February 29th - Day 7 - Captain Cook to Kona

March 1, 2020

Today was our last, short, riding day. We cycled from Captain Cook to Kona. It was just a few miles back to the bike shop (about 14), but we made many stops today to enjoy the sites. Even before the ride started, we were invited to walk through a grand reopening of a local garden club property. There were local artisans also in the garden doing demonstrations.

When we did get on our bikes, it was about 5 miles of downhill into Kona. I was once again scared witless due to the speed going downhill. At one point I stopped, got off my bike, and walked a bit to cool of my rims from all the braking I was doing. We had steeper descents in previous days, however, there was a turn at the bottom of the hill, with more traffic, that I just couldn’t get comfortable with.

We stopped at several beaches along the way and took the last group photo as some riders left today and others will be leaving first thing in the morning. We had lunch at Lava Java before we turned the bikes back to the local bike shop. Dinner tonight with the eight remaining cyclists was at the Kona Brewery where we all enjoyed some of the best pizza ever! Before we ended the night, we also walked over to Puna Chocolate Company and purchased some sweets made with Hawaiian Cacoa.

Now it’s time to figure out what the next major biking adventure will be.

A view within the park before we started our ride.

Yellow Tangs below the surface of the water.

Donna and Adrian just before we made it to Kona.

The Sea Village condos are where Doug and I spent several vacations. The bougainvillea in front are still blooming!

On the walk to dinner, we passed by a hula demonstration.

February 28th - Day 6 - Volcano to Captain Cook

February 29, 2020

Most of us started the day with winds at 16 mph, gusts of 23 mph, raining and it was chilly in the mid-fifties. Luckily, the wind was at our back and we were headed downhill. Downhill for twelve miles of no pedaling!

Three riders started earlier and did 88 miles and 4800 feet of climbing. I opted for 40 miles and much less climbing. I cannot put into words how much it meant to me to be able to ride with all of my friends. It didn’t matter how many miles I put on the bike because riding with friends means the most.

Rita did get on her bike today and she rode the whole 40 miles. I think walking was more painful then riding her bike. The riding was so much harder than I anticipated. I was almost always the last one down a hill because of my braking. Today’s miles had much of it on a winding road with little traffic. We had lunch at Punalu’u Bake Shop, our ending point. After the ride we celebrated with several bottles of wine in Sue and Gayle’s room and had dinner at the hotel restaurant. It is the oldest restaurant on Hawaii. We ended the night with a Bubba tradition where we each told what the favorite part of the tour was. I want to say mahalo to all of my biking friends.

Janet, one of three riders who started earlier and rode 88 miles.

Who would have would have thought we would need to use a fireplace in Hawaii. But it got done to about 50 at night.

After this point we had about 12 miles downhill where I didn’t have to pedal at all.

There is Ohia tree and its flower, the Lehua blossom. The story explains that if you pluck this flower, it will rain the same day (for a tragic reason). We saw many along the lava on our ride today.

Gayle posing at one of the many NeNe crossing signs.

As we were leaving the Volcano area, Gayle noticed this sign on the other side of the road.

Managed to see a few coffee beans on the plant - there was a harvest that had just taken place, so it was kind of hard to find the beans.

The horses just loved the attention that Donna was giving.

February 27th - Rest Day - Volcano, HI

February 28, 2020

It was like an off day today as we could choose to ride a lot or a little and use the time to visit Volcano National Park. We chose to forego rain, wind (at least 20 mph) and climbs for walks and talks in the park. Although we did get caught in a few showers within the park. It was also kind of chilly here with the high never getting above about 60 and with the wind it felt a lot colder.

Prior to heading to the park, our shuttle guide came back to take Rita to a clinic to have her ankle assessed. The good news is that nothing is broken. She is going to attempt riding tomorrow.

We biked to the park and stopped at the Visitor Center. Some of the group went to a few video shows and some of us went for a short-guided hike and learned about vegetation, local Hawaiian lore, and about the volcano. A few people spent time in an art gallery as well. We opted for lunch in the park and then visited the steam vents, and a huge lava tube. A few people did a hike to the bottom of the caldera. It really was a good day to visit the park!

View of the volcano crater from Volcano Lodge.

Riding within Volcano National Park. Sue is the rider directly in front of me.

Heading into the lava tube. Janet is the closest person to the camera.

February 26th - Day 4 of Riding - Hilo to Volcano

February 27, 2020

Today we transferred from Hilo to the laid-back hippie town on Pahoa where we started a 28-mile loop. We had two major climbs today that had my quads screaming – one 4-mile climb leaving town and then one five mile climb back up after leaving the coastline. There were stunning views of the coastline as well as lush vegetation hugging the road for many miles. On the second climb, we also had a strong head wind of about 17 mph. Although we only road about 28 miles, it was another hard day in the saddle.

We stopped for many pictures along the waterfront. We were supposed to stop at the Black Sand Beach, but someone we managed to bike right past it. We finally had a convenient lunch stop and most of us got a local smoothie – mine was mango.

Three riders backtracked after lunch and they were rewarded with more great views. The rest of us headed back and stopped at the Star of the Sea Painted Church that was built between 1927 – 1928. The paintings in the church tell the story of a Belgian priest who helped leprosy patients on the island of Lolokai .

