A group of us walked on the holiday that was founded in 1910 by Sonora Smart Dodd to celebrate fatherhood and complement Mother’s Day. It took awhile for the holiday to gain traction with the public until President Nixon formally made it a national holiday in 1972.

Waimea

Some did pushups to warm up at our meeting spot, while others checked out the latest fad from Nordic folklore through Hong Kong.

Dillingham Airfield

Thanks to Lilia and Jeremy for shuttling us to our starting point that started as Camp Kawaihapai in 1922, then Mokuleia Airstrip in 1941 and Dillingham Airfield in 1948 and full circle to Kawaihapai Airfield in 2001. But most locals still call it Dillingham Airfield. Old habits die hard.

Dillingham Airfield

Edgar met us on his e-bike to keep us partial company today.

Dillingham Airfield

Look, up in the sky! It’s a glider! It’s a plane! It’s skydivers!

Dillingham Airfield

The closest we will come to jumping out of a perfectly good airplane today.

Farrington Highway

Pedestrians have the same crossing rights as equestrians.

Farrington Highway

Chico taking a break from walking.

Farrington Highway

Entrance to Dillingham Ranch that was founded in 1897 and was sold to the Nolan family in 2023 for 36.5 million dollars.

Farrington Highway

Where there is no polo, there can be no marco.

Farrington Highway

I didn’t know they had a petting zoo around here.

Mahinaai Street

The group checking out one of the fruit and vegetable stands on the road. What’s in your hand Akira-san?

Crozier Drive

Many of these older homes are considered historic and are granted tax exemptions and in return must grant the public viewing access that is not obstructed.

Crozier Drive

Exploring Crozier Beach that was accessed through a public corridor. There is a growing entitlement among migrant wealthy owners who seek to gentrify local areas by restricting public access to beaches which run contrary to State law that mandates all beaches are public. Money talks, locals walk.

Crozier Drive

We didn’t see any campers, just hikers.

Crozier Drive

Art imitating life.

Crozier Drive

Public dancing or stretching.

Crozier Drive

Looking for affordable beachfront housing. Barking up the wrong tree?

Waialua Beach Road

Edgar riding by the Pu’uiki Beach Park which is privately owned by Dole Food Company. Public beach access?

Waialua Beach Road

The bus stop served as our temporary resting spot where Jeremy joined us on his electric bike.

Waialua Beach Road

Public papaya pickers.

Waialua Beach Road

We got papayas, now all we need is a chicken.

Waialua Beach Road

You can keep the cash reward. Chicken papaya sounds pretty good right now.

Cane Haul Road

We going that way. You go that way.

Cane Haul Road

Did everybody smile?

Cane Haul Road

Railings were a late addition to the bridge. Safety first.

Cane Haul Road

Photo provided courtesy of Dale Yoshizu which I believe shows the last run of those giant cane hauler trucks across the Cane Haul Bridge on October 3, 1996, which marked the last day of the Waialua Sugar Mill, the last of its kind in the islands.

Cane Haul Road

Looking back at the roughly 420′ bridge that crosses over the waters of Kaiaka Bay.

Cane Haul Road

Group photo in front of what most people think of when you say grass shack. This particular one was sheltering a couple of canoes.

Kaiaka Bay

Walking from the road to the beach to the park.

Kaiaka Bay Beach Park

Group photo in front of the rock known as Pohaku o Lana’i, the two rocks seemingly stacked and balanced on top of each other resembles a giant mushroom, legend has it that the rocks floated ashore from the mythical land of Kahiki.

Kaiaka Bay Beach Park

Jeremy getting some air time as he leaves no carbon footprint. Until he charges his bike. Edgar packed his bike in the car and went home to celebrate his day.

Kaiaka Bay Beach Park

Something is out of place on the Bill and Peggy Paty monument, can you spot it?

Haleiwa Road

We stopped at the Waialua Fire Station to get our blood pressure checked, saw an old co-worker and just to take photos.

