Sunday, I woke up with a thirst for the road. I set out after an easy going morning to find a 200-ft. waterfall I'd read about that was only ten miles up the Hana Highway from the Chicken Coop. After a quick stop at the tourist magnet Twin Falls for a few apple bananas and oranges, I got on my way. It was another perfect day.
But the waterfall I went looking for wasn't there. I mean, it probably was there, but I couldn't get to the vantage point across the gorge described in the book. A shiny & new-looking fence greeted me at the head of the path. I guess that since the publication, somebody decided that this secret of the Hana Highway deserved to be kept a secret. No harm, though. There are probably thirty waterfalls along the thirty-mile serpentine world famous road to Hana. I could settle for something somewhere else.
Ultimately, though, I let go of the hankering to see a waterfall, as I discovered how exhilarating the journey itself was. The highway is like a squiggle - all the way from point A to point B. Hairpin turn after hairpin turn, for miles, up and down, following the contours of the coast, slipping into and out of cliffs and ravines. And the best advantage to riding a scooter along this expressway is that your total width is only two feet or so, as opposed to the five-plus foot width of the average car or truck that runs the road. So at every point that the highway squeezes down to dangerous levels of narrow, where if you're driving a car you have to slow down to a crawl to be safe, on a scooter you can just cruise. You just lean in super tight into the curve, imagine the shape of it, and do it. I felt like a little kid again, screaming in excitement on the super mini-coasters down the Jersey shore.
Ultimately, though, I let go of the hankering to see a waterfall, as I discovered how exhilarating the journey itself was. The highway is like a squiggle - all the way from point A to point B. Hairpin turn after hairpin turn, for miles, up and down, following the contours of the coast, slipping into and out of cliffs and ravines. And the best advantage to riding a scooter along this expressway is that your total width is only two feet or so, as opposed to the five-plus foot width of the average car or truck that runs the road. So at every point that the highway squeezes down to dangerous levels of narrow, where if you're driving a car you have to slow down to a crawl to be safe, on a scooter you can just cruise. You just lean in super tight into the curve, imagine the shape of it, and do it. I felt like a little kid again, screaming in excitement on the super mini-coasters down the Jersey shore.
1 comment:
I love your little videos (especially the scooter ride!); it's like being there with you - almost. Keep squeezing the most out of every minute. Just think of the stories you'll be able to share with your grandchildren!
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