Some parts of
this island just aren’t
meant for walking
WALKING STORIES
Day 14: Arizona Memorial to News Building, 10.2 milesThis is the final installment in a series
tracing our journey on foot around Oahu. By Tim Ryan
Star-BulletinYears ago, when I was working on a story about pollution in the Ala Wai Canal, a state health official told me, not so gently -- "It's a drainage canal!" never meant for water-sports activities.
"Of course it's polluted," he said.
A similar statement could describe the stretch of roadway from the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor to the News Building in downtown Honolulu: It was never intended for walking so, of course, it's not scenic or pedestrian friendly.
That being said, this 10.2-mile walk -- including a two-mile side trip -- easily was the worst of my 80-plus miles around Oahu. With the exception of my detour through the
Pearl Harbor and Hickam military bases, Kamehameha and Nimitz highways are ugly, noisy, dusty and dangerous.
How bad was it? It was so bad I sought refuge at a McDonald's, where I talked myself out of catching a bus back to the office.
The Arizona Memorial parking lot would be the last time I'd see ocean for more than three hours until I approached Aloha Tower.
Walking along Kamehameha Highway for a long mile during the morning rush hour, I peeked at military housing on the mauka side and closed up facilities and parks behind an 8-foot chain-link fence on the makai side.
Boredom set in fast. I began counting storm drain covers, tried to kick stones in a straight line, estimated the number of steps I've taken on this "Walking Stories" trek -- 140,800 -- and started counting the number of perfectly aligned screws in a quarter-mile wooden fence.
Thankfully, I reached Center Street sooner than expected, so the counting stopped as I headed through a modest neighborhood of military housing toward Pearl Harbor's Nimitz Gate.
The homes seemed empty, although some air conditioners were on and Christmas lights strung around small palms and front doors hadn't been turned off from the night before. At Pearl Harbor Kai Elementary School, kid traffic guards were very serious about their duties, making sure pedestrians crossed safely. A small girl with black hair and brown eyes smiled at me and offered a "Good morning, sir."
I had planned to walk Nimitz Highway, but decided to retreat onto the naval base because 1) I had never walked there before; 2) I was sure it would be safer and more pleasant; and 3) I needed to use a restroom.
My Navy League membership card got me onto the base. Although South Avenue was busy, a wide sidewalk separated from the thoroughfare by an expanse of manicured lawn made for a unexpectedly pleasant walk.
A mile later, I cut through a tall row of oleander bushes to detour through a neighborhood where I found mothers carrying babies, pushing strollers, walking dogs or talking with friends on porches. I thought I was in Pleasantville.
I liked this Ozzie and Harriet neighborhood. I walked in the direction of the sun until I reached the base Fire Department, where a four-lane road was busy with traffic. I headed makai over wet, freshly cut grass until I reached the Hickam Air Force Base main gate that would take me back to Nimitz.
At the ewa end of Honolulu Airport I walked under the H-1 Viaduct, which stretched ahead like the Great Wall.
I started to lose it here. I questioned the sanity of doing this section of the walk because no one else would ever consider it. Then I started singing songs out loud. I sounded awful and I apologize to anyone who heard me.
After singing Bobby Darin's "Beyond the Sea" I convinced myself that the song was a metaphor for his life as an entertainer always on the road, away from his lover waiting on shore, both hoping that some day he'd never go sailing again. OK, the revelations that come about are a reason to walk.
A block later, at the Airport Hotel, I caught a glimpse of a couple kissing passionately in a parked car. By the time I passed by, they were hurrying inside. A block away was a "hotel" where rooms are $18 a day. In the "lobby," a sign warned guests that alcohol and food are not allowed. Violators will be evicted, the sign said.
The room I was shown by the manager was small; the bed up high like the top of a bunk bed except there was no lower bed. Toilets are down the hall.
The next mile along Service Road A adjacent to Nimitz is a blur of new and used car lots where prices have been "Drastically Reduced" or there's a "Special Sale Today."
At Sand Island Access Road, I pretty much decided to hop a bus to downtown, although I did talk myself into continuing to the next bus stop. Halfway there a bus zoomed by.
This happened several more times as I walked behind businesses with windows painted shut or doors barred and bolted. The only people I saw were at bus stops and they stared at the ground.
I'd hit an emotional wall. There was nothing here I wanted to see, nothing of interest, nothing inspiring. Just commerce and people hurrying to buy it or deliver it.
In Chinatown along King Street, I heard people bantering and bargaining over food. At Maunakea Street a cab driver hit his brakes and skidded a few feet. People in the corner market sent out a chorus of boos.
That made me smile. I sensed for the first time that there's a community here, like those I've seen in Windward Oahu, the North Shore and the Leeward coast. I'm glad I didn't take the bus.
"Walking Stories" is almost pau and that makes me glad and sad. I'm weary; a knee is starting to throb; my mind is drained from absorbing so much.
But I got to see the island as I never have before; and maybe never will again. I've met strangers who wished me well; one man even invited me into his home. Some people said I was "lolo"; others admired my tenacity, even my physical endurance!
I discovered Oahu is much larger than I imagined and found evidence that this beautiful island is being abused. That makes me sad and angry.
The best thing about my journey was the time I had to myself. I was forced to think about more than a favorite "Seinfeld" episode or office gossip.
I was able contemplate my life, how fast my daughter is growing up, how very fortunate I am, where I want to be in the future, and confirmed that taking time to enjoy a place provides serenity and invigorates the spirit.
"Somewhere beyond the sea."
The walking is over, but wrap-up stories
will run Dec. 22 in "Out There."
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