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The Last Football Game
by Juan Wilson as told by Louis Almodova Jr on 27 June 2007
I had a knee injury recently after a minor bike accident. It really was
not very serious, but it kept me off my usual swimming routine for a
couple of weeks. Today, 27 June 2007 was the first time my wife were
back doing our laps down at Salt Pond Beach Park. When we had
finished up, and were drying off at the main pavilion.
The late afternoon at Salt Pond is a special time. The main pavilion is
almost nightly occupied by senior locals cooking dinner, sharing a brew
and talking story. We have been lucky enough to share a picnic table
with these folks and hear a few good stories.
As we got ready to go, Louis Almodova, known at Salt Pond as
"Uncle Louis", came over to chat. He will be ninety this year.
Our parents, from the mainland have passed. We think of Louis as our
adopted father on Kauai and are always impressed with the number of
people he has known, and their stories. When I told Louis about my knee
he related this tale.
Louis grew up in Eleele, went to the school there and bought a house
overlooking the fields of McBryde Mill. Before World War II he joined
the Army and was stationed on Puolo Point at a barracks on Lele Road.
Back then, Hanapepe was a strategic spot with a harbor and an
airport.
The squad he was with had the luxury of hanging out at night in
Hanapepe. Fifteen or more pals would sit on benches near the USO and
pool hall (where the Banana Patch Studio is today). That was across the
street from where the Jardine Theater sat. It wasn't bad duty. There
was always something going on in town.
There were three movie houses, a roller rink, dance hall, plenty of
bars and great cheap restaurants. Louis' squad even had members on the
Kauai US Army football team. Louis was always a baseball player. Even
into his senior years he played competitively. In his pocket he carries
a 1997 Senior World Series trophy ring. Even though he was a baseball
player first, he was a member of the Army football squad.
On December 6th, 1941 the Kauai Army football team hosted a football
game against Saint Lukes College from Oahu. The game was at
Eisenberg Stadium in Lihue, near where the existing Lihue Neighborhood
Recreational Center is. Louis played his first competitive game for the
Army. As it turned out, it was the last and only football game Louis
played for the Army.
During the game Louis injured his ankle badly enough to be pulled out
of the game. It swelled up so bad he had to stay off it. The next day
he was in his barracks. The barracks was on Lele Road, the one that
leads down to Salt Pond Beach Park. His ankle was so bad, Louis was in
the barracks office to get a transfer to the hospital for treatment.
While he waited outdoors for a meeting, he saw an armada of planes
moving towards Oahu. It was the first wave of attack on Pearl Harbor,
on December 7th. Not knowing exactly what they had seen, people on
Kauai could only look as the planes disappeared into the east and
wonder. It was only later they received news of the attack on Pearl
Harbor.
Uncle Louis was subsequently stationed to defend the southern shore of
Kauai for the duration of the war. He is still here today, welcoming
visitors instead of defending against attackers.
image above: A Caterpillar D7 bulldozer with blade
Wainiha Valley & the D7 Bulldozer
by Juan Wilson as told by Louis Almodova Jr on 29 December
2006
I spent lunchtime on December 29th, 2006 at a mochi pounding party at
the end of my street in Hanapepe Valley. At 89 years old, Louis
Almodova, sometimes called the Mayor of Salt Pond, was the senior guest
present. His daughter, Gerry, was the hostess.
As the men steamed and then pounded the rice with wooden mallets, the
women formed and flavored the resulting mochi with mint and sweet
beans. Louis sat in the shade towards the back so he could see
everybody, including a few great great grandchildren.
My wife, Linda, and I sat with paper plates loaded with food that Gerry
and other family members had prepared, while Louis told us the
following story.
Louis worked for the McBryde Mill in Numila for four decades starting
in the 1930's. He began with a hoe in his hand and ended as a
dispatcher and transportation foreman.
On more than one occasion he had to take a crew all the way around, to
the north side of the island, to Wainiha Valley to do work on the
hydroelectric plant there. McBryde Mill built the power plant to
provide electricity for its operations.
Maintenance for the equipment had to come from their facilities on the
south side.
In 1968, after a particularly bad winter in Wainiha Valley, the water
intake dam, way above the power generator was washed out with flooding
from heavy rain. A large bulldozer would be need far up the valley to
manage the repairs.
It was Louis' job to get a team and the Caterpillar D7 to the site. The
flatbed truck to carry the bulldozer was a wide load. Louis had to get
a special permit to move such a rig. Louis, driving a McBryde pickup,
was the lead vehicle in the caravan, with flashing warning lights.
Bedsides the bulldozer, tractor trailer, and crew there would be plenty
of other equipment and material needed just to get to the mouth of
Wainiha Valley.
The first real challenge came just before Hanalei, in what is now
Princeville. The McBryde caravan had to stop at the top of the hill
before descent to the one lane bridge over the Hanalei River. There
they unloaded the D7 from the truck. After some negotiation and
discussion, a plan was executed. The river bridge could not handle the
load.
To get around the Hanalei Bridge, the D7 had to be driven mauka along
what is now Kapaka Street as far as Ahonui Place. There a gentle enough
slope would allow the bulldozer to driven down to the bottom of Hanalei
Valley. Then the D7 could cross through the river and emerge on the
west bank.
Louis arranged for the D7 to earn its passage by providing favors for
land owners along the way. Once across the Hanalei River, the D7 could
rejoin the caravan where Ohiki Road met the Kuhio Highway on the west
side of the river. But after the Hanalei River there were more
challenges.
There were a few stone small concrete bridges that could take the
loaded tractor trailer but not the bridge then over the Lumahai Stream.
Near Lumahai Stream, at the west end of the beach, again the caravan
had to stop and unload the bulldozer.
The crew had brought old tires with them to lay down on the highway to
protect the surface of the road from the treads of the bulldozer. They
drove the D7 along the beach and when they got to the stream built a
sand bridge for a crossing.
It took most of the a day to reach Wainiha Valley. Finally, they headed
up Powerhouse Road to get to the damaged intake. The caravan unloaded
the D7 for a week of work at the site and then headed back to the Mill.
When the work was done the whole process was reversed to bring the D7
back to the southside.
This adventure was repeated on more than one occasion when the
hydroelectric power plant needed repair. Louis said sometimes his smile
was the only permit they rode with.
Louis ended his story telling us about an accident he witnessed back
then with the D7. They were in the valley, pushing over a tree that was
in the way of a job they had to do. The bulldozer operator was downhill
from the tree and tipped the tree up the slope.
The spread of roots was huge and wide. When the tree went over the root
ball emerged from the ground, caught the blade and flipped the
bulldozer on its back, killing the driver. A nasty surprise for
everyone.
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