Johnston Island

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T Tiki_Bong Member Huntington Beach, CA Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: -16	T Tiki_Bong Posted posted on Fri, Aug 23, 2002 2:26 PM This morning I was in the local 7-11 refilling my tiki coffee mug with coffee (Hawaiian Nut of course!) when I noticed a fellow re-filler with a tank top on that read 'Johnston Island Tiki Lounge - Coldest Mai Tais in 800 Miles'. Well, needless to tell you all, I had to inquire as to the whereabouts of said Johnston Island Tiki Lounge. Low and behold it's on Johnston Island which lies 800 from Hawaii (not sure as to direction). I told him I was a member of Tiki Central and we had an interesting obsession with all things tiki, of which bar is but one. He had a sort of inquisitive smile and then told me he was from Johnston Isle, and to come out to his van as he would give me the shirt. He quite literally gave me the shirt off his back! Since then I've been thinking to myself 'One day I've got to go to Johnston Island, if the people there are as nice as this guy, this could be a great vacation spot'. 2 things: 1) has anyone heard of Johnston Island, and 2) did you know that when you go to 7-11 you should take some of those long Slurpee straws for future bowl drinks!
TW Trader Woody Member Tiki Manor, Forest of Bowland,UK Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 2301	TW Trader Woody Posted posted on Fri, Aug 23, 2002 2:51 PM This is literally the shirt off my back...Snap! What are the odds? Trader Woody
C chefgrey2 Member Elon, NC Joined: Aug 13, 2002 Posts: 168	C chefgrey2 Posted posted on Fri, Aug 23, 2002 3:48 PM Lucky sum'bitches....
C Cuisson Member Vancouver Joined: Jun 09, 2002 Posts: 31	C Cuisson Posted posted on Fri, Aug 23, 2002 4:10 PM There's a Johnston Island south of Hawaii but it's the one that's been used for storing Chemical poisons. It's also suffered nuclear pollution in the past from an accident. There was some talk of storing some of the plutonium that's cluttering up many states from the nuclear plants on Johnston. Don't know about visiting a Tiki bar there. Someone may have been joking.
TW Trader Woody Member Tiki Manor, Forest of Bowland,UK Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 2301	TW Trader Woody Posted posted on Fri, Aug 23, 2002 4:42 PM Even nuclear power plant workers need a drink every once in a while. In fact, probably more than most. (I'm thinking Simpsons here...) Trader Woody
TM1 tiki mick 1 Member Socal Joined: Aug 11, 2003 Posts: 398	TM1 tiki mick 1 Posted posted on Fri, Apr 2, 2004 10:19 AM Bong, I actually have been to Johnston atoll about 8-9 times....it is the coolest yet wierdest place in the world! There are about 300 people who live there a year at a time, mostly chemical and military police...we were told to have our gas masks ready at all times, and were not allowed to bring cameras off the boat. I really don't know what they are up to, but it is something secret! We hauled dirt and soil out there, to build it up, since it only has an elevation of about 2 feet! During the 50's, nuclear weapons were blown up high in the stratosphere, and devices were on the atoll to measure the effects..they also monitored the apollo and gemini and mercury space flights as well from there... I actually went to the tiki bar there (it's one of three on the small island) and it was super cool to drink a mai-tai and looked out at the sunset at 1000 miles of nothing!!! The few women we had with us were mobbed by the horny guys who lived there...!!! There are a few rich civilians that were living there, taking part time jobs in the cafeteria or bar..ect...just so that they could live in this crazy but cool place! I remember seeing manta rays in the water and reefs surrounding the place..and man, it was hot and humid!!! I got more sunburned then I ever have before, and I only sat by the pool for about an hour!
UB Unga Bunga Tiki Socialite CaliTikifornia Joined: Jun 06, 2003 Posts: 5878	UB Unga Bunga Posted posted on Fri, Apr 2, 2004 10:36 AM Here is a website with some photos. http://chiana.trvnet.net/~rockymtn/
TM1 tiki mick 1 Member Socal Joined: Aug 11, 2003 Posts: 398	TM1 tiki mick 1 Posted posted on Fri, Apr 2, 2004 10:45 AM On 2004-04-02 10:36, Unga Bunga wrote: Here is a website with some photos. http://chiana.trvnet.net/~rockymtn/ Thanks for those great Pix!! That bar (the waikiki) on the "aloha" website, with the cement berm for a "beach" is exactly where I got really hammered!!!
