We killed two birds with one stone by having our #15 perimeter walk and celebrating Tessa’s birthday all wrapped up in one day.

Hale Cantu

The group met up at Chico’s house while Santa checked out his Harley with his two elves as he gets ready for his Christmas Toys for Tots ride.

He’eia Kea Boat Harbor

Thanks to Blaine, David and Lilia for shuttling us to the only public pier on Kaneohe Bay to start our walk.

He’eia Kea Boat Harbor

Nothing beats watching a rainbow while sitting on your own personal potty. Autographed no less. Happy Birthday Tessa!

Kamehameha Highway

The rain started coming down on our walk. Doesn’t that trigger a Pavlovian conditioned response? Tessa is prepared.

He’eia Estuary

Cutting across one of 30 coastal reserves in the country that was established in 2017 to protect the 1,385 acres of coastal wetlands.

Kamehameha Highway

Exiting back to paved paradise.

Kamehameha Highway

Sharing the road and sidewalks.

Windward Mall

In Hawaii, Santa doesn’t get a plate of cookies, he gets a box of malasadas. Thanks to Kenny for buying us the sugar glazed Portugese doughnuts.

Windward Mall

Group photo in front of one of five Leonard’s malasada wagons spread across the island. Photobombers welcome.

Windward Mall

Rounding up Santa’s sleigh and reindeers.

Windward Mall

Santa and his nine reindeer all carted up and nowhere to go.

Windward Mall

You know Kenji and Aida and Roger and Allison
Cristy and Marilyn and Susan and Aileen
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?

Tessa the yellow-bucket Reindeer
Had a very shiny seat
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it pilau

Windward Mall

Then one humid Hawaiian day
Santa came to say
“Tessa, with your bucket so stink
Won’t you guide my sleigh today?”

Then how the reindeer held their noses
As they shouted out with glee
“Tessa the yellow-bucket Reindeer
You’ll go down in history”

Habilitat Hawaii Christmas Trees

No discount for Santa. They do offer assistance to people with funny faces.

Kamehameha Highway

When one has choices.

Kamehameha Highway

Snack break at one of 85,000 7-11 stores worldwide.

Kamehameha Highway

No! I don’t want to be your reindeer!

Kamehameha Highway

Group photo with the public display on the library and police station grounds.

Kaneohe

We detoured off the highway and took the side streets where we saw a muscle car and Christmas decorations.

Kaneohe

The group briskly walking through the passageway that cut through the neighborhood as we didn’t want to be reported for loitering.

Kaneohe Bay Drive

Dale exiting the passageway onto the road that was funded in 1935 to create a scenic route along the bay.

Kaneohe Bay Drive

Picturesque view of the largest sheltered body of water in the islands with the rugged Kualoa Mountains in the background.

Kaneohe Bay Drive

Passing the Kokokahi site of the YWCA that was founded in the 1920s to promote racial unity.

Kaneohe Bay Drive

Mari with the world famous beagle decked out in his holiday clothes who first made his appearance in 1950.

Kaneohe Bay Drive

Santa parachuting into the neighborhood to deliver presents to the nice kids. Naughty kids get a lump of clean, beautiful coal courtesy of Trump.

Kaneohe Yacht Club

Group photo in front of the oldest continuously operating yacht club that was founded in 1924.

Kaneohe Yacht Club

Before and after.

Kaneohe Yacht Club

Pier photo.

All pau

Our walk has ended but the fun is just starting. Congratulations to Aida for finishing the last chunk she needed to complete the entire 140 mile perimeter walk around the island.

GPS Tracks

Our birthday perimeter walk #15 covered 6.65 miles. It was actually slightly higher, but edited out of consideration for the annoying church slut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veWikbFzB6g

Video by Edgar Gamiao of our perimter walk.

Hale Cantu

Warming up our pitcher’s arms.

Hale Cantu

A modern take of the TP tradition. These TPs are worth their weight in greenbacks.

