Day 8: Road to Hana

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September 2, 2010

Up and at 'em. We got up and going pretty early (like 8 a.m.) to go on a drive upcountry, the genreal term for the little town-lettes on the slopes of Haleakala. From the distance, you can see the defined line where the green, lush forests begin. That is where we were headed.

Upcounrty, Here We Come
The official drive began in Pa'ia town, which was very cute, but very sleepy before 10 a.m. It looked like another town that would be fun to stroll around. On our way upwards to Makawao on Baldwin Avenue we had the fortune of passing bikers who were on their waiy downhill from their Halwakala sunrise excursion. (These tours typically include transportation to the summit, a continential breakfast, and equipment for the ride down. They make sure it is very safe for all participants. We chose not to do this because some reviews said that while it was fun, they spent little time looking at the scenery on their way down and concentrated almost entirely on the road.) No point waving at these folks, they have a firm grip on their handle bars.

Makawao is another town advertised to have great shops for strolling. Aparently it fills up pretty quickly by the afternoon, so if you wanted parking, plan accordingly. Upward to Kula at 3000 feet elevation. We pulled off onto a side road that felt like it climbed straight up and made our way to Alii Kula Lavender Farm. This was definitely a fun stop. We strolled through their small but fragrant lavender fields and garden areas (self-guided tours are free of charge, guided tours come with a fee). The shop sold a lot of lavender food and skin products, but not many products with just dried lavender. I purchsed lavender honey, which was really sweet. Mom got some of their strawberry syrup, which will be delicious over french vanilla icecream. They also serve tea and scones. For kids, they have a scavenger hunt activity, where you try to find a card with stamps from stations all over the farm. I thought that was a neat activity, and a good way to get the car crazies out of the kids for a while. Nearby is also the Surfing Goat Dairy, which we would visit on our way back down from the hills.

Further south we arrived at 'Ulupalakua. I am not sure if this is a town or just the name of the primary ranch in the area, but it was minimal to say the least. We stopped for wine tasting at the Tedeschi Vineyards, getting four samples each. Mom and I tried some different wines and mostly covered their menu. The wines were good, but nothing different than what we have tried from our local wineries in Washington. A website recommended the 'Ulupalakua Ranch across the street for lunch. We found only a sign for a Deli, which was not interesting to either of us.

Onward to Hana
Since it was only 11 o'clock at that point, we had a choice: turn back, or continue onward around the east side of the island. We'd miss the goat dairy, but there is always a next time. So forward we went. Maui maps will tell you there is an unpaved section of the road that runs south of Haleakala, but we figured it would not be any different than Saddle Road on the Big Island, so we went for it.

Driving further south and then east, we were depressed by the landscape. A dead desert greeted us. It was summer, and so it was more dry than if we had visited in January, but the landscape was bleak. Dead trees and shrubs reaching up to the sky, crying out for a few droplets of rain water. The green line was very clear here. It was like some magic line that prevented living plants from crossing over into the lower elevations. We saw a lot of shacks too, and the lack of electric lines led us to believe that thes people were living off the grid entirely. Some places were kept pretty well, and others looked like sad little lean-tos with rusted cars in the front yard. The front yard, mind you, was a bunch of rubble and volcanic rock.

The further east we drove, the more signs of civilization we encountered. There were real homes, and real enclosures for livestock. The ground was still a mangles mess of dead weeds and rock, but who's counting? The road became more savage, however. About one and a half lanes wide, we went from pretty pavement to compact gravel. This wasn't actually bad. But when we came across pavement again, we wished it was still gravel. I think at one point the whole surface was paved, but over the years there have been so many patch jobs that the road now looks like a kaleidoscope of different pave jobs. And it was bumpy as all hell too. Finally, we reached real pavement, still just one and a half lanes wide. The highway crews must have been very eager to put up safety signs. On a one lane road, there were "No Passing" signs. Thanks for the notice. Almost every bridge was one lane as well, requiring the "One Lane Bridge" sign even if it was on a one lane road. We were very amused. Safety first.

Getting closer to Hana and following the road north now, we passed back into green scape. It was so nice to see living trees again. The forest here was absolutely wild, trees and plants growing every which-way. It looked more like a jungle from Indiana Jones than a Hawaii post card. The one and a half lane road continued, and we had the uncomfortable experience of sharing the road with a giant firetruck. The truck was actually normal size, but it came within inches of our rental car. Phew! Finally, signs of Hana. We stopped at a restaurant for $15 burgers, but bring the only place in town, it was a fair price. The gas was shocking as well. While the rest of the island was at about $3.79, Hana was sitting on a gold mine of $4.69 per gallon regular gasolene. $20 got us half a tank.

Our drive continued north, now on a two-laned road. How extravagant. The many bridges we passed usually span over pretty brooks and rushing waterfalls, but there was not enough water and we saw mostly dry river beds. Another note, when passing north, you cannot see these weaterfalls very well at all. I would have driven through Hana first and then around the south side of Haleakala to better see the waterfalls, and scenic valleys. Because we were not stopping much at this point, we made excellent time back to Pa'ia. By the afternoon, this town was busteling with tourist activity.

Bored of being in the car, we went striaght home to Kihei. Steak leftovers for dinner and another soak in the hot tub finished our day perferctly. We would save packing for the morning - we were still on vacation!

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Photos

Tedeschi Vineyards
Here's a secret...

Tedeschi Vineyards
Mom's stealing his wine!

A whole lotta nuthin'
Not much to see. Dead, dead, dead.

Which One?
We don't slow for construction here.

Hana Highway
That line cut into the mountain... we were on it.