We are indeed privileged to live in this paradise, so far away from most of the troubles of the world and so close to few but splendid wonders.
Last nights full eclipse of the moon is a case in point. I had been invited by a friend to join her and several other people at Polipoli a state park above Kula on the volcanic mountain Haleakala (which means 'House of the Sun'). On leaving my house in Upper Kula I wondered if it would be another eclipse of an eclipse as so many have been for me here. Eclipses eclipsed by clouds that is. On the way I saw several vehicles going up the main road to the summit of Haleakala and wondered if we shouldn't be going there too, in order to get above these clouds. On arriving at Waipoli road and reaching the park entrance near the Lavender farm, I began to notice a few stars poking through the clouds and hoped they signaled a good view.
In our three vehicles we climbed the narrow turning road amidst pastures and an occasional cow. Along the ride up the clouds cleared considerably and the moon shone brightly on us. Within ten minutes we arrived at the treeline where great eaucalyptus trees majestically abut the rolling green fields. Parking our cars, we stepped out into the brisk mountain air. Several shouts remarked on the cool midsummer temperature, jackets and blankets coalescing in a collective bundle. I retrieved my tripod and camera from my truck and setup on the road to catch a glimpse of the show.
The clouds continued to break and before a few minutes had past the moon was completely free of obscurity. A few minutes more and a tiny shadow had broke over the leftmost surface of the moon. I jumped up and down and proclaimed that possibly we'd see our tiny shadows hopping off the Earth shadows edge. Our host, dished out mushroom muffins and jalapeno rolls which she had cooked just before departure from her house and we shared many laughs as the moon continued to be gobbled up by some ancient dragon or perhaps Fenrir the wolf.
Once the moon was about one quarter covered by the Earths shadow we could begin to see the orange color of the surface, not black but orange due to continued luminance provided by the suns rays bending round the atmosphere of our planet. Two of us attempted photography but the dimness of the light, the moisture in the air and the sad states of our only hundreds of dollars cost cameras prevented clear images.
We watched that orange moon for about an hour before the lot of my companions were too cold to remain. I let them go and stood in the cool night air watching this rare moon and eventually got in my truck and headed down the mountain behind them. When I got home, the clouds had long been gone and I spent another twenty minutes or so watching that orange marble in the sky, feeling the distances between Sun, Earth and Moon in this Copernican space.
This is a rare moment in paradise. I get used to taking sunsets and rainbows and waterfalls and wide open views for granted. Watching whales and hiking the desolate crater become rather routine. Bu tno tan eclipse. ANd for the first time in many many years I finally was able to see an unobstructed full eclipse. In 1992 I biked to LaPerouse bay to watch the full solar eclipse. I spent the entire night in the rain. Luckily for most travelers to this remote yet popular island, they find that majesty or awe, exhilaration or inspiration from so many of the elements I consider mundane. It takes an eclipse to bring me back to the beauty of the world and for that I am entirely grateful.
If you'd like to enjoy my mundane pleasures here on the island of Maui, check into these affordable Maui Condos for a treat, a front row seat to whales and sunsets, surfing and hiking and just plain laying around Maui Style in the warm pacific breeze.
