"Connecting East to West" Saddle Road Junction by triplehelix

Saddle Road may be off limits to you if you're driving an economy rental. Most companies won't let you drive their cars on that horrible road. Fortunately, the state has begun a massive and expensive renovation project aimed at bridging east and west Hawaii. Portions of the road are under construction at the moment with only about 6.5 miles of it completed and in use. A large portion of the road was closed off and re-routed making the commute much much faster. By 2009, visitors, residents, and commuters like myself will be able to get to and from each side faster and with ease. No more long coastal route commutes for me!

The problem is, there are no stop points along the way if you want a refreshment. There's a big military installation called Pohakuloa (Long Rock) at the mid point and besides the Mauna Kea cabin park, there isn't much unless you're looking to go up to the summit or just gaze at the scenery.

Here's my car at the park, I was tired and on my way home and nearly fell asleep so I stopped and rested. I was the only one here for some time other than the maintenance workers. Nice and cold too, perfect for a quick rest.

They call it saddle because its basically sitting in the middle of the two biggest mountains on the big island... Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Here's a shot of Mauna Loa from the park.