Night Drives across Pineapple Fields

Once or month or so, I find myself coming home late from the North Shore. I'm usually alone, but occasionally with friends or my sweetie. Even though I'm inevitably sleepy, it is a beautiful drive and my senses awaken for the experience. I remember dreaming when I was younger about a long two-lane country highway with expansive fields that ended only to touch the sky. Now I know where those fields lie: I drive across them every day.

At night, however, the drive across the pineapple fields is a different experience. The skies in Hawaii are always clear. Even when there are a few clouds, the skies are clear. There is very rarely haze or fog. Drifting clouds only briefly obscure the infinite stars or a brilliant moon. The air is fresh and warm, yet cool. Its not like the daytime when the sun bears down intensely on everything below.

The best part of all, however, is the smells. As you first start up the fields, there is a faint smell of sea air - slightly salty, slightly fishy, but very fresh. As you drive further up, you notice the slightest hint of pineapple in the air. The smell then evolves into a faintly fermented smell. I've never smelled anything else like the faint odor of fermenting pineapples. When it mixes with the smell of upturned earth and the warm night air, it is a heavenly experience that wipes away all your worries and intoxicates your thoughts. At last, you pass the ends of the fields transformed as the fading scents roll through you mind and prepare your for a calm, peaceful sleep.