Part II – The West End – The Land of the Red Dust…

The white and rusted Toyota sedan leaned into the turn as we headed west down route 480, toward the arid West End of Molokai.

The land of the Red Dust…

This was my first impression of the island as we flew in from Oahu over the West End a few days before. The rust colored earth was striking as we descended toward the airport. We now drove into this windswept desolation, in search of the End of the Road…

Past ranches and ramshackle cottages, where, by outward appearance, people lived a hard life, a life of continual red dust…

A dog’s belly that should have been white, but was dusted red; the pickup trucks with a thin red film on the outside…

The West End rose from its volcanic beginnings 1.8 million years ago. It is from these steep cliffs that legend tells of the origins of the ancient Hula. Despite the general look of rust-colored desolation as we drove down the unbending road, the modern history of the West End includes vast pineapple plantations, ranchland, and lush pastures – no doubt aided by irrigation. But from our vantage point as we drove down the lonely road, it was mostly Red Dust…

In fact, the West End of Molokai was unlike any other part of Hawaii I had yet seen. A rose colored land of sweeping vistas and lonely desolation…

My kinda place.

We drove on to the little community of Maunaloa, the major town for this part of the island. The little village was set in the same desert climate from which we had just come, but with some watered grass and jaunty, green-colored buildings to soften the blow of the harsh surroundings. The view of the ocean helped remind you that you were in a tropical island paradise…

Maunaloa looked a friendly town to me, but we found little to detain us for very long. We had noticed a turn-off leading down into an area of resort hotels and timeshare units. We headed back in search of that turn-off, curious as to where they tucked away all the tourists. Feeling a bit like anthropologists with a specialty in vacation rentals and their renters, we eagerly turned northwest down the road, ready to explore.

There weren’t many people in the resorts, it was eerily quiet as we parked the car and walked the grounds of one resort – a little spooky.

A stiff breeze blew in from the southeast…

The few people that were there seemed out of place… The Stepford Guests, if you will…

In fact, the whole place seemed out of place. There were adequate attempts at lush, tropical vegetation, but ultimately, just underneath the surface, all around, was the Red Dust.

The whole thing started to remind me of the Twilight Zone… "The People of Red Dust".

A logical question at this point is why would a developer put their resort in such a place…

Here is my theory:

1. There is ample room for a sprawling resort facility on the West End.
2. The beach…

The resort we visited fronted along an unobstructed vista of the deep, open ocean. Oahu rested lazily in the distant haze of the western horizon. At the bottom of a steep cliff a wide and sandy beach stretched along the shore for at least a mile. A fine, white sand beach.

We paid proper respect to this beach, frolicking among some lava rock, and tempting the waves as they lapped at our sneakers…

We then made our way back to the car along a path that led by a somewhat subdued game of golf - though I admit it is hard to tell…

I don’t play golf; I have no interest… I’m sorry. I tried. As a kid I would get some mild amusement going to driving ranges with my brother and Dad, "hitting a bucket of balls", as they say.

But that was about it. Golf just doesn’t do it for me. Anyway, I watched as these golfers gave what I interpreted as a brave face… The stiff wind and the Red Dust wasn’t going to deprive them of their golf game…

I admired their dedication and determination, if not necessarily their choice of activity…

As we climbed back into the rusted Toyota, I marveled once again at the climatic variety found in this island archipelago. From the tropical rain forests, to the beaches, to the arid desert... The fiery, active lava flows forming new land, to the quiet mountainous tundra of long extinct volcanoes… Hawaii is a place full of wonder and adventure. A place to explore time and again…

Leave your golf clubs at home…

We drove back up the windswept road toward Route 480, clouds of Red Dust billowing around our tires as we passed. Heading home toward the cool, green paradise of the East End.

To the little home by the sea…