Giggle Hill

Funny name (explanation below), beautiful place. Just about a mile and a half up mauka (up the mountain) from where we live right now. We had heard many times that you can climb to the top but never got around to it until now.

Our destination was to get on a trail and find the top, the tip-top. We had heard of a least 3 possible trails. No problem finding finding a trail and it was a fairly steep but short climb. What we found up there was a pretty awesome surprise. Notice the tall trees silhouetted at the top.

These are Cook Pines, often confused with Norfolk Pines. Both are plentiful on the Islands. They are very hard to tell apart - easier when they're older. The Cooks can grow to 200 feet and were used for ship's masts in the days of Captain Cook. He "discovered" them (and also the Norfolks) and brought them to Hawai'i.

Hundreds of them populate the top of the hill, Magnificent! I would guess that many of these are right around 200 feet tall.

A friend suggested that this could be Tracy out for a walk with her pet dinosaur. Pictured, I would guess, is Deeno's right rear foot.

OK, as promised the story of the name "Giggle Hill"

"In the 1940s, during World War II, Kokomo Road was a very busy area. At “Giggle Hill” the 4th Marine Division would train, rest and camp. The area got it’s name during that time because it’s rumored that female giggles could be heard coming from the wooded area up the hill where soldiers and spunky little ladies would meet after dark. The author couldn’t  find any women (they would now be in their 80s) who wanted to talk about it “on record,” but assures you that the trees of “Giggle Hill” have many juicy stories to tell, if only they could speak."

Oh those "spunky little ladies" don't ya just love'm?




Another use for Cook pine wood:

Also, on this outing we stopped by to say hello to one of Tracy's new friends owned by our good friend Betsy.

Oatsey

Kama'aina

Another silly but fun milestone for VonhofMills

Kama'aina (pronounced kama eye' na) literally means 'child of the land' and has become a term used for long-term residents of Hawai'i.

Having these new licenses means we can prove we are Kama'aina and get big discounts and bargains! (Not really that big and not really that many, but it's fun to think you're special).

If you look closely at Neil's you'll see a humorous error.

Hint: Neil said that if he ever gets arrested he'll insist on being incarcerated in the womens prison.
(Click to enlarge photo)