Eli's Cruise

The cargo for ocean going ships are placed in containers approximately 8'X8'X40' and that is how the horses are shipped. There are 10 stalls, each with a screen window. On his trip over he was with 6 other horses and on the way back 9 other horses. Eli passed through quarantine on both sides with flying colors. The man who took care of the horses on the trip was Pat Davis, judging on Eli's condition, Pat does a wonderful job. Eli was on the ship 5 days each way, actually he was on a cruise ship for 10 days. :)

While in Hawaii, we stayed with Bill Killian, a high school buddy that we both graduated with in 1956. He has lived on Oahu for the past 23 years and has a great sense of humor, everyday was rocked with laughter. He is very knowledgeable about all aspects of the island, which made sight seeing so much more enjoyable, like The Polynesian Center, Diamond Head, Punch Bowl and more. A million thanks Bill!

Oahu held a Spam-a-rama! Meat product-in-a-can Spam: Third annual Spam Jam in Waikiki, expected to attract a crowd of more than 20,000 this year. Also held their first Mr. and Mrs. Spam Contest.

We also spent time with the Anderson's, a wonderful family, who opened up their home to us. They gave us an inside tour of the Naval, Airforce and Marine Bases. They took us on several scenic tours of the island and along the beautiful ocean. We took lots and lots of pictures. Thanks to each member of your family for showing us a great time and for all the pictures you gave us. I rode in 2 separate places on Oahu. On the east shore I rode at Olomana Gardens, Waimanalo, owned by Glenn and Liz Martinez. The mountains in the background are very rugged but not suitable for mountain climbing It is volcanic rock and will crumble under your feet.

Every animal, blade of grass, trees, flowers and whatever was either blown there by the wind, flew there on birds or was brought there by man. Hard to believe when you see the lush foliage. There are no reptiles of any kind on the island except at the zoo. There is wild boar, that was brought there for sport hunting. Rodents that came off the early wailing ships and mongoose that were brought there to get rid of the rodents. The rodents do a lot of damage to the sugar cane.

Waimanalo is one of the places on the island where they have small ranchetts in the range of 1 to 3 acres. The land value is approximately one million dollars per acre. I rode the trails in the mountains with Liz and Jessica, they were very cordial and shared a lot of the history of the area with me. (Glen took us on a sailboat ride past the island where Gillian Island was filmed.) On the north shore---Waimea Bay area is very picturesque, this is the area, where they have the competitive surfing in January, February and March. The area is also where they are filming the weekly TV show "Lost". We saw the raft that was used in Lost while it was under construction.

I rode that day with John DeSoto and his daughter and two grandchildren. High rolling land overlooking the bay and the mountains. It was picture perfect. John is a national champion motor cross rider. They have approximately 175 acres and own and or board around 100 horses. They are very interesting and gracious people. I very much enjoyed my time with them. Hay is shipped to the island from California. The bales weigh from 100 to 140 pounds. Alfalfa is $21.95 per bale and Timothy is $23.95 per bale.
Ralph Fukushima boarded and hauled Eli for me. He is a very accommodating person. He and his helper Kelly made my riding on Oahu very pleasant. Ralph's friend a TV reporter (Beth Hillyer, also a horse person) arranged for NBC TV news coverage at the Makiki Post Office, which is in down town Honolulu. Everything is so breath taking. We were in Hawaii 30 days, Eli approximately 20 days. We had perfect weather during the whole trip.