This just came in from another of the Hawaiian riders of 73:
We made the film (original was a super 8 camera), back in early 1973 as a high school Novel and Film class project.
My best friend at the time, (Jim Wilkinson), is pretty much the star of the film as he is in most of the shots, (driving the green Datsun pick-up and riding the yellow Maico). I was kind of the producer / director, although I did manage to get in a few pics of myself, (the Husky rider). We were deep into dirt biking back then, riding most weekends, and racing when a race was held, (which was not that often, maybe 4-6 times/year). The first few minutes of footage were taken at the local MX park in the foothills above Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oahu, (the park still exists today).
Back then, the state and military agreed to set aside a large parcel of land where we could ride legally without being harassed by the “grunts”, (our slang for the military). Before the park was created, we used to sneak into “Army-Land” and ride the Kahuku jeep trails and single tracks, until eventually being chased off by the officers in their WWII style jeeps.
The grandfather of another close friend, (Ted Pryor – 10 speed bicycle and 125 Penton), owned an absolutely beautiful piece of property south of Hana, Maui, (Kipahulu), which is where the bulk of the shots were taken. Grandpa Pryor was a gem of an old guy, a little eccentric maybe as he raised gibbons on his acreage and had a sort of jungle with many exotic plants and trees, (almost like Africa or South America). Their primary home overlooked an awesome waterfall – we had several suppers in the early evening in their dining gazebo that hung over a cliff listening to the roar of the fresh water falls as they cascaded below – the fine mist of the falls would gently caress our faces.
The guest lodge where we stayed was nestled at the edge of the property below the main house, about a stone’s throw from the ocean and next to the same stream as the falls above that merged into the Pacific. We could hear the ocean at night crash upon the rocks and the breeze would come in through the screened windows. Grandpa Pryor had a famous neighbor, we called him the “General”. He was known to the world however as Charles Lindberg, the aviator. The general was a very kind and soft spoken man. He did some of the camera work that is in the film and is the one driving the jeep, (you can’t see him though, which is just as well).
We made our little MX track above Grandpa Pryor’s place on the green lower slopes of Haleakala. Although we loved riding on the grass, it was a different experience, lots of traction. At the time we sort of complained as we missed the sliding that we were accustomed to in the dirt. After riding for the day, we would head back to our guest lodge and stop to swim at a private, hidden little pool that had a small cave behind the falls.
All in all, it was an unforgettable time and certainly the most fun Easter break I have ever had.
One of the things I most enjoy when watching the film is the music – you don’t hear much Traffic or Moody Blues these days.
Jimmy now operates a roofing and home remodeling company in Hawaii.
Ted manages an insurance firm in Connecticut.
The CZ rider, Andy Knight, is a dentist ... and I am a financial advisor in California.
Not sure about Andy, but the rest of us mid-50 year olds still get out and ride today.
Much Aloha!
Karl Dimler
