We "hung" our wet clothes and towels inside the Westie in hopes that they would dry and set off for Haleakala National Park.
Turned out we had left our pop top open while driving. I have no idea why we even popped the camper since we obviously didn't sleep in it the previous night. I think maybe we had popped it so that we had head room to change out of our wet clothes inside the van? We pulled over and fixed the problem but talk about stupid.
Unlike many of the campgrounds we researched back then, camping in Haleakala was easy. No permits or reservations were needed, no complicated rules and restrictions, campervans were allowed, and it was first come, first serve. The best part? It was FREE. We easily found a place to park our Westie and since our camp was practically already set up, we had time to take a hike through Hosmer Grove.
The hike itself was rather short and easy. It began near the campground, passed through the 'alien forest' and ended in an open overlook area with native shrubs. This area supposedly was how Hawaii looked centuries ago.
Hosmer's Grove lies just in the park's cloud belt at around 7,000 ft. In the daytime, we enjoyed pleasant 60 degree weather and stunning cloud ribbons illuminated by the setting sun.
Can you believe I took these night photos with an old point and shoot camera? They are kind of blurry and a lot grainy but it really captured the mood of that evening.
On the plus, our suffering was somewhat short-lived -- we had to be up at 4am to catch the sunrise at the summit.
photography but when applicable (this just happened to be a good example) I try my best to include info regarding photo gear, basic technique, or editing tips. Hopefully someone out there finds this info helpful. ** //