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A friend has sent you a link to the following article: http://hawaiicam.com/index.php/hawaiicam/comments/88/ Here’s the challenge. Circle the island of Oahu. Do it in one day. Make all the stops. How many stoplights? Well, that depends on how far off the beaten path you go. It could be just a handful. It could be 80. Or more. We’ll start from Waikiki. That’s about 10 to 12 stoplights alone, so to keep the number down we’ll take Kala’kaua Avenue and drive along the beach. Make a leaning right at Kapio’lani Park, through the trees. This will get us to the base of Diamond Head and about 8 stoplights. A stop along Diamond Head Lookout gives us a view of surfers, windsurfers, sailing ships, and bikini clad beachgoers. OK, it’s tough to see the bikinis from the top of the Lookout, but we can dream about it. Onward. The next drive is through beautiful and exclusive Kahala neighborhood. Kahala is loaded with large and splendorific (I just made that up) homes. And we can make it all the way through with NO stoplights. Now we’re on Kalani’anaole Highway heading toward East Oahu. Unfortunately, the drive towards Hana’uma Bay, Makapu’u Point, Sea Life Park, and points East is littered with wonderful scenery, picturesque stops along the beach, and about a dozen stop lights. Pass Sea Life Park we’ll drive steadily along the beach and inland, just below the towering Ko’olau Mountain Range to the left. And only a couple of stoplights. Once we reach Castle Hospital and the highway junction, we’ll have to turn inland toward the mountains. Progress will slow as we make our way through quaint Kane’ohe Town. Yes, Kailua, in the other direction has few stoplights but there’s less to see. It’s mostly haole anyway, and less colorful. Beyond Kaneohe is the North Shore which extends North (duh) past Kahuku, Turtle Bay Resort (I’ve seen turtles there; plenty) and almost NO stoplights. You’ll drive along the beach in many areas where winter storm waves will cover the highway. But not today. We’re on a mission. Circle the island in 80 stops or less. By the time we pass famed Pipeline, Sunset Beach (get your film and camera ready), Waimea Bay, and head in to Haleiwa Town, we’re nearing the half way point—and only 42 stoplights so far. However, we have to break for lunch and sightseeing in Haleiwa. And top it off with some shaved ice from M. Matsumoto’s. It’s mostly highway from here on in. Sorta. You see, you can’t really “circle” the island of Oahu in a car. You can get close, but it’s not a true circle. If we take the long way, we’ll need to hike out to Ka’ena Point. Then drive back (only a couple of stoplights and a roundabout) through the center of the island on a freeway (no stoplights) toward Wai’anae Coast and Mountains to the West. Plenty of stoplights there. And back. By the time we hit H-1 and cruise past Pearl Harbor we’re at 69 stoplights and counting. If we completely avoid downtown Honolulu, we can make it in less than 80 stops. Alas, today is not the day. There’s an afternoon traffic jam on H-1 so we divert toward downtown. The rest is history, 70, 75, 80 stoplights and we’re only as close as Ala Moana Center. So close, yet so very far. But what a tour, what a rush, what history. Around the island in ALMOST 80 stoplights. Who do you know that’s accomplished such a feat? Pros: Easy to accomplish circle island in a day; some scenery stunning Cons: Traffic is heavy in places, some scenery mundane. Or worse.