The Adventure Begins – Pacific Morning

Our two week vacation, to celebrate our anniversary and birthdays, started with an early morning flight out of Albuquerque to LA.  After about an hour lay-over in LA, we took off for Maui.  I was sitting in a window seat, and was lucky enough to be able to witness and photograph the magic of a Pacific Morning.

It began unsuspecting enough, and I took a photo out the window as the mainland left our view.  I’m not certain what the little island was – Santa Catalina, perhaps?

Leaving the Mainland

Then, the magic began!  I first noticed some sort of lighted blue that seemed to be sort of swirling.  I did think it might have been the way the sunlight of early morning played on the clouds, but I hadn’t ever seen it do that in this way before.

Blue Swirling Sky

Then, I looked a bit behind us, still thru the window, and saw a golden light play on the swirls.  It truly was a beautiful moment that Mother Nature gave to me – on my birthday, no less!

Golden Kiss

As we flew on, and grew closer to our destination of the Kahalui Airport on Maui, I could see the scattered white puffy clouds in between us and the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean. 

Middle of the Pacific

And, as we got even closer, the pilot pointed out the “twin” (as I think of them) mountains on the Big Island of Hawaii, Mona Loa and Mona Kea, and then the dormant volcano of Haleakala, on Maui.

Mona Loa and Mona Kea

Haleakala from the Air

Finally, just before landing, we came across the shore of Maui, and I photographed the coast before I realized that it was along that coast where we would be staying, in a rented cottage, for the next two weeks.  What a great way to start my birthday!

Flying over Our Cottage

Enjoy!