The time was 0710. I sat at bus stop #1622 on Kamehameha Highway near the corner with Lumiauau Street, in the Waikele area. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper going down the hill, people going to work. I was on the other side of the street, the road less traveled, going uphill to Wahiawa. And yes, it made all the difference.
Why Wahiawa?….try saying that 3 times fast. Well, my Oahu bus travels had thus far been South shore musings. I was looking for a change of direction and pace, so I’m heading North, to the Oahu high plains for a different look.
Wahiawa sits at about 1000 feet above the sea level. It is in the “central valley” between the two volcanic mountain chains dominating the island of Oahu. Today this central valley is home to Schofield Barracks, an Army base, which has a larger geographic area and an equal population of Wahiawa. Much of the economic activity of Wahiawa is related to the next door Army base.
The area is rich in Hawaiian history. Military tradition dates back to the days of King Kamehameha I, when native Hawaiian warriors trained in the cool climate of the mountains. The area was also considered a sacred place where royal mothers went to give birth to ensure the status of their children. Kukaniloko Birthstones State Monument marks the location of this ancient site. Ancient Hawaiians enjoyed the abundance of wild game on the central plain, and the many birds from which they could pluck feathers to adorn Hawaiian royalty.
The #51 route bus pulled up at 0727 and I settled in for the ride thru Millilani and then onward to Wahiawa.
During the bus ride, I noticed a sign on the back of a white van that read, “Sagging Car Roof?” and then gave a phone number to call. When we pulled alongside the van, the same thing was emblazoned on the side. This is crazy! Certainly there can’t be enough sagging car roofs to warrant an entire business in fixing that malady. I assume it is talking about sagging interior roofs, and I haven’t seen one of those in 20 years. Is there a saggy roof epidemic I’m just not aware of? Is this guy cleaning up in the saggy-roof-fixin’ business? Is there even enough saggy-roof business to pay for the custom signage on this van. Lots of questions here. I should have copied down the phone number and called this guy for some answers.
Immediately after crossing the south bridge and entering Wahiawa proper, I disembarked. My plan was to walk Kamehameha Highway up to California Street, then turn right on California and walk its length to the Botanical Gardens.
Similar to military towns the world over, the seedier parts, the most fun to explore by the common soldier/sailor/airman (and Waipahu Bob), are generally closer to the base.
On California Street, after the Hongwanji Mission, you are basically past the main town. From here up, there are just some old-style homes on the right side of the road and the border of the Wahiawa District Park on the left side, all the way up to the Botanical Gardens.
After chatting with a local Auntie at the stop outside the Botanical Gardens, I caught a bus into Pearl City and got out near the Home Depot on Kam Hwy. Waited in the hot sun for 20 minutes and then caught a bus going into Waipahu. Got off on Farrington and checked the schedule for my last bus leg, the 434 route. Had 30 minutes to kill, so checked out the little shopping center across the street from the #1384 stop. This little shopping center was conveniently located near some of Waipahu’s finest apartment buildings. I entered the complex by climbing up a few stairs to the front of the Rastafarian Styles boutique on one end. Four or five people were loitering about the front of the store. Not sure if they were Rastas and/or homeless, but one of them had a baby in a stroller. Other shops in the complex included a little bakery that was open, a bar that was closed, a corner liquor store that was open, and a local grinds Hawaiian place that had good Yelp reviews, and was open. I hung around in the shade for a few minutes before heading back to the hot side of the street where my bus stop was.
From the bus stop I noticed the neon “OPEN” sign was now illuminated at the bar across the street. I glanced at my watch; it was 1200 noon. Must be opening time. Since this is often my last stop on the bus ride home, I made a mental note. I was intrigued to check this place out. The bar had a sign outside on an opaque window saying “Private Restrooms Inside.” Does this mean the same as the more common signs, “Restroom for Customers Only” or “No Public Restroom”? Not sure. Perhaps the bar features some otherwise exclusive restrooms. Inquiring minds want to know. Also, a cold beer goes down well after a dusty day on the trails of The Bus. At least for this cowboy.
The #434 bus rolled in at 1210, and I rolled on.
Waipahu Bob 