Day 3: Scenic Drive and Stargazing

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August 28, 2010

Lili'uokalani Gardens
Our first stop in the morning was a visit to the Japanese-style garden on the waterfront of Hilo. It was so beautiful and serene. Several local families were just arriving and setting up their canopy tents, settling in for a day of sunshine and relaxation. Mom and I strolled the paths winding over the bridges and around tropical trees. The peace was broken when a tour bus rolled along, however, offloading tourists who flashed camera at everything. Yes, I take pictures of everything too, but somehow I feel it is different when I am not among a hoard of foreigners. After the bus packed up, we headed out of town for a scenic tour of the coast.

Four Mile Drive
The Onomea Scenic Drive is a four mile jog off Highway 19 just north of Hilo. There are several points of interest, some of which we visited. There is a botanical garden also - we skipped it. The entry is $15 and you see nothing out of the ordinary from other walking trails. We focused on the free stuff. There are two marked trail hikes that we took. One was paved, though steep, and led down to the rocky shore with crashing waves. There was a larger turnout and many tourists cluttering the area. The second walk we took was the Donkey Trail, which was unpaved, but very well established. The tree roots acted like little steps, and the terrain, while also somewhat steep, was very manageable. This was the better path, it led to a very small bay with a river estuary and beach. There were no tourists, but we did see two locals, one bikini sunbather on the bluff above the shore and a man with his dog on the beach. I liked that while there were others there, we were the only tourist people. We went down to the beach to get our feet wet - this was the only beach access we've seen yet on our trip! The trail head is right next to the botanical gardens and there is only enough room on the shoulder for one car. The drive itself is very pretty. There are these vines with huge leaves that climb up anything, palm trees, telephone poles, broken houses. There are some spots where the foliage has absolutely run wild. There are also some touristy things, like a snack shack and some artists under tents.

What Fusion Means to Me
Our lunch location, Cafe Pesto, is well-known and well-liked by people around town and described as a fusion restaurant. I have never been into fusion restaurants, but I could not tell you why, just that it wasn't my style. Now I can tell you why... it's not a style, it's a problem with the menu. The items would fall into the category of American food, listing pastas, pizzas, burgers, and the like. What went into these pastas and pizzas were not typical, in fact, they seemed experimental. There were some odd combination choices of ingredients for almost everything, and in the end I found a burger and a fajita which were "normal." Sorry, Cafe Pesto. Maybe you appeal to the masses, but not to me.

Walmart as a Tourist Trap
I hate to break hearts, but those pretty carved boxes or beaded necklaces are not made by the local people from whom you bought them. They come from Walmart; there is a whole section in in the store full of the same tourist stuff you paid premium for downtown. If you are not too proud, save a buck and buy your trinkets here. Yes, in saying this I understand this is going against the idea of supporting local merchants. And don't get me wrong, I do buy from local shops. But buyer beware, you are not getting authentic Hawaiian souvenirs, they all come from China.

Mauna Kea Stargazing
Background: Mauna Kea is considered the best place in the world for star gazing. The professional telescopes are located at somewhere around 13,400 feet elevation and can only be accessed with 4-wheel drive vehicles. The reason it is the best location is a combination of factors. It is so high in elevation that the telescopes are not obscured by atmospheric dust and clouds, and its position nearer to the equator allows observers views of northern and southern hemisphere skies.

We picked up a picnic dinner of Safeway chicken tenders and potato salad and headed out of town and toward Mauna Kea. Our route took us back to Saddle Road, banned from use by the rental company. Oh well. We passed a sign that said "Access Road," which to me meant something similar to a forestry access road, where selected vehicles were allowed. Passing the turnoff, we were then detoured through old Highway 200, an abandoned piece of road where the pavement was as unforgiving as the lava flows that flanked it. The main highway was closed because of a brush fire. Coming to the end of the detour, however, I realized that what I thought was the Mauna Kea road was in fact a staging area for the firemen. Without shame I pulled over and asked the cute fireman for directions. He was as useless as he was pretty, but his colleague pointed us in the right direction - back over the detour. It turns out that "Access Road" really means "Access Here."

Taking the correct turnoff this time, we wound upwards to 9000 feet elevation. It was far above the cloud lines and beautiful. Arriving just before sunset, I was a little demanding on my mother to hurry up so we could watch the sunset. We donned our sweatshirts to shield us from the cooler temps and began hiking. Unfortunately, what I failed to realize until Mom pointed it out, after we had trekked half way up a big hill, was that as soon as the sun goes behind the ridge there would be no view of anything glorious. Bummer. So back down the hill we went to have our picnic dinner. Shortly after, the sun went behind the ridge and it began getting dark.

There were several tour groups at the visitor's center, and all were anxious to have their go at the telescopes the staff had set up for viewing different stars or planets. It was endurance that kept us in line to get our turn, but worth the wait. We saw the rings of Saturn, the Earth's shadow over Venus, and a nebula. After a while, the tourist groups left, leaving more elbow room to view through the telescopes. The staff pointed them at different objects over the evening, so we got to see even more interesting star formations. Another staff member gave us a "star tour," shining a laser in the direction of different constellations and narrating the cultural significance of each. I treated Mom to a hot chocolate, since it was about 38F degrees (if visiting, wear long pants and bring a good jacket).

The best part of the whole event was not in the telescopes. It was when I looked up. Never in my live have I seen so many stars in one sky. Even in the country side, you only ever see the brightest stars. Out in the middle of the Pacific, you could see everything. The constellations were crisp and easy to follow. But the part that had me in awe was the Milky Way. It is sort of visible from home, but not too well. Here, it was an unmistakable glowing river that cut through the sky. I can only imagine how amazing the sky looked to people before light pollution and industrial development. Just you and the sky.

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Photos

Mauna Kea Stars
Photo from internet, but this is the view we had. A-MAZING!