B bigbrotiki Tiki Socialite Tiki Island, above the Silverlake Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 11621	B bigbrotiki Posted posted on Fri, Apr 2, 2004 10:55 AM How cool! That sounds like a plot for a script or a novel: A Tiki Bar on a tropical atoll that was used for nuclear testing, where one has have gas masks on the belt in case the "weather" changes. The Tiki bar should be under a sunken glass bubble that covers it in case of emergency, preserving the tropical biosphere in a microcosm. Sorta an extreme version of what Tiki bars in urban America were (and are now), emotional bomb shelters of the Atomic Age.
TM1 tiki mick 1 Member Socal Joined: Aug 11, 2003 Posts: 398	TM1 tiki mick 1 Posted posted on Fri, Apr 2, 2004 11:38 AM Sorta an extreme version of what Tiki bars in urban America were (and are now), emotional bomb shelters of the Atomic Age. THat is so true Sven!!! makes me think about that Brendan Frasier movie about the family living in the 50's era bomb shelter, only to emerge in the here and now!! Those people were keepers of a sacred knowledge...the knowledge of how good things USED to be, compared to the drab existence we lead today!!!! "emotional bomb shelters of the atomic age" Can I use that for the smokin' menehune's next album title?
B bigbrotiki Tiki Socialite Tiki Island, above the Silverlake Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 11621	B bigbrotiki Posted posted on Fri, Apr 2, 2004 5:32 PM On 2004-04-02 11:38, tiki mick wrote: "emotional bomb shelters of the atomic age" Can I use that for the smokin' menehune's next album title? Hey wait a minute, I just came up with that, and I like my own baby... But hey, considering that it was INSPIRED by a post of a band member, go ahead, just credit me accordingly. I'll be honored, and it will still be mine... Bong, you must now have maybe not the prettiest, but definitely the hardest to get Tiki T-shirt on this planet! And how cool of the guy to understand the fact that YOU would be worthy, and part with it! Kind of restores my faith in humanity.
PR Phillip Roberts Tiki Socialite OAHU/Seattle Joined: Sep 09, 2003 Posts: 1701	PR Phillip Roberts Posted posted on Fri, Apr 2, 2004 9:30 PM [ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2010-07-23 22:11 ]
F fatuhiva Member Melbourne Beach, FL Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 638	F fatuhiva Posted posted on Sat, Apr 3, 2004 12:18 AM "The Island is now in closure and will be turned back over to the Dept. of Wildlife Jan.2004. As far as I know the runway will remain, but no services will be available. They are only going to leave about 5 buildings for just a few people to use for research. eventually you will only be able to get there by boat. " wow how interesting- theyre tearing the whole place down, covering it with sand and giving it back to the wildlife dept- check out the pics on the newer site: http://home.earthlink.net/%7emarkinthepacific/index.html [ Edited by: fatuhiva on 2004-04-03 00:29 ]
F fatuhiva Member Melbourne Beach, FL Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 638	F fatuhiva Posted posted on Sat, Apr 3, 2004 12:37 AM well, here's the place- This page has a picture of "The Tiki- The Coldest Beer for 800 Miles. " http://home.earthlink.net/%7emarkinthepacific/id3.html
F fatuhiva Member Melbourne Beach, FL Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 638	F fatuhiva Posted posted on Sat, Apr 3, 2004 1:05 AM uh-oh... http://www.johnstonatoll-pacific.us/site.php?section=about
R RevBambooBen Tiki Socialite Huntikington Beach Joined: Nov 12, 2002 Posts: 7946	R RevBambooBen Posted posted on Sat, Apr 3, 2004 8:41 AM This has got to be the most interesting post on TC in a while. It's amazing how much stuff they hide from us.
AC Atomic Cocktail Tiki Socialite Land O' The Next Big One-L.A. Joined: Jun 25, 2002 Posts: 929	AC Atomic Cocktail Posted posted on Sat, Apr 3, 2004 11:36 AM ROAD TRIP!
