mjblanchard:
WE'RE HEEEERRREEEE
mjblanchard:
we got to our condo in Kihei in time for some lovely beach and swimming time (with sea turtles!) and a great first sunset
mjblanchard:
Kamaole Beach Park has a great view of the island of Lana'i and the dormant volcano that makes up the western half of Maui
mjblanchard:
these guys came out for a sunset paddle pretty much every day
mjblanchard:
the gelato's very popular with the locals
mjblanchard:
my approximate pace during our morning jog
mjblanchard:
this 3-foot-long sea turtle (honu) was paddling around in our cove the whole afternoon
mjblanchard:
NATURAL HAZARDS!!
mjblanchard:
who needs a pedicure when you have a NATURALLY EXFOLIATING BEACH
mjblanchard:
you just keep me hangin' on 🎶
mjblanchard:
upload
mjblanchard:
oh hai
mjblanchard:
upload
mjblanchard:
we got up at 3am to see the sunrise at the Haleakala crater—sadly it turned foggy right before sunrise, but it was still gorgeous
mjblanchard:
the view west from Haleakala overlooks all of west Maui and Lana'i
mjblanchard:
the US military and the University of Hawaii operate an observatory at the Haleakala summit
mjblanchard:
the silversword plant is found only on Maui and only above 7,000 feet
mjblanchard:
the silversword plant blooms only once before it dies! sad panda.
mjblanchard:
sadly, said nene never crossed OUR path
mjblanchard:
the crater is filled with rock formations in all kinds of crazy colors
mjblanchard:
pardon me whilst I walk on Mars
mjblanchard:
the colors come to life as you walk down into the crater
mjblanchard:
stripey
mjblanchard:
the walk back uphill is super fun at 10,000 feet
mjblanchard:
you can see down into the crater from a few different turnoffs on the road back down
