Email Entry to Friend
Your Email:
Your Name:
Friend's Email Address:
Subject:
Enter a Message:
A friend has sent you a link to the following article: http://hawaiicam.com/index.php/hawaiicam/comments/63/ The House of the Sun is Mount Haleakala on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Haleakala means “House of the Sun” in Hawaiian. Ancient Hawaiian folks noticed that the sun appeared to rise from the crater lip at dawn, and figured that if the sun came out of the crater, then it must have spent the night there. The Superman of Hawaiian Mythology is called “Maui.” This god reportedly climbed to the top of Haleakala and lassoed the sun to force it to move more slowly across across the Hawaiian sky. To this day, Hawaii does not celebrate daylight savings time. No need. There’s more sun here than anywhere else. “At the top of is a crater of extraordinary brilliance and clarity (like the rings on Anna Nicole’s fingers)”Well, the story doesn’t end there. “La,” the name of the sun, decided to compromise with Maui’s decision to slow the sun’s walk across the sky. La agreed to do it only six months of the year. So, to this day, sunlight in Hawaii is longer in the summer months than in the winter months. Convenient, huh? These days, the summit of Mount Haleakala, though still sacred to Hawaiians (and owners of bicycle tours that race down the slopes from the summit), is perhaps less sacred and much easier to get to. A brief hour long drive from Kahului Airport will get you up the slopes for a sunrise, a sunset, or whatever is in between whichever one you start with first. Haleakala’s summit is now a part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. At the top of is a crater of extraordinary brilliance and clarity (like the rings on Anna Nicole’s fingers). The circumference is 21 miles around and 3,000 feet deep. It looks like a colorized version of a moonscape. Inside the crater are a number of 1,000 foot high cinder cones which once erupted and spewed hot lava; at least, back in 1790—the last known eruption. Mark Twain, who visited many islands in Hawaii, is quoted as saying, “I felt like the last Man, neglected of the judgement and left pinnacled in mid-heaven, a forgotten relic of a vanished world.” Neat words. But you won’t feel that way. There’ll be dozens of tourists all around you and the parking lot will have rental cars and tour buses (not to mention a dozen or so bicyclists). That’s progress. However, Haleakala’s colorful moonscape is not devoid of life. Some life forms will not be found anywhere else on earth. The rare Hawaiian goose, the “ne ne” can be found along the slopes and is still endangered. A descendent of the sunflower, the Silversword, also only exists here. It may sit for 20 years in a spiked silver crown which looks more plastic than live. Then, all at once it’ll throw out hundreds of blooms and the stalk will shoot up 6 to 9 feet. Is that cool, or what? Getting to the summit by car is one of the easier trips you’ll face anywhere in Hawaii. It’s 10,000 feet to the top and only 40 miles from nearby Kahului Airport. Think of it as going from Northern Mexico to Alaska in less than two hours. What a trip. Summary: Some of the most stunning scenery on the face of terra firma. Pros: Easy to reach the summit by car. Breathtaking—literally. It’s twice as high as The Mile High City of Denver, CO. Cons: You have to fly to Maui to go up the summit.