Haleiwa Road

Group photo in front of the 93-year old fire station that sits in a flood and tsunami zone. Five acres of land was purchased from Dole in 2020 to build a new fire station but then they found out that it also sits in a tsunami zone. You can’t make this stuff up.

Haleiwa Road

Checking out the shuttered Chun’s Store and Market that was a fixture in the Haleiwa community since 1946.

Haleiwa Road

Partial group photo in front of Kealii O Malu Church that was built in 1939, services are held every Sunday at 10am.

Haleiwa Road

The rest of the group was more interested in picking calamansi from the nearby tree than praying.

Haleiwa Road

I don’t know if Dale wanted to take his photo with the pretty wahine or the vintage VW bus.

Haleiwa Road

Passing Haleiwa Boat Harbor that was built in 1966 at the mouth of the Anahulu River.

Haleiwa Road

Mari plucking a penny off the pavement in front of 7-11 where we had stopped to refresh ourselves. Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long you’ll have good luck.

Kamehameha Highway

Watching people climb and jump off the Rainbow Bridge constructed in 1921 and paddlers going up Anahulu River that once teemed with edible marine life, but now is polluted ever since Haleiwa Harbor was built in 1966.

Anahulu Bridge

The original wooden bridge built in the early 1900s that served to facilitate mostly horse drawn carriage traffic into town until a tractor in 1915 destroyed the bridge.

Kamehameha Highway

Group photo in front of the current Anahulu Bridge.

Kamehameha Highway

Entering Haleiwa town, that was founded by Benjamin Dillingham in 1898. Jeremy directing traffic or giving directions as some of us stopped to grab some fruity ice cream. Quite a treat for our taste buds.

Kamehameha Highway

Aspiring and fallen angels.

Kamehameha Highway

Passing Haleiwa Beach Park and admiring the crimson flower trees bordering the park that was constructed in 1939.

Kamehameha Highway

Group photo at the sign that had its genesis in 1996, graffiti and vandals soon rendered the sign a shadow of its former self in 2005, as perpetrators had sawed off the surfer and only left the feet on the surfboard. Japanese surfboard shaper, Tatsuro Ota volunteered on his own to repair and rebuild the male surfer. However, in 2006, the original artist who made the signs, Carole Beller, took down Ota’s replacement and replaced it with the current female surfer you see in the photo. Copyright protection.

Kamehameha Highway

Chico helping direct traffic so HPD can get to where they are going. The civic duty is strong in this one.

Kamehameha Highway

Take a wild guess as to who lives here.

Kamehameha Highway

No turtles. Only beachgoers. Nothing to see here. Move along.

All pau

Approaching the side street where our cars were parked.

GPS Tracks

Our Father’s Day walk covered 11.9 miles with good company and fun times. Aida went to eat in solitude on the North Shore. The rest of us tried Waiahole Poi Factory and discovered it was closed so we decided on Saito and Pho to have our post hike meal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPdGUTkNcVk

Video by Edgar Gamiao of our walk #9.

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Akira Suzuki, Alexis Catarina, Chico Cantu, Dale Yoshizu, Edgar Gamiao, Jeremy Cannone, Kenny Lui, Mari Saito, Tessa Bugay and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.

We spent the last Sunday in June doing our perimeter walk#6 around the island.

Waimea

Thanks to Matt for dropping Agnes, Aida, Enrique, Jasmin, Mari, Tessa, and myself off near Waimea Bay where we had last ended our walk.

Samurai House

Passing by the oceanside home that has a Japanese theme and built around five bedrooms and nine bathrooms. Rumours that actor Jonah Hill bought the property was squashed by the VRBO owner.

Kamehameha Highway

Finders keepers, losers weepers.

Kamehameha Highway

Walking on the shaded part of the road as the sun started heating up the ambient temperature.

