Today we were going to the north end of the island to ride horses in the Waipi’o Valley. We chose Na’alapa Trail Rides for the tour. We were put in a van for a dangerous and bumpy ride into the valley to meet the horses. Kim’s was told to watch her horse. He did not get along with other horses. As it turned out, she had to constantly watch him because he would bite at the other horses. Mine was not liking his job. He would not listen to me much. I really had to pull hard on the reins to make him move. I could not get him to back-up.
There were three dogs that came along. One of them was this small lap dog. I didn’t think he would make it. During one of the many creek crossings, the dog was carried away by the current as he swam in the deeper section. It was fun to see him be swept away. Once he got to shallower water, he would walk back to the path. The dogs loved to eat the ripe avocados that had fallen on the trail. One even tackled a papaya.
The views were simply awesome in this valley. We rode on a trail next to one of the cliffs. Unfortunately, there has not been much rain in this area of the Big Island. For us, that meant that the waterfalls were dry. Most of the farmers in this valley were growing taro. It is the main ingredient in poi. Our guides told us that the taro root is much tastier than the poi we ate at the luau’s.
At one of the creek crossings, Kim’s horse started to splash around. When a horse finds a sandy area in the water, they like to lie down to cool off. This was when Kim was informed that her horse likes to lay in the water.
Even though Kim’s horse gave her problems, she did a good job of keeping him in-line. One of the other riders commented on how much trouble the horse was giving her and said that she showed the horse who was boss. I commented that it was a good thing the rider was not like the horse. Some people laughed, but not Kim.
More than any other horse ride we have been on, we were allowed to “ride” the horses and move back and forth in the line. We did not need to stay in line. We liked the independence and the actual riding experience.
After the ride, we took the Saddle road back to our place. It goes between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, the two biggest volcanoes in Hawaii. Mauna Loa is the bigger of the two. In the winter, there is snow on top of each. There is a company that will take you snow skiing, but it is expensive. I think the next time we come, I want to try it in the morning. I then want to go surfing in the afternoon!
Today we had to do laundry. Our clean clothes were starting to run out.
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