It’s heresy, I tell you. Away for a whole week in Hawaii (Maui, to be specific) and not one day of bicycling!
The view from our hotel room. Yep, another lousy day on Maui.
It’s not that we didn’t plan it. We were looking into bike rentals before we left for the islands. But on Maui, the big biking experience they push is the ride down Mt. Haleakala, the 10,000-foot dormant volcano that dominates the eastern half of the island. It’s a 37-mile ride, and to get the full experience, you start at sunrise at the top of the volcano in temperatures in the 30sF (+2C).
But our first two days found us dealing with the remnants of Tropical Storm Felicia (at one time a Category 4 hurricane) that rained out our activities. We drove the road up Haleakala to the national park entrance, and were advised not to go any farther because of the poor weather conditions. The drive back down the mountainside, with its constant hairpin turns, unsettled Pat, and put me off of any ideas I’d had of doing the ride, too. So we decided to look for alternatives.
The road from our resort area near the historic city of Lahaina features a wide shoulder in both directions. The downside to that is the amount of traffic on the road. Depending on time of day, it can be heavy, and the drivers don’t appear to be bike friendly.
We had plenty of other activities to cram into the remaining days once the rain stopped, like golf and horseback riding. But we never did get around to renting bikes and riding. However, on four of the seven days we spent there, we started the morning with a brisk half-hour pedal of the spin bike in the hotel’s fitness center. I programmed in some hill work, and played with different levels of effort. It was a good way to start the day, and we decided Maui ranks as one of the top vacations spots we’ve ever visited.
Some interesting biking issues popped up while I was gone, and I’ll be looking at them later this week. But for now, I have to readjust my body clock.
Welcome back!
Sorry to hear about your first 2 days, but being an avid Maui fan, I know you had a great time. Which golf course(s) did you play?
Of course as far as Haleakala is concerned you got it all wrong – you don’t drive up and ride down, the beauty is riding it up! 🙂
Not with my wife you don’t.
Never been to Hawaii but I’d like to go someday. Welcome back.