Drivel - A Little R&R

I've talked about this before....the need for R&R. Lately my hectic pace has been catching up to me. I'd say it's a case of trying to cram 40 years of farming life into just 10. After all, I've gotten a last start! But it's catching up to me and I've been real tired out lately. So it's time to accept the need for rest. Plus the need to cutback a bit. 

So we took a Hawaiian vacation, to Lana'i this time. Lana'i is one of the smaller, less visited islands. Less visited = less there to entertain the usual tourists. There are two resorts there that are the main attractions. In fact, very few tourists ever leave the resort locations, simply shuttling between the two. But these resorts were not our destination. They held no appeal for us. So instead of staying at one of the two resorts, we opted for the Hotel Lana'i. Old. Quaint. Old Hawaii. 

If you go, don't expect TV or phone, but they do have highspeed Internet wifi. No air conditioning. No gym. No spa. Oh yes, did I mention, no hot water? The hotel is notorious for tepid showers. Irregardless, we loved the place and were quite comfortable there. But if you do decide to go, ask for room 8 or 10. They are the quietest. Otherwise bring earplugs. 

The dining associated with the hotel is quite good. 

Our aim was to explore the back roads. This meant renting a 4x4 jeep. Oh did anyone ever mention that you can't lock your stuff securely in a jeep? 

The windows all unzip!!! 

Lana'i doesn't have much in the way of roads. Don't expect to spend days tooling the countryside here. We didn't. But we still didn't get all the roads explored. No, we stop too often to hike about and check out the beaches and wildlife. 

 

Lots of secluded tiny beaches along the coasts. And large stretches of coastline with just sheer cliffs. 

I wouldn't say this island is teeming with wildlife, because it is primarily desert. But we happened upon deer, mouflon, mice, several species of birds including an i'o, plus assorted insects. And sand crabs of some sort.......

Most of the road we travelled was definitely 4 wheel drive. Parts were rough enough to actually rattle the change out of my pockets! 

Ancient Hawaiian presence is evident around the island, if you know what to look for and where to go. A quick look-see in various locations gave us a taste of petroglyphs and building foundations.......

All along the coast there are incredible coves and beaches that were utilized by the Hawaiians. Some are set up for visitor viewing.....

Above, you don't get the sense of the landscape from that photo. In actuality there is a 65 foot drop over the cliff from that spot, right into the ocean below.

You only have to endure one more travel picture........Lana'i City from a distance. 

There is only one town on the entire island. It hosts about close to 3000 residents. We found that we liked this town quite a bit.