wednesday.
the morning climb up that hill from yesterday was ridiculous. two miles, 850 feet of climbing. yes, when you break it down it doesn’t seem like that much. that was all i did on the way up. break it down into small chunks. we stopped a few times for water, once to walk for a moment, mostly to just catch our breath. at the top there was promise of drinkable water. what seemed like hours getting to the top was more like a half hour. it wasn’t bad. while we were up at the top rinsing the sweat off of ourselves and filling water bottles, we saw others make it to the up. a few kept going, a few stopped to join in the water prize.

fruity judy’s was just a few miles down the road. a fruit stand on the side of the road. next stop. got it. we rode uphill for a little while. the uphill seems to be there more than the downhill. i am continually looking at the elevation maps, looking for the slightest of a downhill to feel rewarded. the fruit stand was empty aside from a few rotting unidentified fruits. we had a snack(not the fruit) and shared with a few others from the group that made it there at the same time as us.

beautiful rides ahead! we had planned on possibly taking an alternative route at mile 34, down to the green sand beach. that would add another 26 miles round trip, and about 1300ft of climbing on our return to the road. we passed the alternative route, knowing that the extra mileage, hiking, and climbing associated with the green sand beach may prove more than we needed for the day. plus there was a bakery a few miles ahead. the bakery was also on the way eight miles downhill. downhill.

punalu’u bakery was an excellent spot. we ate malasadas in a few flavors, had coffee and got a packaged dinner. the group had decided that it would be easier than attempting cooking that night.

punalu’u beach is also known as the black sand beach and is very inviting. the beach stretches along the northern edge of the park to the southern half where the lava rocks rise from the beach creating tide pools. there appears to be a series of wave breaks created naturally a few hundred feet from the beach. four buildings are strewn along the southern end, enclosing picnic areas, bathrooms, and other shelters. the other unexpected things in the park are roaches. roaches everywhere. we made sure that there wasn’t open food in our bags and that they were closed as much as possible. we setup camp in the least roachy place, while still having a beautiful view of the coast and ocean. walking around, we found a sea turtle snacking on algae and other items in a tide pool.

dinner was great, with everyone sharing stories and eating their packaged meals. we had ordered shoyu pork and kalua pork. both were excellent and we had malasadas to make it a complete meal. after dinner there was the map meeting warning us of the next day’s climb including limited water supply.

the only thing left to do was make sure we were well rested for the upcoming challenge. it was much quieter than the night before.

almost walked into this when i stopped to relieve myself on the side of the road.

perhaps i was on the side of the road somewhere.

stopped at the grocery for a few things.

sera, stuart(in the background) and i at the grocery.

just look at those lava fields.

just look at those lava fields.

this was the road on the way to the bakery. it became much more steep on the descent.

if you look far into the coast, you can see where we’ll be camping.

beautiful coast.

sea turtle just poking out for a breath.

resting at camp after a cool shower.

a few cyclists and the tent airing out.