K’den. Dis da last installment of Da Mystery Road Trip. Next time, we going start all ova again, oni I going tell u folks wea we wen go. Going be fun!

On dis leg of da trip, had da requisite train photo.

And dis amazing scenery.

Befoa dis sign, had two odda ones warning us of da serious downgrade ahead. “Danger, Will Robinson, danger!” Kinda lidat. Oa “Open da pod bay doors, Hal!” You choose.

Da steep downgrade goes down dea:

I like dis shot… showing all da roads from wea we were.

We neva wen hear of one woodpecker truck befoa.

Had wire mesh alongside da road to keep rocks from falling down onto da highway.

As part of da downgrade warning, one one of da steepest runaway truck ramps we ever wen see befoa.

Steep, yeah?

Den down we wen go into da valley.

Ho da bambucha tiyahs on dis truck!

By dis time we stay ready foa lunch; in da middo of da town wea we wen stop was dis ‘way kewl statue.

Pau lunch, back on da road we wen go. Had one neat encounter at lunch, but I going tell u about dat next time around.

More flatland, stretching out ahead of us.

Try look dis neat overpass da kine!

I wen ask Nolemana to take dis shot; I like da way da poles stay all lined up. Kinda reminds me of da line in da poem, Ozymandias, “…the lone and level sands stretch far away…”

Try look! Anodda rivah!

We have now made one complete circle. North, South, East, West, Makai, ‘Ewa, Diamond Head… back to wea we wen start a week ago and in da home stretch!

Back to da windmills. Okay, da kine. Not windmills. Wind turbines. Each costing about $20,000.

Da sun is starting to go down and da shadows begin to get long. We stay anxious foa get home now.

So bare da hills, but dey get dea own beauty.

And dea stay our mountain! Mount Hood, so familiar and welcoming. I alla time wonder wat da pioneers wen think when dey caught sight of dis magnificent mountain foa da firss time.

Back to green, green, green along da nani highway.

Da sun almost down now…

Up near our hale, our neighbors stay working late gathering up da hay bales.

When we left a week earlier, Ricky was dea to wave “aloha ‘oe” to us.

And now, as tiredly we wen drive up our gravel road, hea he was, waiting at da gate, yawning.

Home. We stay home again. Getting to see my auntie, to talk stories wit her and my long-lost cousin and his wonderful wife was da highlight of my entire year. And from dat trip, now I stay in contact wit my odda long-lost cousin too! I get nomo words foa da blessing dis was, to reconnect wit ‘ohana after so many years apart. Even now, I get wai maka just writing about it.

Mahalo nui to u folks who been following us on dis journey. It means a lot to me dat u wen join us foa da trip.