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REPORT:
Here I sit in the house of Wade and Lori Shimoda (drop bar NWT owners who live somewhere near the Alamoana Golf Course) after our Hawaii adventure.
BF Service Guy Tim Link has just left for Eugene, and I leave for Australia Thursday Dec 19 at midnight. We're just back from the Big Island (more below). I have been investigating the best way to fill my remaining time here - other than drowning in the Japanese foods aisle of the Ala Moana Shopping Center never to be seen again - but have only succeeded in hiding from the Honolulu traffic, looking at camping in Waimanolo (only to see you have to get camping permits 30 days in advance and you cannot do it Wed and Thur), flying to Molokai or Kauai and winging it, catching a bus going somewhere, and wondering if I'll find my way back to Wade and Lori's valley near the Golf course! It has clearly been a while since I was in a big city.
Tim and I had a great time meeting you all, and photos and a much more interesting story than this summary will follow once I get someone to uncorrupt my digital camera flash card (that's technology for you).
Here's a rundown of what we did:
We stayed on the lanai (balcony) of Greg and Meie Sanders' downtown condo with their two "licky" dogs (Greg's words), and tried hard not to disturb Meie's PhD studies by nattering about Bike Friday, but Greg even outdid us in that area ... Greg's a hardcore fan, his dad owns two BF's and Greg is planning to come to Eugene to pick up his AirGlide next year.
I did my Cuba slide show at Frank Smith's shop IT&B, and thank you to all those who braved the deadly traffic to see the show. I hope it was half as enticing as that large sushi plate.
The next day the newly appointed Bike Friday Club of Honolulu leader, uber-ironperson Ralph Dobson led a little wheeled peloton and got as far as Hanauma Bay before headwinds and hunger forced us (without much resistance) to turn back.
Greg-dreaming-of-an-Air-Llama-Pang introduced us to the $3.50 Plate Lunch concept and with meat-and-two-scoops-of-rice-filled stomachs we somehow made it back to Frank's shop.
Jim Gibson, Pocket Rocket owner, snapped up the coveted cream soda blue demo Air Llama. He also snapped up my Cane Creek Ergonomic Bar ends - they're heading your way Jim!
The Black Pocket Rocket Pro is hanging in Frank's Shop waiting to be snapped up by some lucky and astute owner.
The next day Tim and I rose at 3am to go start the 5km clock for the marathon. We got there with 5 minutes to spare, racing through the dark streets wondering where we were.
I shimmied up the ladder and spent 300 seconds making sure my finger was poised above the right button like it was the D-Day button.
... we cheekily tailed the Kenyan winner for a couple of miles, protected by our official 'staff uniforms'
... at the marathon I handed out Bike Friday leaflets which were politely taken by the Japanese - we sell a lot of bikes in Japan.
We then took off for Kona on the Big Island, staying initially with the very warm and welcoming Grant and Janet Miller of local bikeshop HPBikeworks.
Grant is keen to get BF on his roster so all you big islanders, go visit him! All we need is one IronPerson to cross the line first on a Bike Friday and people will start seeing logic and not wheelsize.
We had to convince one of Grant's mechanics that they're not single speed BMX's and yes, we did intend to get up to the volcano on them.
Pam-dreaming-of-a-recumbent-Taylor generously hosted us in her holiday haven in Kealakekua Bay
She and partner Dave tested out our bikes, though she has her eye on a SatRDay. I believe her friend Genie Boon was seen zipping around on her New World Tourist nearby but we did not run into her.
I feel a Bike Friday Club of the Big Island coming on .. .anyone want to be the leader?
We camped in Punaluu on the black sand beach the next night, and were immediately accosted by three cyclists from San Diego touring on Litespeeds with trailers, who got a ride on a truck to the top of the volcano and wanted to know how to buy a Bike Friday.
Now hang on, this was s'pose to be a vacation... From there it was a long slow climb to 4,000 feet to Volcano, where we camped at the grassy and civilized Something-Nene campground, FREE ADMISSION!
Afer inhaling the sulphurous nerve gas we dropped down to Hilo, a nice 25 mph run. There we camped at Arnott's Hostel for $9 a night a person, a very well run place with a great DVD lounge owned by an Aussie - recommended.
With the cash we saved we ate at the award-winning Seaside Restaurant as recommended by Wade. I recommend the $12.50 ahi salad plate - it is huge.
Hilo reminded me of my favorite place in Panama... I could live there, lava and all. What? An acre for $12,000?. Short of time, we caught the circle island bus back to Kona, $6 each and $1 per bicycle, extremely reasonable.
We did not even have to fold the bikes - the driver just slid them loaded under the bus. We were stopped by a Willy Mendoza and his gal who wanted a Bike Friday tandem. Another leaflet please... We landed back in Kona and ate way too much at the HPBikeworks Christmas Party in a Brewery, a total treat, especially after a few nights of quinoa cooked in powdered soup in my alcohol camp stove.
Back in Honolulu, we accompanied Wade and Lori to the aquarium society dinner and ate way too much there also. (Tim harbors a secret fetish for aquatic plants, and I wanted to find out how to enliven my pensive little frog).
Thank you to all the Hawaii folks who helped us, I can't wait to come back. Oh, there was a lot of broken glass all along the route yet we did not have one flat. Kevlar tires rule...
Lynette
PS: HPBikeworks would like me to announce that they are looking for a mechanic, pass it on to whoever might be interested in moving to the Big Island
