Our landlord made us an offer that we did not refuse. It means we are moving back to the west for the remainder
of the trip—he has, as he termed it, an upscale cottage in the City of Refuge. He, being a spiritual man, the
biblical reference is quite apt. The sun made a guest appearance this morning after two solid days of rain as
we prepare to travel. It worked well for us, the weather; on the first rainy day, we were above the clouds on
Mauna Kea and for the second, we needed a rest after four days of hiking.
We spent a couple of hours talking with Len, our landlord, who is what we would term a free spirit with a
little free enterprise thrown into the mix. He appears on a television show twice weekly as a minister. He is
a Buddhist, so one thing led to another and he shared some of his experiences and philosophy with us over tea,
while his six small dogs waited impatiently in the car. He left Washington DC twenty-five years ago; he has
not returned to the mainland since. He also provided us with tips on how to deal with the authorities in getting
around the ‘red’ tape, ideas we probably won’t test. From the contacts we experienced in Hawaii over the last
couple of years, it seems that many people leave the mainland to flee invasion of their privacy by government.
Others seek better quality tattoos, it’s a matter of preference.
On our return from Mauna Kea last Sunday, we were obviously elated and feeling quite pleased with life. The blue
light flashing in the rear-view mirror grounded us quickly. What had we done wrong? We waited. Those are difficult
seconds, from the time the police car door opens until receiving the ‘friendly greeting’ through our open window.
Apparently, we had committed three offences which in California might fall under the three strikes and it’s jail
for life. The officer announced the list:
1. Traveling 4 miles over the posted speed limit of 55mph. At first, we were impressed as we did not think our
Chevy had it in her. Then we realized the officer might not care that much about the car’s performance.
2. We were following the car in front. Once again, we did not think we had much option as there is only one
road for all. Further explanation was that we were following too closely.
3. The vehicle’s state inspection was overdue. That was an easy one as it is a rental.
One thing lead to another and we ended up having a ten minute conversation with the officer, who hails from
Boston, likes the warm weather, discussed Mauna Kea and received a recommendation for another hike. We shook
hands and looked forward to our next visit…just shook hands. We have undertaken to get the state inspection
certificate for the landlord. The spirit of cooperation that exists on this young island is terrific.
Today, we traveled a long distance to the far north. We passed Hawi, descended to the beach and ascended
another two mountains and a valley in between. The scenery is spectacular, the trail very muddy and the
contrasts of the thick green growth set against the blue ocean very attractive. Within seconds, a sunny
day turned into a quick rain, which darkened the area, followed by bright sunshine again. All in all, we
climbed about fifteen hundred feet, walked more than 5 miles and used ropes to descend at one juncture.
Only after using the ropes did we learn that our editor had not arrived earlier to check their
strength for the steep and treacherous trail. We wonder about her at times.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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