We did it! 137 miles. So, the riding's all pau (finished) for the Envirobuggy's first official tour, and no better place to end such a tremendous journey on the Big Island - home of Pele, Goddess of the Volcano - than at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.
The huge plume billowing out of Halema'uma'u Crater on Sunday was astounding, and so innocent looking. Puffy and white, one doesn't imagine the noxious gases that are affecting people's health and crops. Shawn loved Jaggar Museum (where he jumped about to have his very own earthquake recorded on a seismograph and looked through the binoculars to get an even more up close view of the plume) and the Visitor Information Center, where the short safety and highlights films they show fascinated him ... lots of lava explosions!
A huge thank you to Jim & Celeste for sharing this last part of the adventure with me and Shawn on the east side of the island. Sure, we couldn't have done it without you, but it also was just a lot of fun doing it with you!
Our last day was a pleasant ride of 15.9 miles along Crater Rim Drive and Devastation Trail , with stops at Kilauea caldera, Kilauea Iki (where a lake of molten lava could be seen as late as 1959), and the steam vents. We pedaled through rain forest on sun-dappled roads and stopped to walk through Thurston Lava Tube. I once was told that walking through the tube is a re-birth. It felt like it ... and this ride certainly was. I thought after 137 miles (actually, the final odometer reading came in at 139.9) I'd be done with biking. Me? Sit on a bike? Never again! Actually, though, I'm refreshed and excited we did this. And, as always, looking forward to more!
Check back soon to find out which organization will receive 25% of the proceeds raised and what's coming next.
124 Miles & Counting ...
Day 4
7.2 miles
Day 5
50.5 miles. Yes, that's right 50.5!
Back in North Kohala and looking forward to writing more once I get my breath back.
7.2 miles
Day 5
50.5 miles. Yes, that's right 50.5!
Back in North Kohala and looking forward to writing more once I get my breath back.
Back on the Road
Aloha from Kailua-Kona! We arrived Saturday afternoon and it's taken me a couple of days to recuperate, but I'm back and better than ever. We start cycling again tomorrow, so I figured I'd better fill you in on Days 2 and 3 of the ride.
Day 2 - July 4 - 19.7 miles
For some people, July 4 is all about red, white, and blue, fireworks, hots dogs and hamburgers. For Shawn and me, it's all about honu (Hawaiian green sea turtles) and shave ice. For the second year in a row, we spent July 4th at the Mauna Lani resort enjoying "Turtle Independence Day." It's a celebration of this endangered species that has rebounded so well since gaining protected status.
The Mauna Lani receives turtle hatchlings from Sea Life Park on Oahu and raises them its saltwater ponds. When the turtles are big and strong enough they get to participate in Turtle Indpendence Day and are released into the Pacific.
My contemporaries (fellow thirty-somethings) tell me that when they were young, seeing turtles on the beach was a rarity. Now, Shawn and I see them regularly, sunning on rocks and swimming in the water. Their beauty is a normal part of our beach experience. He knows not to touch and has learned about their nesting habits. So, while I love celebrating the honu on July 4th, I get more of a kick just being around them as part of my everyday life.
What makes the day truly special for me is seeing the hula kahiko, or ancient hula, that makes up part of the ceremonies (which is understandable since hula is my Sweet Thing No. 11). This year a dance and chant from the 14th century was one of the pieces performed by Halau O Kupa Aina. Take your stereotypes of hula as grass skirts and sultriness and throw them aside. This dance form is a prayer and a lesson in the culture and history of the people of Hawai'i. That's why I knew I wanted to study it even before I arrived on the Big Island. Now, I've had an opportunity to taste how rich this art form is - the layers of protocol that govern your interaction with your kumu hula and with nature, the meanings of the songs and the movements, the smidgeon of Hawaiian language I've managed to learn. It's all been a rewarding and humbling experience ...
For Shawn, I'm thinking his favorite part of Turtle Independence Day is the shave ice. I grew up calling them snow cones in New York, but it's the same concept: ice chips and syrup in a cup. Not an ounce of nutritional value, but oh so delicious. He sees a shave ice booth, and it's a given he'll ask for one. My sweet tooth has been passed on and every so often I loosen up and let him indulge.
We started the day at the Mauna Kea resort, biked to the Mauna Lani, and ended our day's ride at Kiholo, a new spot for both of us. Shawn camped for the first time, an experience that in the end - and only in the end - he deemed fun!
Day 3 - July 5 - 19.3 Miles
Somehow I managed to make it from Kiholo to Kailua-Kona. The road rose and fell like waves for the entire three days of this journey and by Saturday when I saw the 9,000-th hill I had to pedal up, I just about lost it.
What was cool, though, was seeing lots of other bikers on the road. I'm often a solitary figure in Waimea, but during this stretch I saw lots of sleek, fast, and did I mention fast cyclists streaking by. I bumped into one at a rest stop just outside Kona to ask if they were all practicing for the upcoming Ironman competition, that's how snazzy they looked. He said some were, but many were just athletic people who enjoyed biking and participated in the shorter triathlons and races held on the island.
They all were friendly and lovely and it was comforting to have them on the road. Shawn and I stopped for our usual breaks, and many an inquiry was made into our well being.
