Adventure Review: Haleakala (Maui).

I can truthfully say I recently biked a 10,000 foot volcano. This adventure traversed about 35 miles on a road spanning from the ocean to the top of Haleakala on Maui.

I should add, however, the bike ride was downhill.

The bike had no gears, and none was needed. Its only crucial feature: brakes. Trying to control the bike as it screamed down the mountain through about 30 switchbacks and few guardrails was a challenge of its own. Indeed, some in the group, who paid good money for the experience, bowed out, choosing instead the sag van's Naugahyde bench seat to the bike's banana seat.

A van took the bikes and the riders to the top of the volcano, which boats a crater 21 miles in circumference. From the top, the stunning views of the crater--something out of a lunar landing--as well as the shimmering ocean arrested my breath--even without biking up the hill. The views on the way down diminish only slightly.

Many services run this route, and the road gets a bit crowded--much like the queues at Mount Everest during climbing season (as written about in Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.) Nevertheless, biking Haleakala is a spectacular experience not to be missed by able-bodied visitors to Maui.