Highway to Heaven

I would like to thank you for the article on Maui’s road to Hana (“The Highway to Heaven,” March 5). We’re planning a trip to Maui in April and none of the travel brochures has gone into detail as to what to expect to see on the road.

ANN SMITH

Whittier

After reading your piece on the Hana Highway, I felt compelled to write of our journey on that most incredible route.

My fiance and I vacationed in Maui last November and for our trip to Hana we rented a Harley. Doing Hana by car is one thing, but on a Harley-Davidson it is an ethereal experience. We also took the back route.

We encountered some terrible patches of road, including a fall-inducing patch of gravel. But we got up, dusted off and rode another seven hours.

With no helmet law in Hawaii we not only saw Hana, we smelled it. Plumeria scents wafted to us as we navigated the rain forest. And at some junctures the ocean waves seemed to rush right up under our wheels. We were able to walk black sand beaches and hike the Seven Sacred Pools. The rental agency allowed us to ride their bike in places car rental outlets forbid vehicles to be driven.

This experience is one I will never forget. If you are willing to lapse into insanity, forget about caution and are an experienced rider, I cannot recommend this mode of travel enough. Riding a Harley through Hana is harrowing and dangerous, but uplifting and unforgettable.

CHERYL L.L. VOVSI

Granada Hills

Readers should know that land on both sides of the “swimmable Twin Falls” is private property. This land is clearly posted with “No Trespassing” and “Kapu” signs (which are frequently destroyed) and is fenced (the fences are frequently knocked down). The parking areas along the highway are covered with the broken glass from the windows of visitors’ and tourists’ cars broken into while the drivers are enjoying the charms of the scenic stream. Not a week goes by that there is not a car or two robbed in this particular area. As one of the landowners in the Twin Falls area for more than 30 years, I have seen this part of Maui thoroughly spoiled by thoughtless trespassers and those who rob their cars.

JOHN ELLIOTT

San Marino