We got up early the next morning with the intention of getting as much of the climb done as possible before the worst heat of the day. Maui's south coast is very arid and has no shade.

Eric was in such a hurry to leave that he figured we didn't need to eat breakfast. We had run out of oatmeal, and he didn't feel like cooking noodles for breakfast at 7 a.m. He thought we could just make it to Ulupalakua, 20 miles away, and have lunch there. Or possibly cook some noodles on the way.

I however, am a big fan of breakfast. I would have eaten noodles at 7 a.m.. But Eric had packed the stove before I could say anything. I figured I'd live. I was right, but only technically.

The ride was a killer. The road would rise gently and then suddenly spike upward. Several times I had to stand up on my pedals just to get up the hills. And it was quite hot even that early. It felt like noontime.

What kills me is that I've climbed more than 3000 feet in one day before. Two years ago, on the Big Island, Eric and I rode much longer distances, and one day climbed 3500 feet. It was hard, but why was Maui so much harder? Eric and I have a few theories: it's hotter; we have more gear this time; and it's harder to ride when we're worried about running out of water.

Within four miles, at mile 26, I keeled over. I lay on my back in the sun for about half an hour. Then we got up and rode again, and I did the same thing at mile 22. Luckily, somewhere along the way, it got overcast. And as we climbed it got cooler.

By milepost 20, the hills had killed me again. Eric kept urging me on to the magic milepost 14, home of the town Ulupalakua, which had stores. I was picturing a great lunch. Both of us wanted to eat there. But we broke down at milepost 20 and cooked some noodles anyway. I was starving. They were the best noodles ever. Lipton's creamy garlic.

After that, the ride wasn't so bad. The hills weren't so steep and it was getting cooler and cooler. We rode into town about 11:45. There was a ranch store with a big beautiful deli, and beautiful cooler with all sorts of ice-cold drinks. We were in heaven.

That night, we planned to stay at a b&b and then take a cab up to Mount Haleakala, the volcano. We were planning to backpack into the crater for three days.

But first we had to find the b&b. We asked around and found one that was booked. But that one referred us to another one nearby. The b&b's in Maui are very pricey: $85 to $150. I didn't want to spend that much. I figured maybe we could ride back towards the airport and get a cheaper place. But then the taxi ride to the volcano would be more expensive.

When we got to the second b&b, Eric went in to ask about the price. I stayed on the road thinking MAYBE we would stay if it was $85. And if they would do our laundry. My wish came true. It was $85. The place was a whole apartment, with a kitchenette and a great bathroom with a washer and dryer. I was blown away.

Plus, our inn keepers told us thee cab fare to the volcano might run us $100! I was shocked. I thought it would be more like $5. They said they would give us a ride to the trailhead for free.

next: camping in the crater

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