Yesterday we left the ocean and the beach behind to head for ‘Upcountry’!

Together, Rick and I had done a bit of research to understand where to spend our time. Our final destination was the peak of Haleakala at sunset. We were in no real rush to get there, and our investigations provided a host of possibilities for things to see and do along the way.

For this trip, we used a map, resorting to the GPS only once. I like to keep my map skills fresh!Distances were longer and turns infrequent – beyond the relentless number of twists and hairpin turns as we got closer and closer to the mountain.

(Aside – I also like to keep my basic math skills fresh so can often be found doing long division, multiplying decimals or adding fractions on paper. In response to the unasked question, yes, I do think it is fun. I also enjoy cursive writing which is no longer being taught in school. How do kids develop a signature without this?)

Our first stop was the small town of Makawao. Its description as a ‘Western Town’ intrigued me. There were lots of horses and a rodeo grounds. The typical dusty landscape, complete with tumbleweeds, was replaced by lush tropical vegetation and fields of green grass. It was a very pretty little spot.

Finding parking was tricky. We managed to spend an hour or so strolling the small main street, checking out some lovely art galleries and shops. It was once listed in the top 25 art destinations in the US, so there were loads and loads of galleries.

Most of the buildings have a movie Western aesthetic. Sadly, we never saw any Hawaiian cowboys (paniolos).

This shop widow caught my eye. Its main feature seemed a bit misplaced. Though on Maui, one is never really far from the ocean and a potential mermaid sighting.

We stopped at Espresso Mafia for a coffee. I loved the name and hoped the coffee would also be lovable. It was. All the ingredients in our Honey Cream Latte were local or from Italy, like the Sicilian cinnamon. Delicious. The little coffee cart and gardens outside the shop were charming. Our beverages were made by the owner and we had a nice chat while he worked.

Next stop – Ocean Distillery. We had to take a much smaller and far windier back road to get there. The setting was stunning and we signed up for a tasting.

Our guide was a very amusing Australian woman. She gave us the background on the distillery and the family who started it. They are still the owners, which must have had its challenges.

They grow everything they need on the site, including a large garden of herbs used in their restaurant – primarily in cocktails. They are ‘farm to bar’.

Although they grow 30 of the 100 known types of sugar cane, only one variety is used to make all of their spirits. The other 29 are grown as a way to preserve them. It takes 9 lbs of sugar cane to make one bottle of vodka. The base liquor is blended with ocean water collected from 300 feet below the surface near Kona on the Big Island. The water contains potassium, magnesium and other minerals. I guess their spirits could be considered a healthy mineral supplement?

They make a variety of rums, and a gin, but are known for their immediately recognizable bottle of vodka. It is modelled after a Japanese glass net float.

Our first sample was a delicious toasted coconut rum. To be honest – I have never been a rum fan but this one was delicious from the nose to the palate. They use it to make their in-house tiramisu that it is so strong you must be 21 to order it. I could totally imagine the flavour and at some point I hope to find a bottle that I can use to give it a go.

The second rum used burnt sugar as flavouring. I found it undrinkable. Rick loved it and purchased a carefully bubble-wraped bottle to bring home in his luggage.

The next rum was fine. The Fy gin that followed was delightful! (Fy is Pidgin for ‘five’ and Pidgin is an actual language born out of the efforts of different cultures trying to communicate.) The scent was very citrusy with a hint of juniper, as required to call it gin. There was something else that was more present in the flavour – ginger! I loved it. The vodka was clean though frankly I am not a huge fan of the whole vodka thing unless frozen. It just tastes vaguely like straight alcohol. I would buy it for the bottle and make do though ;0)

The final spirit was ‘Brum’ – rum stored for 2 years in a bourbon cask. The flavour was very like bourbon, though perhaps not as strong. If we lived here, or had less limited import duties on alcohol, it probably would have made it into my bag – just for the novelty factor.

I know that sounds like a lot of liquor was consumed, though each pour was only 1/4 of an ounce and I dumped at least 2 or 3 of mine. We left there with no buzz on whatsoever. (It would have been very tempting to stay for that tiramisu if the road to the top of Haleakala was a little less precarious.)

So off we went – sailing past the Surfing Dairy goat farm with only a wave. Their close proximity to the Ocean Distillery probably provides them with some spillover customers. I am sure it would be awesome for kids as they can participate in the evening chores and hang out with the goats. We had contemplated stopping there to try the cheese, but it was time to get going.

Up the hill we went. Up and up and up and up for 37 miles and 32 switchbacks. The road is steep with blind corners and sharp drop offs, many without any guard rails. We travelled through open cattle range, so had to watch for cows on the road. Nene (small Hawaiian geese) frequent the park so there are many signs to watch out for them on the road.

It took us almost an hour to reach the peak (10,023 ft). We stopped for occasional views from the overlooks but it was a challenging drive at times.

We arrived at the peak about an hour before sunset. We were lucky enough to find a parking space and got out to explore the views. We thought we were prepared for the temperature drop at the top; we were not. The base of the mountain was 82 degrees F or more. The top was 42. Even with our down jackets and pants ,we shivered.

The views are impressive and the crater itself was really, really cool. There is a hike that runs around its entire circumference – 11 miles. This would be a challenging hike at that elevation; the air is noticeable thinner.

It felt so ethereal to be so high above the clouds – or maybe that was mild light-headedness from the elevation and reduced oxygen? There is an observatory at the top but it is not open to the public. I can see the draw – the stars were amazing in the night sky.

After a look around w e climbed back into the truck for a snack and an opportunity to warm up a bit. We were lucky to have been able to park there – many people were walking the 0.5 mile road from the lower lot.

Sunset was forecast for 6:43. At 6:23 we left the truck and joined the growing thongs wrapped in anything they could find to stay warm – blankets, beach towels, in one case some hunks of cardboard.

Of course, we were looking down on the sun which meant it took much longer to set from overhead. We shivered and bounced about trying to stay warm, determined to appreciate and capture it all.

Full-sized ‘awwww’ shots.

The mass exodus back to warm cars and washrooms began the minute the sun was no longer visible. I hung back for a few moments as my Ucluelet experience has consistently demonstarted that I can miss the last splash of magnificent sky by leaving too soon.

The trip down was a bit of a white knuckle ride. I am not sure if the darkness made it feel better (what I could not see) or worse (what I was able to imagine). It took a long time, even with brake lights ahead to help visualize the road. Rick drove magnificently and I only lost my mind a few times on those small hairpin curves that swung to the left leaving me visually hanging off the edge of the road.

Once down it was easy to find our way back. We arrived at the condo tired and happy. I took my still chilly body to bed at an early hour and dreamt delightful dreams full of sunsets.