First off, yes, I mean cowboys. Real live cowboys complete with chaps, bull riding skills, lassos and horses that trek over the gorgeous countryside. The scenery was delightful in the sunshine. And yes, I am still in Hawaii. One of the things that I like to do while on holiday is to find the unexpected. Our family also has a tradition of finding trail rides or horse type experiences. At the Dahana Ranch, I found our Hawaiian horse adventure.
To get there from Kona meant driving up Island then across Waimea to get to the ranch. Thank goodness for Ipad directions or I would have been sunk as it isn't well signed as essentially it is a working ranch. Oh, I should mention that we stopped in Waimea and it had a phenomenal little village, beautifully kept with some amazing shops that were closed because it was Sunday. Starbucks was open and that was all I needed to keep me going. I was highly entertained by the decorative paniolo (cowboy) and the paniolo boot. It was like being around Calgary but on a much smaller and dare I say, prettier scale?
We drove up to the front and found the office. No one was there. It was a bit disconcerting, but there were cats and dogs to pet and love, so the girls did that while I ferreted out the paperwork and filled it out. Still no one came. It was almost 11 before we heard the clipping clopping of the horses and saw people coming back from a ride. Ahhhh....he was working alone today as it was Sunday.
We were introduced to our horses, and had a clear lesson on how to ride the horses. Fortunately, he was able to lead both girls so I was free to ride to my hearts content. You see, this was NOT a trail ride. This was a ride over the hills of the ranch, around the cattle and other horses. It was a lesson in how to ride a horse that was a working horse. Absolutely no following a trail nor following another horse. You had to be in charge of your mount. I had Sammy and Sammy suited me well. We got to canter and/or trot. Amazing. I loved this experience and would recommend it to anyone that wants something different from Hawaii.
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| Dahana Ranch Office |
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| Bouncy the horse |
Since we were out that way and the clouds were down, it was off waterfall hunting. We found Waipou Valley, Unauma Falls, Akaka Falls and Rainbow Falls. The downfall was at Akaka Falls. There was this incredible bakery that had Mr. Ed inside. Who is Mr. Ed? He is the maker of jams, marmalades, spreads (the Kona Coffee Spread...a party on the taste buds...sigh) and he will ship them to you. He has everything homemade in his little shop and well...there were over 100 varieties. He just likes to play with Fruit. From the waterfalls, the Saddle Road beckons and we had some magnificent views over the landscape including snow on the peak. For the record, I have no idea why the road is considered bad. It was paved and easy to navigate. It does get as narrow as an English country road, but it is in good nick.
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| Unauma Falls |
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| Akaka Falls in the pouring rain |
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| Rainbow Falls in the heavy cloud of Hilo |
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| Snow on the Summit seen from Saddle Road |
I should also mention that this was the road trip where shop fronts managed to really make me laugh. I will leave you with the signs...I am still laughing.
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