A bunch of us gathered to help celebrate our good friends birthday, Laredo aka Rainbow Man aka Lawrence Murray, in a colorful way and not in a confusing sexual way.

Kaneohe

Laredo and CJ warming up for the birthday walk.

Kaneohe

We all collectively either met, drove or walked to the bottom of the road.

Kaneohe

Chico confirming what type of parade we were engaged in today, in case anybody was confused and it was not to save the stairs either.

Kaneohe

Color guard leading the way, and no, I was never in band.

Kaneohe

Walking towards the mountain that is a second home to the Rainbow Man, Stairway to Heaven.

Kaneohe

Give me a R! R!
Give me a A! A!
Give me a I! I!
Give me a N! N!
Give me a B! B!
Give me a O! O!
Give me a W! W!
What does it stand for?
Wait, what about MAN?

Kaneohe

A passing motorist wanted to know what we were marching for, told her we were all inclusive. Hard pass.

Kaneohe

Lydia escorting Laredo across the street as we finished our strenuous walk for the day.

Kaneohe

Eating the delicious brunch spread to replace our lost calories, probably in the neighborhood of five calories. Time to chow down.

Kaneohe

Time to break out the birthday cake. Can you see Laredo for Allison?

Kaneohe

Changing the numbers. The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades. Burning the house down. Champagne anticlimactic drip. It was a 1944 vintage.

Kaneohe

Happy Birthday Laredo from all your friends!

Kaneohe

We all piled into multiple cars to be driven to the trailhead for our last walk of the day.

Omega Station

Chico having flashbacks?

Omega Station

Edgar using his whistle to signal the two-man marching band.

Omega Station

The girls shuffle.

Omega Station

Can you see Matt for the avocado tree? Shakedown.

Omega Station

When the carpet matches the drapes. Always hard. Imagination is your friend.

Omega Station

Exploring the bomb proof building constructed in 1943 and originally known as Haiku Naval Radio Station and later as the Omega Station when the Coast Guard took over the facility in 1958.

Omega Station

Walking through the stripped rooms where over the years since it was shuttered in 1997, thieves and vandals have stripped and made off with tons of copper coils, mesh, rods and wires. When criminal greed trumped historical preservation.

Omega Station

Laredo explaining to the girls how he used to mess with the geisha on the wall, but she was trouble, so he left. Imagination is your friend.

Omega Station

Flying the drone between the two openings where antenna cables were strung to exit the building and up to the top of the valley during WW2.

Omega Station

Climbing up the two tiers of ladders that took us directly to the upper roof of the building.

Omega Station

The operators flew their drones from the lower roof, while the rest of us walked around the spongy upper roof.

Omega Station

Aerial views of the exterior of the colorful building that somewhat matched our wigs.

Omega Station

Everybody queuing up to go down the ladder that are a couple bolts short of full securement.

Omega Station

Can you see Allison for the fan?

Omega Station

The private and public school approach of descending down a ladder. They both get you back down.

Omega Station

Providing illumination in the Helix Room that once housed a gigantic copper coil that was extended through the roof to tune the antennas back in the day.

Omega Station

The group exited the concrete building and made their way back to our cars, which for some was a conclusion to the day.

All pau

Some of us retired back to the Banks hale and presented Laredo with his birthday gifts to wrap up his special day. Mahalo to everybody that came and participated in helping the legendary Rainbow Man celebrate his early birthday!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMLbQ-Xn9Pc

Video by Edgar Gamiao of our early birthday hike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMLbQ-Xn9Pc

Video by Edgar Gamiao of our omega station hike.

Photos/Crew taken by Aileen Agustin, Allison and Blaine Banks, Andrew Green, Chico Cantu, CJ Mendiola, Cristy CM, Edgar Gamiao, Jasmine Nepomuceno, Kenny Lui, Lawrence Murray, Leslie Pelton, Lilyn Avendano, Lydia Drews, Marilyn Bermudez, Matt Vidaurri, Stacy Paquette, Susan and David Katz, Susana Escobar, 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 went in search of a tunnel but found something close to it, but no cigar.

