Haleakala

by BARomero

Add to AIMShare

I had just arrived from the mainland, so it felt like nine when the phone rang at 3 AM. It was the front desk, telling me that the van had arrived.

The van was in the front lot, with a trailer hitched. I boarded the back of the van and off we went.

As we drove up the winding two-lane road, the vegetation around us began to shrink, from big thick trees, to smaller pines, to shrubs and grasses, and finally to bare rock.

We arrived near the summit, and our driver began setting up our bikes while we walked to the crater’s rim. And waited. I watched my breath escape in little clouds and tried to remind myself where I was.

Soon the horizon changed from purple to red to dark orange. A bright orange line appeared above the clouds and I experienced what Mark Twain called “the sublimest sight” he’d ever witnessed.

Having seen sunrise from the top of the world, there was now no place to go but down.

Prequels

Write a prequel

Sequels

Write a sequel

Comments

Average Reader Rating: 5.0 stars out of 5

  1. Haleakala

    Ana Cristina's Buddy Icon Ana Cristina

    Posted 2 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    I’m digging the Mark Twain reference. This ficlet is a veritable smörgåsbord of images and colors. Great stuff.
    P.S. I did read that play by Woody Allen and I love the scene in the film whose name escapes me now where he’s playing gin rummy with Death. No doubt I was inspired on some subconscious level.
    P.P.S. If you’re curious about the etymology of that funky word up there, go here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sm%C3%B6rg%C3%A5sbord

  2. Haleakala

    Blusparrow's Buddy Icon Blusparrow

    Posted 2 months ago

    Wow! Great entry! Thanks for entering!
    LoA

  3. Haleakala

    BARomero's Buddy Icon BARomero

    Posted 2 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Oh, and if you ever get the opportunity to do one of these sunrise bike tours on Haleakala, I highly recommend it. Do it the first morning you’re in Maui.

  4. Haleakala

    THX 0477's Buddy Icon THX 0477

    Posted 2 months ago

    Lovely moment. Really wish I could travel more…or at least remember all the traveling I did when I was a little kid.

Want to comment on this ficlet? You need to sign in!