Category Archives: scenic drives

Road Trip to Hana- Again

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On the Road to Hana

I’m in Maui so that means a trip to Hana. The only way to get there is taking the “Road to Hana” also called the Hana Highway. Regular visitors to this site can attest to my experiences with the Hana Highway. I’ve had some close calls when I’ve attempted to make the drive on my own so this time I chose to take a tour. Let someone else do the driving. In case you are wondering about my cowardly decision the Road to Hana is considered the 5th most dangerous road In The World!

The Hana Rainforest & Waterfall Fun Tour

The concierge recommended Aloha Sunshine Tours for the trip to Hana. Pick up was in the lobby at Ka’anapali Beach Club at 6:10 am. I was advised to wear a bathing suit under my clothes and bring beach towels and sunscreen. Also recommended was bug repellent and Dramamine. This is not an inexpensive trip. I was receiving a discount but for those not members of a resort club or time share the cost of the tour was $161.45 per adult. The price includes lunch in Hana. In our case lunch was a sandwich wrap and a soft drink. I just didn’t want you to think it was an elaborate restaurant meal, it wasn’t. 

Lets Talk about The Road to Hana

The Hana Highway is dangerous because in a 30 mile stretch there are 620 curves and 59 single lane bridges. Unlike other places where one car goes then the other side goes, like at a stop sign, if you have a line of cars behind you  that gives you the right of way and the on coming cars all wait until the whole string of cars has passed. Some of the curves are blind curves. Our tour bus went around them with the horn blaring to let cars on the other side of the curve know we were coming. Two of the passengers got car sick. but thankfully managed to hold it until we could find a place to pull over. The drop offs can be dizzying when you look down.

The Hana Highway runs through a rainforest

The scenery is magnificent. We stopped to take a quick dip under a waterfall. You are traveling through an honest to goodness rainforest. Waterfalls abound, some dripping down onto the highway. There can be fog and limited visibility. The day we went it was sunny for the most part. Only patches of rain. One big change from my previous tour, when we got to Hana we turned around and came back. The tour did not take us on the back side of Haleakalā. Our driver said the unpaved road there was too rough on their vans. I’ll share some of the stops we made in the next post.

If You Go

If you get to Hana , whether on your own or by tour, be sure to pick up some banana bread. It is THE BEST! I’m told it’s made with the tiny bananas and that is what makes it so moist and sweet. I don’t know if that’s true but I’ve never had banana bread as good as this in my life. Its worth the scary ride on the Road to Hana.

 

 

 

The Road To Hana is a Very Scary Road

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The Road To Hana is a Very Scary Road

I know I’ve been neglecting adding posts lately but I have been working on things. I’m re-writing some of my earlier blog posts for a writing course I’m taking. I’d like to share one I just finished about a experience I had on the Road to Hana in Maui.  Originally this was 2 blog posts from my trip in 2017. After taking the writing course I condensed it down to under 800 words and made it 1 story. So here it is. I hope you enjoy this revised version.

My Road to Hana Mishap (or how I scared myself silly on one of the most dangerous roads in the US)

My heart is pounding like a jack hammer. My hands are shaking and sweating. My whole world has shrunk to this place, this minute. How did this happen? How did I get myself into this situation. How COULD I let this happen!? 

It’s a beautiful Hawaiian morning. Blue sky, a few fluffy clouds. Nothing to give me a hint of what was to come, a perfect start to a picture-perfect vacation in paradise.  The scenery takes your breath away  but that’s not why I’m having trouble breathing now. No, I’m sitting in my rental car, a jeep SUV, with the chassis balanced on a large rock; a boulder really. My left front tire is up in the air and my right fender is flush with a solid wall of dirt and clay. There’s a 100+ foot drop off to my left.

Don’t go on the Road to Hana the car rental people said. Your insurance will be void. My Insurance! What about my life? Right now its flashing before my eyes!

Be sure to turn around at mile marker 38 they said at the resort. Whatever you do, don’t go past Mile 38. I swear I never saw it. I saw whales playing off the coast. I saw green hills and blooming flowers. I did not see Mile Marker 38.

So now I’m parked precariously on my rock on a one lane dirt road that is barely clinging to the side of the mountain. I can see the nonexistent shoulder crumbling. There are about 20 cars behind me. They can’t move forward until I do. There are 2 cars trying to go down the same road I’m on. They refuse to back up. I can’t back up with 20 cars behind me. Driver #1 is screaming obscenities at me. I don’t know what to do. I’m as far off the road as I can get. If I close my eyes, I see my car, with me inside, plunging over the edge. Yup I’m about to become a statistic.A footnote tale of caution for tour guides to tell their guests.

People are starting to leave their cars to gather around. They shout instructions, wave their arms and offer advice. It doesn’t change the fact that there are 2 cars face to face on a one lane road. Something has to give and about that time it does. Driver  #1 , his patience worn out, suddenly guns his car. Spectators scatter as Driver # 1 barrels past me. He makes it! As a final gesture of good will he flips me the bird on his way to intimidate the next driver in line behind me. 

Driver #2 now creeps forward. The spectators urge him on. Ever so slowly he manages to force his car up to my boulder. His car is now leaning at a dangerous angle. His front bumper is only feet from my boulder, but his back bumper is still in the middle of the road. At that moment my car chooses to fall off its rock. With a crunch and a bump, I’m back on the road. There was no screech of metal  so I cross my fingers that there’s no damage. No one is blocking my way now, but I still have to get around the rear of the other car. That will take me very close to the edge of the cliff. I look to the spectators.They wave me forward with encouraging words. I hope they want my success – not to witness a big splat. I hold my breath. I’m afraid to look to the left. I stare at the single lane ahead with the rear end of the car in the middle and then I’m past car #2.

