So I know that it’s December 27th and not Christmas Day but I just had to pretend that it was Christmas and update on what the whole day was about. After a great days ride from Waimea to Hilo on Christmas Eve and a holiday dinner at Uncle Billy’s I headed straight to bed. Well that’s not entirely true. I made a stop at the Hotel bar to see what was going on. For the record, The Hilo Hawaiian Hotel is a great place to stay but the night life on Christmas Eve was pretty lame. So I went straight to bed.
The original plan was to head to Volcano on Christmas Day with a possible side trip Pahoa. Logistics got in the way and this plan was off so I decided to wake up eat a nice breakfast and get on the bike for a leisurely ride that would cut some of the miles off. The hotel had a nice breakfast buffet that included the absolute must haves for someone that is ripping their muscles to shreds and draining all energy possible. That is to say I had french toast, eggs, hashbrowns, gravy, bacon, sausage and some fruit. The fruit was a nice touch addition right? It all tasted so good and I made myself quite at home.
I got on the road around 9:00 AM and headed toward Keau. It’s a small climb out of Hilo with a little tail wind. Yes, a tailwind does exist on Big Island although you shouldn’t talk about it. It’s kind of like announcing to your buddy who is playing great golf how well he is playing. As soon as you say it he will most definitely slice one in the woods. Well I sliced one into the woods about an hour into the ride. I was feeling pretty good with the tail wind and all the energy I had stored up from the giant breakfast. That is when i decided to go up to Mountain View (about half way to Volcano). The climb gets a little steeper and the wind turns.
The Turn To Pahoa
I decided to turn around and look for the turn to Pahoa. I thought I would check it out. It was a nice and easy ride up and down for about 10 miles. I didn’t go all the way to the ocean so stopping for photos was limited to a school that I thought was pretty nice.
I headed back to Hilo from here and started looking forward to finding a place to grab coffee (if anything was open) checking out the downtown and jumping in the ocean. I took some back road that I found and wound my way back to Hilo. It was nice because it was mostly downhill and there was no wind on the back roads.
As I entered town I found a place that looked open and had signs of being a coffee stop. Just Cruising was the name and it was the place I was looking for. I couldn’t believe it was open and I was surprised that the staff was so happy to make me a mocha and wish me Merry Christmas. They said someone had to serve Hilo their coffee. Awesome! My mocha even came with a little cupid sticker. Not cupid the love maker Cupid- one of Santa’s reindeer. The rest of Hilo was pretty sleepy as you might expect for Christmas Day. There were some folks gathered around at a local church and a couple of runners trying out their new running shoes. I enjoyed a slow pedal through town and then headed to the bay to catch some sun, jump in the water and relax.
Just Cruising Coffee
Sitting on the black sand beach in Hilo was a great place to soak up some sun, call my family and just relax a bit. There were a bunch of people playing in the water including Jesse who opened up a Stand Up Paddle Board in the morning and was trying it out. She was having a little trouble but totally enjoying it. The beach park was also full of children testing out their new bicycles. I watched one family as the youngest girl learned how to operate a new bike without the training wheels. It was nice to see so many bikes out and watch bike memories be formed for future pedal power generations.
The water was cool and fine. I laid there in my bike shorts for a while floating around laughing as Jesse struggled with her board and paddle. The ocean was the perfect medicine for an aching body and tight muscles. When you ride day after day all day your thighs basically become rock hard and stay that way even when you’re not spinning. I guess all the blood just sits in there and keeps the muscle engaged. Feels kind of like two giant logs are attached to your hips. There is no better cure for tight muscles than Hawaiian ocean water. Heals the body, mind and soul for sure.
The rest of the day was spent with a couple of new friends that I met back at the Hotel bar. A party was brewing and I decided to join. I knew that staying up and having a few beers would be painful the next day but the alternative was to sit alone and think about being alone on Christmas. Since it was my choice to be alone at Christmas I figured that I owed it to myself to take in the local party and meet some new folks.
As I fell asleep I replayed the last few Christmases and the people I spent them with. I missed them all terribly and wondered if I’d made the right choice to do this trip for myself or if I should have been on the next plane to join them. For the first time, instead of chasing someone I have made the choice to chase my own wishes and goals. It’s definitely hard to trust that doing something completely for myself is the right way to go. I told myself that I will ultimately be better to those around me having made this journey. The very good part about doing a physically challenging trip with a lot weighing on your mind is that you tend to be totally exhausted when you lay your head down and are quickly sleeping on your way to a dream that might put things into perspective for you. Thankfully, the extra beverages and tired body put me into a rem sleep super fast.
Next day for me is to catch a lift out past where I road today and make my way up to the top Volcano. John and Laura will be meeting first thing in the morning and carry my gear so that I don’t have to use the trailer. Thank goodness.
