Enjoyed your pics and stories about Maui and Haleakala. I lived/worked in Maui and experienced all that you mentioned. It is awesome. Even had to work a few days up at Science City and at 10,031 feet, that was an experience. If you didn't know, the crater of the volcano is big enough to place New York City inside it...for real! It is like a moon scape with the gray volcanic ash making for an eerie sight.
I moved from Maui directly to Alaska in the midst of winter and acclimated in about two weeks. Great experiences and glad to see you share yours. BTW...that volcano with it's climb from sea level to 10,000ft is the highest rise in the shortest horizontal distance of anywhere in the world. Also, unmodified air tends to cool with altitude at the rate of 3 degrees C or 5 degrees F for every thousand foot ascent. So, you can see where the 50 degree F change comes from. It is breathtaking to say the least. I was the first meteorologist at Kahalui Airport, Maui to send out a report of snow falling at the volcanic rim. Pretty neat for the tourists.
Thanks again for your post...it brought back some great memories.