Skip to main content

Kalako Drive

By

Kalako Drive is an approximately 6.5-mile rural highway located on western side of the Hawaiian Big Island.  Kalako Drive begins at Hawaii Route 190 Mile Marker 34 and ascends east along the volcanic slope of Hualalai to an approximate elevation of 4,500 feet above sea level.  The corridor is one of the main throughfares in the Kona Coffee Belt and was developed during the early 1980s. 


This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series.  A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking here. 




Part 1; the history of Kalako Drive

The coffee plant was brough to the Kona District in 1828 by Reverend Samuel Ruggles.  Ruggles imported Brazilian cuttings which took well to the wet western slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa.  By the 1870s quality of Kona District Coffee would be recognized and branded by the local plantation owners.  

The so-called Kona Coffee Belt lies at an elevation ranging from 500 feet above sea level to 3,200 feet.  The area is known for consistently receiving more than 60 inches of rain annually amid temperatures ranging from 60F-85F.   The volcanic soil conditions and proper drainage also play a significant factor in the consistency of coffee cultivation.  

Kaloko Drive first appears on the 1980 United States Geological Survey map of Hawaii County.  The roadway is shown only to extend to what is now upper Huo Street.  


The modern extent of Kaloko Drive appears on the 1982 United States Geologic Survey map of Kailua-Kona.  The modern roadway ends shortly east of Huehue Street.  




Part 2; a drive on Kaloko Drive 

Below the Hualalai Cloud Forest can be seen in around the Mountain Thunder Coffee plantation located on Hao Street at approximately 3,200 feet.  Mountain Thunder was opened for business approximately shortly after the completion of Kaloko Drive.  The plantation tour guide claims the facility receives 100 inches of rain annually. 










Hao Street intersects and crosses over Kaloko Drive.  



Kaloko Drive winds west through the terrain amid wide and sweeping switchbacks (six in total) to a terminus at Hawaii Route 190.  














Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

By
The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

By
This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch.  While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley.  Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton Los Ange...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

By
Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California.  As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles.  US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street.  California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street.  US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton.   Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass.  Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...
Post a Comment
Read more