Yikes! typical view on the way up the volcano . . .

 

Above the clouds

 

Above the clouds

 

Above the clouds

 

Looking down into the crater

 

Cinder cones

 

Silversword

 

Silversword

 

Spent bloom

It’s always a thrill to drive up the volcano – for me it’s a bit of a white-knuckler but it’s really not that bad and it is such an amazing thing to see. All photos are mine but here is some info that I copied from “Haleakala National Park”

Haleakala is one of two national parks in the HawaiianIslands. Located on the southern section of the island of Maui, the park’s 28,655 acres contain one of the most spectacular volcanic craters in the world as well as a beautiful section of the Maui coastline. Land in the park lies at altitudes from sea level along the coast to over 10,000 feet at the summit of the mountain, supporting a range of habitats from subalpine to subtropical rain forests.

The silversword, a relative of the sunflower, is well adapted for its life in the barren high altitude setting in which it is found. It is able to store and retain moisture in special tissue in the “leaves” which allows it to survive in the hostile environment. Layers of white hairs on these leaves help protect the plant from the strong ultraviolet radiation at high altitude and give it its distinctive frosty silver sheen.
The silversword is a large plant, with a rosette measuring up to about 2 feet across. It lives from about 15 to 50 years, blooms only once, sending a stalk 5 or 6 feet upwards, and then dies.