Maui 6/30/14 - day 4

Today's activities consisted of a Sunrise Tour and bike ride with Haleakala Bike Co., lunch at Mama's Fish House and chillin' with our friends Sam, Noel, Jamie, Leslie and Leon.  

First up the Sunrise Tour and Bike ride down the Haleakala Volcano.  We woke up at 1:00 AM and met up carpooled with the newlyweds, Jessica and Buddy to the meeting spot for check in at 3:00 AM.

After check-in, we picked up our helmets and got our bike sizes and some other optional gear, and boarded our bus.  On the bus ride, our driver gave us directions on our route, pointing out markers for when we would need to make our turns. He made sure to remind us not to end up in Pa'ia, because it would be a "$20 pickup, anywhere else is free." we were able to take a quick nap for the last 45 minutes of the ride up, and were so grateful, cause we all were pretty much zombies from lack of sleep.  Once we got up to the summit, we watched the gorgeous sunrise and then boarded the bus to be driven to the highest point at 10,000 ft. We saw the white sword plant, which only grows there. We also saw the observatories owned by NASA and the U.S. Navy. 

Then we were given one last bathroom break, and then off to the staging area where we received our bikes.  We took a quick pic and were sent off on our way.

The very first part was spent winding our way down the volcano. The views were beautiful and the bike lane was spacious. Not to mention the smooth roads. We were on an unguided tour with the Haleakala Bicycle company, which meant that we could make our way down at our own pace, stopping whenever we wished.
We stayed at the back of the pack pretty much the whole way down; We weren't too keen on hitting a random pothole and flying over the handlebars. We were able to really enjoy the views though with the speed that we were traveling at.

The very first part was spent winding our way down the volcano. The views were beautiful and the bike lane was spacious. Not to mention the smooth roads. We were on an unguided tour with the Haleakala Bicycle company, which meant that we could make our way down at our own pace, stopping whenever we wished.
Dean and I stayed at the back of the pack pretty much the whole way down; I was a little brake-happy, haha. I wasn't too keen on hitting a random pothole and flying over the handlebars. We were able to really enjoy the views though with the speed that we were traveling at.

After the amazing morning of sunrise views and bike riding, we got ready for lunch at Mama's Fish House.  This place was highly recommended by friends, coworkers and even random people that we ran into the local Foodland Supermarket.  It is so popular that reservations need to be made at least 2 weeks in advance.  We met up with the rest of our San Diego Crew and had an awesome lunch with gorgeous views.