Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014

Dear Lorien,

Here I am at a small park off of Kula Highway, along the slopes of Haleakala Volcano. It’s up at the 3,500-foot elevation of the mountain. It’s so clear you not only can see straight across the valley to the Halemahina Mountain Range, you can see a long way to the horizon on the ocean, which is etched sharply, a line of blue on blue.

They say that, if you stood on the peak of Haleakala—which is up at around 10,000 feet—on a clear day, you can see the curvature of the Earth on the horizon. Maybe Lloyd can take me up there sometime and take a picture!

It’s so green here at this park and nearby, because of the recent rains, which they have needed due to semi-drought conditions lately. Further down below are cattle grazing lands, then sugarcane fields.

People like to picnic at this park, and it’s also a popular place to hang out to watch the sunset, which is often spectacular, here on Maui. It’s still a bit windy today, with trade breezes making the air up here somewhat chilly. Yes, it can get cold here in the tropics too, if you’re way up on a mountain, like I am at the moment. You should have packed me a little sweater! :-)

I hope you and your classmates enjoy these little glimpses and stories of where I am right now. And I hope you’re having a wonderful Sunday with your family.

your friend,
Flat Stanley.