April "No Showers" Meet

Sunday, April 14. 2002
April "No Showers" Meet
 
It had been a while since our last S2000 event, and on April 14th we decided to take our chances with the unpredictable Spring weather and hold a drive/meet/picnic. As has become "customary" we began our meet at Moanalua Gardens. This offers an excellent place to gather since there is ample parking, and easy access to the freeway in both directions.

Our group of S2000 owners were supplemented with five Acura RSXs in what was their first real gathering. It presented a great opportunity for these owners to meet fellow auto enthusiasts and share some of the modifications each group had performed. The skies were pretty overcast as we headed over the H-3 freeway towards Kaneohe. Most of the S2000s had their tops down, so we were hoping for great weather as we emerged from the tunnels.

As always, the urge to "rev it up" in the tunnels took hold and we were treated to the "F1 soundtrack" courtesy of Honda's VTEC and Stephen's J's Racing Exhaust. (Franceen mistakenly thought Stephen's car was a sport bike! :o ) Sorry, I'm not sure if you consider that a compliment or not???

I had a true car enthusiast and future (we hope) S2000 owner along as my camera man and he took these great shots of our cars on the road. Mike's wife rode shotgun with Franceen and both had a great time experiencing the high reving, top down fun that the S2000 brings to the party.

Along the way we shared a number of road and driving stories we've each experienced over the years.As we cruised along Kahekiki Highway on the way to Kualoa Park, the skies really looked dark, but thankfully things remained dry, and all the chatter on the radios regarding rain, was quickly silenced with strong warnings of "you'll jinx us if you keep talking like that!" Fortunately, the skies stayed clear and we reached the beach park without incident and still in our long train of cars!

Once there, we all started unloading our trunks with all the food for our lunch, and spreading things out on some of the picnic tables.As before, we had quite a lot of food, and a stunning variety of choices were available. Franceen thought it would be cool to feed a few of the birds, and before too long, there were dozens just "staring" at us and waiting for more food.

After our bellies were full, some of the RSX owners swapped rides with some S2000 owners to get a feel of what each others cars were all about, and I think in every case, each person came away with a greater appreciation of the remarkable job Honda has done with each car. It really shows why each does so well in the marketplace (small sales pitch, sorry, I couldn't help it).
While we were eating, an S2000 owner who had missed the rally point at Moanalua Gardens drove up and joined us. Kingston had read about it at the s2ki.com website and decided to join in. After we left the park, we headed towards the Laie Point lookout and this is when our luck with the weather ended.

We encountered a brief cloudburst that prompted many of us to stop and put our tops up. Kingston went ahead to fill gas, and when we turned off to go to Laie Point, he drove past us. I later learned he was speeding along trying to catch up with us! Too bad we hadn't exchanged cellular numbers, we had no way to tell him where we were.

As we snaked our way around Waimea Bay, we decided to make a pit stop for some Shaved Ice at Matsumoto's. Everyone had a chance to stretch their legs and have a cool refreshing snack. As we were leaving there was a slight miscue regarding our route, but once everyone was gathered up again, we headed up Road.

I absolutely love this two lane road! It twists and turns as it winds it's way through ironwood trees and pineapple fields. On the other side of the road is a breathtaking ravine with little more than a small strip of shoulder and a guardrail that looks 50 years old separating you from the cliff. We made a quick run up the road and cut through Wahiawa, Schofield Barracks and Mililani to get to the new Waipio District park. This brand new facility has numerous soccer fields and baseball diamonds and lots of extra parking (on this day at least).
 
In the end, everyone had a great time. It was great to see the Honda/Acura enthusiasts enjoying an afternoon together, and although the weather looked threatening at times, everything stayed pretty dry for the most part. Thanks go to Rick for helping with the S2000 participants, and Derrick (visit his website www.rsx-s.com by clicking here) for helping with the RSX's. Unfortunately Rick was unable to attend as he and Roxanne caught a cold that week and were still feeling a bit out of it. So until our next event..