Progress

The road to our place goes across a gulch. We are surrounded by gulches here--they originate on Mauna Kea, and quickly turn into white water when it rains enough, and it rains enough here. Roughly 150 inches a year. That's why our catchment tank is always full. The gulches also fill up rapidly when the snow atop Mauna Kea melts.

We knew about this road's precarious terrain before we owned our house. We actually appreciated that aspect. We also knew about the alternate route, which can be used when the gulch is raging. We have used the alternate route a handful of times since moving in. Well worth a few extra minutes to be safe, right?

Last December, a vacationing tourist did not take the alternate route. He was renting a neighboring house and exploring the Big Island for a few days. When he headed back to his rented place on December 19, it had been raining steadily for a few days. I know that because my man reported it to me while I was visiting the mainland. He took the alternate route during that time, since the gulch route was not a good choice.

That poor young guy tried to drive across fast-moving, high water in a rental sedan.
When he failed to return from his vacation the next day, the authorities were notified. The search began, but they did not locate his body and the car until New Years Eve. A helicopter finally spotted the car, which had been swept over a big drop-off, hundreds of yards from it's original crossing point.

Since then, we have a newfound reverence for that little section of road. Because even though we have the ideal four wheel drive truck, it is no match for the power of nature.

Not surprisingly, our road got some attention after this sad mishap. The county came out and met with some of us, and a few weeks later, our gulch was equipped with various precautionary measures. I've posted a few photos of the new signage below. The reason there is no bridge, and there may never be a bridge is that the county considers the road to be a "road in limbo", which is a nice way of saying they don't want to deal with it.

Thing is, I am alright with it staying that way. I'm glad that it is now safer for those unfamiliar with the often extreme driving conditions. But I will admit that I hope progress doesn't happen too fast. Maybe that's what happens when you watch your former state turn into a vapid wasteland of greed, excess, and concrete in your lifetime.