Windward

Met up with Art, Chris, Edgar, Jen, Lilyn, Marilyn, Mateo, Quan, Scott, and Tessa to take a morning stroll in the neighborhood.

Windward

Three distant cousins in the picture.

Windward

What time does the gate open?

Windward

Art climbing the stairway to nowhere.

Windward

I’m sorry, this outhouse is occupied. You can use the bush over there.

Omega Station

Approaching the Naval Radio Station that was built back in 1942 and closed in 1958. The thick concrete walls and ceilings were meant to withstand a 200 pound bomb blast. The Navy then transferred the property to the US Coast Guard, who operated it as the Omega Station from 1975 to 1997.

Omega Station

Scott just hanging around.

Omega Station

Exploring the lower level. Everything of value has long been stripped, burnt, trashed and vandalized.

Omega Station

Leaving the machinery and strewn debris behind us.

Omega Station

Chip off the old block.

Omega Station

Tessa making her way up the stairs.

Omega Station

Checking out the upper floors or whats left of it.

Omega Station

In the old days, fans had to be manually turned to provide air circulation. They also walked barefoot to school on a’a lava as well.

Omega Station

Climbing up the rooftop.

Omega Station

Edgar sitting on the roof with the sharply notched and angled ridge in the background that illustrates why Stairway to Hell was never completed.

Omega Station

Chris at the top, looking down.

Omega Station

Taking a panoramic picture is harder than it looks.

Omega Station

Outside looking in.

Omega Station

Shock the monkey. Who turned the power back on?

Omega Station

Chris using the ten ton crane for pullups.

Omega Station

Watching an artist at work.

Omega Station

How many hikers can cram into the hole? Apparently nine. Sorry Art.

Omega Station

Hole to hole view.

Omega Station

Looking up at one of two openings where the antennas that were hung across Haiku Valley were housed.

Windward

No trail here. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Windward

Approaching the most expensive public works project in Hawaii, that is until the rail came along.

Windward

Jen leaving the road for the well-trodden trail.

Windward

Chris has a knack for finding stuff in the woods.

Windward

We met up with Allison and Laredo who were going to guide us to Scott’s next wet dream, well moist dream.

H3

Tight fit. Lucky I’m on a diet.

H3

Laredo sliding his way through the crack.

H3

Art pulling himself up through the hatch.

H3

Group photo underneath the 38′ wide freeway.

H3

Going down the tunnel where stripped wiring littered the ground. That’s why we can’t have nice things.

H3

I don’t think somebody paid their electric bill.

H3

Shadows.

H3

Mateo crossing over one of the walkways that connected the tunnel sections.

H3

I think Laredo was doing a cavity search.

H3

Licking the front end.

H3

Licking the back end.

H3

This was like a field trip visiting the Urban Museum of Graffiti.

H3

Faster than a speeding bullet.

H3

It was quite the handful for Art.

H3

Catching a breath of fresh air, some of us dropped down from the tunnel and caught a glimpse of the highway slicing through North Halawa Valley.

H3

Tessa sitting on one of the walkways as vehicles rumbled over our heads.

H3

Scott test driving something he may need in a couple of years. Joke.

H3

Chris hanging above the exit hatch.

H3

Some choose the unassisted fall.

H3

Others choose the assisted ride down.

H3

Group photo underneath the highway that took over 37 years from inception to completion and cost $1.3 billion dollars to build.

H3

We found out we couldn’t do the round trip, so we hiked back through the forest trails, bridges and service roads.

Windward

Chris jumping on the ghetto version of the bouncy house.

All pau

Pressed into service to move away a shopping cart for a random driver and to shuttle hikers. Fun hike with a great group. Post hike meal at Mexican Food. What kind of food do they have on the menu?

Video by Edgar Gamiao of our Omega Station Hike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VMp8GEQERU

Video by Edgar Gamiao of our H3 Tunnel Hike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on5rr8CigjA

Photos taken by Allison Banks, Art Young, Chris Bautista, Edgar Gamiao, Quan Haberstroh, Jen Odence, Lilyn Avendano, Marilyn Bermudez, Mateo Dea, 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.