One of my favorite stops of the day was thanks to our shuttle ride to Volcano Village. On the way, we stopped at Akatsuka Orchid Gardens. I treated myself to several orchid purchases that will arrive home a couple of days after me.

We are staying at the Hale Ohia Cottages (a local B&B). The original house was built in 1932.

We had a mishap on our walk to dinner when Rita twisted her ankle on some uneven pavement. We got her to her room, ice on the ankle and brought her and Dave food back from the restaurant.

Janet and Sue discussing the day so far.

February 25th - Day 3 of Riding - Waimea to Hilo

February 26, 2020

I opted for the intermediate route today that was 38 miles long. I felt like a wimp when Sue, our oldest rider (at 80) rode the Challenge ride at about 60 miles. However, ending early meant I was able to spend some time at happy hour with much of the rest of the group and enjoy each other’s friendship! During today’s ride I managed to get photos of four post offices.

We had one great moment, when all 12 riders were together, that Janet captured a photo of the whole group! It wasn’t too many miles forward, when I wanted a coffee and a macaroon, that we all split up again. I rode with Janet the rest of my ride. We added a few extra miles when I forgot my Black Bear bag and we had to ride back to get it. We also came across an ambulance that was called for a rider from a different group that had crashed. We were only able to find out that their friends thought she was going to be ok.

When we arrived at the pick up point for the Intermediate ride, Sue, Fred, Linda and Janet decided to ride the rest of the way into Hilo on their bikes. I decided to jump in the shuttle with the other seven riders.

There were some beautiful views of the ocean today and the ride became much more tropical on the east side of the island. In a few places the road had a layer of green moss which meant slowing down for me. We had a couple of good climbs as well. The 7% ones really hurt! And of course, it was windy!

I could not book a reservation for 12 at the last minute, so most of us took advantage of the great tapas at happy hour. Today was a great day and we all had a wonderful experience!

One of several lava tubes we saw along the route today.

Janet’s picture of the whole group together just outside of Waimea.

Where I stopped for coffee and a macaroon and got separated from most of the group.

Janet rounding a curve and me holding my handlebars with one hand so I could snap the photo.

The view from our overnight location at the Hilo Hawaiian.

February 24th - Day 2 of Riding - Hawi to Waimea

February 25, 2020

Today’s ride might seem like it wasn’t long in miles, it was almost three hours of pedaling, but it was probably one of the most difficult days I had on a bike. There were many times where it seemed we were climbing at a 10% grade for at least a ½ mile. I had to go into Strava to confirm that we definitely were over 13% grade for at least a short while. What that means to a non-cyclist was that it was very hard!

We cycled from Hawi to Waimea. We had some beautiful vistas today. Once again, no place to stop for lunch until we got to the end of the ride. We had about 6 miles of going downhill in which I used the brakes as much as I could and not blow out a tire (my rental did not have disc brakes).

We made many, many stops during the climbs. When we could, we tried to take a rest in the shade. Tonight we had reservations for dinner for the whole group at Merriman’s – a locally well known restaurant. The food did not disappoint!

Day 1’s overnight location - I didn’t have a chance to take a photo yesterday. Kohala Village Inn

A view from along the route today with the Pacific Ocean in the background.

Linda making her way to yet another climb.

The road you can see in the background is the one we rode on yesterday.

Overnight location for Day 2. So far some great locations!

February 23rd - Day 1 of Riding - Kona to Hawi

February 24, 2020

The morning started later than we normally do because we had to get bikes, and put on any equipment that we brought with us, and have seat height adjustments, etc. We finally started pedaling out of Kona at 11:07. Let’s just say that it was hot and steamy by the time we got going. Then we hit head winds and hills! We did 53 miles and gained about 2300 feet of elevation. After we left the Queens Marketplace at mile 23, there was really nowhere else to stop which made hydration a bit difficult. I did spot a couple of whales spouting/breathing. We got into the little hamlet of Hawi too late to get a real meal, so most of us stopped at the only gas station in town and got sandwiches and beer. Tomorrow is less miles, less sun and more climbing with a summit of 3, 654 feet.

Blurry, but you can see a couple of riders going up a hill.

Sue got the first flat of the trip. Thanks to Fred for making the needed repairs!

Aloha

February 20, 2020

As I relearn how to use my blog since the last trip, I’ll share what lies ahead. Each day will offer different length rides and levels of difficulty. This will let each rider decide how long they want to be on a bike and how hard they want to work each day. It also means you can add plenty of relaxation time should you choose.

Day 1 begins in Kona and ends in Hawi. We will ride through plenty of old lava fields and end in lush surroundings. Day 2 is from Hawi to Waimea with lots of climbing. Day 3 will take us from Waimea to Hilo which is on the rainy (lush) side of the island. On Day 4 we will travel from Hilo to Volcano. Part of the ride will hug the rugged coastline and have options to add lots of climbing for the riders who just can’t seem to get enough climbing. Day 5 will be a layover in Volcano with several options within Volcano National Park. If you haven’t had your fill of climbing, an over 4000-foot climb is available for the daring. When we leave Volcano on Day 6, we will bicycle to Captain Cook and ride through woodland, sugar-cane fields and meadows. Our last biking day on Day 7 will take us into Kailua-Kona; along the way we will pass coffee farms and a chocolate factory.

The large building in the background is where we will be staying our first night. Looking forward to riding with good friends from home and C2C 2018.