Only 4 of us on this excursion.  Me and 2 men plus the lead bicyclist.  We are using specially made, very heavy bikes.  We are not to use both brakes at the same time…..right first which is for rear brakes otherwise you could fly over the handlebars. Mount Haleakala is just over 10,000 feet but we are only allowed to ride from outside the national park …..so around the 6500 foot level.

Lahaina Electric “will probably go bankrupt soon cuz the cause of Lahaina fire was faulty electric lines and rotten poles that blew down during the hurricane causing the fire”.  They had another fire on Haleakala about 3 months ago but they believe it was naturally causes.  Will take 8-10 years to rebuild Lahaina. As we drove off, we saw tents to house the displaced residents. 

They used to farm sugar cane here til 2016.  They now trying to grow limes and oranges ….trying to make it so that they don’t have to import everything….become more self sufficient.  Not allowing the land to be used to build skyscrapers, just farming. 

“Up country” refers to above 1500 feet elevation.  Every island has a cowboy town cuz there’s a ranching. 

Wild deer, boars…it is never not hunting season.

Evidence of trees burnt happened at the same time as Lahaina

Kula next town. The road was built for SDI by R. Reagan …..is military.  It’s a good road, paved, no police so no speed limit but it has very sharp turns but we did see a “B-train” come around one.  There was not room enough for another vehicle though. The road is a 12% grade.

The houses do have fireplaces up here cuz it gets down to 40 F.

Grow proteas here…probably better than South Africa ….appparently!

At the 4000 ft elevation there are no more houses. It is all cattle ranch

Hurricane Dora… Lahaina fire and trees downed.

Kahalini Island that we can see way off shore, was use to test bombs so no access to public cuz of possible unexploded ordinance.

Power lines cannot be buried here cuz the lava is just below the soil.  It would be extremely costly and almost impossible without blasting .  Electric company  has to keep cutting the trees away from power lines to prevent fires. 

Below 5000 feet or over 50,000 feet is only place you can fly any aircraft.  Everything else is military airspace

Haleakala means “House of the Sun”.

Canada goose is called Nene goose, is their state bird….funny!  Thee is a $50,000 fine if you kill one. 

There are no dairy farms here.  Consequently it costs $15.50 /gallon for milk on Maui. 

We stop to shop at Makawao.  It is a “cowboy town” with all the old buildings from the early 1900’s.

“Red shower trees” bloom when it rains.  There are yellow ones too but sorry …didn’t get a picture.