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Friday, November 26, 2010

North Shore Joyriding

IMG_0039 Driving down North Shore listening to the Oahu’s Island Jams while the 80 degree breeze combs through your face as easy as a feather through the sky, you get a new appreciation for the word “joy ride”. As you are listening to Kolohe Kai’s “cool down” going 65 mph, you are at near disbelief at how deep the clear blue sky can be, how healthy green the lush mountain paves the skyline, born from the very dragon’s skin that cuts across the horizontal vantage point of paradise. The Pacific waters dancing in sync with the flow of the natural backdrop of mother earth, calling mortals to pause in awe of its earth glory.

The best weather (http://gohawaii.about.com/cs/travelplanner/ht/when_to_visit.htm) to do a locomotion tour is during April to October, when the sun is high, the ocean temperature is around 74 to 80 degrees, and the humidity is just wet enough to cool you down from the radiant sun bath. Rent a Jeep Wrangler or a Ford Expedition (http://repairpal.com/ford-expedition-2004) since both cars are made for rugged off-roading and long distance travel. If you are driving a used car or any kind of car that isn’t quite built for dirt mounds or rocky roads, make sure you are prepared to do a thorough inspection of your car (See Spaishee Savvy Tip on Off Roading Preparation below).

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North Shore is known for its surf and turf. Not only is it a great place to catch waves, but it also has places where you can go horseback riding, hiking, shrimp truck eating, and touring. Home of the Dole Plantation and the Polynesian Cultural Center, this place is the feng shui epitome of mountain-ocean harmony not to mention agriculturally attuned to mother nature. So when planning your stay at Oahu, be sure to reserve a few days to stake out the tourist hot spots. Rent/borrow your drop top or off road cruiser because the scenic view is one of the best parts of island exploration.

 

Spaishee Savvy Tip on Off-Roading Preparation:

If you are renting the car, like most mainlanders are, here are some basic questions you should ask for about your rental car:

  • Mileage (If the car has a mileage of more than 30,000, don’t rent from that store, since most rental dealerships sell their cars after 15,000-30,000 miles)
  • smog check
  • Tire rotation and pressure
  • where the jack and spare tires are
  • size for clearance
  • Brakes

If you are lucky enough to have a local as a friend but not quite lucky enough that you end up driving an old car,here are some things that you should check in addition to the inspection bulleted above:

  • hoses, belts, and filters (i.e. If timing belt has been replaced (http://repairpal.com/timing-belt-replacement )
  • Check engine’s computer and air intake for maximum water intake
  • Axle’s and differentials
  • Batteries
  • Brakes
  • Fluids:oil, transmission, brake, radiator coolant, gear oils, wipers, power steering,

 

For more detailed information, check out about.com’s “How to do a 4WD Vehicle Inspection” http://4wheeldrive.about.com/cs/checklists/a/aa121901a_2.htm or the encyclopedia section of repairpal.com’s webpage (http://repairpal.com/phoenix-auto-repair) gives a thorough explanation on what each part does for a car, when to replace it, and why it’s neccessary to do so at that stage.