Ninole, the tiniest post office in the United States.
My first postal tour in the 1990s had one puka. I didn't realize Ninole closed early, and me and my friends found a closed post office that day. I retraced my steps a couple of years ago and finally got my coveted Ninole postmark. I got to know a lot about this place's history, the family that has run it for generations.
So, it was crucial again for me as part of the Hamakua leg of this year's postal tour. The problem, though, was that I was way off schedule once I was told that Ookala Post Office was still open, still existing. From there, I had to backtrack to Ninole, where road work was holding up traffic in each direction. Plus, Ninole PO closes at 11 a.m., and it was well past that when I got there.
All my best laid plans were toast. I parked at the auto repair garage across the street. There was nowhere else to go. The post-office (makai) side of the highway was being repaved. In fact, there was now a big curb along the highway in front of the post office — with no ramp for cars to enter (yet). The lane was covered with tar or whatever that material is. I asked the police officer nearby if the post office was open. To my surprise, he said, "Yes." He said it would be OK to walk over the road. Just a little sticky. I went with the slimmest of hopes that the postmaster there would still have the door open.
The door window was open. I wasn't the same PM from last time. It was a younger clerk, a cousin of the PM. She was helpful, busy, and postmarked my book and letter with two postmarks. I couldn't believe my luck. Aside from Pahala, every iffy situation worked out well, including Ookala and Ninole. I counted my blessings again.
From Ninole, things got back on track. Simpler and easier. I backtracked all the way to Hakalau, then went up the Hamakua Coast. I still had all those post offices, but they keep regular hours, so I wouldn't be rushing. Then there would be Kamuela, Kohala and Waikoloa. I couldn't take any breaks or waste any time, but the hard part was over. That's what I thought.
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