The problem with famous roads is just that. They’re famous. If you’re in Maui, you’ll see “Drive Hana Highway” on every “must do list”. Ok. So it’s beautiful. Breathtaking even. And yes…yes yes…it is a must do! And if I were Queen Hannah of Hawaii I would ban all tourists from Hana Highway and raise the speed limit to infinity. Oh Sigh, I’m not. It’s a bumper to bumper experience. And the only solitude you will find on this road is if you drive at the crack of dawn and even then you might get stuck driving behind Miss Daisy riding her brakes at 5mph along the switchbacks.
And that’s why you have to seek out the roads less traveled. Take the road AFTER Hana Highway for instance. None of the guide books talk much about it. In fact…if it’s mentioned at all it’s in the same breath as “unsafe and unpaved and NOT recommended”. At the car rental counter you’ll become familiar with this road because the maps will clearly state the road after Hana as “NOT allowed” and you’ll even have to sign that you agree that driving this road is NOT permitted and any accidents will be your own responsibility.
Well. Well well. Our curiosity was certainly piqued. It built up over the days. We speculated between ourselves. And even dramatized what the worst possible scenario could be. Since the three of us in the car had a natural attraction to doing the exact opposite of what we were told, we threw all caution to the wind and democratically voted to explore the forbidden road. (I do have to mention a friend new to me, old to my fellow road trippers, did recommend this route… just the extra assurance we needed).
We started this mission at the Seven Sacred Pools on a quiet two lane road through a quiet residential area. Smooth pavement, sweeping corners that alternated between views of the coast and views of the lush rain forest jungle. After about thirty minutes the houses thinned out. The spaces between got bigger. And we encountered the sections of the famous unpaved roads. And walls of falling rock. Narrow and blind turns that would be near fatal had the road been busy. We quickly understood why this road was forbidden. But we trekked on with bravado. They never were dangerous looking enough for us to turn back. It was either that or our stubbornness that pushed us through.
We discovered farms and ranches and an old forgotten church guarded by a old and content cow. We happily snapped away pictures and continued the drive. And then it started to dry out. At first it was subtle and then all of a sudden we looked around and thought we had landed on the back side of Mars or some other alien planet.
On our left was the vast ocean. Wet and wild. And on our right was barren terrain that looked like it had not seen a drop of water in eons. The colors were no longer emerald and green. It was brown … and gray… and … devoid of any pigmentation. I remember at that time feeling confused. Just moments ago we were stomping through the lush topography of one of the wettest parts on earth. And now we were in what was virtually an island desert. Life did exist though on this unknown side of this planet. Here…. Billy goats ruled. I guess they can pretty much survive on dirt if they had to. And we even encountered a herd of cows.
Because the road was deserted. The road condition was spectacular. It changed elevation dipping up and down like a roller coaster. Acquiring a lead foot was easy on this open road. Our car decided to go faster. Our hands and feet were hanging out the windows, music and wind dancing with our spirits. We felt free.
Funny it did rain for a few moments. And yet it was so dry that it seemed all it did was wash in more gray … as if that were even possible.
Our last thirty
minutes of this drive were spent in quiet “what surprise could we encounter next” anxiety. Plus we were hungry and gone through our bags of road trip car chips. We were dangerously close to running out of gas and probably running on fumes. We lucked out and found one just in time. We laughed, stretched our legs and got back in the car for the final moments home. It was a long drive and a good one.
I look back in fondness….I cherish that drive. It had all the elements of making it unforgettable. Adventure, surprise, friendship, laughter and discovery. It had the feeling of having gone where no man .. or woman.. had gone before… it had the feeling of having unearthed some great treasure and conquering the unknown…. And having survived to tell the tale. And I will predict, though the road after Hana will never be on the top “published” list … it’s definitely going to be on mine.
