Grüsse aus Österreich

Greetings from Austria. Posting has been light on the blog, and now I am on vacation visiting my wife’s family in Europe (*). I had prepared a few photos of Kauai to post remotely, but I haven’t even gotten around to those yet. But a friend on Kauai said he wanted to see my pictures of Austria anyway, so here you are. I’m going to spare you the details about the strange toilets and the cool little cars and stick to what I know, the great outdoors.

Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kaua’i anymore, and it doesn’t look like Kansas either. This is the flat land around Vienna:

I love the landscape of Europe, where in most cases, houses are still clustered into towns, the fields in between are still farmed by local farmers with a variety of crops, and patches of forest remain, harvested for wood and accessible for hiking and biking.

Springtime is a great season to visit, there are flowers everywhere. This is the little town where my wife grew up and where her parents and many of her friends still live. Those are solar panels near the church, they date back to the 1980’s when the town installed a lot of solar demonstration projects. Like most of Europe, the town is an odd mix of old and new, sometimes it looks good, sometimes it doesn’t.

Not all people live in villages, the countryside is dotted with small hamlets and houses. I thought the new houses were built by city dwellers moving to the nearby countryside, but my wife assures me they belong to the well-to-do farmers and their families who work the adjacent land. One detail I noticed is that they’re always by a country lane, not in big fenced-off yards or private estates. This photo shows a Maypole which the local volunteer fireman of each town erect and decorate as a sort of fundraiser.

In between all the fields, forests, and farmhouses, there is a network of country lanes, dirt roads and forest paths that are ideal for biking. One day, I went for a 15-mile ride with my 80-year old father-in-law and I think we saw more hikers and bikers than cars. And with only one exception, every paved road, no matter how small, is in such great shape you could rollerblade on it. And in between the villages and farmhouses, there are roadside shrines and chapels. Austria used to be a very Catholic country, and my theory is that the religion took some of the edge off the Germanic culture, in a good way. Nowadays, like all over Europe, the churches are mostly filled with older people.

Because it is springtime, everthing is green here. Not the deep, lush green of Kaua’i’s North Shore, but the exuberant green of new leaves in the bright sun. The hillsides are filled with yellow and white flowers, but I must confess, I didn’t hear the sound of music anywhere.

Actually some of the green hilly pastures remind me of the beautiful backroads on Kauai, specifically that little green valley you go through on Kainahola road between Kawaihau and Hauiki roads, inland of Kapaa.

Here in south-eastern Austria, near the city of Graz, these are the foothills of the Alps, and from the hilltops you can see the higher mountains to the north. Even though I’m not an islander by birth and I’ve lived in the mountains before, I was still surprised to not see the ocean and instead see the rolling land extend out to the horizon.

One day, we drove to the mountains, up to about 3500 feet, about the same altitude as Kokee. From there we could see the real mountains even further north and still covered in snow. This picuture shows a traditional wooden farmhouse and the lower hills back to the south.

Like the biking trails, there are countless hiking trails throughout the country. Many of these are networked into cross-country routes with clear signage all along the way. Up in the high mountains, you can hike from hut to hut, where you get a warm meal and a soft bunk bed every night. Here in the lowlands, you hike between inns and guest-houses, and even if you’re just day-hiking, it seems like there’s a outdoor café or restaurant at the end of every hike.

We went for a hike in a small gorge carved through some layers of limestone by a stream coming down from the nearby mountains. Behind me, you can see the trail marker painted on the rock, three stripes of red, white, and red that mimic the Austrian flag.

You almost never have to ford a river on these trails, and indeed there were several bridges to cross the stream whenever it was impossible to continue on one side. I heard the bridges were washed out in a flood 3 years ago and rebuilt the same year. This year a windstorm knocked down hundreds of trees less than 3 months ago, and the trail was already cleared by chain-sawing the trunks or rerouting the trail around them.

Somehow, this photo sums up many of the small details I liked about Austria: along one section of this cross-country trail, at a junction deep in a scenic ravine, the sign on the left clearly maps out a side trail up to a hamlet, while the sign on the right invites the hiker to eat at the small restaurant there, “only 45 minutes away.” Further up the side trail, another sign for the same restaurant advertises the menu.

I know I’ve made a lot of comparisons that sound unfavorable to “how they do things back home” on Kaua’i, but it’s hard not to like Austria, and as a visitor I only see the good things. I know from my in-laws that people here have to work hard to preserve what they’ve got, and from what I can read in the newspapers, politics here are like politics everywhere.

