Bicycle, food vendors cashing in at gateway to Kamokuna lava flow

KALAPANA — As visitors laced up their hiking shoes and prepped for an arduous trek to see lava Wednesday evening, Jayne Taylor stood nearby, grilling a row of hot dogs.

“Here’s your hot dog, sweetie pants,” Taylor, 56, said, handing a beef frank to a young hiker from her one-person, wood cart inscribed with “The Hot Dog Guy” in red paint.

A medical assistant by trade, Taylor, who lives in Puna, switched careers a little more than a year ago to sell hot dogs full time to lava visitors under the small business started by her husband.

She’s now one of about a dozen food and bike vendors who set up shop each night at the county-maintained parking lot at the end of Chain of Craters Road, located near the start of the more than 4-mile-long gravel emergency road that leads to the lava flow.

July 26 marked one year since since lava began flowing into the ocean at Kamokuna, initially drawing thousands from around the world.

A year later, things have hardly slowed down.

Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno said county-hired security are typically counting about 900 visitors from 2-10 p.m. daily. Some visitors also arrive later. Last fiscal year, the county spent $419,985 on security, he said.

Vendors — mostly bike rental companies, though also a couple of food ventures — have since trickled in to meet demand.

“It started off a much smaller outfit, and everybody was kind of down here,” said Ahiu Hawaii tour company guide Derek Salinas on Wednesday, gesturing to a small portion of the parking lot. “But as time progressed, everyone started coming and people started getting more products. It’s become such a big tourism pull.”

Magno said the state Department of Taxation is ensuring vendors are compliant with state tax law. Police and other public safety officials have made trips with him to the area.

“We’re pushing safety,” he said. “We’re making sure they are not using unlicensed vehicles, unpermitted vehicles on the roadways.”

Ahiu Hawaii has offered lava tours for several years, Salinas said, though business has ramped up since lava began flowing into the ocean. He said bikes are an especially popular way to complete the trek: The company rents out about 50 bikes per night, he said, and larger companies rent up to 150 nightly.

Tours also have become more creative. Ahiu Hawaii even offered horse and hay rides to the lava at one point, Salinas said, though both have since ceased. Some rental vendors on Wednesday featured signs advertising electric bike and tandem bike rentals.

“I thought there’d be two or three bike stands, but this is very competitive,” said Belgium visitor Eva De Vilder of the nine bike rental companies manning tents Wednesday. “I didn’t realize there would be so many.”

“We wouldn’t have done this if it weren’t for the bikes,” De Vilder’s fiance, Wim Trypsten, added. “So we’re very glad they’re here.”

Residents who live along the road also have joined in on the action. Several advertised parking for sale on their properties. One featured a cardboard sign touting “$20 VIP Lava Parking” at a prime spot near the entrance.

Norman Clemens, 69, who said he also lives nearby, was busy offering tips to a drove of young lava-goers early Wednesday evening, who appeared eager to hit the road before sunset.

“This has been very profitable for everyone,” Clemens said. “I like it personally because it gives me something to do. It’s been going about 14 months now, and we estimate about two or three more years … so it’s a good thing all around for almost everyone, and certainly a good thing for Hawaii.”

For Taylor, her switch to selling hot dogs was by happenstance. She said she was driving along Highway 130 one day last summer when she decided to continue on instead of turning. She ultimately hit the dead end at the lava viewing entrance.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Taylor said of her reaction to seeing the plethora of tourists and bike rentals for the first time. “I can’t tell you why I decided to continue straight, but I did, and I believe in fate totally. Something was telling me to come here, so I did.”

Taylor soon set up shop and now works every night excluding Fridays and Sundays, which she said are generally slower. She said she sells about 60 hot dogs and burgers nightly. When things get slow, she simply sits back and cranks up the volume on her music player.

“I was a burned out medical assistant, and now look at my office,” Taylor said, motioning to the sweeping plain of lava rock visible from her tent. “My favorite part is helping people in a different aspect. It’s not, ‘I need stitches’ or ‘I’m sick.’ I wanted to do something different. So now I get to help people by feeding them.

“We support ourselves selling hot dogs, and it boggles my mind.”

Reporter Tom Callis contributed to this report.

Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.