Ironman & Sugarlips 2005 "Hawaiian Family" Road Trip

December 5-12 Maui, Hawaii

Road Trip Day Three

“Traveling The Hana Highway”

Friday we headed out to test the rental car on the scenic Hana Highway. We definitely had to experience for ourselves a road that has 54 one-lane bridges, continuous 10-15 mile per hour curves, sheer cliffs, over a 52-mile stretch that takes 2+ hours to travel. We decided that we needed to include it in our travel log and experience it on bikes during our next visit. This time however, we traveled the Hana Highway adventure through a different windshield, but with a motorcyclist’s point of view.

The Highway to Hana is a breathtaking coastline trip through a tropical rainforest with numerous waterfalls, colorful flowers, and exotic sounds. There are no straight-aways, and speeds rarely get over 40 miles an hour, unless you are a local that is frustrated by the white knuckled tourists. The trip is one long scenic swaying motion that feels like a tense 10 MPH 2-way rollercoaster. Courtesy is anticipated from on-coming drivers but it is not to be taken for granted. Road rage on this stretch of road is not advised, and could be deadly.  From a motorcyclist’s point of view, the bike almost has the advantage, but only with an experienced rider. With so much to see and to hear, it’s hard to focus on the road, which is an absolute necessity. Occasionally there were wet roads, and gravel patches with rough spots. We couldn’t help but wonder who would come to the rescue in case of an accident. The cliffs are quite spectacular and from the scraps on the guardrails we could tell they had been tested before.

Lily loved the curves and would squeal “weeee” and “whoaaaa”. Even a 16-month old toddler could tell that this road would be fun on a bike. We stopped along the way when the twisting and turning became a little too much, and relaxed for a while. About ¾ of the way into Hana we noticed that Lily wasn’t making her delightful sounds, and was looking a little green. She got carsick and Dad agreed to take the curves like he was driving a car instead of riding a Fat Boy. We were all relieved to reach the black sand beaches at Hana Bay and take time to eat lunch and unwind.

If we were to do this trip on motorcycles we would look into staying over one night so that we weren’t rushed in trying to see everything. We believe that the journey is just as important as the destination.  To ride all that way to do a quick turnaround just to say we rode the highway would be a disappointment. There are numerous points of interest, local fruit stands, waterfalls, and beaches to experience. The round trip with sight seeing would be a full day and being tired on the way back would be a mistake. We did meet a few bikers on the way when we stopped and most said that they were tired. At Maui HD an employee said that several of the rental clients tried to ride to Hana and turned back at the ½ way point (which is clearly marked). On the advice of a local we did stay until sunset and drove back at dusk. We were told that there was less traffic at night and the reflectors on the guardrails were easier to see, as well as the oncoming headlights. We traveled on a Friday to avoid the weekend of incoming tourists, which also helped. Our travel time to Hana was 2.5 hours with all of our stops, and our return trip was 1.5 hours with fewer stops and less traffic. After traveling this unique road by car we are eager to return to Hana by motorcycle for a fuller adventure. Were glad that we took the “pre-run” and can only imagine what our next visit will be like.

After traveling 108 miles roundtrip of continuous curves, at around Huelo the road miracously straightens out. It becomes obvious just how tense neck and shoulders muscle can become. On our way home we made an excellent choice to stop at Mama’s Fish House for a delicious meal. We took time to review all the photos while we recapped our day together. After surviving the Highway to Hana there was plenty of dinner conversation, and a reason to look for the next adventure! With only 2 states left to ride to finish our goal of riding all 50 states, we had to wonder about our 2006 destination. Will it be Alaska or North Dakota ……… or possibly another trip to Maui for a second time around the island? After such a great time this week we know for certain we’ll be coming back to the Hawaiian Islands for another Ironman and Sugarlips road trip!

 

Tim, JillMarie, and Lily Going to Hana
View from Hana Highway
View from Hana Peak
Hana Waterfall	Narrow 1 of 54 Bridges
Hana Fruit Stand	Black Sand Hana Beach
Baby in Paradise
Our Hula Girl
Lily & Yama @Mama's Fish House
Click to see Dec 8, 2005