Obyan - Naftan

On a sunny morning, Chops and Capt. Charlie meet up with Handy at the airport parking lot. Handy has just sent Cutie off to Japan and decides that since we are starting today's hike at Obyan beach, he will just wait for us at the airport. From there the three of us head over to Obyan. Missing in action today is Giggles who is bike racing, Peppy, who is recovering from a Saturday function, Superman and Wonder Woman who are busy with their business.
From the parking lot of Obyan, we trudge up the steep rocky road and take the first right turn for the Lower Road to find the connecting trail to the Upper Road. The trail head is well marked with an Xterra sign and several ribbons:

A well-marked sign that leads to the crossing from Lower Road to Upper Road. CC ties one of her pink polkadot ribbons to add to the already crowded field of ribbons.

Handy proudly points out a huge tao-tao-mo-na tree on the cross trail.

Handy and Chops lead the way through the cross trail that looks like an old road with several off shoots of flat trails that seem to indicate some busy traffic in the past.

At the end of the cross trail, we take a right turn on the Upper Road that eventually leads us to the big gun at the southern tip of the island. Handy takes a rest on the low wall and surveys the area around the big gun and laments that it should be cleared and cleaned up for a more attractive tourist destination.

The dynamic trio of Chops, Capt. Charlie, and Handy.

CC produces a new tablecloth, rather appropriate for Valentines week. We take our time having  a good and relaxing rest period, eating and enjoying the cool breeze, blue sky and quiet solitude.  

Looks like Chops and Handy are having a leg fight and Capt. Charlie is trying to stop them and mediate for a peaceful resolution. Or, maybe the three of us are just so "bored" that we have to show off our "beautiful" legs!

We explore around another trail off the big gun and find this structure that may have been an ammunition storage "shack". We find another one later further down the trail.

Coming to the end of the little trail with two storage "shacks". This is the southern tip of the island. There is a white truck parked on the trail and seems like someone is out fishing by the cliff, although we have not seen anyone out here.

Handy taking a close look at this plant and wondering what kind of tree this is. Chops promises to check it out and let us know what it is. It has a plumeria trunk and branches, and waxy leaves.

To accomplish her mission, Chops takes a branch home to plant and study.

On the way out, we find this large shell casing on the ground.

Back on the crossing trail to the Lower Road, CC ties a ribbon to mark the barbed wire for hikers and bikers.

View of the southern most tip of Saipan, looking from the coral road going back down to Obyan Beach.

Back to Obyan, the old German style bunker is well-kept and quite clean. We meet up with a couple who want to find out more about hiking on the island. Handy and I give them lots of information.

Inside the bunker. Don't know what those rectangular indentations are for.

Obyan Beach is very nice and cool for picnic and relaxation. The beach is big and can hold several picnic parties. The parking lot is also big and can hold quite a few cars. There is a guard on site daily from nine to six.

Can we have more of these around the island?

This has been a very pleasant hike, it's beautifully sunny yet cool. We take our time at a leisurely pace. The trails are all quite flat, so there is no challenging rock climbing. We explore a little bit, and it is very enjoyable. For this, we rate this hike:

A Four Sneaker!

Today's Frankenstein's Speak: Eli Inis (Guess what that is for!)