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Kipahulu and Shrimp Truck

View from the bunkhouse on a sunny Thursday morning.

In the middle of the week I traveled to Kipahulu, the area of the park that is on the ocean. It is an entirely different ecosystem as you can imagine. It is at the base of the Haleakala mountain and is tropical. Most of the day I got there it sprinkled or rained hard. It’s much warmer in Kipahulu than at the summit area so it was nice to wear shorts. I stayed in the ranger “bunkhouse” basically a large one-room house with a large deck on three sides. Inside is a small kitchen area with refrigerator and propane stove. Two beds were set up and two cots were available. I was alone so I picked one of the beds. The bunkhouse is on the edge of a cliff so the view down to the water is spectacular. You hear the waves crashing on the shore day and night. Except when the rain pours down, then you hear that pretty loud on the metal roof of the house. There is an outdoor shower with the spectacular view and two ‘vault’ toilets a few feet away.

With the solid cloud layer, it didn’t look like there would be much stargazing that night. But when they say, “if you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes” they weren’t kidding. After dinner I looked out a window and saw a few stars. I ran out with my camera to see the sky fairly clear overhead. You could see stars winking out as the clouds moved around. Soon fewer stars were seen and the window overhead closed. But Thursday morning was bright and sunny!

The staff are great, I got so speak with some at the entrance station and the visitor center. Many are Maui-born and live nearby the park. Later in the month I return for two days so I’m looking forward to that.

I drove to Kahului the next day before heading back to the summit area. Ann found out about “shrimp trucks” by searching for Maui food and insisted I try one. 808 Plates Maui was in the parking lot of the Home Depot and served Hawaiian “plates”. Basically, a lunch plate with entrée and two sides. I got the garlic shrimp, which is sautéed and put over rice, your sides are salad and a scoop of rice. Really, really good. Good thing I listened to Ann.

Fortified, I did some grocery shopping at a nearby organic store and returned to the apartment up on the mountain.

Bunkhouse by day. Outdoor shower is the small thing on the right.
Bunkhouse by night under wispy clouds.
808 Plates Maui shrimp (and more) truck.
The garlic shrimp.
 
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