Volcano

January 4, 2018

The roosters began crowing at an ungodly hour here in Ocean View, waking me a few hours before breakfast. Might as well post the plan for the day - a continuation along the belt highway to Volcano National Park, where we’ll spend the next two nights. Along the way, we’ll dip down to Black Sand Beach, and with luck see some turtles.

Yawn. Back to sleep.

On the wall at Lelani,s B&B, Ocean View. It feels so remote here - I’m surprised t see pins from guests from all over the world.

Coffee’s on! Lynn was nice enough to set out breakfast and put coffee on a timer last night so we could get an early start this morning.

If you’re in need of a stopover in Ocean View, here’s the spot.

So I’m not sure far I’m going to get with a narrative tonight; and there definitely won’t be any progress on the reading project. I’m pretty well wiped out, if you want to know the truth. We made several minor packing errors on this trip, and one major one - I packed my out of shape winter legs, when I needed to have brought my better conditioned summer pair instead. 107 miles and 10,000’ of climbing in two days is pushing the limits.

I do have enough oomph though to at least note what a spectacular day it was. I’m of the opinion that bike touring stretches your life. Sure, there’s the ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ aspect. What I’m thinking of here though is the way it fills your life with unique, memorable days unlike any other you’ve experienced before. You work a lot for days like this, but there’s so much return on investment - you end up with more life.

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Today’s ride begins with a five mile flattish ride across Mauna Loa’s southwest rift. It’s the site of repeated lava flows, the most recent occurring in 1907. Views are spectacular, with the ocean in the distance and two thousand feet below.

After about five miles we came to the end of the last lava flow. Abruptly the land turns green - it’s almost a razor-sharp transition - and we begin a delightful decent through the forest toward the coast. The first five miles snake through the fores, but a few miles befor Naalehu we leave the trees and enter a broad band of open pastures, giving us inspiring views out to the sea.

Naahelu is the major settlement on the south coast, but it’s still pretty minor. Rachael was excited to come here because she heard there was a bakery. When we arrived I stopped to take a photo of some wall art, but first pointed out the bakery across the street and we agreed to meet there.

A few minutes later I wheeled over to the bakery and was surprised to not see Rachael’s Bike outside. After scouting all sides, I went into the bakery, looked around unsuccessfully, and was asked if I wanted something. Yes, my wife, I replied, which several customers found quite amusing.

Outside again, I called her up (Carrying two phones is a very good idea, particularly if you each have one and both are charged and on with the volume up - not often the case with us, but we got lucky today). Where are you, I asked in frustration. At the bakery -where are you?

Who knew such a tiny place would have two of them, across the street from each other?

Right where I said she’d be. Who knew this little village could have two bakeries?

Black Sand Beach

There appears to be a prevailing wind on the south side of the island

On Black Sand Beach

Test caption (I’m helping Jeff isolate a bug in the caption function)

The climb to the National Park climbs four thousand feet in roughly twenty five miles. The road climbs relentlessly upward at a fairly modest grade after a steepish first few miles. It’s a big tease of a climb, continuously looking as though you’re coming to a crest and breather up ahead; but it’s just a minor inflection point - the grade drops a bit but still climbs slowly; but then steepens again to climb to another such point. There are twenty or thirty such false summits. Eventually it gets a bit demoralizing.

There is no shade for the first twenty miles. The road bears almost straight northeast, angling up the lower slopes of Mauna Loa. It’s about 80 degrees for the first half of the climb, but then gradually cools as we gain elevation. It’s afternoon, so the sun beats down on your back the whole way, until we crest out and drop off the east side for the last two miles. Over the top, suddenly the road is in the shade, it’s late in the day, and shockingly cold.

It’s early January. Rachael and I have put in a fair number of miles in the last two months, but have done very little hill work, and no sustained climbs at all really since we returned from France. As I said earlier, I brought my winter legs to the tour, but this is a summer climb. And, I’ve been softened up a bit already by yesterday’s ride. And, I’m slower to adapt to elevation changes than when I was a few years younger.

This all goes down about as you’d expect. We keep up a steady, sustained pace for about half of the climb, but then I falter and need to start breaking - about every five miles at first, then more often as we rise above 3,000’. I’m tired, but I think elevation adjustment is really the primary problem. Rachael would probably fine to climb through, but she periodically finds a small patch of shade and waits for me.

Six miles from the end, Rachael goes ahead on her own so she can check in and shower for dinner - we have a reservation and we’re starting to cut it close. We both have phones, and I’m fine really; just slow. I make it in about ten minutes behind her, and quite cold - I really should have stopped to layer up at the top. A warm shower helps, and soon we’re walking down the hall to dinner - right on time.

I’m smiling because for the moment I’m not climbing. And because I’m happy to get my new shirt from our last tour into the journal.

Our big splurge on this tour (in addition to the tour itself -Hawaii isn’t the cheapest destination, you’ll be surprised to learn) is a two night stay in Volcano House, the only lodging in the National Park. We ate at the restaurant in the lodge, had a window seat, and were dazzled by the show as the sun went down behind steaming Kilauea crater. It was wonderful watching it change minute by minute, and periodically I and the guy at the adjacent table would dash outside with the camera and brave the cold for as long as we could stand it before coming back in. The colors just kept becoming more intense and interesting; until suddenly a curtain of fog rapidly moved in from the left and closed down the show in a matter of minutes.

Which didn’t detract from the meal, which was terrific too.

Mesmerizing watching the colors change and deepen. For about fifteen minutes I kept thinking the show was over, but it kept getting better.

It was fascinating watching how quickly the fog rushed in from the left to close down the scene. Within about two minutes after this shot, it was dark.

Elevation gain: today, 5,100’; for the tour, 10,000’

Today's ride: 53 miles (85 km)
Total: 107 miles (172 km)

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