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.
Close up of the Lehua blossom.
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.
Self explanatory.
Ellen and Sue.
The ladies up ahead.
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.
Julia and Donna
Linda and a great view behind her.
The horses just loved the attention that Donna was giving.
