Once Around on a Bicycle
Here are a few pictures from my 8 nights in the Honolulu/Waikiki area. In 8 nights I was in 4 different hotels, 5 different rooms. It's hard to find five-star luxury at two-star prices. In the 8 days there I didn't see any other fully-loaded bicycle-tourists. I'm guessing that's because Honolulu is on an island. I stood out a little more than usual there.
The extinct volcano Diamond Head is at the southern end of Waikiki Beach. It's possible to cycle up the side of the volcano and then into the crater through a tunnel. Inside the crater is a military base and a state park, but no McDonalds. So, I took a few pictures and got out of there in about 10 minutes.
It only takes two days to ride around the island of Oahu. On the North Shore I saw the famous Banzai Pipeline and this beach at Waimea Bay. The local kids climb up to the top of the rock in this picture and jump into the water. I watched for about 10 minutes and none of them dove. I think the water is too shallow. It looked like a lot of fun, though.
On the way back to Honolulu I cycled over the center of Oahu on the Kam Highway, named after Kamehameha the Great. I saw the worlds largest maze at the Dole Plantation, Wheeler Airbase and Schofield Barracks in this sparsely populated area of the island.
In this picture in front of the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor you can see the loud polynesian shirt that I bought in Tahiti. That same day I bought a loud Hawaiian shirt near the USS Missouri. So, that's two shirts that I'll never wear again. The Missouri, Big Mo, is famous as the site of the Japanese surrender to end WW II. It was active right up through the Gulf War. Now that it's retired, it's a very popular tourist attraction.
Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes on earth. Volcano House hotel, in some form, has been perched on the crater rim since 1846. Mark Twain stayed here in 1846. FDR in the 1930's. It's one of the few pre-Don Ho pieces of history to be found in Hawaii. The 4000 foot climb, including a downpour in the last hour, made for a long day in the saddle. But, the views over the crater the next morning were awesome.
Here are a couple of those views of Kilauea. Notice the steam vents. It smelled a little like sulphur, but not too bad. I think there were trails down to the crater floor, but I was anxious to get out of there before the weather turned again. The ride down 4000 feet to Hilo was a blast.
Hilo is known as the wettest city in the US. It's also been devistated twice in the last 60 years by tsunamis. During my two days here I only saw clear skies and calm seas. It's been pointed out that I have been leaving a trail of destruction in the places that I've visited on this trip (war, earthquakes, fires). So, if you own land on the slopes of Kilauea or on Hilo Bay, now would be a good time to sell.
The windward side of the Big Island is known for its waterfalls. I could easily see half a dozen or more just from the road. The waterfalls eventually lead to picturesque bays below. On the banks of one of these bays I saw a couple of kayakers who had set up camp. They were probably working their way down the coast from bay to bay. You can see them in the second picture here. Looks like fun.
I'll bet these pictures don't look like Hawaii to you. But, they are. The Belt Road on the leeward side of the Big Island goes through some remote and desolate country. Earlier in the day I was getting drenched on the windward side. I just had to cycle over a 2,800 foot pass to get out of the rain.
The 2,000 foot drop from the Belt Road down to Kona Coast road was a blast. At the bottom of the hill was the new airport and the road used for both the running and cycling legs of the Ironman Triathlon. The coast road had the widest shoulders I've ever seen. They obviously take care of their triathletes here.
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