Hale Cantu

Next time there is a hurricane warning, you know who is not making a run to Costco.

Hale Cantu

Thanks to everybody for bringing ono food for the pot luck and Mari for baking the birthday cake.

Hale Cantu

The pool shark known as Waialua Skinny showing us his skills.

Hale Cantu

Jingle Bells. Chico won but being the gracious host gave the prize to the runner up, Kenny.

Hale Cantu

Watching corn kernels explode into popcorn. The first commercial popcorn machine was invented in 1885, but the practice dates back thousands of years with the Native Americans.

Hale Cantu

LCR. Guess who won? Again! Karma must not be a bitch.

Hale Cantu

Kanak attack. Time to go home. Mahalo to Chico and Lilia for graciously hosting us at their home for Tessa’s birthday party. Thanks to everybody that came and participated and made it a fun day.

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Aileen Agustin, Akira Suzuki, Andrew Hirai, Chico Cantu, Chris Bautista, Cristy CM, Dale Yoshizu, Dave and Susan Katz, Edgar Gamiao, Kenny Lui, Mari Saito, Marilyn Bermudez, Roger Schiffman, Scott and Mateo Dea, 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.

Met up with Chico, Jen, Laredo, Lilyn, Mari, Quan, Tessa and William for the second leg of our perimeter walk.

Kaneohe Bay

Group photo where picking of the plants is not allowed.

Kaneohe Bay Drive

How many people does it take to pick a mango from a neighbor’s house when the tallest person watches from the sidelines?

Kaneohe Bay Drive

A bunch of bananas, not just talking about the botanical berries.

Kaneohe Bay Drive

Click your heels together three times and you’re still on Kaneohe Bay Drive.

Kaneohe Bay Drive

All that was missing was a half drunk cup of coffee. Preferably Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks.

Kaneohe Bay Drive

The shopping cart races. Trying to qualify for a spot in the Idiotarod.

Kaneohe Bay Drive

Best to stay retired.

Kaneohe Bay Drive

Look But Don’t Touch. This is not the neighbor’s house.

Kaneohe Bay Drive

Bathroom break for some at the Golden Arches.

Kaneohe Stream

Watching the tilapia swim upstream and preventing an unsafe and unsteady walk across the bridge.

Kamehameha Highway

Searching for a working pay phone amongst the roughly 3,600 iconic blue boxes that are scattered throughout the island. Viiz Communications bought all the pay phones from Hawaiian Telcom back in 2017, and agreed to rebrand them but looks like they decided to just leave them to rust away.

Kamehameha Highway

Trying to get a paid advertisement.

Kamehameha Highway

When you just can’t get enough.

Kamehameha Highway

Chico demonstrating that slats will not prevent him from sleeping on the bus bench. For a minute.

Kamehameha Highway

Fire trucks yielding to pedestrians before turning into King Intermediate. No emergency.

Kamehameha Highway

Joggers crossing the He’eia Stream.

Kamehameha Highway

I guess the sidewalk was too crowded for somebody.

Shoreline Trail

Taking a break from pounding the pavement to be closer to the ocean.

He’eia Estuary

Looking out at the wetlands that are slowly being restored by volunteers to support native birds and other species that used to thrive in this habitat.

He’eia State Park

Partial group photo at the entrance to the 18.5 acre state park.

Kamehameha Highway

When you have too much time on your hands.

Kamehameha Highway

Somebody needed some beach time.

Kamehameha Highway

Our walk got crashed by Scott and Rose who were looking for a shortcut.

Kamehameha Highway

Back on the road again as our ranks swelled by one. The other one drove off to find a parking spot. More shortcuts.

Kamehameha Highway

Looking out at the extremely low tide in Kaneohe Bay.

Kamehameha Highway

Where is the sidewalk?

Hygienic Store

Thanks to Chico for buying us ice cream at the landmark that was once the company store for Hygienic Dairy that was founded back in 1907.

Kamehameha Highway

Playing with plastic swine.

