Pedaiting the Pacific’s ‘Grand Canyon’ Janice Mucalov Contributing Writer THE sun was warm on our backs, the air cool and heady with the scent of ewcalyptus, as we pedalled down Koke’e Road from the top of Kaua’i’s Waimea Canyon to the Pacific coast below. It seemed fitting that the name of the road, Koke'e, means “to fead into the wind” in Hawaiian. Our 12-year-old son had sped ahead behind Martin, our bicycle leader, who was still visible up front in his flaming orange safety vest. I was trailing behind at the * rear ofour group of 13 riders, just in front of Imai, whose job it was to drive the van and tow the bike trailer. Every so often, Irnai would notify Martin by walky-talky of a car behind us, and we'd all pull off the side of the road and wait for the car to pass before setting off, single-file, again. _ “This isn’t a race,” Martin had explained earlier. “We're here to enjoy the ride, perhaps learn a little about the local culture and native plants and wees. That was fine by me, given that ’m lucky if ¥ go biking twice a year. Besides, there was enough excitement thrown in to planva big smile on the faces of the - More intrepid cyclists in our group. _. We'd met our trip leaders from - Outfitters Kaua’i earlier that moraing at © - 6am., just as the sun was stirring on the _ horizon. A stop at the Kalaheo Coffee : Co, Cafe for inango muffins and fresh- * brewed Kaua’i coffce (hot chocolate for the three kids in our group) jumpstarted cir sluggish. metabolisms. An hour later, ’ we had driver up to the rim of the canyon’and were standing at the lookout. -. For the uninitiated, the sight of Waimea Canyon is iruly awesome. Often a called the, “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”, it comprises three giant valleys chat converge into the dramatic 3,567-foot-deep canyon, which stretches 14 miles across the western end of * Kaua'i. A goat stood sentinel on the spine of one of te craggy > russet-red ‘cliffs, before loping our of view. On the far side, dark - ., Clouds gathered around the tops of the ragged cliffs, and we * could make ‘out Mt. Waiale’ale (meaning “rippling of the * water”). While blue sky yawned above us, and the Waimea Canyon Lookout where we stood is typically dry year-round, Mt. Waiale’ale receives 65 feet of rainfall a year — said to be the ‘weitest spot in the world, . ARANCE SALE Ail XXX Fiatpacks priced "at $79 oF less now only yl esrveyl Ail others are 59% off! incredible Selection! After testing our bikes — solid cruis- ers with fat tires, comfy saddles, hi-rise handlebars and power brakes — we set off down the narrow winding road. On either side, the green foliage shimmered in the sun in stark contrast to the red earth. Martin later identified some of the 272 plants and bushes that arc ’ indigenous to Kaua’i. I was intrigued by the Koa tree, which has a pretty silvery- green sickle-shaped leaf. At one time, the carly Hawaiians used to hollow out giant 60-foot Koa trees for their outrig- ger canoes; now, there are only dwarf Koas, reaching a maximum height of 8- 10 feet. oe Botanists aren’t sure why this is. But they do know that .Kaua’i is in danger of losing its native trees and plants, in part because of foreign shrubs introduced by plantation cottage owners years ago. In Koke’e State Park at the top of Waimea : Canyon, the passion-fruit vine with its beautiful pink ornamental flowers that dangle like twirling bal- lerinas is considered a weed. The wild pigs that roam the forest love the banana-like fruit and, while snuffling around with their snouts, spread the seeds throughout. The hardy vines then grow. up around the native trecs, choking the lite out of them. Every so often, the park hosts basket-making workshops, inviting locals trom around the island to yank the supple vines from the trees to weave baskets. Fragrant red ginger, imported from India, is also cut and killed before it can take over the forest floor. Half-way down, Martin waved us over for-a juice break. In the distance, we could see N?’ihau Island rising up out of the Sale 2 Weeks Only! . .50,- 409, , | Gapacity i Photo David Boynton (above) / Keun'l Visitors Sureau (beiow} WHILE Kaua’i has many picture-perfect beaches for sunning and relaxing, its lush, incredibly scenic countryside and mild climate are «<~ ideal for active outdoor recreation. Biking, hiking, sea kayaking, diving and sailing are all popular. turquoise ucean. Spreading over 102 square miles, the island was bought for a mere $10,000 in 1864 by the Robinson family, who today own the largest tracts of private land in Kaua’i and still run a ranch on Nithau. The island is also a sanctuary for the preservation of the traditional Hawaiian way of life. About 150. Hawaiians live on Ni'ihau, hunting, fishing ard gathering crops under the paternal protection of the Robinsons. “But you have to be born on the island to live there,” Martin explained, “If you leave, you can never return.” To avoid exploitation of the nadve Ni'ihau Hawaiians, outsiders are seldom allowed to visit — even National Geographic was apparently rebuffed — though for an exorbitant sum, one can arrange to go hunting on the island. re After navigating, a few hairpin turns, the last stretch of the road straightened out, and we picked up spced before coming to our final stop in Kekaha, site of the Kekaha Sugar Company. Sugarcane‘ from the surrounding fields is harvested here before rd ¢ Kana’ page @ Capilano College Performing Arts Theatre presents... 4 Tickets 815 adult 310 student/senior BOX OFFICE 990-7810 “E0Gn DEA