Waimea is a cowboy town

In 1906, three of the Hawaiian Cowboys (called Paniolo) traveled to Wyoming to compete in the world champion roping contest. They were laughed at until they won. The story of cattle on the big island is another crazy one. The cowboys were brought here in the 1800s to control a steer population that had gotten out of hand. The animals, a gift to the island royalty, were wild, aggressive, and mean. Eventually, that led to a big ranching community and cowboy culture. 

The town has all things cowboy including statues, names, and a lot of giant pick up trucks!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Jim and I went for a walk this evening. This is Highway 19 and runs through the town of Waimea. This was a brave chicken to cross four lanes of a very busy road. He made it, but I’m sure many do not. We are continually surprised by the number of feral chickens.

Village Burger

We headed back to Waimea for a late lunch at Village burger. It was recommended by Ebby and Lex. They serve locally raised beef, burgers, and milkshakes made from ice cream produced here and Waiomea. Most things at this restaurant or locally sourced. The food was delicious!

We could not pass up the milkshakes. Strawberry with a squirt of Nutella and vanilla. Both were delicious, but once again, strawberry was divine.

Goats

A great view of the goats enjoying some shade near the Mauna Lani resort. These are the same species as the ones we saw in Maui. Like most things, an invasive species, but cute just the same.

Holoholokai Beach

Beach is a loose description for this rocky shoreline. But a hot hike required some cooling off. The lava flow makes for some wonderful tide pools and we saw loads of fish and crabs. The water is so clear that you can see everything even in the deeper sections. we wandered around for a while and enjoyed the cool water. 

She was being a goofball and imitating the Deadpool character on her shirt.

Petroglyphs

These were not what we expected. We were looking for paintings on a rock wall like we see in Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. These are drawings carved into the lava rock on the ground.

I could not understand all the signs that said no rubbings until we saw the petroglyphs.

These were stacked up at the beginning of the hike. They must have been pieces that were moved when they built the resort.

This is the largest field of drawings. It looks like a wide expanse of kids doodles.

Some of the images are carved pretty deep. It must’ve taken some effort!

Hike to the Petroglyphs

We took a detour through one of the resorts to the site of ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs. The .6 mile hike took us through some gnarly trees that created tunnels over the path. Felt like we were in dark woods of a fairytale. It also wound through the lava fields that dominate this part of the island. It’s a stark reminder that the resorts were planned, and they tamed a lava desert to build golf courses And lush gardens. 

Alix has been having fun with time-lapse images. This is the one she did in the woods on the hike.

This is the one of the desert section of the hike.

Walking around the site

We took the 1/2 mile walk around the site and up to the temple. 

A replica of the ladder used for human sacrifices. Or so we think- the sign just said “Do Not Climb”

Pu’ukohola Heiau

We decided to check out the site and visitor center at the historic site. We are glad we did- the history of this place is interesting and bloody. It was built using stones from the Waipio valley (see earlier post) and passed by hand over the 20+ miles to the site. Then King Kahmeamea sacrificed his cousin at the site and United the island under his rule. He then went on to United the islands into one nation. It’s hard to imagine that it all happened after the United States was formed. 

They learned how to play an ancient Hawaiian game.

Tex Drive In

Famous for their malasadas (square Hawaiian donuts) and recommended by Lex, we had to stop for a mid-morning treat. We got three- chocolate, pineapple, and strawberry. They were decadent and delicious! 

Not quite as high tech as Krispie Kream!

That’s a HEAVY box of malasadas.

The consensus- strawberry was the best. And forks are the least sticky way to eat them.

Waipi’o Valley Lookout

There are 7 valleys along the north east side of the island. Pololu (the valley we visited yesterday) is the northernmost valley and this is the Southernmost. The road in is treacherous and the people who live there are not welcoming so we took in the view from the lookout. In fact hikers are turned away and the are multiple signs indicating that the road is now closed. We did see one local 4WD pickup go through, but it was clear that they are from here. Anyhow- the views were incredible and the valley seems lovely even from above. 

There are many interesting historical tidbits about this valley. King Kamehameha was raised here. The whole place was wiped out in the 1946 tsunami. 

Mauna Kea

We started our day with a drive on the Old (and very scenic) Mamaloa Highway. The road meanders through the woods and past ranches and affords amazing views of Mauna Kea. If you look closely you can see the telescopes on the top of the 13,000+ foot rim.