Big Island – Days 8 & 9

Our last day in Hawaii – we thought about going to the Volcano but decided we didn’t want to be in a car all day for our final gasp of paradise.  So, we still took a long drive, just not as long, and went to explore the Punalu’u black sand beach.  This place has made the tour bus circuit since I was last there, all new bathroom facilities added in and three buses that stopped by while we were there.  Luckily the small dirt parking lot a little farther down still exists, so we camped out at the far end of the beach.  There were two turtles hanging out as well – it was fun to watch one of them as he slowly made a 180 turn and eventually was headed back into the water I think.  BK took lots of great pictures while I roasted, last ditch chance to get some color

It started getting hot down there though, so we meandered back up the coast.  First stopping at the Punalu’u bakeshop and later at the South Kona Fruit Stand, both full of yummy options.  From the fruit stand we drove down to the water to a small snorkelling beach for a rest and quick dip.  This particular bay doesn’t have much sand so you have to enter off of two lava steps, but BK said there was lots of fish and coral to see once you made it in.

Back home we spent the evening with Lee & Retha, BBQ’ing at sunset and eating on the lanai before going upstairs to pack.  In the morning we enjoyed some McLee breakfast sandwiches and chatted with the fam a bit more before indulging in our last bit of shopping and Hawaiian treats (one last shave ice).  Filled up the gas tank at Costco and sadly made our way to the airport.

It was a great few days in Hawaii – so nice to be warm and do fun crazy stuff.  Looking back now though, we went at the perfect time and escaped just before the turmoil.   When we decided not go to to the Volcano, that was a lucky decision as the volcano has started erupting again and they closed big chunks of the park.  And then of course, three days after we left, the disaster in Japan occurred - what has not gotten as much coverage is the fact that Kona was actually hit by a 3-4 foot wave.  Lee & Retha had to evacuate and the road that runs in front of their building was closed for several hours from debris.  The lobby, garage and pool in their building were all flooded and damaged, and the hotel where we went to Luau is now closed for three months.  Two houses in Kealakekua Bay where we went snorkeling got washed into the ocean.  The pier in Kailua-Kona is currently condemned, which will keep the cruise ships from coming in until it can be repaired.  Pics from Hawaii tsunami damage can be seen here:  http://www.kitv.com/slideshow/news/27160357/detail.html

Big Island – Day 7

It was cloudy but dry as we woke up and drove down to Keauhou Bay for a snorkelling adventure.  We boarded the Fair Winds II Catamaran and glided down the coast to Kealakekua Bay.  As usual I was a little nervous abotu snorkelling, but teh weather was improving and the bay we were heading to a marine preserve, so you can only access it by boat, and this is the only boat allowed to moor there, so it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.  We docked right near the Captain Cook memorial (which is actually on British soil FYI), grabbed our gear, and stepped into the bay.  There was tons of coral and lots of different fish to see once I got myself settled and started floating about.  BK had a great time diving all around.

The sun came out onour ride back so it was great to soak up some rays as we spotted dolphins and whales spouting.  Back in port we headed home to hang out for a couple hours, BK trying to replicate a pineapple sauce we had the oanother night to put on pork loins tomorrow.  Then we left for the luau at the King Kam hotel.  Luckily the rain held off except for a few sprinkles as we drank mai tais, got polynesian tattoos with sharpie markers and watched the pig get pulled out of the Imu (oven). 

The usual luau fare was fine – I liked the Lomi Salad and coconut pudding best.  BK of course was excited by the Kalua pig.  And all the dancing was fun of course:

We capped off the night at the Sheraton Keauhou where the shine flood lights in the water attempting to lure the Manta Rays closer to shore.  We saw one big ray come floating in to check things out…

Big Island – Day 6

The storm from Kauai followed us to the Big Island today, raining as we woke up.  So, we spent a lazy morning getting breakfast in Kona, visiting the Farmers Market and doing a little shopping.  By early afternoon the rain started to taper off, so we hopped in the car to head up north and see what teh weather was like there.  We strolled through the Puako Petroglyph park and then hung out on the beach at Hapuna.  It was still cloudy out, but warm and relaxing.  Driving back towards town we stopped by the Hilton Waikoloa to see the dolphins.  Back home we had a great dinner at Kenichi Pacific, recommended by one of BK’s co-workers who has yet to steer us wrong…

Kauai & Big Island – Day 5

It rained most of the night and was still raining when we awoke.  After packing up the last of our stuff and stopping by Costco to refuel the car, we jetted off of Kauai and over to the Big Island via Honolulu (lame, no direct flights between LIH and KOA).  Landing in Kona, we got a free upgrade to a full-size car (Chevy Malibu) because all the mid-size ones were gone.  We checked another Costco off the list and drove into Kona for lunch at Kona Brewing, home of one of my favorite beers, the Wailua Wheat.  To accompany my beer, I had the fish sandwich of the day.

