Moon Buggy II

Awhile back, when we were visiting Nappanee, Indiana, we had some bodywork and paint corrections done on The Beast.  This included removal and replacement of the Diamond Shield clear paint protectant film. Next, we had the paint polished in the garage at Showalter RV. Because of this, we needed to apply some paint protection as all of the previous owner’s wax was removed in the polishing process.

I really like going to Showalter RV. The owner is VERY accommodating, as he is my cousin‑in‑law. When one of his service bays was not in use, he allowed us to use it to apply wax indoors.  WOO HOO!  This made the job easier, but the big help was loaning us a set of rolling scaffolding.  Waxing a 45’ long, 13’2” tall RV on a ladder is a lot of work. Climb up, climb down, climb up, climb down…. Another advantage to the scaffolding is we could have two people on it at the same time!

Elizabeth and I were up on the scaffolding, which we called a “Moon Buggy II” in memory of the scissor lifts that her Grandfather built and she played on in her youth. The scaffold was on casters and had two platforms on it so it made the daunting task of waxing four billboards of surface area very easy.

Moon Buggy II
Photo Credit: Junelle Showalter

The original moon buggy
Photo Credit: Greg Kiser

My paint sealant of choice is RejeX^®, which is a thin film polymer that provides a high-gloss, and more importantly to me, an ultra-high release surface. Their slogan is so true: Nothing Sticks but the Shine. I use it on all the smooth hard surfaces on my vehicles. On glass, it works like Rain-X but it lasts longer, and RejeX^® is easier to apply.  It makes washing our vehicles effortless.

OH, and now I had to order a buffer/polisher to make the work go even faster.  But I will also have to order a big pile of pads to keep a clean one on the machine at all times.

Off-roading in the Rain

When we were on Kauai, my cousin Steve signed us all up for a 4x4 UTV Ultimate Ranch Tour on Kipu Ranch. He and his wife, Junelle, are avid off-road fans. You can read about our last adventure off-roading with them here.

On our way there, it started to rain. We thought it would stop rather quickly. We were wrong. It didn't stop raining until about the last hour of our tour. I was so glad I wore my swimsuit. We were covered in mud. At one point, it was raining so hard that I could barely see. Despite the cover, rain was running down my glasses, which were picking up a lot of muddy spray as well. At least we didn't get dusty!

I have to admit that Harold and I would probably have never done the off-road tour on our own. They're expensive and we'd have probably selected another activity. So, we're really glad that Steve took the initiative on this one. We had a blast!

Harold takes the wheel

What can you do?

This rain!

Mud!

The gang

Slip 'n Slide

Sacred Caves

Mt. Haupu view

Descending Mt. Haupu

Dole Plantation

I'm not sure why I enjoy Dole Plantation so much. It's touristy and overpriced. Yet, on each trip to Oahu, it's one place I want to go. I love the sea of pineapple yellow blanketing the gift shop with all kinds of apparel, plush pineapple shaped pillows, jewelry, food items, bath, and body products.

It's a nice drive out of Honolulu toward the north shore. You get out of the city and into the lush green countryside. Dole's grounds are beautiful. We have yet to pay to tour the plantation garden, settling instead for what you can see. Who knew there were so many varieties of pineapples.

This year, we did opt to try the pineapple maze. At one point the maze had the record as the world's largest maze. I refuse to tell you how long it took us to find the stations and complete the maze card. We may or may not have taken a few unauthorized shortcuts. It was getting rather warm, which meant I was getting a bit grumpy. Harold definitely has a better sense of direction than I did, at least without me putting a lot more effort into keeping track than I cared.

We completed the maze and treated ourselves. Perhaps the Dole Whip is the reason I love going to Dole Plantation.

Done!

Reward!

Pearl Harbor Memorial - USS Battleship Missouri

On our last trip to Oahu, we toured the USS Missouri. The USS Missouri is where Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945. It's located near the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. From a day which will live in infamy to the war's end, Pearl Harbor is a fitting place for the memorials.

We had visited the Arizona on previous visits and wanted to do something a little different. We opted for the Heart of the Missouri tour to get a more in-depth look.

The tour does involve a lot of stairs and occasionally tight spaces. So, it may not be for everyone. There are self-guided tours for those who prefer to go at their own pace, but there will be some things you won't see.

The tour brought back a lot of memories for Harold, and it was fun seeing him interact with the tour guide, who was very knowledgeable. Even though Harold was never on a battleship, it seems there are a lot of similarities with cruisers and destroyers.

Pierside view of USS Arizona and USS Missouri

On Broadway, the longest passage

USS Missouri played a role in Desert Shield

Harold pulling the pickle

The captain's chair