Slice of Life Day 23: Sunrise on Haleakala - House of the Sun

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Haleakala= House of the Sun
Our tour bus, driven by Doug, picked us up at 3:00 a.m. We were tired and groggy but Doug made it fun. The bus was full of sleepy people. We traveled 1/2 hour to the headquarters for Maui Downhill. There we got our helmets and heavy coats and gloves. We then went on to the top of Haleakala Crater. That trip took an hour.

When we got to the top, it was so dark you couldn't even see the person standing right beside you. We moved to the area where we would best see the sunrise. And we waited, and waited and waited. Slowly we began to see this amazing sight.

There is a legend about the way this mountain got its name. It went like this: a mom complained that the sun sped across the sky so fast that her tapa cloth didn't have enough time to dry. So, her thoughtful son, Maui, went in the predawn hours to the top of the volcano. When the sun rose, he lassoed it, halting it in the sky. The sun begged to be let go. Maui said he would let the sun go if it promised to slow its trip across the sky for more sunlight. The sun agreed. In honor of the agreement they dubbed the mountain House of the Sun or Haleakala.
Bike Ride in tomorrow's blog!