Walk around Oahu (Koko Marina to Dillingham Fountain)

Decided to keep nice and dry and stay off the mountains this weekend. We would still get a little wet on our perimeter walk today.

Met up with Aida, Alexis, Akira, Chico, Deborah, Ferlino, Mari, Marilyn, Robin, Roger, and Tessa at one of the franchise restaurants founded in 1962 by Glenn Bell in California.

The group cutting through the shopping center founded in 1963. Some of them needed a caffeine start to the morning.

Will that be a tall, grande, venti or trenta size? Just a fancy way of paying more bucks for Starbucks coffee.

The guys keeping themselves entertained with a free hand puppet show. Doesn’t take much.

Aida and Roger taking photos over the bridge that allows maritime traffic to travel to and from the salt-water marina.

Caught a glimpse of morning paddlers making their way across the bay that was once home to the largest fishpond on Oahu, until it was filled and developed for the current housing development called Hawaii Kai.

We detoured off the highway to go through the family friendly beach park.

Following the trail as we entered the bird sanctuary established in 1974.

Time to leave the sandy beach and get our feet wet.

I look the part, but I don’t think I can pull it off.

It’s not that deep!

The rest of the stragglers wading into the water.

Joining up with the rest of the group that took the longer but shallower route to dry land. Are we still getting wet?

One of these are not a real couple.

Passing a family of fishermen as we continued to wade in the waters while the rest of the group decided to plunge in the overgrowth and stay dry.

The breath of life about to be washed away by the ocean.

Drying our feet out wait while we waited for the rest of the group to join us.

Looking back at the historic fishpond named after a Portuguese whaler, Manuel De Pico (Paiko).

We got ourselves a parking garage and no car.

Crossing over the bridge that discharges the waters flowing down from Pia and Kupaua Valleys into the ocean.

Rolling resistance was pretty low on the sidewalk.

Exchanging hiking vows.

Ferlino having a slice of ube bread ala mode soft serve ice cream at the first McDonald’s in Hawaii that opened in 1968 and was brought here by Maurice Sullivan, founder of Foodland.

Fishing for recognition.

Chico twirling the flag in the middle of the highway. Stay in the crosswalk!

Shadows on the sidewalk.

We didn’t have any signs, so we just engaged in flag waving. It must be election year.

Now we have a sign! Are those cheers or jeers from the passing motorists?

Leaving the highway for greener pastures aka Waialae Country Club, where a paltry $52,000 will get your club on the green.

It’s never too early to start drinking for somebody.

Shopping cart + flag waver = Trump supporter?

Halloween has not left the house.

Ferlino pushing another Trump supporter down the road.

Marilyn next to an anatomically correct skeleton? 206 bones?

Social experiment. We hung out for over 20 minutes in the upscale residential area with no sign of the boys in blue. The luxury neighborhood was once home to cattle and pig farms back in the 1800s. The upper crust later decided to gentrify the area and all the farms were shut down. Money talks.

Sitting room only. How many people can fit in a Big Agnes Fly Creek tent? Apparently seven of us. Five over the limit.

Alexis doing her best to look terrified. Don’t quit your day job.

Ferlino waving the flag at the spot known as “Triangle Park” for obvious reasons but was renamed Fort Ruger the Operation Red Wings Medal of Honor Park back in 2008 on Veteran’s Day, to honor the Pearl Harbor based SEALs who perished in 2005 in Afghanistan and Hawaii Medal of Honor recipients.

A couple of surfers going down to Diamond Head Beach to catch some waves at the surf breaks known as Cliffs and Lighthouse. We’ll just continue walking on the pathway known as Diamond Head Road.

Going out on a limb. Literally.

The guys hanging out in a tree, their favorite past time.

Passing by the navigational aid that was built in 1899 and whose red light can be seen 17 nautical miles from the shoreline.

Happy Birthday Roger! Tried not to make a fuss over your special day.

Following the walkway that connects the two beach parks as the ocean continues its slow and steady erosion of the rock wall.

Leaving the small park that was home to people sunning themselves rather than surfing out at the breaks known as Graveyards and Suicides.

We ended at the Dillingham Fountain that was built in 1967 and apparently is under renovation as the lights and water pumps are not working. Deborah went off to swim with the turtles and tourists. The rest of us got shuttled back to our cars by Akira and Robin.

Our second perimeter walk was made with the “dirty dozen.” Fun group, the more the merrier as they say.

Late lunch at Tex808 where catching food with your mouth is more entertaining than just eating with your mouth.

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Akira Suzuki, Alexis Catarina, Chico Cantu, Deborah Tom, Ferlino Carinio, Mari Saito, Marilyn Bermudez, Robin Farr, Roger Schiffman, 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.

Tagged as: diamond head, dillingham fountain, kahala, kalanianaole highway, kuliouou beach, maunalua bay, paiko lagoon, waialae country club