Weeda Stamps: News


FOX TALES ON STAMPS Edition #488 Friday, January 22, 2010
Christmas Day at Diamond Head
	One of the most instantly recognizable landmarks in Hawaii is the distinct profile of the Diamond Head crater. An early morning climb of the Diamond Head crater was a favourite vacation foray of mine. In the early morning light even the view from the road leading to the entrance was beautiful. I was eventually able to convince Malcolm, Kai and Rhys to accompany us on a last day hike to the famed crater. The Hawaiian name for the crater is Le'ahi which means "tuna brow". A tunnel cut through the base of the crater allows road access to the central bowl. The road allows for two-way traffic and pedestrians also. In 1904 Diamond Head was purchased by the US Government for military use. Gun batteries were built in the crater to defend the entrance of Pearl Harbor. In all, five separate batteries were built, none ever firing their guns in anger. There are still active military facilities in the area and as such certain parts of the crater are out of bounds. The total gain in elevation from the floor of the crater is 525 feet and the summit stands at 763 feet above sea level. The round trip distance from the entrance toll booth to the peak and back is about 1.6 miles. The route to the peak is a combination of switchback trails, stairs and tunnels. The grade is never too steep but wear proper footwear and bring water. Our friend Sabine (Rhys and Kai's mother) was also keen on getting to the top. The trails were originally built by the US Army to get supplies and construction materials up the crater walls. Here I am standing on what used to be the upper end of a cable lift that carried objects too heavy to be packed by mule. As you can see some stretches of the trail are a bit uneven. We actually saw a tourist in stiletto high heels navigating these rocky outcrops. The crossbeams set above this stairway of 99 steps was intended to support camouflage netting. A lot of people use Diamond Head for their daily workout as evidenced by this man doing push-ups. It's not an uncommon sight to see some people running up and down several times in a row for a real workout. This 225 foot tunnel connects the lower and upper set of stairs. Not for the claustrophobic. This four story spiral staircase was built to allow access to the four levels of the artillery fire control station. Here is Rhys in the third level observation post. The camouflage on the exterior is looking a bit time worn and the heavy metal shutters are gone but it's still a massive concrete construction. These days the only observers are tourists. Once at the top one is afforded a spectacular 360 degree view of the surrounding area. Here Sabine is standing in the foreground of the view to the east of Oahu. The light in the Diamond Head lighthouse was first lit on July 1st, 1899. It was a real boon to navigation as the peak of Diamond Head was a navigational landmark and was all too often obscured by clouds or rain. The numerous reefs in the area took their toll of misdirected sailors. The view of Honolulu and Waikiki Beach is nothing short of breathtaking. This is a picture I took of a Hawaiian sunrise on one of my morning trips to Diamond Head Heading down the steep set of 99 concrete steps is a bit easier than going up. The rugged terrain and dry scrub inside the crater is different from the more lush flora outside. These cacti as seen in the light of the early dawn are eyecatching. After the bit of vigourous exercise that hiking the crater allowed us we felt entitled (or less guilty about) the Christmas dinner buffet that we were about to attend. Here are some interesting links: http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/oahu/index.cfm?park_id=15 http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=140 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Head,_Hawaii
The Salvation Army Quiz
	Thanks to P.F. for this new quiz idea. We show you a head of state or famous person from a stamp without revealing what country he or she is from. You guess the name of the person. Send us an email with your answer. For every correct answer we will donate $1.00 to our favourite charity, the Salvation Army. Click here to go to the The Salvation Army International Home Page to see what services they offer to communities around the world. After this quiz we will alternate the Canadian stamp identification quiz with the famous person quiz from newsletter to newsletter.
Answer to Last Week's Salvation Army Quiz
	We received five correct answers to last week's identification quiz. That means a $5.00 donation to Salvation Army. Here's the famous person we asked you to identify Here's the answer - the Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg. For more information go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolphe,_Grand_Duke_of_Luxembourg .