(*) True story: when I met my future wife in California, she always used to send mail home addressed as “Austria/Europe.” I have never had any post office anywhere mess up my mail in any way, so I thought she was being obtuse. But she said that she started writing addresses that way when a birthday card she had sent arrived a month late and postmarked through Australia.

Camping on Kauai

Updated: I have made some changes and additions in the last paragraphs.

Ever since I suggested that people send me questions, I’ve been getting some great topics for new blog posts. Ariane writes:

loved your blog - very helpful and interesting, better than any book info i’ve seen so far

Thanks for the encouraging words. I’ve often thought I should write a book about Kauai, but writing the blog is all I have time to do for now (and barely at that). Posting reviews and critiques of existing guidebooks is something I want to do but haven’t gotten around to either.

any advice on a great camp site that is not too crowded or buggy, near the beach or water would be ideal with some toilet facilities - for our base camp or do you suggest just trying one or two nites in different places?? to get the permits, you have to tell them where you want to camp each exact day…

My wife and I camped every night on my first (her third) trip to Kauai, and we loved it. We had a rental car and moved around every day or two, in order to see the whole island. We backpacked to Kalalau, and except for some shopping and restaurants, we spent the entire 10 days outdoors.

I would at least suggest you split your time between the north and south shores. All campgrounds except Kokee are at beach parks, and you can usually pitch your tent on the grass right next to the sand (camping on the beach is illegal and unsafe). All have toilets, some better than others, but all are useable. I think they all have cold showers (even Kokee!), some with privacy, some not. Bugs tend not to be a problem because it’s often breezy, but they are around so bring repellent if you’re sensitive.

Our favorite campgrounds are Anini in the north (though Haena is better for staging a Kalalau hike) and Salt Pond in the south (Polihale is more beautiful, but more out of the way). And of course, as hikers you should probably consider Kokee if you don’t mind the “cold” (down into the 30’s or 40’s possible at night this time of year). There isn’t much camping on the east side, both Lydgate and Hanamaulu beach parks tend to be overrun with homeless, so hike the Sleeping Giant or kayak the Wailua river (both recommended) on your way north or south. Actually, Anahola beach park is OK and not too far away.

The only other suggestion I have is to double book the state campgrounds (Polihale and Kokee) with county campgrounds as backups. The permits aren’t that expensive, and that way you have the flexibility to change depending on your mood or the weather. Kokee is fairly miserable if it’s stormy, and Polihale is a long drive you don’t want to do in the dark. I realize that double booking is not very respectful of other users, but since campgrounds only fill up on holiday weekends, I don’t imagine you will be keeping someone else out (Kokee does fill up, but it should be your primary choice). We also double booked county parks both north and south, but I don’t know if they’ll let you do that anymore.

I should do a bit of research and ask the county park division about the number of permits they issue for each campground and what they think about double booking. Also, when you’re finally on-island, you can always go to the parks office and change your reservations. I would prefer a self-registration at each campground instead of the advance reservation system, it would make weekend camping more spontaneous. But it does avoid having designated tent sites (most campgrounds are just open fields) and it allows the state to limit the number of consecutive nights, a limit which is intended to make it illegal for homeless and vagrants to stay in campgrounds.

About vagrants in the parks: the booming real-estate on Kauai makes housing very expensive, and several hundred people have nowhere to live except near facilities at beach parks. There are also people who choose to live out of their vehicles, moving around from beach to beach. Most of these people keep to themselves, but they are friendly and you might not even guess their situation. Parks of all sorts also attract late-night drug deals, which by their nature you’re unlikely to witness.

However, like anywhere, you should stay away from drug users and drinkers who sometimes hang out at park pavillions after dark. Avoid going near and being seen by noisy gatherings, never confront or provoke rowdy people, and play down or dissipate any words or actions directed at you. Some people on Kauai do resent tourists, and drinking or smoking ice (crystal methamphetamine) can make them violent. If you are being followed, do not go back to your tent for a while. If you feel threatened in any way, call 911—cell phones usually have reception and I think all parks have a pay phone.

In several years of camping out, we have been had only one confrontation where a drunk yelled something at my wife going to the restroom in the middle of the night in Haena. It scared her and almost ruined her stay, but we were never in any danger. We also once saw a burnt-down tent at Polihale and heard that a camper did something to anger a group of local young men. I read about such instances about once a year in the newspaper, most recently this inconclusive story back in October 2006. While such actions are not excusable, they can almost always be explained by some provocation by the victims, often “homeless” or drug users themselves—in other words, not typical campers.

