Happy Campers, pt. 1

Camping

We traveled maybe 10 to 15 mph as our load was heavy with two motorcycles in the back of our truck- (so it took us about that speed for a good part of the way) along the Mauna Keanakolu road -accessed from either Saddle Road or Waimea. Basically it's a 45-mile route around Mauna Kea.. here, about (6- 8,000 ft. elevation) but takes about 4-6 hours depending how quickly one wants to go. The roads can only be accessed by a 4 wheel drive and can be quite treacherous with heavy rain and mud, making steep hills difficult to climb. Believe me, we've been stuck before but we happen to be in the midst of a severe drought right now.."some swaths of the Big Island are the driest places in the United States, designating it an agricultural disaster by the fed gov."

Ever since we (me on the back of my husbands motorcycle) discovered this route at the beginning of the 90's- it still seems to evoke the same magical feeling - right out of a story book. The journey through this old ranch land twists along a bumpy path with thick dense grass and powdery clay dirt. You need A.C. too (we used to come back with dirt in our pores from our bikes or jeep).

(do enlarge)

 Did you really think they'd leave us out- ha

 The forest is full of enchantment

&

Holds deep secrets

 Old Kohler generator

View- leaving the modern bathrooms (behind)

Some of the grounds..

We made do until our son's joined us with a coffee maker

You can't think of everything - but someone else might?

(Running water from catchment~just not suitable for drinking)

 Because this is just the beginning of Fall, it wasn't too too cold- but warranted a nice stove at night-

 Women and dogs get left out..but often its the women that get to choose. I left out the bikes (oops) but you can see who would of loved to chase the motorcycles below-

(Son's Shepherd on the right- is pup in previous post)

 I couldn't resist- a handsome pooch in Monochrome (this guy made off with a nice skewer full of mushrooms wrapped in bacon) He was tasered (shock colar)-just like his daddy now! lol))

We are so over it..

See how we could care less (lucky for our concentration)

Look at us frolicking below

L-R- (Apollo, Moo Moo & Munchi)

This place is hard to put in words -with the combination of high altitude and unique vegetation..but the Seasons are evident and Autumn can even be felt back at home- it's here.

Second night of a full moon
:
Thanks for letting me share my adventures with you~
(Apples, Koa trees and some things we did (including a few before and after shots from the 90's), coming up next in pt 2..