Molokai: Day #2 (Part 2)

When we first told mom about doing this trip, she wasn't excited about doing it.  She felt that nothing would be the same or preserved after 75 years.

To our delight, she was able to journey back into the past and see the place that the father she admired and loved worked and did so much good.

We had a bagged lunch at Kalawao which is on the northeast side of the peninsula.  Kalaupapa is on the northwest side.

The views there were absolutely beautiful.  Right below was where patients were initially dropped off.  Sometimes, they had to be forcibly dropped off which was very sad.

We visited Father Damien's St. Philomena Catholic church and found Brother Joseph Dutton's grave site next to it.  He had asked to be buried close by Father Damien.

Our tour guide, Norman told us that only 4-5% of the population is susceptible to Hansen's Disease.  Unfortunately, Father Damien was part of that small minority, and died in 1889 after 16 years at Kalaupapa.  Brother Dutton was able to serve the patients for 44 years without contracting the disease.  My grandfather was there for 8 years and also did not contract Hansen's Disease.  Sadly, the group most susceptible were the Hawaiian people who did not have many of the immunities against diseases foreigners brought in.

Here is my grandfather crouching down next to the man he admired and regarded highly for the work he'd done for the patients for 44 years.

Mom says there was a photo of her father with Brother Dutton that was cherished by the family, but it was lost in their escape during the war.

Brother Dutton died during my grandfather's 2nd or 3rd year at Kalaupapa.

This is the grave yard next to the church.  Father Damien's grave is at the front.

St. Philomena Catholic Church

OK, it's not that I didn't like Lahi Lahi. However, my behind was really protesting getting back in the saddle.  Lahi Lahi on the other hand could not wait to get started.  He was pushing at the ropes to get to the front again... until he remembered that it was going to be UPhill this time.

I almost know the exact moment when he remembered.  Suddenly his steps slowed and he had to be prodded by the mule leaders.  I hated to kick him like they told me to.

 I really sympathized with his plight.  I REALLY don't like climbing UPhill either.  Whereas he pushed to the front of the line when we were going down, he now stopped at almost every switch back.  

When I tried to urge him on, he'd look back at me as if to say, "Are you kidding me?  Couldn't you have lost those 6 pounds before you decided to get on my back?"

Three miles UPhill all the way and Art was still raring to go.  His butt was just fine!

We read that you could mail a coconut anywhere in the U.S. for between $10.00 to $15.00 (postage) so we decided to send one to KC in Chicago.  

The coconut was free.

Can you believe the gas prices on Molokai?

We also found that Molokai has the plastic bag law.  If you plan to go there, bring your own bag.  It was not a problem for us.

And this is where our luck ran out.  Our Island Air flight was 2 hours late!!!  Worse... I had to sit on hard metal seats for 3 hours while we waited.  After a stop on Lanai we finally got to bed around midnight.  

And yes!  Here is Art's trophy t-shirt.  In retrospect, Art says I should have gotten one too.  We also brought back Molokai sweet potato chips and a whole lot of wonderful memories.

And mom?  She's thrilled and could hardly wait to get home and start writing all about it.

Molokai: Day #2 (Part 1)

It was Wednesday and time for our trip down into Kalaupapa and Kalawao.  I decided to try the mule ride although I did have my misgivings.  Art was determined to hike the 3 mile pali trail.   There are 26 switchbacks on the trail and it has a 1,600 foot elevation.  When I spoke to the Mule Ride company, they said it would be a bit rough for an 83 year old woman.  Therefore Dennis took mom on a very small airplane down to the peninsula.

Buzzy gave us a lesson on how to ride a mule.

Did you know a mule is a cross between a horse and a donkey?  They are supposed to be sure footed.

I think I was one of the few people who had never ridden a mule or a horse.  I've ridden a donkey, but it's much smaller than a mule.

That fellow in the back with the cowboy hat is from Wyoming.  He and his ranching family were here on vacation.  I did notice that I was the only local person in this group.

Buzzy joked that they would match the mules to our faces and we had to remember their names.

My mule's name was Lahi Lahi.  Buzzy said it meant Slim.

The beginning of the trail is easier.

Art had to dodge mule urine and poop.  Eventually the trail got rockier and bumpier... very very bumpy.  I wore my bike pants, but it wasn't padded enough.  I would have preferred a pillow.

All the mules were well trained and Lahi Lahi seemed quite competent.

He had a lot of energy and soon pushed himself to the front just behind this very experienced Wyoming rancher.

The only problem with Lahi Lahi is that...

...he liked to snack!


I hated to keep pulling on the reins to nudge his head away from many of the bushes and clumps of delicious looking grass.

I'm afraid I must not have enough padding on my back side.  I seriously wished I could move my tummy fat to my backside.
Sigh....

All the mules are very well fed and cared for.  I was never afraid during the ride down the cliff.

When we got to the bottom, Art was waiting for me with another hiker who happened to be a doctor who'd studied in Chicago.  What a coincidence!

Dennis and mom had been picked up at the airport so we came together into an old school bus and our tour director, Norman took us around while giving us a history of Kalaupapa.

We told him about mom's dad, and Norman said the community house was still standing and was now a bookstore.  Norman called it a temple, but it was actually a meeting hall that grandfather had fund-raised to build.  My grandfather had also brought special food from Kaunakakai and Japanese language movies that he showed patients using a movie projector.

This is Norman and mom in front of the Americans of Japanese Ancestry Hall. Norman is Roman Catholic but was kind enough to show a lot of enthusiasm for our excitement in finding where the Buddhists were being supported.

This is just a fun, amazing coincidence.  I took this photo from the distant overlook the day before as we were looking down at the peninsula. I blew up the photo today and could see that the Tour Bus had been stopped right in front of the AJA Hall where we would be the following day.

Back on the bus, mom was all smiles.  She couldn't wait to show all the photos to her siblings in Hawaii and in Japan.

Tomorrow's post will be the second half of the day... and back on top of Lahi Lahi.