Off The Beaten Path

That sign is an understatement at the very least. Let's start with the word "road". I am not sure we could call it that. You don't get to see the "real" Hawaii without a 4-wheel drive due mostly to the miles and miles covered with lava flow.

The road is just a hellbanging path over the lava that somehow manages to avoid the craters, lava tubes, and enormous boulders and drop offs. I did this "road" 6 years ago with Zach floating happily in utero. I remember gripping my bulging belly and trying to keep down my breakfast (which was challenging even when sitting still) thinking it was the longest 3 miles ever. But now that we are two rather than one, I see the road with new eyes. It's pure joy for my sweet boy. It meant getting to have a rare stint out of the car seat and up in the "Grandma seatbelt" for a front row view of our harrowing 2 mile an hour, rock and roll lava road ride.

Then a small hike and the pay off. White sand beach, impossible blue waters, and an afternoon to do as one wishes with only a handful of die hard surfers hanging around.

For Zach it meant the search for more adventures of course. He scurried about chasing mongoose and collecting shells and came upon these abandoned buildings.

One could just imagine the scene here... ocean side, a lava field away from civilization, I am sure some good times went down in this place. My boy investigated every corner for relics and treasures.

But in the end it was all about the trees. There are all manner of crazy, twisted, branchy trees around here just begging to be climbed. This is his happy place.

And this is mama's happy place. Coeur de Pirate on the iPod and rare time to finish the latest J. Maarten Troost adventure.

Worth the trip in every way. And the perfect way to mentally prepare for the bumpy trip back.