My friends sent some more video of their machines digging and breaking hard rock on site. They use excavators extensively over dozers. It's shot on and IPhone but you will get the idea of what is going on. Enjoy
That would be volcanic rock wouldn't it? I'm looking out at the snow thinking it would be nice to be there. I'm not much of a beach guy and I hate the heat, but I have always wanted to go there. I have always wanted to see Pearl harbor.
It's old lava flow from a hundred or more years ago. This is on the big island of Hawaii. Pearl Harbor is on Oahu which is northwest of this island. I really enjoyed the assignment on the big island and got to drive around and see some things for a couple of days. There wasn't much for beaches. The island is dry and sunny on the south side and wet on the east side. Semi arid or near desert on the south and jungle on the north. I think it is worth the cost to go see it.
Funny, I just looked it up, and there is a sale. If I buy today less than $1200 per person return. 23 hours to get there. Moncton New Brunswick to Toronto Ontario, then Toronto to Honolulu. Buddy of mine went in the 80s. He went for two weeks but figured he'd need two months to enjoy everything.. he rented a cottage. Said it was hard to get used to these small lizards running around everywhere.
Where I was it was the mongoose flitting around like predatory squirrels. I was on Hawaii for nine days with three and a half of them working. I could have spent a month there pretty easy.
What I think would be neat is you're in a tropical place where your money buys what it says it buys, even though it's probably expensive as hell. Still, the comfort of knowing you're not getting shanked on the exchange rate is worth a little.
I hear that if you live there it's not too bad. If you are a tourist they make things work for them. That about the same everywhere.
We just came back from the big island a couple weeks ago. I've been several times, but it always amazes me how the salt air/climate can destroy equipment. Saw some big Komastu equipment just sitting north of Hilo, and made me wonder, if the equipment is brought to the islands in containers, then assembled?
I suppose it can come either in containers or on a ship whole or on barges. I have some colleagues that tear down machines for shipment overseas. I know when the gray market was running hard those machines all came into the ports whole.
More rock work in Kona, Hawaii. Their project appears to be moving along pretty good considering how much rock that have to move and process.
My contact over in Hawaii has sent video updates each month so I combined all that I had together to make the program more interesting. You can really see the progress they are making. It's a lot of rock.
Great vid, John. They've been keeping at it. What is the project purpose, is it quarrying for the aggregate, or real estate development? All the best.
When watching videos such as this I wonder why the 'recorder' does not understand that turning the phone/camera -SIDEWAYS- will record a lot more than sky. They 'scan' side to side when they could just ROTATE the camera 90 deg. A 'smart phone' is apparently smarter than the user.
Hi John, It is a new shopping center and public center. The retail stores are farther up the hill and I hear Safeway is moving down to this spot. CatKC, I'm just happy he is will to do what he can and send it on to me. Unfortunately I can't afford to fly over there and back every month to get updates.
Thanks for the video john C. I always like seeing what is done in other places. They've got a lot $ wrapped up into breaking rock for a development. So is the volcanic rock super hard? or not so bad for breaking/ wear on the equipment?
They told me it causes a lot of wear but in watching them work, it seemed like the stuff breaks OK. It does seem to take a 40 ton machine though to have enough hammer to bust the stuff.
I have been remiss is getting these put together and posted. Here are two short scenes, the first from August and the second from November. I think everyone has been very busy and it kept just getting put on the back burner. A little less than two minutes, but a big difference in how the development looks.
Is blasting not an option? We have an extensive amount of lava rock as well, hard as the back of your head. Some times breakers is the only option, but blasting is always preferred.
This site is in the middle of town about three blocks for the Hawaiian royal palace and the King Kamehameha Hotel. The other places I visited on the big island also used the hammers instead of powder.
Hey John, I am 1 mile from that project. I watch through the fence. Equipment porn. lol.
Nice, can you take some video as well? Most of the time the places that I go to I'm happy to be leaving when the job it done. On that job I gained some new friends, got to see some completely different kind of country and was a little sad to be leaving. I'll make it back there again someday. I'll be on my way to Pittsburgh tomorrow for a conference so envy you a little bit.
My wife and i spent 2 weeks on the big island 20+ years ago. I was amazed by the lava fields on the drive from Kona to our hotel ,looked like the surface of Mars in places .We visited the big volcano. It was fascinating to walk trails that ran as near as you could safely get to molten lava . You are right the east coast is certainly wet. It was a great holiday , we would love to go back someday.
Did you fly direct from BC? They say it's about 23 hours flight time from New Brunswick. I have an old school mate that owns a gym in BC. His wife is from Hawaii, so they go there often. I think they fly out of Seattle.
