Loading ...Thanks for that! Not only the Eclipse next month, but it is Hurricane season in the East Pacific. “Fernanda” is cooking up right now for a close pass next week, so it is prep time right NOW.
I took a 100 mile trip over the mountain to Costco to load up on everything. The Saddle Road goes up 6,500 feet into the saddle between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea to connect the east and west sides of the island. It was a poor, winding, bumpy 35mph (risking your life!) road I remember from the 1980s. The county had done an amazing job of widening and leveling it into a 60mph highway for over 90% of the way. Still a few construction spots & slowdowns, but it is a wonderful, point-to-point highway now. Local people still avoid it and prefer the belt highway at lower elevations around the rim of the island.
Biggest problem is managing one’s engine, transmission, and brakes. There are some insane long slopes to climb and come down on each side. Doing it at 60mph and trying not to become a runaway vehicle on an 8% downgrade (Truck Warning signs) is a bit of a thrill.
But I got my hurricane preps. Let ‘er blow!
This is Mauna Kea State Park in the saddle at 6580 ft elevation. The slopes of the mountain tower next to us, up to a summit at 13,796 ft. elevation. This is representative of the quality highway over the hill now.
