 I woke at about quarter to seven. Sleeping near the end of Pastor Luke's multi-purpose castle, I rolled to my right to view the beginning of a Hau'ula morning. Getting the 'hang' of this "embedded journalist" thing, I had the camera right where I needed it...[Day_05.01]  ...and then suddenly realized I'd gained another critter-bunk mate over night. He wasn't quite as unnerving a presence as the centipede in my box last Wednesday morning as I awoke across the street from the Governor's residence, Washington Place; but like him, and me, we all just wanted a roof to sleep under for the night. [Day_05.02]  We're still wondering what's going on with all the heavy weather that's been dousing the outer islands yet somehow has been dodging us so far. This morning, it still appears, again, we need to be ready for a big drink. [Day_05.03]  You can see we had some neighbors last night. [Day_05.04]  Pastor Luke's gang(Roy and ???) provided our breakfast... ...Utu rally'd us... [Day_05.05]  ...Uncle Robert stretched us... [Day_05.06] ...and off we went to round Kahuku Point, the northern end of the Ko`olau's; and begin the pass by the most famous set of surf spots in the islands, otherwise known as "The North Shore"......well...not exactly.  The Hau'ula sky was looking marginally brighter... [Day_05.07]  ...but I noticed all these sand crab holes on the beach within yards of our camp. [Day_05.08]  This one really caught my eye when it's resident popped his head up. [Day_05.09] The following 63 second "Sand Crab Paradise" is what I was able to edit...  ...k...no crab legs for dinner tonight. Where's my bike? It's time to catch up with the rest. ...I'm still looking for shots of me from those of you who managed to catch me either in mobile phase like I'm almost in here...or with my studio/office deployed on the various layover nights. [Day_05.11]  That's Mac...and I think Utu...[Day_05.12]  ...Tom and Pete are trying to talk Keith into turning around. [Day_05.13] We pass the "Polynesian Cultural Center", probably the most visited tourist "show" venue outside of Waikiki... [Day_05.14-16]    ...and then I'm shocked by what is a 'sign-of-the-times'. The Laie Inn, not just shut downd and out of business; but totally wrapped in a 7-8 foot chain link fence. [Day_05.17]  I finally catch up to the larger group of 'walking talkers'...  Robert and Suzy lead a group of 5....anybody able to identify any of the other 3? [Day_05.18]  A lonely walker passing through Laie. [Day_05.19] [Day_05.20]  Here, Gary is pushing on.I think I was getting to him as he proposed I rename the blog, "Ben's Beautiful Beach and Blister Blog." Instead of "H5", he thought that "B5" would portray the two most profound effects, one good, one not so good, that the 5 days so far had had on him......I guess. Maybe he should have considered something other than those steel-toed boots he was wearing for this 130 mile jaunt?  A sole walker here....anybody know who?.. [Day_05.21]  Three are walking here that I cannot identify... [Day_05.22]  Here're three more in the distance treading through Kahuku. Who are they? [Day_05.23]    We pulled over for lunch... [Day_05.24-27]   ...across the street from the entrance to the Turtle Bay Hilton. That sign says that Augie was scheduled to perform there but he didn't come out to cheer us on. [Day_05.28] The surf breaks known as "Backyards", "Kammie Land", "Chambers", "Pupukea", "Banzai Pipeline", "Back Doors", "Off-The-Wall", "Log Cabins", "Cloud Break", and "Pele's Followers" were all immediately in front of us as we approached Sunset Beach and our evening's residence at the St's Peter and Paul Catholic Church who's spire overlooks Waimea Bay itself. It was time to walk!  Tom and Pete have just come around the bend... [Day_05.29]  Gary, still intently studying his steeled toes... [Day_05.30]  Is that Moose....?...where's Naomi? [Day_05.31]  Hey, that's Robert and Suzy. Where they been all day? [Day_05.32]  I can't tell who these two are walking away from me...but Sunset Beach is around the corner up ahead. [Day_05.33]  [Day_05.34] In 3 and a half decades living in Hawai`i, I'd never seen these before. I'm told they're "Dragon Fruit." We'd actually been served Dragon Fruit at breakfast at Camp Mokuleia, but the prepared fruit looks nothing like this. They're kinda citrussy... [Day_05.35]  How 'bout some Kahuku sweet corn...? [Day_05.36]  Lychee! OMG, do these look good! [Day_05.37]  [Day_05.38] Pomegranates! Here's another one that I've never eaten before but have heard good things about. [Day_05.39]  Ok, those edibly wrapped above in the rubber-band-wrapped plastic are loompia, right? But the tamale style items below....Suzy told me they're called, "both-both," which sounds like 'boot-boot.' She says its a rice cake that is wrapped in ti leaf before it is 'cooked.' I remember many years ago eating the Puerto Rican Enpanadigis(sp?) which is indeed a Puerto Rican style tamale.... What are these green guyz...? I didn't look very close at these unshelled nuts but Suzy says they are macadamias.[Day_05.40]  Plenty apple bananas here. [Day_05.41]  They had some cooked sweet corn still wrapped in it's husk. I only had ebt to use for purchase. This sweet old lady had to say, "no" but within a few minutes as I continued to photograph the produce on display, she gave me a cooked ear. I can't remember the last time I ate corn by chewing it off the cob. Man, was it good! [Day_05.42]     ...as the troops zeroed in on tonightz flat as well...  That looks like Gene, Mike, Kenny, and Ivan. [Day_05.47]  [Day_05.48] Keith and Pete here.  [Day_05.49] Mike and Ivan on the left here.....Keith and Pete across the street from them.   [Day_05.50-51] ...and we arrive at our day's destination, the St's Peter and Paul Catholic Church.   Samiana and Noelle were there early to set up for the day hikers.  These 3(who?) were quick to get a banner up... [Day_05.54]  [Day_05.55] ...Keith appeared to me to be the first one in today...till later I learned that many by-passed the finish line to go directly to...  Meanwhile, I still hadn't gotten the hint and continued to wait at the church. I was looking for Gene as he'd baited me with the claim that he was gonna jump off of the "Black Rock" on the Hale`iwa side of the bay. Waimea Bay has a lot of days when the surfers just drive by, but that rock precipice that allows fools to take from somewhere between maybe a 30-50 foot leap into the near shore break is there every single day. It draws a lot of attention from anyone who comes by to visit this famous surf spot...and as I just said, also from jumpin' "fools."  Sunset was approaching and my light crew was threatening to abandon me...so I finally walked down the hill into the beach park across from the entrance to the picturesque valley. [Day_05.57]  [Day_05.58] From the middle of this beautiful stretch of beach, the look to the Hale`iwa side...(loosing the light, you can't see Black Rock in this shot)  [Day_05.59] ...and the look to the Sunset Beach side...complete with the Sts Pete 'n Paul church spire looming above the far end.  [Day_05.60] Looking for my leaping "walker," I drag my toes through the sand at the water's edge on my way to Black Rock...but only found this mother/daughter tag team. Gene, where the heck are you?  [Day_05.61] I give up, walk back out the park entrance...  [Day_05.62] ...and began the climb back up to Pupukea when...  [Day_05.63] ...here comes Ivan, hell-bent to do the leap. No time to waste. About Face!  There he is... [Day_05.64]  ...'n there he goes! [Day_05.65] and click on "Day 6, 16 Nov" under the "November(11)" heading. |
I just figgured out the difference between leaving a comment (just click on the "n comments" link) vs clicking on the widget just to the right, which is a whole big form for forwarding an email (which 1st time arount, scared me off).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I guess packing along a power generator to address the only weak link in having a hot, on the ground presence for "The walk.." would be overkill. Having everything else but power is the real irony.
Having the content you do have is amazing. Pictures of people advocating for the homeless with exotic Hawaiian shores, islands, and lush landscapes as a backdrop is almost haunting.
Bro James in WA
Concerning your frustration negotiating the "comment" utility; once again, the blog "dynamic" AND this blog effort is a learning experience for me also.
ReplyDeleteI now know the reason why the domain and server services for this effort are *free* to me because *you*, the blog consuming public, have to pay by enduring all the crap, email forms and what all, to respond by either leaving comments or subscribing to my effort.
That's why I encourage anyone who wants to avoid this kind of invasion of their "space" to don't hesitate to leave "anonymous" responses or to email me directly. Please put "the walk..." anywhere in your subject line so my filters can do their job...or click on me to fire up your email utility with the subject line already choosen.
In retrospect, the biggest challenge to publishing this thing was not the power. I found power every night except the night in Yokohama Bay. But if I'd had the hint of a signal out there, I had maybe an hour or two of battery power and I could have at least entered, "hi, weather is nice, wish you were here...look at this sunset!" and I would have been thrilled.
The biggest challenge to daily publishing during this walk was getting an acceptable signal to/from the ether. I've been very critical of mobiPCS, my wireless provider; but bottom line, until I try this with a different provider in the same challenging circumstances, who's to say that any provider has the deployed, functioning infrastructure to provide internet access, broadband or otherwise, under these conditions?
I've said this before but, 'maybe next year?'
15 November:
ReplyDeletePoor signal here...lagging big time trying to keep up with this...probably will not have access to power for the next 2 days' layovers in Mokuleia and Yokohama Bay...
Despite very poor blog publishing production this past night...getting very little sleep fighting for a glimpse of an ether signal for hours...I am really impressed with the ability to actually get anything done at all what with being under Pastor Luke's tarpaulin and generator power feed here at Hau`ula Beach Park. I hope I find someone with some photographic evidence of my 'studio' fully deployed last night or at any other time these 10 days...anybody holding?
16 November:
I got power at Camp Mokuleia!...and just barely enough signal to edit/publish this....but not enough time/energy to get the whole day's story told...spending most of my time tonight getting Day 4 edited/published...I will continue to record audio/video/pix and will do my best to make updates at the Nanakuli and Aiea layovers and get this and other short-changed days caught up later...
27 November:
Only 12 days behind. I've story-boarded 59 pix and one edited video for today's content...
4 December:
Four days short of a month behind. Ended up posting 65 pix to tell the story of Day 5. Only need final edit now.
5 December:
Perhaps the final edit is done...I may wander back here.