30 Miles to Kahuku, Part I

Anyone who knows me, knows I've had my share of lousy commutes: Germantown, Maryland to Georgetown; Ashburn, Virginia to downtwon D.C.; even Falls Church, Virginia to D.C. was exhausting on the days when the Metro just didn't seem to move. On the best days, my Germantown to Georgetown trip was 75 minutes one way. I recall a few icy days where my commute lasted nearly three hours each way.

At my new job in Hawaii, I have another long commute: almost exactly 30 miles and 45 minutes each way. Luckily, I consider this commute payback (the good kind) for all the lousy, broken-down-metro, traffic-jam, snowy, sweltering, no-seat, tired feet, crowded-bus days I've experienced during the past ten years. For that reason, I decided to take you all along for a ride. This entry will look at the first half of my commute: from Mililani to Hale'iwa, from central Oahu, across the pineapple fields and down to the North Shore. In part II, (coming soon) I'll take you along the North Shore from Waimea Bay to Kahuku.

So here I am every morning, at our new place in Mililani. Granted, its dark sometimes, but lovely nonetheless:

As I pull down to the end of the driveway, I can see the mountains in the distance:

As I leave Mililani, I pass its beautiful monkeypod trees, which line Mililani's main roads:

Then, I come upon Wheeler Army Airfield. On many mornings, there are soldiers in the midst of their morning PT. Sometimes the Chinook pilots are already involved in flight exercises, as they were today (note chopper at right in photo). Either way, the Waianae Mountains, where George and I have hiked, provide the backdrop:

If I'm running low on gas, I'll stop at the Aloha gas station in Wahiawa. Yes, there really is a gas station chain here called "Aloha"! The prices are about as good as it gets. I paid 3.15/gal this morning for regular 87. Yikes!

Then, I cross a quaint bridge over a small section of a reservoir that weaves through Wahiawa:

I go up a little hill and I find myself in the vast agricultural plain of Oahu. The area between the Waianae and Koolau mountain ranges is absolutely gorgeous. I've seen many a beautiful moonset over the mountains as I drive the miles from Wahiawa to the North Shore:

It is in this stretch of the Kamehameha Highway (known locally as "the Kam Highway") that the Dole Plantation makes its home. Its visitor center sits a few dozen yards from the road:


Then, miles and miles of pineapple, coffee, and sugar cane fields:

Midway across the plain, the ocean comes into view. On most days, you can see the ocean from 5 to 6 miles away. Within a 2-3 miles, you can begin to see the surf conditions. Today, like most summer days, the surf was very calm on the North Shore:

There are only a handful of stoplights on my entire 30-mile commute. Most of the way is just open road with sparse traffic:

At last, I approach Hale'iwa (pronounced HAH-lay EE-vuh):

On the way to work, I always bypass the historic town, but occasionally I stop in Hale'iwa on the way home at its unhurried post office or in its cute shopping district:

Then I take the fork on the Kam Highway towards Kahuku:



After only 2-3 minutes, I've passed my final opportunity to stop into to Hale'iwa:
In the stretch of the Kam Highway just past Hale'iwa, I always seem to see - or hear - chickens. Occasionally, I ask myself: "Why did the chicken cross the road?" I still don't know the answer:

Along this section of the Highway, there are many of the sirens that together comprise the Pacific Tsunami Warning System. They are tested at 11:45am on the first Monday of the Month. It reminds me of the Tornado Siren testings of my Missouri childhood!

In addition to chickens and sirens, I pass a horse ranch and see horses grazing in a big open field. Lucky horses:

In Part II (coming soon), I'll take you the rest of the way to Kahuku, starting at the approach to Waimea Bay. We'll pass Shark's Cove, the Banzai Pipeline, Sunset Beach, a dairy farm, Turtle Bay, a few Shrimp Trucks, and a wildlife preserve. Stay tuned!