After lunch we checked in at Lee & Retha’s, who immediately told us to get outside and od something because the storm was coming (the one we left behind in Kauai apparently.)  So, we threw on our suits and headed down to Kahulu’u, one of my favorite beaches on the Big Island.  It’s small and not that pretty, but I like it because it’s close, accessible and has great snorkelling.  BK saw turtles, parrot fish, angel fish, and eel. 

Once the sun began to drop we headed home to unpack, make dinner and hang out for a bit.  Then I took BK to a Big Island custom, Friday nights at Huggo’s On the Rocks, featuring Hot Lava 808.  Good times!

Kauai – Day 4

We awoke to rain – sad.  At this point we knew we would have to play the day by ear, which we did , and it didn’t turn out too bad.  We had planned to hang out on the west side anyway, and this gave us the best chance of avoiding most of the storm as the west stays somewhat sheltered by the mountain.  First stop was breakfast at Grinds Cafe, recommended by our guide Andy - I had french toast, BK had a Portuguese omelette.  Then we continued west to Salt Pond Beach, recommended by a friend and many guide books.  The rain had tapered off a bit, so BK decided to check out the snorkelling section while I read my book underneath the lifeguard tower.   Sitting in this spot protected me not only from the rain which started to fall profusely again, but also some of the sketchy folks hanging out at this beach.  Not sure if it was impromptu homeless camp or what, but there was an interesting crowd huddled under each shelter.

From Salt Pond, we continued west to Waimea to visit the westernmost brewery in the world, the Waimea Brewing Co., “your last beer before tomorrow.”  We shared a sampler set of five brews and some shrimp.  I was really looking forward to the one with passionfruit in it but the flavor didn’t come through – I’ll have to stick with the Wailua Wheat from Kona.

Waimea is also home to the best Shave Ice on Kauai so of course we had to try that too.  On Andy’s recommendation we got Mac Nut ice cream (yes, Hawaiians put ice cream with their shave ice), coconut flavor and Haupia (coconut) cream.  MMM, it was delicious.

the skies cleared a bit in the afternoon, so we stopped by Spouting Horn (a big blowhole) and Poipu beach on the way home.  To finish off our Kauai portion, we had a great dinner at Roy’s.  As we devoured our molten cake, the real storm moved in, dumping amazing amounts of water in a short time – the nearby grass was flooded instantly and we got drenched running for teh car after our dinner.

Kauai – Day 3

Really early wake-up call today – 5:30am!  This was so we could do a sunrise bike ride in Waimea Canyon.  We went with the same company as yesterday, Outfitters Kauai, even had one of the same guides as our kayak lead yesterday was now a bike guide too.  After a short safety lecture and trying out the beach cruisers, we loaded into a van for the drive up to the canyon, stopping along the way for drinks and muffins.  Once at the top, we got out of the van to explore tha Canyon lookout before starting our zoom downhill.  The canyon is BIG, and very similar to the grand canyon, except more green as it backs up against the Na Pali Coast.  The ride itself is mostly a coast downhill, so not much effort exerted, but fun views along the way.  I tried out the new gorilla tripod by attaching the Flip to the handlebars – here’s a sample of the ride:

a little shaky but it will be fun to splice together all my footage together.  After the ride we grabbed some lunch and all our gear to head north for the rest of the day.  The northside is much more lush and tropical, super green.  Since we went mid-day we missed most of the usual traffic which was nice. 

First stop was the Kilauea Lighthouse, sadly covered in scaffolding.  Next we tried to visit a nearby ice-cream shop recommended by our bike guides but it was closed.  Instead we hit Lapperts, and island favorite at a nearby shopping mall. Then we drove all the way to the end of the road to Ke’e Beach.  This spot has a nice bay protected by a reef so BK could do some snorkeling – it was cloudy on the north shore, so I just read my Kindle and watched the action from the beach.  Some of you may recognize this beach from The Thorn Birds  (ie, MC & JC) 

The main reason I wanted to hit teh North Shore was for dinner at Postcards Cafe in Hanalei.  Eleni and I had a great dinner here years ago and I’ve been sending folks to it ever since – I hoped it was as good as I remebered!  They don’t take reservations unless you are a party of 4 or more, and they are only open 6:00-9:00pm.  So, we got there at 5:45pm and were 4th in line – our odds seemed good unless they had a bunch of reservations.  Luckily, we got right in and enjoyed a delicious dinner:  White sangria,  appetizer sampler, I had swordfish and BK had Mahi Mahi:

After dinner we cruised home to the South Shore and crashed early after a long day.

