Unbelieveable - I've finished my last day of cycling for this trip. I had a choice of routes this morning - a short (12-mile) all downhill ride from Waimea to the Kohala Coast, or a 42-mile option via Kohala Mountain Road that, no surprise, climbed another mountain. For someone who's a slow hill climber, I seem to always choose routes that include hills, and of course I chose the longer, hillier route.
I slept in a bit this morning, didn't climb out of bed until 7:30. I headed to the restaurant next door to my motel for a french toast breakfast. That's one of my favorites, and although I've had some fabulous breakfasts on this trip I somehow missed the french toast. Then I packed up and went to check out. That was a Citibank adventure. When the woman at the front desk tried to run my card through, it said "please call". She looked a little confused by the message, but she let me use her phone to call Citibank. When I identified myself and told the agent I was having trouble using their card to check out of a hotel in Hawaii, he said "oh, we didn't know you were traveling, and we just wanted to make sure it was you using the card". Interesting, because I used that card to charge stays at both B&Bs, at Arnott's Lodge, and for some grocery store purchases within the last couple of days. I'd love to know the logic they use to trigger their "let's be careful" mode. I was expecting that to happen to me on my cross-country trip last year, and it never did. It wasn't a problem at all since they immediately reactivated the card. I know that they are protecting themselves and ultimately the consumer - if it takes them checking on my credit card use periodically to allow me not to be liable for use of a stolen card - hey, check away!
I headed out of town on route 19 and immediately started cruising downhill. But wait - I have to climb a mountain - why do I have to go down just to pedal right back up again? The turnoff for the short route was just 2 miles down the road, and as soon as I left route 19 I started a six-mile climb up to 3500 feet. The first 4 miles of the climb were unrelenting, and at about a 4 to 5% grade. Since I have trouble starting from a dead stop on that kind of grade, I just kept pedaling away. No rest stops... I could see the short route down below me as I continued up the mountain. It flattened out for a bit after 4 miles, so I was able to take a break and take some pictures before continuing to climb. The wind was kind this morning - it was quiet. The last time I was on the Kohala Mountain Road I was battling a side wind that was so strong it pushed me from the right side of the road all the way to the left side, and almost off of the road. There wasn't any traffic that day - if there had been probably the only thing I could have done was to lay the bike down (maybe). I was definitely not in control that day! I was glad I didn't have to battle the wind again today. Once I hit the crest of the hill, it was a nice downhill ride into Hawi. At one point I saw a speed limit sign saying 35 miles per hour - and I was going 34. No pedaling, just cruising! Of course that didn't last, and I did have to pedal for quite a few miles today. I had a bit of a push from the tradewinds coming down from Hawi, but that disappeared as the road turned around the edge of the island. There were some more shallow rolling grades, then a little bit of a climb out of Kawaihai Harbor. Well, OK, it wasn't much of a climb but it sure felt like one with the sun beating down. I definitely deserved my food!
The line between the wet and dry areas of this island is surprisingly just that - a line. It's not a gradual thing. I left Waimea, which is very green, and immediately I was in a very dry area with cactus. When I described the cactus I'd seen earlier this week to someone, he told me it was beavertail cactus. I don't know if that's the right name, but it's definitely descriptive. The cactus I saw today was blooming; very pretty. I thought I was home free, wet side to dry side, I should be able to finish the day without getting wet (except from sweat). Well, I was wrong. I noticed as I started down the mountain that I was again in a very green area. I started noticing some cool blasts of air, and I was starting to wonder where the cool air was coming from. I was getting close to Hawi when I saw a dark gray cloud ahead of me, and that cloud came right down to the road. Oops - time for another ride in the rain! It lasted long enough to get me pretty wet, but I dried out by the end of my ride. I crossed back to the dry side one more time, and the sun came out, stayed out, and heated the air well into the 90s (in the sun, of course). It's pretty likely that it was hot all day on the Kohala Coast, and I was just traveling through the different climate zones.