Laniakea Beach

Too early for the turtle traffic, whose peak hours range from 1100 to 1500. Sad we missed the hard shelled herbivores but not the hard headed traffic that ties up the area.

Kawailoa Ranch

Passing the grazing horses.

Kamehameha Highway

Waiting for the bus or to get our picture taken?

Kamehameha Highway

Jasmin filling up her plastic bag with kamachile, a tart but sweet fruit. Are we on public property?

Haleiwa

Group photo in front of one of the restored signs that was first erected in 1996 by California artist Carole Beller. Years of neglect and vandalism saw the sign being covered in graffiti and even the surfer was chopped off. In 2005, Japanese Tatsuro Ota repaired the sign on his own dime and time. In 2006, Carole Beller took down the repaired surfer and replaced it with the current wahine surfer to protect her copyrighted creation.

Haleiwa

Why does my name get paired with an expletive? I just happened to be in the area and made a suggestion.

Haleiwa

Take a selfie and get a sticker.

Haleiwa

Take a selfie and get a photo.

Haleiwa

No pictures. Camera shy.

Haleiwa Beach Park War Memorial

Standing in front of the white obelisk that honors the sixteen locals who gave their lives in WW2 and was built and dedicated in 1947 by the Waialua Lions Club.

Haleiwa

Straining in front of the Bob Marley tribute that was done in 2014 by cryptik.

Haleiwa

Which way is Waialua?

Haleiwa

Pre-preening peacock.

Haleiwa

Fallen angel. These pair of wings are part of Colette Miller’s Global Angel Wings Project that started back in 2012 and has spread over the world.

Rainbow Bridge

I need a bicycle to get up this double arched bridge built in 1921 that carries traffic over Anahulu Stream.

Haleiwa

Popped into the nearby convenience store to get some ice cream refreshments.

Haleiwa Road

No get sassy otherwise I’ll get slappy. Are we on public property?

Haleiwa Harbor

Hello? I would like to order a mango picker.

Haleiwa Road

Pushing her luck. Where’s that neighbor when you need him.

Haleiwa Road

We spotted a colorful saffron finch that was introduced to Hawaii in 1965.

Kealiiokamalu Church

Some used their hands to pray at the Hawaiian church built in 1939.

Haleiwa Road

Others used them to pick calamansi.

Kaika Bay Beach Park

Group photo in front of the mushroom shaped balancing rock called Pohaku Lana’i, legend has it that the rock floated ashore from a distant land called Kahiki.

Kaika Bay Beach Park

We decided to have lunch at the shadowy sea park that covers 53 acres.

Haleiwa Road

Is this a good idea?

Haleiwa Road

Maybe not.

Waialua Beach Road

Why did the hiker cross the road? To see a misleading roadside advertisement up close.

Waialua Elementary School

Is that a verb or noun?

Waialua Beach Road

Some of us came more prepared for the rain than the others.

Waialua Beach Road

Share the road!

Crozier Drive

Air conditioned papayas.

Crozier Drive

Yard sale on the right.

Crozier Drive

Is this sign lost?

Crozier Drive

Checking out a secluded beach.

Crozier Drive

Too rich for my blood.

Mahinaai Street

Walking out towards the highway.

Mahinaai Street

Why let a perfectly manicured lawn go to waste?

Mahinaai Street

The girls checking out one of the honor fruit and vegetable stands in the area.

Farrington Highway

Milk it for all it’s worth. Or just take a picture.

Dillingham Ranch

Group photo in front of the property that was formerly Kawailoa Ranch until the railroad tycoon Benjamin Dillingham purchased it in 1897. His son, Walter would later be responsible for dredging Pearl Harbor, developing Honolulu Airport and Waikiki Beach.

Farrington Highway

Richard Cleveland introduced the first horse to Hawaii in 1803 to King Kamehameha. Today, they are used primarily for trail rides, rodeos and polo matches.