These pictures and talk of Hawaii got me thinking of the cruise we took back in 2016. While there were some good times overall I would never want to do it again. 28 days from start to finish and probably never spent more than 8 hours on land in any one port. Three different islands in Hawaii on three different days and it was a mad rush to see what you could and then haul ass back to boat before it sailed I think the wife gets a bit upset when she tells someone it was my first cruise and I butt in and say no it was my LAST CRUISE! Once out of site of land the view never changes, one wave looks like the next. If I want to stare at waves and water and no land I can take a short ride up to Lake Ontario and sit at Rudy's and state north towards Canada! The best time I had on that cursed cruise was in Honolulu. I had made contact with a lady in a scooter forum online who lived there and we had a private tour of the Chinatown section of town. Don't think many tourists ever see that area and it's just a short walk from the dock the cruise ships tie up.
28 days, that's a voyage, not a cruise. My wife hates winter. If it were possible, she'd sleep like the bears till spring. Only way I'd get her on a snowmobile is drugged. She always talks about going to the Dominican, or Cuba. I'm not a beach guy, and I don't swim. How does that song go? I don't look good naked any more. We are planning a Florida trip next year to take my ten year old to Disney, but there's no beach involved in that. Anyway, one of my coworkers and his wife went on a 6 day cruise just after New years. They sailed from Florida and went to the Caribbean. He was impressed with it and said he'd never do a beach vacation again. He said if not for the wife, he wouldn't have left the ship anytime they docked, said there was always something to do on board. But 28 days?
Yea there is stuff to do on the ship but if that is what I wanted I would have gone to Disney in Florida, we did that a couple years earlier and had a good time. It was in April and as schools were not out there were almost no kids around and lines were very manageable. And if you want to get wet there are plenty of opportunities for that which we did!
kshansen, We did a 7 day cruise 5 years ago along the Mexican west coast with three ports and that was too long. I can’t agree with you more- too little time ashore and too many people on the boat! I’d have preferred to see the bowels of the ship vs the people! We did fly to Honolulu 2 years ago. 6 1/2 hr flight so, not too bad. I trekked up diamond head while the mrs checked out the shops- kept us both happy. I went solo to Pearl Harbor- words cant describe the impact it had on me.
Yes Cuttin edge we did fly direct out of Vancouver . About 6 hr.s
That was one of the things that I would have love to do get down below the decks and see those big engines but they said for security-related reasons they could not let anyone down there. They did offer a tour of some parts of the ship but think that only included places like the bridge and say the kitchen areas. And that was at an extra charge and very limited number of people. The only things making it bearable was the food was good and some of the workers like the man who took care of our cabin were very pleasant and we did just by chance have lunch and a chat with one group of entertainers, two or three jugglers, who sat down next to us in the dining room.
I’m going to the big island in March. 4th time to Hawaii but have never been to the big island . We’ve seen Oahu, Maui and Kaua’i. I like the weather there not too hot usually under 80. I always joked about finding a construction outfit that needs a Cat repair consultant and just staying for a couple months but I usually feel like getting home after 2 weeks. I like sledding too much.
Are you guys into much of a deep freeze this year? Been really mild here. Trails are groomed, but we need more snow. Supposed to get 30cm Friday, but every other dump has gone by just north or just south of us. That storm Newfoundland just got dropped 25cms an hour South of here, all we got was sunshine
Washington State so far is more into water front property this year.
The big island is one of the few places I would spend my own money to go back to a second time.
Mid January was cold with a few -40 days but otherwise it’s been fairly warm. Last week we had near 0 C and + 7 saturday. We just got a good snowfall in the last 3 weeks. Sledding is good here with 16 inches of good powder in the sheltered areas.
I always rent a car in Hawaii and we put on 800 miles touring Oahu in 2 weeks. I feel like I need to see every road and get a feel for how people live while I’m there. I spend very little time just sitting on a beach. I do like to snorkel too with so many fish to see. I also hope to rent a motorcycle when I’m there but my wife doesn’t care for riding with me so she has to spend a day alone when I go riding. I just hope there’s no major eruptions while we’re there. And keep the corona virus away too.
Well if you want to pay my air fare from Central NY I'd be glade to join you on a ride! As fir the corona virus just stay away from that Mexican beer and you should be ok!
Should make it an annual general hef meeting in Hawaii. We could all see first hand the lava reclamation project.
Mobiltech, I see you "liked" my idea does that mean I should start packing?
If you are paying, I'll go.
my view today while checking out HEF. Drove past the big construction site almost every day. helping a friend renovate a condo, and its on the way to Lowes.
Well im on the big island. Very surprised how much exposed lava rock there is. I see the areas they have been working on in north kona. We also drove around through the latest lava flow area. Sad to see how much people lost but thats the chance you take living here. I snapped some pictures of the road the lava took out.
One of the guys I was working with last year told me there was a Komatsu D155 somewhere at the bottom of one of those flows. It was there one day, partially covered the new and gone on the third day. Thanks for the photos.