Playing airplane on the lava field was a great part of this leg of the journey. The pot of gold at the end was arriving at our friends' home for rest and recuperation. I've hydrated, eaten like an ox, and soothed my sunburn, so back on the road we go!
On the road ... 66.3 Miles
Wow! The last 3 days have been an adventure! It was great seeing so many friends - and strangers who recognized us - along the way. Thanks for your horn tooting, smiles, waves, cheers and stops to say hello.
Day 1 - July 3 - 27.3 Miles
Day 1 - July 3 - 27.3 Miles
I hit the road with such a sense of joy. There before me a wide open road stretched into the distance. Expansive grassland - sere and yellow and dotted with trees - flanked the road. To my right was the limitless blue wonder of the Pacific Ocean. Shawn chose Kapa'a as our first official stop, pointing imperiously to the turnoff as we approached it. (We had stopped before to chat with a new friend, who recognized the Envirobuggy on the road and pulled over to say hello.)
At Kapa'a, I biked straight down so fast I thought I would wipe out. As we descended, in the back of my mind was the knowledge that we would have to get back up from sea level to the road somehow, my first real climb of the journey. With about 60 pounds of buggy, big boy, and provisions behind me, I was a little nervous.
I ended up pushing the Envirobuggy back up to the road. The sun's beating down, I'm working hard, sweating but taking my time, reminding myself there is no rush. Even so, I must have looked a bit tired because next thing I know, I hear wisdom from the mouth of babes: "Maybe you should drink some water, Mommy." Good idea, Shawn. So, off to the side of the lane we go where Shawn and I drank some water and ate an orange. It was a great impromptu picnic and allowed us to chat with some visitors to the island who pulled over for advice on must-see spots.
Needless to say, we made it back up to the road and eventually cycled to Kawaihae (where we stopped to eat Mexican food) and on to the Mauna Kea Resort, where we watched the sunset on the beach with friends.
As I anticipated, a great run. I'm leaving a lot out now, but will flesh this all out later.
More to come:
Day 2 - July 4 - 19.7 Miles
Day 3 - July 5 - 19.3 Miles
Some Technical Notes ...
Now that a good number of people know what Envirobuggy Madness is about, I'm going to let this blog proceed in the conventional blog way, i.e. in reverse chronological order. Please scroll down or check the archives if you need background information.
Also, for sponsors: the Web site for Hawai'i Montessori School is http://www.hawaiimontessorischool.com/, if you'd like more information about them. Please pardon that typo.
And speaking of sponsors, a few more have come in - MAHALO! What they stand for will be posted on the sponsors page soon.
Also, for sponsors: the Web site for Hawai'i Montessori School is http://www.hawaiimontessorischool.com/, if you'd like more information about them. Please pardon that typo.
And speaking of sponsors, a few more have come in - MAHALO! What they stand for will be posted on the sponsors page soon.
You Are There ...
... and we are here, in North Kohala. Birthplace of King Kamehameha I (aka Kamehameha the Great), the creator/unifier/conqueror (depending on your perspective) and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawai'i.
Shawn and I lived in this historically rich and absolutely gorgeous part of Hawai'i when we first moved here and it is from here that we will begin our Envirobuggy tour.
The little town of Hawi also just happens to be the turnaround point for the cycling portion of the grueling Ironman triathlon. Our first year here, Shawn and I stood together on the sidewalk and cheered and clapped for the awesome athletes who zoomed in, slowed just enough to make it around some cones on the narrow road, and then started their trek back down the Gold Coast to Kailua-Kona.
While I joked that day that I was "Ironmommy" little did I know that I'd be following in these athletes' bikeprints, albeit A LOT more slowly.
We're hitting the road a day later than planned - on Thursday, July 3 - and will bike the first day to Kawaihae. Some of our favorite spots along the way are Kapa'a Beach, Lapakahi State Historical Park, and a secret little spot that Shawn named "Hula Beach" a couple of years ago (it's also where I saw my first whale breach in Hawai'i, actually anwhere). We'll see where Shawn wants to stop and play. Good memories. It'll be a good run, I'm sure.
A hui hou (catch you later!)
Shawn and I lived in this historically rich and absolutely gorgeous part of Hawai'i when we first moved here and it is from here that we will begin our Envirobuggy tour.
The little town of Hawi also just happens to be the turnaround point for the cycling portion of the grueling Ironman triathlon. Our first year here, Shawn and I stood together on the sidewalk and cheered and clapped for the awesome athletes who zoomed in, slowed just enough to make it around some cones on the narrow road, and then started their trek back down the Gold Coast to Kailua-Kona.
While I joked that day that I was "Ironmommy" little did I know that I'd be following in these athletes' bikeprints, albeit A LOT more slowly.
We're hitting the road a day later than planned - on Thursday, July 3 - and will bike the first day to Kawaihae. Some of our favorite spots along the way are Kapa'a Beach, Lapakahi State Historical Park, and a secret little spot that Shawn named "Hula Beach" a couple of years ago (it's also where I saw my first whale breach in Hawai'i, actually anwhere). We'll see where Shawn wants to stop and play. Good memories. It'll be a good run, I'm sure.
A hui hou (catch you later!)
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