We just got back from Maui, late Thursday night. I will be doing a little trip report next week (I still have yet to write it. I have to get my kids ready to leave today. They are embarking upon a week long camping trip with their grandparents. I am hoping this alone time will allow my brain the capability to fill pages with stories and get me caught up on comments and reading my favorite blogs!). I managed to do some outfit photos while I was there.
My favorite thing to do on vacation is to just drive and see where the day takes us. This usually does not disappoint. We found ourselves in the vicinity of Maui’s Haleakala Crater and so we decided to make the drive up the mountain. Usually people make the trek up for sunrise or sunset, but we are not planners. I think both events would be worth it. Although, I cannot imagine making the drive in the dark, especially with the bicyclists on those tight turns.
This picture above was taken on the drive up. It starts off gorgeous and green and then turns red and barren as you drive higher up the volcanic rock.
We got to the top and it was gorgeous. Truly breathtaking. You can see above the clouds. It feels wonderful and oddly like being a part of “The Never Ending Story.”
Yes, I wore this dress to the top of a volcano where everyone else was dressed in hiking gear.
And it was kind of awesome! Well, maybe I did regret not bringing a sweater. It was cold! But spontaneity sometimes calls for a little discomfort.
The dress was a clearance buy from Free People that I featured here a few months ago. It is sold out now, but they have a slightly similar one here that I very much want. And underneath it, I am wearing my favorite slip in the world. It is the Free People Trapeze Slip. It looks like they currently have a similar color to my seafoam colored slip. I wear mine at least once a week. While I was in Maui, I saw three different women wearing this slip (all three women had on different colors and all three women were at three different places) as a swimsuit cover-up.
The necklace is Simply Livly’s Turquoise Necklace.
It was so high. It might have been the highest I have ever been except for traveling in an airplane.
One of the most amazing sights is peering down into the crater. It feels so untouched and I told my husband that I could still believe there might be dinosaurs amongst us peering down into that valley. This was my husband’s favorite part of the trip. He could have stayed here all day.
And honestly, I could have, too.
It was peaceful and not as cold as it was at the very top of the mountain.
I did a little twirl and I think it looks like I was flying.
Speaking of flying, we spotted a ton of owls on Maui. For some reason it is not something that I had pictured when I thought of the island. This little guy was the third one I spotted on the drive back down the crater.
Have you been to the top of a volcano? Was it windy and cold? Did you bring a gnome friend?
What a great way to spend some time after your Un-merry Month Of May!
Thank you Brynne. I think we definitely enjoyed it more, because we were so grateful to be a family after our awful May.
Have a happy Tuesday!
Jenni
Gorgeous up there! And I think that you wore the perfect dress! You’ll love looking back on that scenery & the fact that you didn’t look like a grungy hiker, but were flowy & one with the winds & the sweeping views! You look so pretty in that dress! Fun! Can’t wait to see more vacay pics & read about your trip!
🙂 rebecca
Thank you Rebecca. I am putting off the big trip report because I have not had the time yet to devote to it. I want to make sure that I do not forget anything. I do think it was a happy chance that I wore that dress that day. It was cold, but I love the pictures I got with the kids and myself. It looks surreal from far away as I am hugging them to me.
Thank you again! Have a wonderful week!
Jenni
Beautiful photos. I love your dress.
I went to Maui when I was still in high school with my parents and my brother. I did not have a gnome friend. I still have lots of nice memories and I think it’s wonderful that you’re giving your kids this experience.
Looking forward to your trip report. (Food pics, please?)
Thank you Liana!
My kids had a great time. I thought of you when I was on top of that mountain. I know you would have loved it!
Food pictures, galore! I took a ton! They are my favorite. : )
Have a super week!
Jenni
That gnome is so cool! : )
These photos of you and the scenery are wonderful.
We walked in another very old crater on Oahu. It did not look like this.
bisous
Suzanne
Thanks Suzanne. My children were mortified at all of the places that gnome popped up on our trip. I have some pretty funny pictures of me tormenting my teenager with it! : )
Have sweet dreams!
Jenni
one of my biggest regrets. i’ve been to maui twice, but never made it to the volcano :(. we did however do the road to hana both trips, which i love!
xo jac
thesunshinedistrict.blogspot.com
Too bad. I hope next time you go, you get to do this. It was really great. I have only done a little of Hana. We have decided it is not our “thing.” But I imagine it is gorgeous!
Have a joyful Wednesday!
Jenni
Breathtaking photos! Thank goodness you did not wear hiking gear!
Could you breath up there? I get horrible altitude sickness. We went to Lake Tahoe ten years ago and I spent the whole time crying I felt so bad.I will just enjoy your pics and probably not go up that high.
Really – these photos of you on the volcano in your pink dress are gorgeous. You look like you are channeling Guinevere in the Mists Of Avalon.
Thank you so much Cynthia. It was easy for me to breathe. I have never had altitude sickness. Thankfully. That would have been awful all of the way up there. I am not even sure what would happen. Thankfully it all went well.
Bummer that you cannot go up. : (
Have a low-altitude happy Wednesday!
Jenni
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So beautiful. I would love to make it to Hawaii one day. I love traveling so much. I want to let me kids explore the world. The views and the crater are amazing. I love that you wore a long maxi and not hiking clothes 🙂 Thanks for sharing your vacation photos!
Thank you Alicia. Traveling with my kids is my favorite. I think it is so exciting to see the world through their eyes. It is such a neat experience. I am boring. I like to go to the same place again and again. Next year, we might try some place new. I wish we could afford to travel to Japan. That is where we really all want to go.
Have a joyful Wednesday!
Jenni
Love the gnome, love the photos, love that you didn’t wear hiking gear! Makes for better photos! Obviously, love the turquoise necklace as well. 🙂
Thank you! I like the photos now. At the time, I wondered how we were going to all keep our ears. It was so cold and I was dressed the warmest. I love the family pictures, though. And thankfully, I love the cold. That turquoise necklace is my favorite. I wore it two days ago, too.
Have sweet dreams!
Jenni
Love the dress – I went there with my brother when I was 17 ish and we hiked up as the sun rose – I could not catch my breath!
Thank you Yili. I was surprised none of us had trouble at that height. I think it had everything to do with dressing inappropriately and being frozen popsicles. Our bodies could only handle one crisis at a time. I wish I could see the sun rise there. Even my teenage daughter declared she would get up early to experience that!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Jenni
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