Back from Oahu, having consumed his share of fruity rum drinks, today Roger shares a condensed version of his tropical adventures.

(This column originally appeared on October 17, 2003…)

Let me start by saying that there are parts of this past weekend that were magical and that I will likely never forget.

A beach this nice? With no crowds? Okay, so it was the Columbus Day holiday Monday. As far north as you can drive, legally, along the Leeward Shore at Makua. And on the former right of way of the Oahu Railway and Land Company (with the concrete bridge abutment on the left).

However, much of what I saw reminded me of Burbank, and not the nice parts of it. (Yes, there are nice parts of Burbank, if you know where to look…) I’ll explain in more detail later on.

So, with that in mind, here are some of the highlights:

That first view of the islands from the air was one of those moments I mentioned last week. Or it could have just been the anticipation of getting off the plane after five odd hours in the air…

The sunset at Waikiki is all and more that it is hyped up to be. It was nice from the lanai of a seventh floor ocean view, but it was even better from the terrace of a thirty-sixth floor ocean view.

Sunset from high atop Waikiki…

Ah… now this is the life! Michele takes in the afternoon view from the 36 th floor. And yes, the pink building on the beach: The Royal Hawaiian, where we did enjoy a fruity rum drink.

I especially enjoyed sleeping with the sound of the waves across the beach and the open sliding glass door at about seventy-four degrees.

Two places that summed up the beauty of Oahu for me. Hanauma Bay, which could easily pass for the location of “Finding Nemo” (especially if you wanted to take up snorkeling!) and Kualoa Beach. The latter you might recall from scenes in ” Jurassic Park” at the nearby Kualoa Ranch. (I knew the picture had been filmed in Hawaii, but didn’t realize this was one of those places.)

Sam Neill runs for his life. Kualoa Ranch, the site of the Gallimus dinosaur stampede you saw in Jurassic Park!

 A view from the beach at Kualoa Bay

Now you may recall from some previous columns that I have a great deal of respect for the men and women who have served our country. That said, I was somewhat ambiguous about a visit to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial. I wasn’t sure if a visit here was something that I really wanted to do or not. Michele however was not, and made it clear this was something she wanted to do. We took advantage of a holiday (Columbus or Discoverers or Indigenous Peoples Day, depending upon if you are in San Francisco, Honolulu or Berkeley) Monday and were in line before 7:30 a.m. with everyone else. There are a limited number of tickets available for each day, and they tend to be handed out quickly on busy days, especially when one or more of the cruise ships are in port.

We missed out somewhat as the first part of the visit was cut short by a malfunctioning projection system in the visitor center. After a minute or so, we were ushered outside to the waiting boats operated by the Navy for the ride to and from the Memorial. With the U.S.S. Missouri now docked to the west of the Arizona, a sense of before and after is there. I will admit to being engrossed by the comparison and then humbled by recalling that this ship remains a tomb for the 1,000 men still aboard. Watching the oil rise to the surface further drove home that point. All in all, a very personal moment I’m still reflecting on.

 

The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

We did manage to get in our fair share of walking along Waikiki including several stops at the International Market Place, the Ala Moana Center and the Royal Hawaiian Center. The first is a great place to get inexpensive trinkets, etc to take home for the folks. The second is home to both a Disney Store and an Apple Store. Both were disappointing in their own ways. Disney had no pins (of any kind!) and a limited amount of Hawaii specific merchandise. And Apple had no location specific merchandise, ironic considering it is the one store in the middle of the Pacific. The Royal Hawaiian Center is home to a B. Kliban store, complete with items found only in Hawaii. (Michele still enjoys her Hawaiian baseball cat shirt today!)

We didn’t have time to stop by the other Disney Store at the Pearlridge Center in Aiea. Michelle Smith tells me I should have as this mall has it’s own monorail! Something to look forward to on the next voyage!

Now knowing me, you would have to suspect that I would do something involved with railroads on this trip. Well, you would be right as I certainly did. Sugar mills on each of the islands often had railroads to move cane from the fields to plants for processing. One at Kahuku on the Windward Shore is now a shopping mall. (A locomotive of the same name is part of the fleet at Roaring Camp in Felton, California.)

