The road is like something out of a story book. It is narrow with trees closing in on you from both sides. It is also what I call the roller coaster road – peaks and valleys, up and done into dips, what Ed says would be a blast for teenagers to come out here and just see how fast they could really drive it. I’ll pass, I’m happy with the stately pace we’re taking now.
Around mile marker 14, we stop to do a little wave watching from the lava bluff above the ocean. It’s really pounding the coast here, we get soaked just from the spray of the waves.
As we progress further, we pass lava fields on both sides of the road, where you can see how the lava river just streamed down from the volcano. Imagine that sight! We also see lots of those little mongoose animals. They look sort of like a weasel or ferret, and there are lots that are running across the road in front of us (and one that didn’t make it). I have a whole bunch of tidal pools and heated thermal pools on the list to visit, but we blow all those off and head straight for the beach at the end of the road.
And what a surprise that is! We’d read the road ends and you can walk out onto the “new” Kaimu beach at the end of the lava flow – but we didn’t read about Uncle Robert’s Awa bar, food stands and farmer’s market here. It’s crazy busy, with a band playing, tons of cars in the parking lot, people al over with these big tent like structures and vendors outside on the steps up to the lava/beach walk selling jewelry, volcanic stone mortar and pestles and all sorts of coconuts and bananas and things. Wild!
We walk up onto the lava beach trail first, which traverses the lava flow and leads you out to the new beach area. The lava here is mind boggling – first because it is just such a huge flow, and second because this is the flow that cut off and covered over Kalapana. The striations on the lava are fascinating, you can see the layers of lava as they formed and cooled and then heated again. It is sort of surreal to be walking on this now – knowing that when it was active it was a burning inferno of red hot lava slowly creeping its way down from the volcano to the sea.
Down near the beach, you start to see all the new plantings that have been done since the flow. A woman who lived in the community started the coconut plants to try to regrow the vegetation on the lava. She led a group of volunteers who carried on after her death (from cancer) – about a year or two after she started the project.
At the cliffs near the ocean is a little bench made from fallen tree wood. It is a great place to sit and reflect and think about the power of nature and how unpredictable it can all be.
As we head back to Uncle Robert’s, we pass a couple of ship’s tours. How these people will make it out on the lava is anyone’s guess. The ship is a huge mix of people, young, old, infirm and the like, but a lot of these people can’t walk well on a normal basis – we’ve no idea how they’ll navigate the tricky lava. Ah, the beauty of have a car and doing this kind of thing on our own.
It’s nearing lunch time, so we decide to visit Uncle’s Awa bar for a beverage and decide if we want to keep our original plans to go to Kaleo’s in Pahoa for lunch. The bartender is adorable – the most gorgeous blue eyes you have ever seen. He gives us our drinks – and we see a sign that says “Donations for drinks are suggested”. Hmmm…..well, here is the story:
This is Robert Keli‘iho‘omalu's house. It was cut off from the rest of Kalapana when the lava wrapped around his complex of 6 houses and buried the road in front. He always opened his home to neighbors and strangers, hosting weekend parties and the like. When the lava cut off the road, he just continued the same tradition of welcoming anyone who came by – tourists and locals alike. There are 26 family members and friends who live on the property, and they are all working together to try to get off the grid as well as grow enough food to support themselves. To become a member of the compound, you have to be voted in – and then you also have to work around the compound to help support it.
It’s a wild story – and a wild place! Our bartender, Kenneth, explained that it was like being welcomed into Uncle’s home. Everyone is a volunteer, and everyone who visits is asked to give some money for whatever they eat or drink. It is very much like a commune out here at the end of the road. Very, very fun.
We sat at the bar and chatted with Kenneth – who has hiked the Appalachian Trail and told us great stories about his experiences. He also told us he was on the team for sustainability and he plants breadfruit trees – “turning margaritas into breadfruit” as he put it. It’s a very low key, totally casual atmosphere here – one that is very appealing. But, we’ve decided to move on to the Kalapana viewing fields and lunch in Pahoa – so we bid farewell to Kenneth, buy 2 of those tasty bananas from the vendor on the way out – and make our way to Kalapana.
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