#omaopio

[riselively]

Light Show Omaopio, Maui

RISELIVELY

[roadrashdiaries-blog]

Omaopio

Even though I've been residing on Maui for nearly three months now, I had yet to climb the slopes of Haleakala from the western side.  So in order to remedy this, I set off from Paia town toward Kahului via Highway 36 towards the county dump.  After about turning off onto Hansen road then taking another quick left onto Pulehu I was officially climbing up the massive volcano.  However it doesn't seem this at first.  It is an odd sensation because the road appears flat as you look out but you just can't quite turn the pedals, after 5 minutes of trying to stay big-ring I finally surrendered to physics and dropped down to my small ring in the front and last gear in the rear.

After passing the dump, which scares most visitors away from the climb, the climate suddenly turns extremely dry and sunny.  It's the great trait of Omaopio, it is always sunny and dry no matter how damp the surrounding areas are.  The climb begins to kick here as the surface worsens down to a glorified rutted sidewalk.  The landscape is scattered with palatial mansions and numerous cacti, yes, cacti on Maui.  

As you progress the climb only steepens and one is only reminded on any progress with a glance over the shoulder to see the ocean get further and further into the distance.  Just when you think, "this can't get any worse," it gets worse...until it doesn't.  After about 6 miles it ends as suddenly as it started as you are unceremoniously dumped onto Kula highway.  A quick right here would have led me straight down to my destination, Grandma's coffee house, however if you want to keep climbing for a bit, and there is always more climbing to do on Maui, just continue going up, you can go straight and up Lower Kimo road.  I elected to keep climbing and went straight over the highway and onto lower Kimo road, which is 2 miles of around twelve percent grade and completely terrible.  A strange things happens as soon as you cross Kula highway, the desert gives way to endless pine forest and cool 60 degree weather.  If you weren't careful you could easily be convinced you were in the Colorado. 

The horrible lower Kimo eventually ends at the junction of upper Kula Highway and a right here leads you uphill for roughly 3 more miles, past the entrance to crater road, then you scream downhill back to Kula highway, where a quick left leads you straight down to Grandmas Coffee House.  A rustic establishment where the coffee is grown and roasted all in-house.