While the days of the sugar and pineapple plantations may have gone by, Dole still has a big operation with lots of pineapple fields near Wahiawa, and their visitor center in well worth a stop. Okay, so it was mandatory for two reasons. Dole Pineapple whip. Insert your best drooling Homer Simpson imitation here. “Ummm…pineapple whip. Aaaaauuuuuugh…”

And the Pineapple Express, a two-foot gauge railroad that gives a good view of how pineapple is grown. The two-mile, twenty-minute ride is enjoyable, if quick. The store even has an amusing selection of “Hello Kitty” merchandise with a Hawaiian flair along with a lot of other great items. Check out their online store for some of the selections.

The Pineapple Express offers a nice entertaining ride through the pineapple fields. It’s not just for show here either. The fruit really is harvested and sold to guests or used on the island.

Another area with a sugar mill was at Ewa. Today it’s a quiet neighborhood and the mill site is being cleaned up with much of the dirt being removed. Some of the mill structures remain, but much of what was obviously the company town still looks like it must have when it was a busier place.

What brought me here was the chance to don my white jacket aboard another railroad parlor car. The Hawaiian Railway Society operates excursions along a seven-mile section of the former Oahu Railway & Land Company right of way from Ewa to Kahe Point. The ninety-minute ride offers an interesting view of the past, present and future of this area of the Leeward Coast. Where once sugar cane grew in fields, now homes are sprouting. New resorts are opening in the area near Ka Olina, and the train stops directly across from a recently constructed power plant at Kahe Point. With luck (and another bridge), there will be another three miles added sometime soon further west along the right of way. East of Ewa, much of the right of way is preserved and will some day see restoration as a key element of the Pearl Harbor Historic Trail ( an 18.5-mile trail beginning at USS Arizona Memorial, with connections to cultural, natural and commercial sites in communities from Aiea to Nanakuli).

Along the Leeward Shore on the former Oahu Railway, that’s Nanakuli in the distance.

Scenery and all, the draw for me was chance to ride aboard the former OR&L parlor car #64. From the web page: “In 1900, Oahu Railway & Land Co. founder, Benjamin F. Dillingham, had Parlor/Observation Car No. 64 designed and built especially for him. No. 64 was the showpiece of the OR&L’s rolling stock.

Built in Honolulu at a cost of $4,388.24, it had a double-size rear platform, surrounded by ornate iron grillwork and protected from the sun by fluted awnings.

Oak, mahogany and birdseye maple created an interior of luxury. The parlor car was fitted with a galley, lavatory, washstand and sideboard. It was used frequently by the OR&L for visiting dignitaries. The most notable guests were Queen Lili`uokalani and other members of the Hawaiian royal family. The observation platform offered guests a chance to feel the cool trade winds, as well as giving them a better view of the landscape.

No. 64 has been restored and is available for charter Monday through Friday. 90-minute rides for $350 and on other Sundays for $210.

Certain restrictions apply. The parlor car is added to the train on the second Sunday of every month. Reservation required because seating is limited. Fares: $15.00 per person.”

A nice car, very reminiscent of those built by the Carter Brothers at Newark, California. And if the story I was told was true, it may have been built in Hawaii by former Cart Brothers employees. A nice open platform, with a parlor seating, a galley and water closet.

So did I have a good time?

The photo below by John Treiber of the Hawaiian Railway Society should give you a clue…

 

Your porter at the ready with Oahu Railway & Land Company Parlor Car #64. 3:00 p.m., Sunday, October 12, 2003 at Ewa.

Now about Burbank…I don’t know why but once we got off the tourist track, it just seemed like southern California in a lot of ways. Small shops crammed in together next to each other, strip malls, you name it. It just got me that way. Even the highways and the Interstates. We drove on two out of the three (H-1 and H-3).

But whoever came up with the idea for the ABC Stores, that gets high marks. That’s something Disney could learn from. We took advantage of them on several occasions.

We finished up with a fine flight home, even if takeoff was delayed by an hour, (but who’s going to complain about an extra hour in Hawaii?) with a departure flying east along Waikiki Beach.

It may have been only five days, but it was a great time and yes, we are both more than ready to go back to see what we missed. And that’s just Oahu, to say nothing of the other islands!

Next week? Well, there are a number of items simmering away on the back burner, so only the fates know which one is likely to pop up here…

Roger does have a project underway to support the efforts of the Hawaiian Railway Society. Details will be available on his web site next week if you would like more information.

Thanks to everyone who has supported the American Red Cross. There are many people they continue to help on a daily basis all over the world right now. Making a difference in today’s world is appreciated more now than ever before…