Anini Beach park tends to have the least incidents because it is surrounded by multi-million dollar houses and vacation rentals. I think this leads to more police patrols, and I’ve heard that residents will report suspicious vehicles. Though it’s a fine line between protecting the public and harassing ordinary people, as demonstrated by this week’s news story. I’ve also heard about noisy drunks threatening someone at Anini, but I don’t know the whole story. In conclusion, don’t let your camping trip be dictated or ruined by fear, but exercise normal precautions and avoid any situations.

Update: here is a link to a 2002 travel journal that corroborates much of what I say about vagrants (start reading at 17.03.2002; there is a photo link but they do not display).

Powerful Message

Our friend Gabriel Talyor recently had a strong and beautiful letter to the editor waiting to be published by the Garden Island newspaper. It has been circulating around the island already on various email lists.

A slender young woman placed a sprouted coconut on the table, sat down in front of the microphone, introduced herself, and greeted the commissioners in Hawaiian. It was 8 pm in the cold, harshly lit county meeting room where the planning commissioners sat listening to public testimony. Combined, the two proposed resort/condo projects would total 547 multi-family units/hotel rooms and 964 parking stalls. And they would be located on the beach in the historic Waipouli coconut grove, the heart of Kaua‘i’s traffic hell.

The dozen of us that came to testify against the proposed beachfront resorts had been sitting on hard chairs for nearly seven hours. The morning’s agenda dragged on into the afternoon, but I dared not go out for more than bathroom break, because it could suddenly shift to the public hearings and all could be lost. I was stiff and hungry and I wanted to go home. But then something changed.

The young dark-haired woman spoke in a poetic form that is difficult to capture, but essentially, in a gentle way, she told riveting stories of how our life style on Kaua‘i is being transformed by the unleashed and insensitive growth of tourism. She took us on a journey into the heart of the Hawaiian people and its assault on their traditions. And she led us down a path into the soul of the ‘aina, our beautiful island whose shores are being gambled away in a crap game, and sold out to the highest bidder. When she finished, it was apparent that the atmosphere of the sterile room had risen to a higher level.

While I experienced a feeling of deep sadness, it was not one of despair. Rather, I gained a sense of strength and renewed hope. Hope to believe that we who are concerned about our quality of life and of that of the ‘aina, can successfully communicate with not only the County Planning Commission, but with all the powers that influence growth on Kaua‘i. In addition to presenting my own testimony, I knew that I had to do something more. And it was urgent. I knew that I had to communicate with my fellow Kauaians right away.

So here I am to tell you that if you are horrified by the vision of 1,000 more cars pouring onto Kuhio Highway, if you are worried about the stress of these proposed resorts on other infrastructure: water, sewage, solid waste, and if the thought of an additional 1,200 to 1,700 tourists filling up our parks, beaches, and hiking trails, causes you to clench your teeth, you can do something now.

You can testify about this proposed project without breaking your ‘okole on a hard chair for seven hours. You can write your thoughts, concerns, exasperation and frustration to the County Planning Commission today. They will be accepting written testimony (signed with your address) about this proposed project through the mail or fax up through Monday, August 28.

To: Kaua‘i County Planning Commission
Re: Testimony -Coconut Beach Development & Coconut Plantation Holdings
Send testimony by Fax: 241-6699 or mail to: 4444 Rice Street Lihue, Hi. 96766

It’s going to take all of us to work together to stop this train wreck of overdevelopment and to support reasonable growth on our beloved island. It is not enough to just grumble to our friends. Let’s step into our power and make our voices heard where it counts.

Highway 1

This doesn’t have much to do with Kauai, but someone asked about California Highway 1 and I had written this for a friend a while ago. In a way, the California coast is similar to Kauai because you have a long stretch of road wedged between the hills and coastline, with lots of towns, side roads, trails, and beaches to explore. The major difference is that it’s warm enough on Kauai for swimming at the beaches.