 

I turn the corner and there, not 100 yards ahead of me is a pull out. There’s even a food truck. I pull in, turn around and fall out of my car on shaking legs. I can’t believe I made it. I’m safe- at least until I have to venture back the way I came.

 

 

Hog Heaven

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Hog Heaven

Hog Heaven

Kitchen

You could say that I was in Hog Heaven at Ocean Point Resort. The suite was beautiful, the view was outstanding. The bed was comfy and gave me a good nights sleep but when I woke up this morning I was anywhere but Hog Heaven. My plan had been to do some more snorkeling but when I got up I nearly took a header getting out of bed. My feet were so sore. I think they were black and blue. They weren’t cut. I’d checked that carefully after my encounter with the coral rocks but they did get very bruised. I gingerly limped into the kitchen area, made some eggs and collapsed in a chair at the counter for breakfast. 

What to do?

As I enjoyed my eggs and tea I mulled over how to spend my day if my feet were going to be difficult. I quickly realized that walking or hiking would be out of the question. Braving the coral shore for snorkeling wasn’t appealing either.  The resort’s pool was an option but I was pretty sure I’d get bored quickly. I’d brought some books with me and decided to put my feet up on the deck and read a little. Then I’d reassess how my mobility was doing.

Hog HeveanIslamorada

Around noontime I made the decision to explore a little from my car. The next Key is Islamorada. I first heard of Islamorda a few years ago when HGTV held a Dream Home Getaway here. Theater of the Sea is also located on Islamorda so I figured I’l take a little drive to get familiar with the area. 

Hog Heaven Really Does Exist

As I cruised around I spotted a huge pig advertising Hog Heaven and ocean side dining. You’d be amazed how few places have ocean side dining considering we’re on a chain if islands.  I followed the sign into a dirt parking lot. A rustic building sporting a “crashed plane” welcomed me to Hog Heaven. Yes, Dad, it does exist! Inside I passed a  classic car, at least half of one, with speakers blaring.Hog Heaven

I could see the bar area and headed that way. This was the ocean side dining. Tables looked out on a small marina. I placed my order, fried shrimp and cornbread. It was outstanding! I really was in Hog Heaven on Islamorada Key, Florida!

Hog Heaven

On The Road- Let the Vacation Begin!

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On The Road to Key LargoSouthernmost point Key West

I’m finally on the road to Key Largo. Let the Vacation begin! I’ve escaped the never ending circles of the rental car garage, navigated my way through the road construction in Miami, passed Homestead and Florida City and reached the end of the Florida Turnpike. Whew! My GPS says only 66 more miles to Key Largo. I’m on US 1 aka the Overseas Highway. I’ll follow this until I reach my destination at Ocean Point Resort. If I keep on to the end I’ll end up in Key West. The road ends near the Southernmost Point. But I’ve been there so I don’t think I’ll do that this trip.

US 1 Overseas HighwayIt’s just 1 Lane

US 1 is just one lane each way in most places. There are a few designated passing section that quickly merge back down to a single lane again. The speed is between 45 and 50 mph. In some places the water seems to be at road level, only held back by a little strip of shoulder. Today is nice and sunny but I’d hate to be on this road in a storm! I’m making good time until I see a helicopter heading south. I wondered if it was a traffic copter or maybe a sightseeing tour.

Life Flight

Suddenly the copter swung over the highway. It swooped right over my car with a woop woop woop of the rotors. My heart nearly stopped as I grabbed for the cell phone. I wanted a picture to show how low that thing was but before I could do that I had to stop. Everyone was pulling over and getting out of their cars. The chopper set down in the southbound lane of US 1. As we watched we could just barely make out emergency lights on the northbound side. It didn’t take long before the copter was in the air again heading back toward Miami. It was now apparent that this was a Medical Life Flight copter taking injured away from a crash.

On the Road Again

The southbound side was opened up very quickly after the helicopter took off. As we passed the crash site it was clear that it was a nasty accident. Northbound the traffic was stopped for miles but at least those of us heading into the Keys were on our way again. I’ve had enough excitement for one day. I’m ready to get to the resort.

It’s a Banner Year for Fall Colors

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Fall Colors Abound

The fall foliage colors are amazing this year. Being in southern New England they just started turning this week but they began peaking last week in the more northern states. My cousin got to head north  to Maine and New Hampshire and shared some beautiful video on Face Book. If you have a minute you can check out her video here.    https://www.facebook.com/kathy.collins.7127/videos/10214903348962786/?t=0        In Southeastern Massachusetts we’ve had a no’reaster sitting off the coast of Nantucket all week. Lots of rain and high winds have made leaf peeping locally a bit of a challenge. Now if you like taking pictures in the rain- go for it. I’ve been a little too busy to mess with rain gear but it hasn’t stopped me from admiring the color changes.

Last Chance for 2019

Just as my cousin headed north for her vacation I’m heading south. I’m heading to the Florida Keys so today is the last chance I’ll have to get any fall foliage photos for this year. It looks like it’s stopped raining so maybe I’ll get lucky.  I think I can spare an hour to go poking around before I finish my packing. What do you think of these?

Leaf Peeping locally

I didn’t plan my vacation very well but it was the only time I could get in at the resort I wanted. Sometimes you just have to take what you can get. The newscasters have been talking about the colors along the Mohawk Trail this year and out toward the Berkshires. I won’t have time to make that drive but these photos from Raynham and Easton aren’t bad if I do say so. This is what I get to see everyday as I commute to work. Not a bad view. Of course I had to swing by the Norton Reservoir. That was always a pretty spot. It used to be on my drive when I worked in Foxboro.  I do miss that. I guess that’s all for now. Catch you all on the weekend.