thursday.
it was a good night’s sleep. waking on time is easy now, but your body doesn’t really wake up until you’re pedaling. after a quick breakfast and filling of the water bottles it was time to move.

the first few miles weren’t bad. it was going to be a long day of climbing for us though. we only had the opportunity to fill the water bottles before we left and about six miles in at pahala. after that, there wasn’t any water. when i say there wasn’t any water, that also means there aren’t any houses. you couldn’t stop and find a hose somewhere. no water at all after six miles. the convenience store that we stopped at got a bit of business. we purchased four 50 oz bottles, two gatorades and a few other things. our bottles were almost on empty when we reached the store, so most of it went to refill those. a few other cyclists from the tour passed the convenience store to head to the grocery store that was just past it.

on the way out of pahala, we saw a few more cyclists from the tour that were resting and waiting for the others that had passed us towards the grocery store. there were a few people that didn’t stop because of their larger water surplus they were carrying. from there it was only about 24 more miles.

pahala was a change in weather for us as well. there was a tailwind and tropical humidity and heat up until then. after pahala there was a headwind and dry heat. the headwind was the only thing to keep us cool in the climb. we stopped every few miles to get a drink and catch our breath. the climb was becoming trying on us with the combination of the heat and wind.

the day before was sera’s first day riding more than 45 miles. this would be another achievement for her, climbing up to 4000 feet from sea level. we stopped at the hawaii volcanoes national park entrance sign to have lunch. another cyclist was there resting when we arrived. he had let us know that one other was ahead of him. when they were both there resting, they had saw one from our group ride by in the back of a pickup truck. we rested for about twenty minutes while eating lunch and rehydrating. this wasn’t near the end of the day. this was only 17 miles in. thirteen more miles to go.

about ten miles from the destination, we stopped to rest. i had laid out on the side of the road. there was a slight sprinkle, more of a mist that was very welcoming after the dry heat we had just endured. we still had about 40 ounces of water left between the two of us, so it appeared we had got just the right amount. the higher we climbed, the more the rain picked up. seven miles away and it started pouring. the heat was gone, and the headwind was still there. one of the tour leaders was pacing with us, leapfrogging with alternating stops. it was great to have someone to help motivating us to keep moving. the three of us were getting exhausted from the day and it was just barely past noon.

the last few miles seemed to stretch forever. the road we had been on all day barely curved. you could see for miles in both directions. the final curve was what we were waiting for. this meant that there was only a few miles left and the actual entrance to the park. what we didn’t expect was that there was a slight downhill that carried us those last few miles in the rain.

black sand beach/punalu’u beach in the morning.

sera & jaik at the nps entrance for hawaii volcanoes national park.

showing off that red sunburned nose.

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.

tuesday.
we had set the boundaries for beginning and end of day rituals. today was the first day.
6am – wake up and get ready
7am – breakfast is ready/pack your lunch
8am – you should be riding or leaving to ride
lunch anytime you want
4pm – dinner should be started
5pm – dinner is ready
715pm – map meeting
without knowing how things would pan out for speed, others on the tour, and really not sure of what to expect for the terrain we left a few minutes early. it isn’t that we didn’t know what to expect, we had maps, elevation maps, route maps, scenery maps, all sorts of maps. i’ve got maps for days. they were there to help. during our orientation yesterday, we had the first map meeting to go over any changes in the route or road changes. these are also scheduled for every evening after dinner. i didn’t think there would be to many changes, but the roads are changing here all the time.

the first five and a half miles were along the western coast, spanning from kona to keauhou. nice, flat, sea level riding. then the first climbing began. it started with a steep incline, probably close to 12 degrees. i don’t think anyone expected it. almost a mile up, there was a scenic point that we pulled off into. it was a great first stop for water and to catch our breath. as much as we thought we would be ready, it seemed like this was going to be tougher than we expected. while resting, we had three others show up that had the same things in mind. not wanting to be off the bicycles for too long, we finished our moment of rest and got right back into it. only about six more miles of climbing for this half of the ride.

the scenery was amazing. really just breathtaking. i knew it was going to be beautiful, though i guess i didn’t expect this much. after eighteen miles of riding we decided to stop at the paleaku botanical gardens. it was originally going to be a quick stop, just for water and shade. it was getting hot. very humid as well. when we rode into the parking lot and leaned our bicycles along the fence, a woman walked out and said to bring them in and put them in the courtyard where she could see them. then we saw the sign for coffee. mmmm coffee. this has got to be the best coffee in all of hawaii. it was made by a company called kona lisa. it was also their macadamia nut flavor. if you get the chance to either try it on the big island or order it online, take this chance to sip and enjoy it(not a sponsor). after a couple of calls and the coffee, it was time to go again. on the way up to the road, we saw a few cyclists pass the entrance. we had sat long enough for most of them to pass us.

there were a few other noteworthy sights along the side of the road where the people that had passed us went. we thought we’d continue on. we started coming up to an intersection that i knew we had notes about from the map meeting. there was also construction on this intersection. we stopped in front of one of the trucks and asked where the road was we were looking for. it was straight ahead. the truck we pulled up in front of had blocked our view of the road ahead.

five miles later of a primarily downhill ride with beautiful scenery and then it was time to turn off to go to the beach. we were warned about this hill. it was two miles down, rough pavement, potholes, and curves. our bicycles fully loaded wouldn’t make the decent any easier. by the end of it, i thought for sure we would have to find a bike shop to get new brake pads by the end of the tour. we ended up being the first to arrive at the camp. it was a pleasant surprise.

slowly others started to arrive, setting up camp and then getting ready for dinner. at dinner we learned one of the people on the tour wouldn’t be continuing. an old injury she had was irritating her. we all said our goodbyes and then promptly went to sleep. as relaxing as the sound of the waves were, the sound of the frogs was much louder. somewhere there were earplugs they had given us at the orientation.

ho’okena beach

ho’okena beach

sera & jaik @ ho’okena beach