FROM KONA (BIG ISLAND), HAWAII

(click on thumbnail images to enlarge)

Archeology Trail & Enchanted Forest

HAWAII, Sep 13 - After working out in the gym and doing about 1,000 yards in the pool, surprisingly, I still had enough energy left today to do something else.  So I headed out on foot back into the desert for some more exploration [bare for punishment, I know, in light of my biking experience... :-) ].  Well, nothing untoward happened this time.  But I made some unexpected discoveries.

First, it was a mile or so long trail through the "enchanted forest."  At least that's what the mesquite trees looked like with sunshine waterfalls cascading to the ground over their branches and leaves (above shots).

"Do you know to what this trail leads?" I asked a couple who were filming everything with a Sony camcorder.

"No," the man replied.

"Good.  Then we shall fine out," I said, as I passed them on the trail, speeding up toward another adventure.

Well, it wasn't much of an adventure this time, but it sure was a great surprise.  At the end of the trail, there was an old petroglyphic site.  Ancient Hawaiians followed the lava flow to here, and carved various symbols and images into the red stones.  No one knows their meaning or the exact time they were carved into the stone.  A plaque I found later on (right) said it would have been 1000-1800 B.C.  But standing in front of them, one does feel as if one were in an ancient holy place, or an art gallery, or both.

I then followed a wider trail for another mile or so and found something fascinating that evne the locals at the Fairmont didn't know anything about.

I didn't have my camera with me at the time, but I came back on a bike the next day (this time a real dirt bike, but still with 21 speeds - left two photos, where you can also see the "quality" of the terrain on which I biked).  Anyway, what I found were several underground holes and caverns, some of which would qualify as "regulation caves." I put my 3-inch camera case next to each hole so you can see their relative sizes.

One cave was evidently fit for animal or even human habitation.  I found some animal bones in one of them.  Indiana Jones, here I come... :-) [just kidding].

I am not sure what the animal was.  If it were the Arizona desert, I would have guessed a coyote.  But checking with the staff here, I learned that they don't have coyotes here.  So my best guess would be that it was either a large goat or a small donkey, both of which exist here in the wild.

And unlike the bones that were so white (they evidently had been here a very long time), I also found some fresh evidence of animal habitation on the ground nearby (see the droppings in the right photo).

I hated to end this chapter on such a downer note, so here's instead a lovely view of Kohala Mtn from "my new cave site."

To be continued... CLICK HERE to go to CHAPTER 10.

Back to Hawaii Twenty-O-Seven Index

Back to Home