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It's really not that bad, actually really no place on BI felt just totally rural and away from everything. There are tons of empty areas sure, but you're never really that far from a populated area, at least not like what I'm used to in some areas of the West. Saddle road was really the only thing that qualifies, and with the military area and a couple other things it still didn't really feel that isolated.
Here is a county that I go to sometimes in a rural area of CO to escape the city --
Area
- Total
877.70 sq mi (2,273 km²)
Population
- (2010)
- Density
712
1/sq mi (0/km²)
I agree. I never felt the B.I. was very remote, so many little towns to cruise through.
Emptiness is here in the West as Snikt said. My county is bigger than Rhode Island and has only 10,000 people, "town" is 40 min. away and has only 4,000. Nearby I-70 has a stretch of 110 miles with NO services...it's 4 hrs. to any big city or cultural-type stuff. Almost the same as a flight from the B.I. to the West coast!
I loved driving around the B.I. and enjoying all the little towns...
True, the little towns are nice, but that's all we have. Hilo town and Kailua town are the largest population centers we can access, no driving a bit further and getting to a large city. This is part of what gives the whole island it's flavor, though, so it's all good.
True, the little towns are nice, but that's all we have. Hilo town and Kailua town are the largest population centers we can access, no driving a bit further and getting to a large city. This is part of what gives the whole island it's flavor, though, so it's all good.
Yeah, I liked it that way actually. The first day I got back to Denver and had to sit in rush hour traffic I was thinking this was kinda stupid, people live in these areas though because that's where all the jobs are.
Both ways have their pros and cons. When I was flying to Honolulu there was a Hilo native that was flying there just because she had to get some kind of medical procedure done (MRI or something?) because there wasn't any there
When I was flying to Honolulu there was a Hilo native that was flying there just because she had to get some kind of medical procedure done (MRI or something?) because there wasn't any there
Yeah, in my book this is the biggest downside to life on the Big Island. It's hard to find primary medical and dental caregivers because there's a Doctor shortage and many are not taking new patients. And past a certain level of care, you have to go to Oahu. Serious trauma cases, for example, are often MedEvac'd to Honolulu. Then for more specialized care you have to go to the mainland. It's not a good situation, and I see no solution in sight.
If you need a big city, Honolulu is a very short hop away. Heck, if you are terminally reckless, you could probably paddle your outrigger over. Just don't ask me to go with you. Stark terror makes me seasick. I'm available to catch a plane over, though, if something interesting is happening in Oahu.
A couple of days of crowds and city traffic should take care of your big city needs for awhile.
It is roughly 170 miles from the BI to Honolulu, depending upon where you are starting from. There are lots of places on the mainland where medi-vac would be further than that. The only difference is that it isn't over water.
From where I sit right now, it is 160 miles to the more sophisticated medical care. I can get pretty good standard issue medical care about 50 miles away, but that is probably true on The BI, too.
Major medical centers are far and few between on the mainland, too. Lots of states only have one, no different that the state of Hawaii.
The only serious consideration is that medi-vac is darned expensive, so it's not a bad idea to keep the insurance paid up, just in case you need it. And on the mainland, when you feel a bit better, you can drive the 170 miles for your follow-up and it is a plane flight in Hawaii.
It is roughly 170 miles from the BI to Honolulu, depending upon where you are starting from. There are lots of places on the mainland where medi-vac would be further than that. The only difference is that it isn't over water.
From where I sit right now, it is 160 miles to the more sophisticated medical care. I can get pretty good standard issue medical care about 50 miles away, but that is probably true on The BI, too.
Major medical centers are far and few between on the mainland, too. Lots of states only have one, no different that the state of Hawaii.
The only serious consideration is that medi-vac is darned expensive, so it's not a bad idea to keep the insurance paid up, just in case you need it. And on the mainland, when you feel a bit better, you can drive the 170 miles for your follow-up and it is a plane flight in Hawaii.
I'm not sure if it's exactly the same
For example I was on a Waipio valley ATV tour and they said if anyone got hurt the only option is medivac. That seemed kinda silly to me since it's really not "that" remote, especially since we were on the rim, not in the valley and we were able to drive there with cheap ATVs.
In Colorado even if you were hurt in the back country it would have to be pretty serious for medivac, which in a lot of places isn't possible, they would do a search & rescue and bring you down the mountain or out of the back country on foot, 4x4, etc.
Then there are hospitals in the "smaller" towns, smaller in this case being 50-100,000 people, some of which might not be more than 50-100 miles away from that back country area you were in. There are a few areas though when you'd actually be probably more like 100-200+ miles away from one.
So I guess it depends, if you hike and hang out in the main areas that most people do, off interstates, in the touristy mountain areas I would say the care here is much more accessible and shorter to rescue. If you're in the very rural areas and in back country I would say the care is probably much more inaccessible than on the BI going to Honolulu
Yeah, I liked it that way actually. The first day I got back to Denver and had to sit in rush hour traffic I was thinking this was kinda stupid, people live in these areas though because that's where all the jobs are.
Don't think there isn't rush hour traffic on the Big Island.The highway from Hilo into Puna can be a nightmare in the late afternoon even without an accident. If there is an accident or some kind of road construction, forget about it!
Can't afford to hop over to Honolulu very often. Round trip airfare is gonna chew up at least $175 per person, possibly more. Then, once you get there, you got to rent a car or get some sort of transportation and then where to stay? There's no cheap accommodations, it's a tourist town.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke
Hilo is big enough.
If you need a big city, Honolulu is a very short hop away. Heck, if you are terminally reckless, you could probably paddle your outrigger over. Just don't ask me to go with you. Stark terror makes me seasick. I'm available to catch a plane over, though, if something interesting is happening in Oahu.
A couple of days of crowds and city traffic should take care of your big city needs for awhile.
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