Part of today's ride was on the Ironman route. The turnaround point is up near Hawi, with the start point down in Kona. All of that route is on the hot, dry side of the island.
All in all, it was a fabulous ride today - and one of my favorites on this island. The drivers were really good today too. Kohala Mountain Road is narrow and winding, with no shoulders. As drivers came up behind me, they hung back until they were sure that I saw them, and they passed carefully. I never felt like anyone was upset by my presence on the road - a nice feeling. Overall the drivers have been fine on this entire trip, it's just that today stood out as pretty incredible as bike/car interactions go.
I discovered today that the cattle in Hawaii aren't quite as friendly as those in Kansas. Actually, I think they're just not used to people. I totally spooked one field full of cattle today just by riding past their fence. Guess they didn't want to stand and chat like their counterparts in Kansas did!
I arrived at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel at about 1:45 and had to wait a few minutes at the gate for a shuttle to the hotel. The only thing I don't like about this place is that they don't allow biking on the grounds. I asked my shuttle driver why, and she said the state department of transportation won't allow bicycles here. That seems kind of odd to me, but if you look at the roads on the grounds here, they aren't really roads, more like driveways. They are pretty narrow with no shoulders. (But I really don't get it because the state usually doesn't set rules on private property - although there is a public beach access running through here. Maybe that's why, or maybe it was just a made-up story.) I knew about this strange rule before I made my reservations here, and all I needed was to get to the hotel - no more biking planned. Of course since I arrived so early, my room wasn't ready yet. I was going to just leave my stuff at the bell stand and wander around, but then I decided to use the time to pack my bike. The staff at the hotel is very used to cyclists, perhaps because of the Ironman Triathlon, and one of the bell boys showed me a quiet out-of-the-way spot where I could pack. So I pulled everything out of the trailer, threw it into my duffle bag, and packed the bike. I could have packed it in my room, but sometimes it seems better to deal with the bike outside... Once I was done packing, my room was ready.
This place is really a treat (and a major splurge) for me. It's a very laid back but classy resort. The hotel was built by Laurence Rockefeller and was originally opened in 1965. It was closed for 18 months in 1994/95 and completely renovated. I'm in the Beach Front wing, so I can again hear the surf crashing outside of my room. It's not as loud as it was at the Kona Tiki, but it's there. I came into my room to find a note directing me to the "chill box" for a welcome gift. When I opened the little refrigerator I found fresh papaya and strawberries. That hit the spot - a great mid-afternoon snack. I immediately took my first shower to rinse off the road crud, then slathered myself with sunscreen and headed out to walk on the beach. Then I just sat out there and read for a while. Nice and relaxing.
Back to the room for a second shower before dinner. Then I headed for a fabulous dinner. The Mauna Kea has a clambake every Saturday night. I didn't plan my trip around this meal, but it worked out just great. Of course buffets are great for hungry cyclists, and this one was really special. I didn't have everything there, but let's see if I can remember what I ate.... shrimp, caesar salad, artichoke salad, tomatos, clams, more shrimp, lobster, some steamed vegetables, potato salad, lobster... and then a make your own sundae for dessert - vanilla & chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce, macadamia nuts, little chocolate chips, and shredded coconut. Yum! There was a lot more food there that I didn't even taste. I was trying to eat a reasonable (or should I say comfortable) amount of food, and I knew I wanted lobster, so I skipped the soup (clam chowder) and bread. They also had crab, fresh fish with a mango sauce, roast beef, and other side dishes too. At some point I just had to choose so I wouldn't be uncomfortably stuffed all night. I'm happy! And the tables for the clambake were set up next to the beach, so I could watch the sun sink into the sea as I was eating dinner. Today was a great food day!
What touring cyclist doesn't love a make-your-own sundae buffet?
Tomorrow I plan to just relax here. My flight isn't until late, so I'll need to check out of my room and have my stuff held for the day. They have a hospitality suite that can be reserved for a shower so I'll be able to get rid of the salt and sweat before I head for the airport and that long ride back to my everyday reality.