Dillingham Airfield

Who wants to skydive? Don’t everybody jump at once.

Dillingham Airfield

What’s the hardest part of skydiving? The ground.

Dillingham Airfield

The closest I’m getting to skydiving today.

Dillingham Airfield

Walking back to our cars.

All pau

Last chance?

Jerry’s Pizza Mill

Post-walk meal at the nearby pizzeria. Anybody order pineapple toppings?

GPS Tracks

Our longer than expected walk from Waimea to Waialua covered 12.5 miles that was made bearable with good company.

Photos taken by Agnes Bryant, Aida Gordon, Jasmin Nepomuceno, Mari Saito, Tessa Bugay, and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.

1:30pm starting time + traffic = not going to make it. I had persuaded Glenn to sign up for the Warrior Dash, which is a 3 mile obstacle course which benefits the St. Jude Hospital. But first we had to get to Dillingham Ranch in Waialua on the North Shore, where the race was being held. Traffic was backed up all the way on Kaukonahua Road due to an earlier accident. To make matters worse, Glenn’s empty fuel tank alarm had just gone off. Luckily, we made it to a gas station in Haleiwa and took the back roads to Dillingham Ranch, where we merged with cars either parking on Farrington Highway to save the $10 in parking fees or parking on the ranch grounds.

Grab your horns and start running!

We made our way towards the booths to pick up our registration packets and faux viking hats. It seemed that nobody cared or checked what starting times people were in, as we just made our way to the starting line. We had to wait about 15 minutes before our batch was released onto the course at 2:30pm. Just as we passed under the start banner and the twin puffs of fire, Mother Nature turned on the sprinklers.

Obstacle #1 – Barricade Breakdown

Jogging and walking the first mile in rain got the trail nice and muddy. The rain stopped as we got to the first obstacle. Climbing over and under barricades. Warm up.

Water Break #1

Water already? Just enough to moisten the mouth and spit the rest out.

Obstacle #2 – Storming Normandy

On our hands and knees. Crawling under a net and weaving in between obstacles with butts in your face. Hoping nobody would butt burp.

Obstacle #3 – Mud Mounds

Lamest obstacle on the course. Bunch of mud piles. Most runners just passed on the edge. Including myself.

Obstacle #4 – Mud Trenches

A quick crawl underneath wooden planks. Ho-hum. Where are the obstacles?

Obstacle #5 – Cliffhanger?

Going up and over, slowed by some girls who were afraid of heights. Are you kidding me?

Obstacle #6 – Leader’s Ledge?

Now this was fun. Balancing on foot wide planks going up and down. A nice splash on the bottom if you trip and fall.

Obstacle #7 – Mud Slope

Running down the muddy slope and back up the slippery slope.

Obstacle #8 – Vicious Valley

Climbing up mud encrusted blocks of wood over and over. Mud made it a bit slippery to climb up. I got some mud on my GoPro here and it stayed with me until the very end. Gotta rub some Rain-X on my case next time.

Water Break #2

Used the water to rinse my muddy hands. Why bother? Use the grass instead.

Obstacle #9 – Deadweight Drifter

Taking a cold plunge in chest high waters and pulling your water soaked body over these floats.

Obstacle #10 – Hard Rain

Time to take a shower while climbing over this obstacle.

Obstacle #11 – Cargo Climb

Climbing the cargo net. Just like back in the Army days, only easier.

Obstacle #12 – Warrior Roast

Jumping over two small fire lines. Marshmallows anybody?

Obstacle #13 – Muddy Mayhem

Nothing like a cool and refreshing mud bath while floating to the finish line, underneath barbed wire.

Don’t forget your medal!

Almost missed the folks giving out the medals. Where’s my turkey leg?!

The Last Obstacle

Standing in a sea of mud caked runners waiting to rinse off. Waiting my turn probably took longer than the entire race! This was a fun race, expected more challenging obstacles but hey it was all for good fun and a good cause.