October 26

The first October 26 was a travel day, getting back to Hawaii from Guam. This is now the second October 26. Staying at the Best Western Plaza Hotel at the airport was an excellent choice. Free shuttle, excellent breakfast, and very comfortable room. The shuttle dropped me off at Terminal 3. A few of the other passengers had puzzled looks. Terminal 3 is only for Mokulele Airways… terminal 1 is for Hawaiian Air and terminal 2 is for all the big boys. Mokulele is the main choice for hopping between the Hawaiian islands. It is the only option for Molokai. My research had shown that once a day the company flies to Molokai but with a stopover at Kalaupapa. All other flights during the day to Molokai are non-stop. So, this would be my means for entry into Kalaupapa NHP. The NPS and State of Hawaii have closed the park to all except a few authorized folks, including the few remaining “residents”. These are the people who contracted leprosy and have decided to live out their lives in the village instead of going into mainstream life. My understanding is only three or four are still alive. The property reverts to the State (currently the residents own the land) when the last resident dies. It is not known to me what will happen at that point. Therefore, if you want to step foot in the park and do not have high enough connections in the Hawaiian State Government, get this morning flight. Or, you can take an 8-mile drive from the island’s regular airport… more about that later.

The two pilots of the Cessna 208 were excited to hear of my Quest. I am waiting for them to forward me the selfies they took of us. I will post one of them. The approach which they took to the village’s runway had us flying by 2,000-foot tall cliffs. One can see why this peninsula was selected for the colony, it is very isolated. We flew by the village and landed. The rest of the people on the plane had permission to stay in the village. But I got off as well in order to take a couple of photos. Thankfully, one of the pilots mentioned the park’s entrance sign. It is about 150 yards away from the open-air terminal, but he said I could walk as far as the grass went, so was able to cut that distance in half. One goal at each park is to get a photo of the park sign. Then we were back on the plane, headed to the regular airport. Alamo appears to be the only rental car company. I had a reservation and was given a Chevy Malibu. About three miles down the road is the turnoff for route 470. In 5.5 miles I came to the end of the road, in Pala-au State Park. The last few hundred yards of the road is actually in the NHP boundaries. I had triple-checked this fact. A short, paved path to the top of those previously mentioned cliffs is also in the park. The view was awesome, especially since the sun was now towards the west and I was looking east. One look down, though, and I was glad there was a railing.

The main roads on Molokai were paved and in excellent shape. Max speed limit is 45 mph, but plenty of 30 mph sections. Not very many cars, which made for a relaxing visit. Most people live on the south shore, from the airport going east. The main city on the island has two gas stations (I only saw two), a couple of small grocery stores, some restaurants, and other businesses. I did not see any beaches (but maps show a few at other spots where I did not drive). The ocean waters came right up to the shoreline. If the ocean level rises by one-foot, there are going to be problems. I saw an Alaska license plate. How about that. I saw a Hawaii plate in Alaska, now an Alaska plate here. Only a couple of hotels on the island, the best being Molokai Hotel (gets 4.9 stars out of 5 from 135 reviews). It looked very nice.

With a small airline like Mokulele no need to show up 2 hours ahead. There is no Customs, no TSA, etc. Give them your luggage and go sit in the waiting area until your flight and name are called. They will tell you what seat to take in the plane. Then board with all the liquid you want.

I landed in Maui. The airport looked much different than I remember from seven years ago. I believe there were undergoing expansion at the time. Now you can ride a tram from the arrival terminal to the rental car center. Quite fancy. 25 minutes later I was at G&Z Upcountry Bed and Breakfast. Will tackle Haleakala NP tomorrow.