Hawaii Cycling
Our Hawaiian vacation started with the joys of packing on Saturday evening, February 21st. Wait, it really began way way way back late last summer when our Crossroads (XC08) friend from New Jersey – Janie the Great – invited us to vacation with her at her timeshare. I still lived in southern California and had no idea where I would be in February 2009. Mary Ann was in the same situation – living in Washington. We had so much to do – sell homes, file divorces, move to Sacramento, find jobs… But an invitation to paradise is always too good to pass up and certainly gave us something to look forward to.
So here we were, packing up our summer clothes – oops – had to actually find them first, they were shoved way to the backs of closets and drawers. And since we planned to cycle in Hawaii, lots of cycling gear was needed: jerseys, shorts, gloves, shoes, helmet, water bottles, spare tubes, power bars, Gu, Motrin and electrolytes (I love pill-popping on my bike), sunglasses, etc….. The list is longer, but I stopped here to spare you. MAD and I decided to rent road bikes in Kona, while Janie and Paula (our Sacramento XC08 buddy) brought their own. MAD and I did bring our own pedals (because they clip onto our shoes and must be compatible) and our own seats. Anyone who has read this blog knows that my saddle issues are legendary. Suffice it to say I will not risk my rump or any of its associated parts to an unknown saddle. I’m just not into that kind of pain.
We packed all evening long, taking a break to drop Max off with his dog-sitter around 8:30. We continued to pack late into the night – it was 11 o’clock by the time we were finished. And hmmm, we had to wake up at 3:00 a.m. to meet our ride to the airport. Starting off a vacation with a hefty dose of sleep deprivation is _______. (You fill in the blank.)
Let me pause and give a shout-out to our dog-sitter extraordinaire. My long-time Sacramento colleague and surprise neighbor (we live across the street from one another) and fellow dog lover, Carl the Great, took exceptional care of Max while were we in Hawaii. Max’s every need – physically and emotionally – was met while we were gone. In fact, since our return, Max has looked at me at least once a day with eyes that were asking if he could please go back and stay with Carl a bit. Carl didn’t leave him all alone on a rainy Sunday afternoon as we did. Carl wasn’t too busy to give him a walk on a Monday. Carl didn’t allow a strange manly man (Bill) into the house on Tuesday, thus requiring Max to stand on guard for the duration of the visit. Carl didn’t invite a crazy neighbor dog named Buddy to stay at his house while his parents were snowed in at Tahoe on Wednesday. Well, finally things began looking up for Max on Thursday. Crazy dog Buddy went home and Mary Ann took Max for a happy fun cruise-walk around the neighborhood. It is Friday as I write this and the sun is out. It looks to be a glorious day. Perhaps a day for Max to go to McKinley Park and visit the squirrels, geese, and ducks…
Back to Hawaii – we woke up with the alarm at 3:00 a.m., and were all ready to go when our ride arrived at 3:30 a.m. Because Paula was bringing her bike, we had to be at the airport 2 hours prior to our 6:00 a.m. departure time. Let me tell you folks – the Starbucks at the airport does not open until 5:00 a.m. And you should have seen the line of people waiting. The line never really shorted even after it was open and running. A little old lady totally cut into the line. No one said anything. She had the sweetest face and acted like nothing was awry. Sweet old lady or vicious conniving line-cutter? You decide!
The planes to Hawaii (had to change planes in Los Angeles) were tiny and uncomfortable and the trip took forever. We had to pay $6 for a “snack pack” that was disappointing. Our flight lasted an extra hour so we could go around some “weather.” Oh well. We landed safely with all the luggage and were met at the airport by Kathleen – Janie’s friend from New Jersey.
Must run and do some tax prep fun things. Will continue the saga (pictures will be added) later!
