Some thoughts in riding in Hawaii

OK, I'll admit it - I'm addicted to visiting Hawaii. I'm fascinated by the volcanos. And the Big Island is a great place for a bike tour - and it's one that I'm likely to repeat.

If you're thinking of visiting Hawaii, you may be interested in some of my thoughts on riding there...

I heard the usual objections from people I spoke to there - it's not safe, the roads are too narrow, there's too much traffic, the drivers are crazy. Obviously the folks who voiced these issues weren't cyclists! For the most part, the roads that I used had decent shoulders. Some of the roads were narrow and winding, but the number of cars on those roads was significantly less than on the main highways. The two biggest problems I had with the roads were the reflectors embedded in the white line on the edge of the road and the glass and debris on the shoulders. The reflectors were potentially destabilizing factors - they were quite high, and could easily knock you off balance if you hit them unexpectedly. That wasn't too much of a problem since they were visible and usually avoidable. The debris on the shoulders was occasional, not constant. I just needed (again) to pay attention so I didn't go flying through chunks of broken glass. This was no different than riding on the shoulder at home. And there was a section between Hawi and Kawaihae that the PATH (Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii) web site warned about where there I needed to watch for Keawe branches along the shoulder. The plant has 3 inch thorns, and I did see some. Picking up one of those thorns in a tire would probably have caused a pretty quick flat! I was pretty lucky in sections that were marked as narrow and winding - one of these relatively long sections had been recently repaved and (I believe) widened. Traffic overall was very reasonable. There were many times when I had the road pretty much to myself. The couple of heavy traffic areas - and remember heavy is relative - were as I was leaving Kona, and in Hilo. Neither was exceptionally heavy. The traffic as I was heading south from Kona disappeared after Captain Cook, which is about 15 miles out. And Hilo is a reasonably sized city with normal traffic levels. There were marked bike lanes on the main roads in Hilo - and my first experience with marked, shared bike lane & right turn lane. That took a little getting used to - in a right turn lane situation on a non-marked road I'm usually on the right side of the lane that is going straight. With the shared bike/turn lane, I was on the left side of the right turn lane, just a bit of a different feeling. The traffic in Hilo was really nothing to worry about, and nothing I wasn't accustomed to. Next - the drivers were fine. They were unobtrusive for the most part, and the drivers on Kohala Mountain Road were unbelieveably considerate. This was one of those very narrow and somewhat winding roads. Drivers that came up behind me slowed down to make sure that I knew they were there, then waited for a reasonable place to pass me. I didn't stop because the grade was high enough that I knew I'd have trouble getting started again, but that didn't cause any problems either.

I remember the last time I was on the Big Island. It was for a supported bicycle tour. There was one day when some of the others in my group were complaining about drivers giving them a hard time. I couldn't understand it because I was in between two groups of complaining cyclists, and no one gave me any trouble. Our guide said that she thought it was because I looked comfortable on my bike and comfortable on the road - where the others were rather tentative. I guess if you behave like you have a right to be on the road that you're treated well.

The Hawaiian volcanos are classified as shield volcanos. They were described to me as having the shape of a warriors shield. This classification means that the slopes of the mountains are very gentle - as opposed to volcanos on the mainland like Mount Rainier, which has very steep sides. This translated into very reasonable grades for cycling - although the grades leading from the coast up to the highway were not always reasonable. I saw some side streets with grade signs saying 18% - not a grade I'd want to attempt with a loaded bike. In fact, I can almost guarantee that I'd be walking and pushing my bike on a grade that steep!

No problems with dogs here! I think Hawaiian dogs are either polite or just too laid back to bother cyclists. I had dogs bark at me, but I didn't meet any chasers. That was a pleasant surprise. I hate it when dogs chase me - I was happy to just talk to the dogs as I passed without needing to shout or try to speed up to get past them.

Hawaii can be very expensive - after all it is an island state where almost everything has to be imported from places far away. It doesn't have to be excessively expensive though - you just need to do some planning. I'd say that all of the places I stayed with the exception of the last night were pretty reasonable (but not cheap). My lodging costs (other than at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, which was very expensive) ranged from $57 to $91 a night. I could have spent less at Arnott's Lodge if I'd opted for a semi-private instead of private room (or even less for a dorm or tent space). When I arranged my lodging I was focused more on where I wanted to be than on price. There were places where there wasn't much of a choice, but there were others where I could have found a hostel or possibly a less expensive B&B. On all but two nights, breakfast was included in the cost of my lodging. Lunch was usually fruit and snack food that I tried to pick up in grocery stores or small markets, and dinner was usually from restaurants (except for the two nights in Hilo when dinner came from grocery stores). I was very happy with the places I stayed, and I was also happy with the cost of my trip. For what I wanted and what I got, I thought the cost was reasonable. Just know that if you want to ride in Hawaii you can spend less than I did, and you can also spend more than I did - it's all up to you!

I took two adventure tours at Arnott's lodge. The prices of these tours were very reasonable. There's a discount if you stay at the lodge, but even if you don't their prices are much lower than other commercial tours. When I priced them, they were $48 if you stayed at Arnott's and $70 to $78 if you didn't. Compare the Mauna Kea tour cost with other commercial tours that start at $150, and you know that you got a good deal.

There are no guarantees on the state of the active lava flows on any given day. Although I hoped to see active flows, I knew when I planned my trip that there was a good chance that I wouldn't. It was quiet when visited, and although I would have been ecstatic to see rivers of molten lava, I was thrilled to see what I did. If I have a chance to visit again I'll be sure to take the time to go to the active flows again.

I'd also love a chance to get a tour of some of the observatories. Next time I visit I'll try to get to Mauna Kea on a day when one or more of the observatories are open for visitors. I understand that this only happens on the weekends - and probably only during the day. And you need to provide your own transportation to the summit, which means finding someone you can ride up with or renting a 4-wheel-drive vehicle from Harpers, which is the only rental car agency on the island that allows their vehicles to go on the Saddle Road and on the Mauna Kea road. It's also the most expensive rental car agency around.

There's also some riding that I didn't do on this trip - looks like there's some good riding and good scenery south of Hilo. Next time maybe I'll spend an extra day in that area.

What do I miss (besides the weather, that is)? Fresh Hawaiian fruit - papayas, pineapples, and apple bananas. Papayas are a favorite of mine, and they just don't seem to travel well. I've learned that I can enjoy Hawaiian papaya in Hawaii, but if I'm buying papaya at home, the Central American varieties seem to travel much better. Pineapples are readily available here, but I have to be satisfied with the Central American variety of bananas. Apple bananas are interesting. I don't know where the name comes from - but apple bananas are a local Hawaii variety, a smaller variety, and they have a slightly different taste. A nice change of pace. I also got into the habit (maybe a bad one) of munching on macadamia nuts. When I compare the nutritional values, peanuts are much healthier (more protein, less fat), but mac nuts really taste good!