F fatuhiva Member Melbourne Beach, FL Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 638	F fatuhiva Posted posted on Sat, Apr 3, 2004 9:05 PM hahaha more like BOAT trip
PJ purple jade Member New Orleans Joined: Feb 19, 2003 Posts: 1450	PJ purple jade Posted posted on Sat, Apr 3, 2004 10:06 PM Somewhat related... March 1st, 2004 was the 50th anniversary of the Bravo Hydrogen Bomb testing on Bikini Atoll.
R RevBambooBen Tiki Socialite Huntikington Beach Joined: Nov 12, 2002 Posts: 7946	R RevBambooBen Posted posted on Sat, Apr 3, 2004 10:22 PM Wo! I thought you/PJ was gone! Welcome back!
AC Atomic Cocktail Tiki Socialite Land O' The Next Big One-L.A. Joined: Jun 25, 2002 Posts: 929	AC Atomic Cocktail Posted posted on Sun, Apr 4, 2004 2:52 PM On 2004-04-03 22:06, purple jade wrote: Somewhat related... March 1st, 2004 was the 50th anniversary of the Bravo Hydrogen Bomb testing on Bikini Atoll. Barely related: a diving friend of mine kept pushing me to take the job of dive shop manager on Bikini atoll (decided not to take it). Though I love the atom I worship it from afar. Road/boat trip: Trinity site Bikini Atoll Johnson Island How many Roentgens do you think one could rack up on such a trip? "May the blessing of the Bomb and the fellowship of the Holy Fallout descend upon us all."
T tikibars Tiki Socialite Aku Hall, Chicago Joined: Apr 11, 2002 Posts: 2034	T tikibars Posted posted on Sun, Apr 4, 2004 5:33 PM See TRT page 107. This one was listed on the good ol' TBRP as far back as 1997! Who knew this much more data would pop up... Thanks for the stories and links fellas! Guess it's time to move it to the 'closed section'...?
C captnkirk Member Hockessin, Delaware Joined: Nov 06, 2002 Posts: 322	C captnkirk Posted posted on Sun, Apr 4, 2004 8:19 PM My local newspaper is embroiled in a debate over whether or not a local chemical company should process the wastewater from the army's disposal of nerve agent. They then listed the top 5 repositorys of nerve agent in the USA, and there it was right there in the top 5, Johnson Island. That's going to cut into the tourism there from my state. [ Edited by: captnkirk on 2004-04-04 20:20 ]
C Chongolio Member The Coast of Kauai Joined: Oct 02, 2002 Posts: 2765	C Chongolio Posted posted on Wed, Apr 7, 2004 9:34 AM Wow, I am with Bamboo Ben, this topic is amazing. Bong once again you prove to be worthy of the title "Tiki man on the streets" I would say more on the Howard Stern side of the coin than the Leno side though. I think if you and Cherry combine powers you would leave no tiki untipped. Bigbro, I like your vision. I think your idea combined with the "tiki steampunk" concept could be a really interesting mix, maybe a genre unto itself. See this thread: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=8412&forum=1&25 Heck, through in some zombie monkey slaves and an exotic hallucinogenic ritual and bablam, were talkin blockbuster baby. Chongolio
T Tiki_Bong Member Huntington Beach, CA Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: -16	T Tiki_Bong Posted posted on Wed, Apr 7, 2004 9:53 AM I know it's probably better to raze the military complex on Johnston Island and return it to a natural habitat, but I have a weird obsession (like that's new) with the military-industrial structures. When I lived on the base at China Lake Navel Weapons Center, I used to love going into these massive military structures surrounded by the surreal desert landscape. It was an odd juxtaposition of man-made sturctures and nature (especially on L25!). I would imagine, like Tiki Mick said, it's the same on Johnston Island. Unfortunately for me anyways, China Lake Navel Weapons Center is also slated to be decommissioned in the near future.
