DAY 8

KONA TO HILO

In the old days all of the automobile rental agencies made you sign a waiver stating that you would not take their car over the saddle road; the road that connects Kona to Hilo by going over the saddle between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. It was an unpaved rocky stretch of road unfit for man or beast, but it was a favorite with all of the 4X wheelers.

That was the old days. Today the road is paved from Kona to Hilo, and the portion from the top of the saddle down to Hilo is wide and freshly paved, and for today it was our road of choice. Much of the distance is through lava fields; barren, rough and black. All along the way I tried to explain about the lava fields to Virginia. “Well, what I want to know is why can’t the lava stay soft, if it is soft when it comes up out of the earth” she asked? “Soft”? I questioned. “Molten. Lava is molten”. But again she asked “I know that, but why can’t it stay soft”? “Molten, molten. Can you say molten”? “Molten” she replied, “But I still can’t see why it can’t stay soft.” And there are many, many miles of lava field that we have to traverse.

Much of the lava fields were in the process of being broken down by Mother Nature, both from the elements and from the growth of plant life. Some of the fields were black, rough, and chunky fields, while others had a soft cover of moss starting to grow on them. Through this process the lava collects airborne dirt from the winds and plant seeds from birds, and before you know it, two or three hundred years, you have some nice rich soil suitable for growth.

Thank goodness Don had brought his GPS along; “Elevation 1,960 feet, 53.2 miles per hour, North 19 degrees and 47 minutes by 155 degrees and 51 minutes west”. Fortunately it only takes about two hours to reach Hilo using the saddle road.

As we descended the slopes of Mauna Loa the lava fields changed into lush green forests. It reminded me of our home in Kalapana, Hawaii. Sharon’s parents retired to Hawaii in the early eighties they built a home and before long they were assimilated into the Hawaiian way of life. Albert, Sharon’s dad had always built or renovated homes in his spare time, and when a house located in the development came up for sale, he suggested that we buy it and he could help remodel it with me. Well, we bought it, remodeled it and put it up for rent. It was no trouble renting it, since the Hawaiian welfare checks were more than enough to cover the rent; we always had the house rented out.

Then came trouble in paradise. Madam Pele got her tail in a knot over all the haolies (foreigners) that were moving onto her fertile slopes. Not being one to negotiate, within six months after her first eruption our brand new housing development was underneath ten feet of lava. Aloha to our beautiful home in Kalalpana Gardens.

Once we arrived in Hilo, we took a quick tour through the city and then headed for nearby Rainbow Falls. Rainbow Falls is only about two miles from Hilo, and is a must see for all the tour busses. It is a smaller falls, but still worth the trip. After warming up on the smaller Rainbow Falls, Virginia wanted to waste no time in getting on to Akaka Falls. By the time we arrived at the park it was raining. Not just misting, but a real Hilo rain. With around 140 inches of rainfall annually, you just have to expect to see a little rain. What a disappointment. Sharon and Don weren’t going to get wet just to see a falls. Sharon had seen it, and Don was still trying to figure out what the local GPS coordinates were. So it was up to Virginia and me. We donned our light summer jackets and headed down the path which was lined with lush tangles of blackberry, brilliant flowers of impatiens on either side, and ferns that were twelve feet tall. As we proceeded on to the falls, others were returning; sloshing up the path rain soaked but giddy with excitement. What better way to experience the true Hawaii except in a tropical downpour.

Before we reached the main falls, we were treated to a smaller falls. “Oh, that is absolutely gorgeous” exclaimed Virginia. I told her to hang on to some of her excitement for the main falls, but she was too busy snapping pictures to hear. The rain was really coming down now. Our light jackets were soaked, so we did what any native Hawaiian would do, we reached up and tore some leaves of from a nearby palm and used them for protection over our heads.

We were really into it now; snapping pictures, running from tree to tree to try and stay out of the rain, and having just too good of a time in general. We rounded a corner, and Virginia was snapping pictures of some flowers off to the right. “Turn around Virginia, turn around” I told her. She turned around and cried “Oh my ………” It was Akaka Falls; torrents of water gushing over the falls and then plunging down 420 feet into an almost circular pool. It was breathtaking. For a moment, there was no rain. The wet coats and soggy shoes were of no concern. This was absolutely gorgeous. Here was this beautiful falls with pure, blue water plunging down through a lush chute of green vegetation. It was awesome. This day was certainly one of the highlights of the trip.

Lava Field

Rainbow Falls

Just a walkin' in the rain

Life Is Good