Kamehameha Highway

I hear you knocking, but you can’t come out.

Kamehameha Highway

Traffic mirror selfie.

Kamehameha Highway

We need to pick up the pace, we are not even registering on the radar speed sign.

Kamehameha Highway

Crossing over Waiahole Stream.

Waiahole Poi Factory

Lining up to get our lunch at the centuries old establishment that has seen life as a poi factory, art gallery and present day restaurant.

Waiahole Poi Factory

Most of the group ate their fix of Hawaiian food while Laredo sunbathed as his adoring fans honked at him from the street.

Kamehameha Highway

Thanks to Lilia for picking us up. Enjoying riding in the back of the truck while we can as Senate Bill 1040 would seek to ban such ridership based on faulty logic by Senator Lee that traffic fatalities are on the rise but very few deaths can be attributed to riding in the back of a truck. Classic case of politicians trying to justify their political existence.

All pau

Laredo has left the house!

GPS Tracks

Our second leg of the perimeter walk covered almost 11 miles through the Windward stretch of the island with a fun group.

Photos taken by Chico Cantu, Jen Odence, Lilyn Avendano, Mari Saito, Quan Haberstroh, Scott Dea, 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.

In the mood for a new and short trail to hike, Hiram and Jasmin met me on the Windward side of Oahu. Lipalu Place to be exact. Hiram and myself then jumped into Jasmin’s car and we drove to Kokokahi Place, as the hike was going to be a one way trail for us.

Friendship Gardens

We took one of the two parking spaces and walked downhill to the trailhead. The garden and the surrounding community of Kokokahi which means of one blood, was developed to promote racial harmony back in the 1920s.

Check out the posted bulletins

The stone steps led us to a locked teahouse with maps and bulletins posted below. I was looking forward to practicing the Way of Tea. Instead, we continued the Way of Hiking.

Picnic and lookout spot

The lower loop of the trail led us to this open air pavilion. Great spot to enjoy the views of Kaneohe Bay and have a picnic.

dai-doro

A stone lantern, donated by a Japanese University, sat watch on the trail.

Gilligan’s Island!

Looking out towards Moku o Lo’e, better known as Coconut Island. This 28 acre island located in Kaneohe Bay is used by the University of Hawaii for marine research. Fans of Gilligan’s Island will recognize this island as it was featured in the opening sequence of the TV show back in the 1960s.

Four legged hiker

Instead of looping the lower trail, we backtracked and connected to the upper trail.

Kawaewae Ridge

The climb up towards the ridge was marked by eroded and overgrown parts. This trail is also called Oneawa Hills or Kokokahi Ridge.

Panoramic view of the Windward side

Click here for the larger image.

Scenic point

Group photo overlooking Kaneohe Bay left to right: myself, Jasmin and Hiram.

Industrial-military complex?

We all tried to guess what the staging yard below us was. Military? Industrial? Anybody knows?

Cell phone reception should be pretty good here

Keeping a safe distance from the enclosed cell antenna towers.

Kaneohe town

The building towering over the town is Pohai Nani, a retirement community, Jasmin had worked there last night. The trail continued over a series of small hills, up and down.

Kapaa Quarry

Looking down into Kapaa Quarry and the green pool of water below it. Stay on the right or Kaneohe side and follow the pink and orange ribboned tree branches as you make your down from the last hill. Being on the Windward side, the sprinklers soon turned on.

Hmm

I wonder how long the tree took to swallow this rope.

Coming down

Coming down, we missed the trail that would have led us to Kawaewae Heiau. Next time.

Riverbed crossing

Crossing the riverbed. Amazingly, it was dry. And we were in Kaneohe! Global warming?

All pau

We returned back to civilization to be greeted by a No Trespassing sign. Auwe!

Dog on the roof

All around protection for this house. They have a four dog alarm system in place.

GPS Tracks

The hike was a tad shy of three miles. Not a bad way to spend a couple hours on the Windward side.