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
