Spent last night at Laupahoehoe State Park. It's the location of a tsunami that destroyed a village there in 1946 killing many children and adults. The waves crashed against the black lava boulders of the shoreline. The rain stopped when we got in our tents about 7:30 pm and didn't start again til we got up. What gives? This side of the island is living up to it's reputation for clouds and rain but it's still so lush and beautiful that it's forgiven. We keep pulling off onto the old roads and meandering along the coast at a snail's pace. No fancy resorts here. Real small houses and farm land and lush foliage. Avocados, jack fruit, guava. All growing by the sides if the roads. I've eaten more papaya in these 3 days than in the previous 62 years:).
We checked out the place where our hike starts tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will hold for us like it did today: cloudy with no rain after the little bit this morning. The road comes to a parking place at the top of the cliff. There are signs to engage your 4WD NOW! 25% grade! That's the road we're heading down tomorrow. Then across a very flat wide valley. About 1 mile across. Then up the Z trail, switchbacks with a 1200 ft climb in another mile. Then we'll be on the tops of the cliff.
We found a place to camp near a town park in the little village at the top of the cliff. We set up mid afternoon to get our tents dry. There's a large, mowed, rolling meadow between us and the cliff's edge. Our tents were still wet from this morning so we had put them up to dry. This guy comes over on his ATV and passes me by to go up to Heike (we think he thought she was a guy) and talk to her. He said it would be better if we waited til after dark to put up our tents so as to not upset the residents. Or we could move them onto the meadows which was his property. How nice was that? And this is the sacred place. The energy in this land is palpable. We walked out to the cliffs tonight and he and his wife were out there. He's an artist, the moved here from OR 5 years ago, they've been married 43 years (I'm so envious), and they love the land. They call it Too Huge For Words. Looking out off the cliffs from the special stone altar he's built out to the ocean on 3 sides and back at the cliffs we'll hike tomorrow all the way north up the shoreline was mystical. The dark misty clouds hanging low. The white waves breaking against the shore 500 ft below. Breathless. And that's where I'm sleeping tonight!
Oh ya. And I explored a lava tube today by myself with rooms 7-8 ft high. My headlamp barely lit the space up. Creepy. Exciting. I know people lived in this cave in days long ago. Too afraid to go far in alone. Didn't want to get lost.
Beddy bye!
BagLady
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:)
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