Wow. Haleakala is the perfect place to visit on the Summer Solstice. It feels like you've crossed over into an surreal fantasy world. It has huge cinder cones strewn across a valley that looks like the moon. At 10,000 feet it is cold and windy in some locations, yet eerily still in other locations. There are views of the Big Island volcanoes in the distance, Manua Loa and Mauna Kea. From this vantage point, with the low lying clouds covering part of the island, the Big Island looks like two islands. The park just opened yesterday and very few people are here because of the pandemic. We have been here many times, but it is always breathtaking. It reminds me of the first time I saw the Grand Canyon as a child. I thought it was a picture. I couldn't believe it was real.
