Hilo

January 7, 2018

Here’s the plan for today’s ride to Hilo - we’ll start with a thirty mile loop along the Puna coast and then head north on the highway.

As the sun went down last night, we were charmed by the incessant burbling of birds outside our open window, singing songs I didn’t recognize. I held off taking my shower until it got dark and they quieted down, not wanting to miss hearing them as the sounds extinguished with the light. An hour later, they were still at it; and eventually it sunk in that they were tree frogs, something I’ve never heard before.

We kept the window open for another hour or so, but eventually I couldn’t take itany more and shut the window. I imagine it must drive some folks quite mad.

Breakfast on the veranda was a curious affair, shared with three very new age guests, here attending a tantric yoga convention. Conversation centered on wholistic health, chakras, ecstatic dancing and so on. Breakfast was also accompanied by the rooster and chickens, milling around hoping for droppings from the table and making me anxious for our bare feet. It also featured me making a fool of myself by knocking a glass onto the table, resulting in a blast pattern of tiny shards of glass beneath the table.

Grey out this morning. We could get wet today.

Some of our company at breakfast. I was worried about my feet, but I should have watched my hands - the lady on the right snatched my toast!

Today’s ride had two equally compelling narrative threads - one about the road and what we encountered along the way, and one about the weather. For the first thirty miles, we followed some of the most gorgeous rides we’ve seen on the island so far, or really anywhere. This part of the route was a coat-hanger shaped triangle, consisting of Route 132 (Kapoho Road), Route 137 (Kapoho-Kalapana Road), and Route 130 (Pahoa Kalapana Road).

We didn’t manage to leave the inn until almost 11, but that was fine with us. It gave the morning a chance to dry out, and we left the inn under blue skies. A beautiful morning! After backtracking our way out of the state park we turned toward the coast on Route 132 and enjoyed several miles of lovely riding, alternately passing through pastures, dense forest and lava flows.

As we rode, the sky gradually greed over; and about a half mile from the end of the road it began misting. I was just remarking on how refreshing it felt on this warm day, when it turned to rain and then very quickly to a downpour that forced us to the shoulder to put on our jackets and remove our glasses so we could see.

Within four or five minutes, the squall ended as abruptly as it began. By the time we rounded the corner and joined Route 137, we were already well on our way to drying out. It caused me to think of our friends Andrea and Bruce, who have been encouraging us to consider a tour in Thailand. Not so scary getting soaked when it’s warm and you dry out so quickly!

I was delighted by this for some reason and laughing about it, when I (Rachael is a ways down the road) came upon a man hunched under an umbrella staffing a small stand. That caused me to laugh as well, and I got the camera out after asking his permission to take his photo. We chatted for a few minutes:he is also named Scott; he’s endured about a half dozen of these squalls this morning; and the purpose of the stand is a fun$ raiser for some dental work he needs.

The moss-encrusted wall at the entrance to our B&B

Leaving the grounds of Lava Tree State Park

This would have been a much more interesting shot if I’d been quick enough to capture the egret perched on his back.

Does anyone know what this spectacular plant is?

Amazing: five minutes earlier it was dry and the sky was partly sunny.

Scott, cheerfully waiting out another squall - he said five or six had passed through already. In exchange for taking his photo, I contributed to his personal dental fund.

Five minutes later, and we’re riding dry again - for the moment.

Route 137,the Kapoho-Kalapana Road, is commonly known as the Red Road. It gets its name because it was originally built of crushed red lava. It’s since been paved over, but the name remains. It’s a famously scenic road, and listed in the tourist literature as one of the most scenic roads on the island.

It is an absolute delight to cycle along. Narrow, winding, very gently rolling, often single track, this morning at least it is very quiet and serene. Such little traffic as there is takes the road slowly.

Incredibly beautiful, the road closely follows the coast. Most of the time it is invisible though because the road passes through an old growth rain forest preserve. Occasionally we break into the open when we cross a small lava flow or the road touches the coast. The coastline itself is gorgeous, the black lava in striking contrast to the sea and breakers.

And, occasionally, another squall passes through and pushes us off the road to seek shelter under the canopy, hoping that we aren’t brained by a coconut while we wait it out.

The Red Road, possibly the best cycling road we’ve seen on the island

On the Red Road, enjoying a bit of sunshine

While waiting out another short squall, I studied the trunk of the tree I was sheltered beneath. It’s an ant superhighway!

The Red Road isn’t as isolated as this sounds. There’s a market at Kehana, where we stopped to pick up sandwiches for lunch. It advertises lodging also, so that would certainly be worth considering. There is allegedly a very fine hot springs and nudist beach, but we didn’t experience either of these ourselves. And there’s the occasional untended produce stand.

On the Red Road:coconuts for sale on the honor system

We came to the end of the Red Road in early afternoon and turned away from the shore toward Pahoa and then Hilo. We really haven’t gotten too far yet, because we’ve taken our time alternately enjoying the ride and idling out from brief downpours. We need to start making time if we’re going to make it to Hilo before sundown.

The ride begins with the only real climb of the day - a gradual 1,100’ lift in seven miles - a very comfortable grade. We still haven’t had lunch either, so we watch for a promising spot and pull off when we come to a small church with picnic tables under the cover, sheltering us from the now hot sun. Perfect.

We don’t really take note of the church itself, until we get ready to leave. It starts raining again, and the wind is strong enough that it blows the rain onto us under the shelter. Rachael suggests that we go inside the church, which we do - and are amazed to find that it’s another beautiful Painted Church!

I love the element of surprise and serendipity of travel like this, stumbling upon such delights as this by accident and coincidence. We would never have seen this if it hadn’t been time for lunch, and if the rains hadn’t arrived before we left.

We leave the church and resume climbing. Soon it starts raining hard again. We find shelter by a produce stand, hiding beneath another coconut tree, keeping wary eye on the dog keeping a wary eye on us. The rain stops, we wheel out - and from above us a cheerful voice calls out to say goodbye. We’d been watched.

Will our bikes get crushed in a coconut avalanche?

A few yards further uphill, and the weather pattern finally breaks. It starts raining, hard; and doesn’t let up for the next twenty miles, finally stopping just as we enter Hilo. There’s nothing to be done but to ride it out - we’re out of time, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to let up any time soon anyway. Grey for as far as we can see.

It’s a literally blinding rain, and we’re thoroughly drenched when we reach Hilo. We dry out a bit in the last two miles to our home for the night, Hilotown Hale - a private residence, like an Air BnB establishment. We’re greeted by Patricia, a delightful lady proudly shorting her biking shirt in honor of our arrival - she got it this summer on a bike/barge tour in northern Italy.

Patricia is not at all taken aback by our sodden appearance, helps us clean up our gear, makes us feel welcome. She’s the star host of the tour - if we come back to Hilo some day, we would certainly stop in here again.

Patricia, the congenial owner of Hilotown Hale, the best place to stay in Hilo. Highly recommended.

Total elevation gain: today, 2,300’; for the tour, 16,300’

Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 247 miles (398 km)

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