I used to live in San Jose and explore the coast a lot. I highly recommend the drive, but some sections are better than others. Depending on where you start and how much you want to do, here are my recommendations:

• If you start in the city of San Francisco, go through the Golden Gate park to Ocean Beach and head south to eventually join up with Hwy 1 near Pacifica. Devil’s Slide is after Pacifica, and it’s really not a big deal when the road is open.
• Unless you want to see the elephant seals at Ano Nuevo State Reserve, take 92 inland from Half Moon Bay and turn south on Skyline Drive (35). There are places with great views of the Bay and Silicon Valley. Follow signs to Big Basin Redwoods State Park and Santa Cruz. You’ll go through some quirky little communities in the forests. This is slower than the coast, but a much less seen part of the Bay Area.
• If you’re pressed for time, you can also skip the coast/skyline here and take 280 (“world’s most beautiful freeway”) south to 17 and “over the hill” to Santa Cruz.
• Santa Cruz and its suburbs to the south are funky “little” coastal communities and a good place to stop for a meal by the wharf, but not really the Hwy 1 experience. South of Santa Cruz isn’t much of an experience either, Hwy 1 is pretty much a freeway to Monterey.
• Monterey is again a nice town with some history (old plaza and first capital of CA, cannery row), as is Carmel (beautiful mission church), but there’s a lot of tourist fluff. The aquarium is very nice, but it will take at least half a day to get your money’s worth. The 17-mile drive at Pebble Beach is not worth your money unless you’re out of time and won’t see the same beautiful coast for free further south.
• South of Monterey is where the “classic” Hwy 1 begins. There are no “escape routes,” or rather they are even slower, but this is the most scenic part anyways.
• A few miles south of Monterey is Point Lobos State Reserve, the best place to explore the coastal rock formations and tidal pools. Ansel Adams and Edward Weston got their inspiration here (I just found other photos here). If you get out of the car just once, I would vote for here.
• South of Point Lobos is the oft-photographed Bixby Creek Bridge (though that wikipedia photo doesn’t do it justice). There are also many turnouts along the highway to stop for the many views.
• I don’t know much about Big Sur, other than the bakery (and cafe) along the road used to be very good. The town is crowded in the summer so we never bothered checking it out. There are trail up the canyons to natural hot springs, but they’re crowded too and we never tried to go there.
• From Big Sur to San Simeon and Hearst Castle, it is a long 65 miles of scenic driving on a rugged coast with few services. If you have the time, there are a few side roads to explore or trails if you want to get out of the car and get a different view of the area:
  • At Julia Pfeiffer-Burns State Park (not the Pfeiffer State Park in Big Sur), walk on a trail under the highway to see a pretty waterfall splashing directly onto the beach.
  • The Nacimiento-Fergusson road winds its way up into the hills for some nice views. It does connect to 101 inland, but it is much smaller and more deserted than Hwy 1.
  • 4 miles beyond the Nacimiento-Fergusson road is Prewitt Creek and a little hamlet called Gorda. There is a trail that starts at the tiny ranger station and climbs up the grassy hillside for some views. Turn around when the trail heads back into the valley.
  • Salmon Creek is 13 miles further and has a short hike up the valley to some waterfalls among huge boulders and Bay trees (a fragrant relative of the bay leaf spice).
• Hearst Castle is a must if you have a half-day to spare, it’s another tycoon-plunders-Europe-to-build-an-American-chateau, but it’s pretty and the Hollywood stories are interesting. It is popular and you probably need to reserve your tour ahead of time.
• Cambria is the little artist’s town to the south of Hearst Castle. It has a nice mainstreet with lots of tourist shops. I wasn’t that impressed because like many places, it’s hard to find the character of a place in the 2 hours you spend on Main street.
• Morro Bay a bit further south seemed more authentic, and it has a nice big rock in the middle of the bay. From there it’s a short drive inland to San Luis Obispo.

For lodging, there’s nowhere to stay between Big Sur and Cambria, except for a few state campgrounds and a tiny lodge in Lucia with a small roadside restaurant. And since Big Sur and Cambria are small, they are expensive and easily full in the summer. Even in bigger towns like Santa Cruz, Monterey and Morro Bay you would probably need reservations during the summer.

Island of the Apes

I recently discoverd Monkeywire.org, which has lots of interesting articles about primates in their archives. Many articles report on the latest behavioral research, wherein we learn that primates mourn their dead, understand money, steal only when others are not watching, try to fit in, and pick up human habits such as smoking.

With more research, we might even find some primates have legends that deny they evolved from lemurs. Now that I’ve said that, I need to make a new blog rule forbidding religious discussions here.

What’s the connection to Kauai? Well, the plans for a Maui Ape Center seems to be falling through, and though it is pure speculation on my part, I wonder if they considered relocating to Kauai. Which leads me to ponder whether a primate sanctuary is compatible with a Hawaiian island. It would definitely be out of place culturally, but so is much of the tourism here. And I assume there is little chance of the primates escaping, so we shouldn’t have to worry about another invasive species.

In the end, I think an environmentally oriented research center would help reinforce Kauai’s image as a protected place. So, I think someone should invite the preserve to Kauai.