Road to Hana

With some 600 turns, 54 bridges, most of which are one lane... the Road to Hana is not something for the weak stomached.  Thank goodness we had a convertible - constant fresh air.  A lot of pit stops to enjoy the views helped too! 

We didn't buy an audio tour, instead I researched a few mile markers to stop at online before we left.  There is one stop I wish I'd have found, but I have no clue where it was at - 7 Pools.

We started our Hana adventure at Mama's Fish House, a requirement by my boss for an expensive but amazing lunch.

My plate is toward the front - Ono with a stir-fry vegetables and jasmine rice.  Dave's is in the back, lobster and crab stuffed mahi mahi with a macadamia nut crust, rice and corn on the cob.  We ordered virgin drinks and all told our lunch came to about $130, before tip.  I did say it was pricey didn't I?  But it was absolutely the best food I think I've ever had!

After we left, it was time to get to the heart of it... the drive to Hana... our first worthwhile stop, mile-marker 14 (the mile markers start at 0).

It was an awesome swimming hole!  I think it was the highlight of the "Hana" trip for us.

Then back on the road - a shot of the one lane bridges...

At mile-marker 14 a "black sand beach".  This wasn't as black as we expected, and we saw another at the end of our trip.

The drive while treacherous, was beautiful!
 

And thankfully we had the convertible and my personal chauffeur. 

We saw so many waterfalls along the way - I am only sharing some of the best pictures since we took so many!

We debated swimming in the next "pond" but it was a little too murky for our liking.  Dave was afraid of leeches.  

And then around mile marker 32 (the last stop for us - I think Hana is about another 6-8 miles up the road) we stopped at a state park with lava tubes, a blow hole and black beaches.

The natural lava bridge - the water is a spectacular blue here!

Dave in one of the lava tubes we found.  That is water to the left of the picture.

Dave in another lava tube.  We had to be careful in here, that lava rock is really jagged - Dave nearly crushed his skull trying to outrun a wave.

We had to turn around and head back after this stop.  It was nearly 5:30 when we left, and driving the roads in the dark is not the kind of thrill ride I was looking for.  We managed to get within 6 miles from the end before it got dark. 

A fantastic drive with wonderful views, but if you're prone to carsickness take a Dramamine!  We saw a few pulled over losing their lunches.