Tag Archives: Pololu

No Bike Tours

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A sign alongside the road at Pololu, Hawaii

Pololu is at the end of the main highway through North Kohala. It was popular with bike tour operators who would drop their clients in Hawi for the 15 mile round trip to Pololu lookout and back. However, the stretch from Kapaau is narrow and winding and the shoulder is slim to non-existent. It also gets a lot of traffic with people keen to see the views without getting all hot and sweaty. So after some accidents and more near misses, people lobbied to have the bike tours banned. This duly happened and is, on balance, a good thing I think.

I did like this sign, about 100 yards from the road end at Pololu. It seems a bit late to warn about the ban, but perhaps it’s meant to discourage tour operators from driving their clients to the end of the road and having them cycle back!

Timber

A view of Pololu Valley in Hawaii
Layers of trees fill Pololu Valley.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Trees.’ See more responses here.

A Rainbow shower tree in Hawaii
Flowers of a Rainbow Shower tree.
Jacaranda flowers in Hawaii
Jacarandas put on a show every year.
Avocados growing in Hawaii
With Avocado trees it’s the fruit that everyone likes.
Palm trees at Lapakahi in Hawaii
It’s Hawaii. Of course there are palm trees!

Green Darner Dragonfly

A Green Darner Dragonfly in Hawaii

I was down in Pololu Valley when I saw several of these dragonflies. I knew they were luring me in with their ‘Come on, we’re just hovering, you’ll get a great photo’ routine. Then they zip around evading every attempt to get them in the camera screen, let alone in focus. But I’m nothing, if not a sucker for that kind of temptation.

Shockingly, this was the second photo I took. Don’t tell the dragonflies. They’ll be very upset.

Going green

The view from Waipio Valley overlook offers many shades of green and a good deal of blue.

This week’s Sunday Stills color challenge theme is ‘Shades of Green.’ Captions are on the photos. See more responses here.

Two horse in a pasture near Pololu.
A Northern Cardinal against a green background.
Lush vegetation in one of the many gullies along the Hamakua Coast.
Found this on the shore one early morning. A fisherman’s lure perhaps.
A green crab on the beach.
You know the U.S. has guns, but we have tanks too!

Fresh Off The Grid

A roadside food stand sign near Pololu in Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Fresh.’ See more responses here.

A couple of miles before the end of the Akoni Pule Highway, at Pololu overlook, there’s a roadside food stand called Fresh Off The Grid. There’s no power at that end of the road, hence the ‘off the grid.’

I confess, I’ve never eaten there, in part because I seldom go to Pololu these days. It’s a bit overrun and the parking is terrible, though now they have stewards directing traffic and controlling the comings and goings, which is a big improvement.

Skyflowers in Hawaii
Skyflowers.
A Red Hibiscus flower in Hawaii
Hibiscus.
Shell ginger flowers in Hawaii
Shell GInger.

But the food stand gets good reviews and seems to have a good selection of locally-grown food on the menu. It also has a nice variety of flowers around and a killer view of the ocean, plus mules and horses. What’s not to like.

A sign near Pololu in Hawaii
You have been warned.
A Bee on a bromeliad near Pololu in Hawaii
A bee on a bromekiad.
Mules on the coast near Pololu in Hawaii
A good view of the mules!