Ride Report: Puna Side, the land down under... Hilo
Ride Report: Puna Side, the land down under... Hilo
OK, after a few setbacks and a bit of confusion, I have finally figured out how to post photos here from my new pbase account. So here we go! It was last Labor Day, the day dawned bright and clear, and I had a motorcycle rally to go to! One of the local motorcycle clubs was sponsoring a rally at Laupahoehoe Point state park, and I knew a few of my Harley riding friends would be there, so I headed off at around 11. When I got to the park, it was full of weekend campers and families having cookouts, but only a few motorcycles. I asked an old haole on a Harley where the rally was, and he said, "This is it!" so I figured I'd continue down the eastern side of the Big Island to Hilo for lunch and come back later when the party had grown. After a quick bite at the Hilo Subway, I came out and saw some big rainclouds to the north of town, being blown in by the prevailing tradewinds out of the east. I decided to take the scenic tour of the Puna District, the southeast area of the island below Hilo, and the blue skies were beckoning... On the road past the small town of Pahoa there is Lava Tree state park, an area where a flow passed through a forest and the lava cooled around the wet trunks of trees leaving these hollow features (photo courtesy of the USGS) This is still a very volcanically active part of the island, huge cracks have formed where the island is literally buckling and cracking (more about that, later). This stand of tall trees is very close to the state park: Past the Rift Zone the island quickly drops in elevation to the ocean through an area of small farms and subdivisions. In the next photo you can see fallow sugarcane fields on the left and a producing papaya plantation on the right. The puu (cinder cone) in the distance is on the coastline. Not visible is a lava flow to the right that wiped out the town of Opihikao back in 1960. More to come...
Last edited by Deleted User 62 on Thu Sep 23, 2010 11:35 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Re: Ride Report: Puna Side, the land down under...
The puu in the last post is near the easternmost part of the island chain, and also where the Rift Zone enters the ocean. (photo courtesy of the USGS) That hill is in the backgound of this photo. It has been awhile since I'd been down to this end of the island, I remembered the roads being in not too good shape. Well I am pleased to say that the county road crews have done a great job of fixing them up, and no twisties were destroyed in the process! Well, not TOO many... All along the coast road are sections of the old highway they left to give people access to the ocean. At this one there was a young couple on the rocks smoking pakalolo and a couple old local guys fishing. I was feeling a bit creative myself, and came up with this, my new motorcycling photos avatar: A few more miles down the road I came across this tree tunnel. This is a photo I've been meaning to get ever since the "Interesting Road Photos" were posted in another thread. Do you think this qualifies as an interesting road photo? At the end of this road used to be the town of Kalapana and its famous black sand beach. In the next photo my R75/5 is sitting on pahoehoe lava, about 8 feet above where the beach used to be. The current beach is another 1/4 mile further out from the old shoreline. The eruption that created these flows is still going on, over 20 years now. I know you can't see it, but there is a plume of steam in the distance, directly above my bike, where the lava is entering the ocean.
Last edited by Deleted User 62 on Thu Sep 23, 2010 11:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Ride Report: Puna Side, the land down under...
Headed back up the road from Kalapana, I passed through the Rift Zone again. This photo was taken up next to the Kilauea Iki crater (photo courtesy of the USGS) This is known as The Great Crack, and geologists surmise that at some point this end of the island will fall into the ocean. That ought to make some BIG waves! Here's an aerial photo of the same area (photo courtesy of the USGS) For more pictures of the volcanos in action check out http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/gallery (some cool time lapse videos in there) It was getting late, so I figured I'd better head back up through Hilo to the rally, unfortunately the rain was coming in bigger patches, the way it always does in the afternoon, and by the time I got back to Laupahoehoe there was a huge squall just hitting the coast. I hightailed it out of there and further up the coast dropped down onto the old two lane highway and into Kolekole Beach Park for a break. There was a big crowd of Labor Day people there too, so I pressed on. The main highway passes overhead on the bridge visible in this photo. Further up the old two laner is the old town of Waiohinu, plenty old buildings, mostly galleries now. All day I had been mostly successful in dodging the raindrops, but on the way home I hit a major downpour going up the hill out of Honokaa, but it was no big thing. Home in half an hour! The island really needs the rain, so we really don't mind. Hope you enjoyed these photos.
Last edited by Deleted User 62 on Thu Sep 23, 2010 11:52 am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Ride Report: Puna Side, the land down under...
Great ride report Tim. Unusual road shots always look naked without a boxer in the frame.
I loved the landscape. Aren't rain squalls a bummer though.
Steve from Dubbo
I loved the landscape. Aren't rain squalls a bummer though.
Steve from Dubbo
R100RS to R100S Conversion
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Re: Ride Report: Puna Side, the land down under... Hilo
You certainly live in a beautiful place.
MS - out
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Re: Ride Report: Puna Side, the land down under... Hilo
Great post as usual. I love the old little shops that still exist there. Might come that way this winter.
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Re: Ride Report: Puna Side, the land down under... Hilo
Great stuff Tim. I love the tree tunnel and the avatar pic. I wonder if Hawaiians feel kind of puny when they see all that molten rock oozing and consider that Mother Nature will probably have some more big surprises to show at some time in the future.
ps: What if the wrong end of the island falls off?
ps: What if the wrong end of the island falls off?
Charlie
and Brunhilde - 1974 R90/6
Graduate, Wallace and Gromit School of Engineering and Design (Pending)
and Brunhilde - 1974 R90/6
Graduate, Wallace and Gromit School of Engineering and Design (Pending)
Re: Ride Report: Puna Side, the land down under... Hilo
What an interesting place you live in Tim. Loved the pictures.
I suppose living there is similar to living in California, in that the possibility of destructive geologic behaviour is present.
Just another part of life to contend with? Life goes on? What will be, will be?
I suppose living there is similar to living in California, in that the possibility of destructive geologic behaviour is present.
Just another part of life to contend with? Life goes on? What will be, will be?
Cheers, Steve
Victoria, S.E.Oz.
1982 R100RSR100RS supergallery. https://boxerboy81.smugmug.com/R100RS
2006 K1200R.
1994 R1100GS.
Victoria, S.E.Oz.
1982 R100RSR100RS supergallery. https://boxerboy81.smugmug.com/R100RS
2006 K1200R.
1994 R1100GS.
Re: Ride Report: Puna Side, the land down under...
Thanks Steve, this end of the island is traditionally the wettest, and combine hot sun with wet vegetation, and it make it a bit sticky!Steve78RS wrote:Great ride report Tim. Unusual road shots always look naked without a boxer in the frame.
I loved the landscape. Aren't rain squalls a bummer though.
Steve from Dubbo
Re: Ride Report: Puna Side, the land down under... Hilo
Thanks Major!Major Softie wrote:You certainly live in a beautiful place.