We headed out on Saturday morning for the northern part of the island, called the Kohala Coast. We passed some more desolate lava flows, but these ones were covered with island graffiti! We even saw company advertisements. It's a family tradition to come out to the lava and write messages to loved ones.
An amazing thing happened once we turned the corner on the island and started heading more northeast. Sun! Blue sky! Vegetation!
Apparently when the vog is around, it's mostly just around in Kona. We followed our guidebook across some old backroads (much to J's delight - he drove that Caliber to its limit) to Hapuna Beach. This beach had some wicked waves, so we rented a boogie board and shredded.
A father was there with twin girls, probably like 6 years old. They were fearless! The 3 of them stacked up on their board and rode in together. One time, when J had just ridden in to the beach (so he saw it all happen from the shore), and I was bobbing in the waves, the water sucked out and I was able to stand on the sand. I saw a massive wave looming over my head (J said it was probably 10 feet), so I just plugged my nose and dove into it. The sand at Hapuna Beach was extremely soft, so the landing was like being in a washing machine (as opposed to being dragged across kitty litter). Watching J ride a wave, only to have another huge one crash in behind him, was one of the funniest things I have seen.
We left Hapuna Beach starving, so we kept driving north toward Hawi town. I fell in love.
We ate at a yummy restaurant, Bamboo, located in what was a hotel 100 years ago, then a general store up until the 90's. They had restored it to the colors that the hotel was painted (side note: the hotel housed ladies of the night at one point), the kitchen is where the hotel's was (open air, too), and they still had the storefront windows up, painted with Coca Cola advertisements. After lunch we went across the street to Tropical Dreams ice cream and if you are ever on the Big Island, put this place high on your list. I had chocolate coconut macadamia nut and J had the same, but with vanilla. Whoa. This stuff is on Tillamook's level.
We drove through more old plantation towns (across some one way bridges built in the 30's and 40's) to the Polulu Valley lookout. This is the view looking to the left.
This is the view looking to the right.
We took the Kohala Mountain Road home, through several landscape and climate changes.
If you haven't been to Scotland, this is what the Highlands look like.
Back across the lava. All of the sudden you're on a different planet.
1 comments:
Is the picture with people boogie boarding, you and J? I can't believe all the vog, it's craziness!
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