Olinda Road

Posted on February 24, 2024

2/24/99: I made some calls to “drive-away” companies on the mainland to see about driving from L.A. to Chicago. It doesn’t look promising though. Too few companies, and not a very common route… I found out that some friends of mine are here in Hawai’i on a business trip. Unfortunately, we won’t get to connect though. David and Alina are on the Big Island and we’re here on Maui. I did get to speak with them on the phone for a little while though…

2/24/24: *During our 1999 stay with Dad & Mom at the end of our round-the-world trip, we did not take many photos. So, I am posting photos and stories from some of our other trips to Maui over the years.

Olinda Road winds up the slope of Haleakala from Makawao. It is a lovely drive through horse farms, ranch land and a few large estates, and a grove of fragrant eucalyptus trees whose bark shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow when it is wet from rain or fog. Ruth went to high school on Olinda Road, just above Makawao Town. Olinda Road winds its way up Haleakala to meet Piiholo Road, which winds its way up through another valley. They meet at the Waihou Springs Forest Reserve, which is a cultivated forest at an elevation of 4,000 feet, not too far below where the tree. line ends. The temperatures are cool, and the groomed paths are mostly gentle and easy enough that Dad and Mom would take walks with us on some of our visits to Maui. There is one trail offshoot that Ian, Josiah and I return to often that takes a steep descent down one gulch to a spot where one can then climb up to caves cut into a cliff face to do a little exploring.

NOTE: The photo above shows Ruth with Dad and Mom at the head of the Waihou Springs Trail during our 2011 visit to Maui. This lovely, cultivated forest, is at the top end of the drive up Olinda Road from Makawao.

 

Dad and Mom on the Waihou Springs Trail. (2011)
Along the Waihou Springs Trail, we sometimes can find wild fruit. On this occasion we enjoyed tiny little plums. (2011)
On an offshoot of the main Waihou Springs Trail, there is a steep descent into a gulch where Ian and Josiah and I love to go explore caves. In this photo we have reached the bottom of the cliff face, and the caves can be seen above and behind us. (2011)
Here we are again in the gulch with the cliff face behind us, but this time 11 years later, during our 2022 trip to Maui.
For perspective, here is Ian and Josiah peeking out one of the cave openings in the cliff face of a gulch near the Waihou Springs Trail. (2011)
And again, 11 years later, peeking out of openings in the cliff face. (2022)
We reached the mouth of the caves but couldn’t go very deep. (2011)
So, we came back a few days later with headlamps so that we could go into the cave at Waihou Springs Trail safely. (2011)
Inside a cave near the Waihou Springs Trail. (2011)
Back down Olinda Road nearer to Makawao, we got to take the boys to a rodeo during our 2011 visit to Maui. Upcountry is filled with ranches, cattle and paniolos (i.e., cowboys) to wrangle them. So, of course they have a rodeo!