked just about as far as you can go after 9,740 feet....a small trail from the rim about another 150 feet for a better look inside.

Bird watching to get my Citizen Scientist Badge

We participated in the Citizen Scientist program where we helped with a weather observation and a bird survey and I earned my Citizen Scientist Badge.

After the crater, we continued down the Kula Highway to Ulupalakua Ranch, home to Maui's winery, Tedeschi Vineyards. The tasting room is located in the King's Cottage a guest cottage specifically built for the celebrated visit of King Kalakaua in April 1874.

We ended the day with a mystery solved. For years at sunset, we've heard the sound of conk shells. It turns out to be two retired gentlemen (one carries his conk shell in an old bowling ball bag). They pay tribute to the end of a beautiful day on the valley isle nightly at sunset.

A long day, but well worth it! Tomorrow is our last day and I don't want to talk about it.

Enjoy!

Stacy