.All Trips / Hawaii / North America

“Pic of the Week”, January 30, 2015: Saddle Road, Hawaii

POD 04 Saddle Road Mona Kea

I love a scenic road-trip!  One of the greatest short drives in America is Saddle Road, which crosses between the dry and wet sides of the Big Island of Hawaii, across broad lava flows and the saddle between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, the world’s largest and tallest mountains respectively (base of Mauna Kea is 19000′ below sea level; the part above ocean is 13796′ high).  The drive is best done on a clear day, especially in the morning as it often clouds over in the afternoon.  It’s a windy road but of good quality.  It used to be that not all car rental companies allowed you to take your car rental across it, but the road is so good …

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.All Trips / Hawaii / North America

The Big Island of Hawaii (Part 4) Kohala & Saddle Road

The Big Island of Hawaii 4) Kohala & Saddle Road

My final blog post on the Big Island covers the driest (less than 10 inches of rain a year) and oldest parts of the island — the northwest and central regions.

The Kohala coast is a popular destination for tourists, with a string of resorts built beside beaches a half hour and more north of Kona.  Many of the island’s best resorts and golf courses are located on this dry sunny lava plain.  Most of my trips to the Big Island are centered around medical meetings which tend to be situated in Waikoloa so I’m most familiar with this part of the island.  Because the Big Island is a fairly new piece of land, beaches are limited and the best beaches — Hapuna and Mauna Kea — are located …

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