No biking today, but another wonderful day.
It continued to rain and mist all night, and it was very wet when I woke up this morning. It was more a mist than a steady downpour, but it was heavy enough that you could see it, and you definitely knew that you were walking through water!
I started the day with a fabulous breakfast - again. I could get used to having someone cook my breakfast every day! We had papaya boats - papaya with sliced banana and a little (optional) lime juice - pancakes, sausage, and Kona coffee with a little added cinnamon and macadamia nuts. I'm not much of a meat eater, but I do occasionally like the particularly evil stuff like sausage and bacon... I chatted with the other folks staying here along with our host and cook. There were 5 of us here last night, and another couple actually arrived before breakfast. Their flight into Honolulu was delayed, so they missed the last interisland flight last night. That happened to Mom & me too when we vacationed in Hawaii together many years ago.
I was feeling pretty lazy after breakfast, so I just continued to sit and enjoy my coffee. It was so wet out that I was going to just relax in the morning and then hope for dryer weather for a ride around Crater Rim Drive in the afternoon. Sandy and 'Ton (sorry, I know I've spelled your name wrong!) went out to their car and then popped back in to ask me if I'd like to join them in a drive around the crater rim. I took them up on their offer, and we spent a nice morning wandering around the park. We started at the visitor center so we could see a video on the current eruption. We arrived in mid-stream, so we asked the ranger when the next showing would start. His answer - "this one started late, we'll start the next showing when this one ends". Guess that was a laid back Hawaiian answer. We only had to wait about 20 minutes, and it was well worth the wait. Then we took off to explore Crater Rim Drive, stopping at all of the viewpoints along the way. I was pretty glad that I wasn't on my bike - it was very wet and very windy. The temperatures really weren't bad - probably in the 60s - but it felt pretty raw. (And you remember that long-sleeved shirt I wasn't going to bring? I wore it today!)
Hawaii Volcanos National Park is just awesome. It's really a study in contrasts. It's in a rain forest, so there are incredible green plants in parts of the park - including a fern and ohi'a lehua forest. Beautiful. Then contrast the green with the massive amount of black and shades of gray of the lava, the crater and caldera, the yellow sulphur deposits, and the white of steam rising from vents. Of course we stopped at Halema'uma'u which is rumored to be the home of Pele, the Hawaiian Volcano goddess. We also saw rock piles placed by humans as a sign of respect for Pele. And all this is before I get to see (I hope) the active lava flows. This is the third time I've visited this park, and I don't think it's my last! I took quite a few pictures today considering the wet and gray weather conditions, but I'm sure that the spectacular shots are in my head and not in my camera. It always seems to work that way, doesn't it?
When we finished the drive we were all starving, so we stopped at a cafe in Volcano Village before returning to the B&B. My morning driving buddies are headed out to see the active lava flow at sunset. They asked me to join them again, but I opted to stay here and relax since I'm already planning to do the Arnott's Lodge lava flow tour - I'll be back in the park in just two more days.
But - before relaxing came bike cleaning and re-lubing. Given that I finished the day in the rain yesterday, it really wasn't in bad shape. But the bike and I are both happier when it has fresh lube on the chain!
The sun finally peeked out around 3, and I thought about going for a walk, but I decided just being lazy wasn't a bad thing. I spent some time sitting in the jacuzzi out back. Nice. By the time I hopped out of the jacuzzi it was misting again. And it stopped again a short time later. Guess that what happens when you're hanging out in a rain forest.
When I was walking around the property earlier I noticed a tree house out in front of the house. It's pretty high up - looks like about 3 flights up - and there is a rope (or something of the sort) hanging down from it. I asked Robert if they used it, and he said that there are two twin beds up there and that people actually stay there. He told me if I'd sign a release I could climb up the ladder that is attached to the tree and check it out. I declined - I can climb up ladders, but coming back down is a problem for me. It kind of freaks me out when I Iook down and see nothing beneath my feet. Funny that planes don't have that effect on me. I think it may have something to do with the feeling of exposure.
I called Arnott's this afternoon to check on the start time for my Mauna Kea tour tomorrow. When I told the woman who answered the phone that I'd be coming down to Hilo from Volcano by bike, she seemed concerned about my making it in time, telling me that it takes about 45 minutes in a car. No problem - it's only 30 miles, it's all downhill (maybe a bit of flat at the end) and the tour doesn't start until 3. I shouldn't have any problem getting there and getting checked in and changed into non-biking clothes with plenty of time to spare.
Six o'clock rolled around and I was starving again. It still amazes me how much bike touring kicks up your calorie-burning metabolism. I guess I'm eating to refuel from the last few days and to fuel up for the next rides. The food from Thai Thai was so good last night that I decided to get takeout from there again. And yes, I know I could have eaten there, but it's nice to have a place to call home for a night where I can relax and eat and read and brew a cup of hot tea, and... Tonight's feast was Thai Sweet & Sour (a new one for me) with shrimp, tons of vegetables, and a very light sauce. And rice, of course. An excellent meal again. As Ruthie pointed out in her guestbook entry, I guess I do talk about food alot. Let's see, do I ride to eat, or eat to ride? Both, I think!