TM1 tiki mick 1 Member Socal Joined: Aug 11, 2003 Posts: 398	TM1 tiki mick 1 Posted posted on Wed, Apr 7, 2004 10:30 AM When we were first approaching JI, I was already intrigued....you could be right on the island and miss it... I wondered if ancient navigators from polynesia had ever set foot there, and what did they do there? It would be so hard to find this tiny speck of dry land! When we got off the boat, I noticed a lot of strange things right off the bat....lot's of bumkers..all semi-underground...(they have some of these on ford island, pearl harbor too) I immediatley guessed they were storing chemicals there, but it was also obvious when they told us to keep our gasmasks clipped to our web belt that something was going on... The people were cool, but strange..it was like the oliver stone movie "u-turn"..or maybe even a twighlight zone episode...they were staring at us..and I think it is because day after day they are looking at the same faces...they were kind of wierd towards us! Everywhere you saw military police..lot's and lots of them... In the water near the reef, I saw what looked like large black trashbags floating in the water...they were huge manta rays... There was a place called "shark shoot" were they dumped trash....the sharks were indeed thick as thieves....not somewhere I would like to fall in! (the website shows a picture of these same sharks..all hammerheads) Our atoll tour guide told us of a giant eel that lived in a sewage tube...we did not believe him, but soon I saw what looked like a horse's head coming out of the tube...man, that sucker was HUGE!! On a related subject, we use to sail alot to the small island of Kahoolawe..(did I spell that right?) at the time it was a naval bombing range..and we supplied the marines and SeaBees that lived there...we would anchor in the most pristine lagoon I have ever seen..the reef 90 feet below looked like it was right below the ship...we would wait for the dolphins, then go swimming and hope the dolphins would protect us! Later, I learned that is had been returned back to the hawaiians as a sacred area..no haoles allowed! I wonder if the same thing applies to JI..will the hawaiians (or anyone else) ever use JI for religious ceremonies? All in all, I used to tell people about JI, and they never believed me! But the place was soo cool, beautiful and tranquil..the water so blue and green it almost hurt your eyes..but very hot weather! We were allowed to wear our jungle issue uniforms (australian bush hat...and lightweight ventilated boots and cloth)as did all the servicemen on the island.. Reading about it now, I find it kind of creepy that they stored nerve gas (which I suspected) and agent orange (great punk band, by the way)there... Right now, I think it would be too cool to stand on the now deserted atoll, smoke a big fatty, and be the ONLY person within 800 miles! Talk about blissful solitude!!! All you would have would be the sound of waves, seagulls and a few palm trees to look at...and then the long marches of endless waves with flying fish skimming the surface!! The place is magical...not like anywhere else!!
C christiki295 Member LA-2547 mls east Hawaii &5500 Easter Is Joined: Apr 09, 2003 Posts: 3837	C christiki295 Posted posted on Mon, Apr 12, 2004 12:24 AM On 2004-04-07 10:30, tiki mick wrote: We use to sail alot to the small island of Kahoolawe..at the time it was a naval bombing range..and we supplied the marines and SeaBees that lived there...we would anchor in the most pristine lagoon I have ever seen..the reef 90 feet below looked like it was right below the ship...we would wait for the dolphins, then go swimming and hope the dolphins would protect us! Later, I learned that is had been returned back to the hawaiians as a sacred area..no haoles allowed! The LATimes states that this week the last machinery & personnel will leave Kahoolawe and, yes, it will be returned to the State of Hawaii for cultural purposes.
C Chongolio Member The Coast of Kauai Joined: Oct 02, 2002 Posts: 2765	C Chongolio Posted posted on Sat, Jul 16, 2005 11:58 PM Well I am not sure if i should of clicked the current and cool button or bump this thread. I always thought this was worthy and interesting. Chongolio
H Humuhumu Member San Francisco Joined: Aug 22, 2002 Posts: 3691	H Humuhumu Posted posted on Sun, Jul 17, 2005 12:08 AM On 2005-07-16 23:58, Chongolio wrote: Well I am not sure if i should of clicked the current and cool button or bump this thread. I always thought this was worthy and interesting. Chongolio Feel free to do both! Go crazy with that Cool & Current button, that's what it's there for. Bumping of topics is generally not the thing to do unless you're actually saying something new, but my own 2 coconuts worth is that maybe that only applies if the last post was made in the past month or two. Or if the thread was genuinely sucky and it was really better off dead, but that doesn't apply here. Thanks for bringing this up again!

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