Kauai – Day 2

Early Wake-up call for a big day of adventure as Bk had found us a Kayak/Hike/Zip Line tour to do that sounded fun.  We met up at the Outfitters Kauai office in Poipu and we were driven over to the harbor to start the fun.  Per their website, here’s what we did:

Paddle. Ride. Fly.
We have made some huge new changes and improvements to the Kipu Zipline Safari! Start with a leisurely two mile kayak on the Hule’ia River listening to the sounds of tropical birds and hearing the stories of ancient Hawaii. Hike from the riverbank to swimming holes and waterfalls where you’ll swing like Tarzan into a pristine, fresh-water pool. Climb aboard our one-of-a-kind farm wagon and take in the spectacular views of Kipu Ranch – made famous in films like Jurassic Park and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Next stop- our brand new Keko Kai zipline course. Enjoy a hearty picnic lunch. Marvel at the beauty as you traverse the lush rain forest on swinging bridges that float and sway in the tree tops above the wilderness floor. Ride the first of two brand new ziplines that lands you a short hike from the opening of a recently discovered tunnel through the jungle. Hike a treetops walkway past giant tree ferns and you’ll be face to face with the ride of a lifetime, our new, impossibly long, tandem, center dismount zipline. Pair up with a friend and soar over a quarter of a mile above wild forest canopy for more than 90 seconds of thrilling flight. And if that wasn’t enough, have a go at our brand new Blue Pool and the unique Waterzip Zipline! This mountain stream-fed swimming pool is the perfect place to cool off from the day’s adventure with cliff jumps and our super safe and super fun Waterzip Zipline. When you are cooled off and ready to go, walk on down to the riverbank. Hop aboard, put your feet up, and relax as you ride back to the dock on our Hawaiian double-hulled motorized canoe to cap off your day of wild adventure!

The kayak was a nice way to start on super calm water.  On the first hike we stopped at a water hole that will soon be featured in the next Pirates movie.  The tractor ride across Kipu ranch was a fun break.  And then we arrived at the zip line.  I was surprisingly calm and ready to do it.   A few butterflies sputtered about and skirting across the plank bridge was a little unnerving, but deep down I was calm and ready to give it a go.  BK went first, and then I scrambled up the ladder for my turn.  The worst part is just taking that first step off the platform – once you’re off it just goes quick and is almost over too quickly:

 

Since the first one had sped by so quickly, I was now anxious and excited for the second one so I could enjoy it a little more.  Plus, this time BK & I would be going at the same time, parallel with each other.  Thi Zip line was longer, so I did enjoy the view more since I knew what to expect and had more time to look around.  However, this one also had a mid-point dismount, which I also had to endure a bit of time just hanging around waiting for the ladder to get me – I don’t think it was actually that much time, but it seemed too long to just be hanging around:

 

Craziness that we did – I can’t believe it every time I watch the video!  I would totally do it again.  From there we hiked down to another swimming hole for awhile, then hiked out of the jungle and caught a motorized boat back to the harbor.  A very fun day!

A long day though, so we just headed home to hang out for the rest of the evening, cooking up some chicken burgers and catching up on emails and blogs.  Plus, we had to get up even earlier the next day for a sunrise bike ride!

Kauai – Day 1

Last night we flew into Kauai for mid-winter break.  Even though we didn’t get to upgrade on this flight, we at least had Exit row – whew, what a difference that makes on a long flight.  We have a rental car and a condo on the south shore at Poipu for 5 nights.  We woke to a beautiful pink sky behind the palm trees and knew it was was gonna be a good week after suffering through the frigid temps at home the past few days.

We walked up the road for breakfast at Joe’s on the Green, recommended by Mark for it’s Loco Moco, which BK of course ordered – I stuck with pancakes.  It was so nice to sit in the sun.   ahhh.   After breakfast we walked back home, then hopped into the Pontiac Vibe to knock another Costco off the list.  This was a pretty successful trip – I got a Calvin Klein tankini for $28, BK got some Poke, and we found ready-to-drink Mai Tais.  Nice! 

Coming home we grabbed lunch at the nearby strip mall, visiting a spot we had seen featured on a couple travel shows, Puka Dogs.  This was a delicious hot dog.  They serve them Danish style, with a closed bun hollowed open, then filled with you choice of hawaiian themed salsa and/or mustartd.  When you then slide the dog into the bun, the sauce swirls up to the top around the dog…

For Valentine’s Day, BK booked us massages at the Grand Hyatt for the afternoon so that’s where we headed after the fridge was stocked.  It was nearby, so we walked over and planned to spend the time before our massages soaking about in the various pools at the spa.  the common area at the spa though wasn’t that exciting – we still enjoyed our time before massages reading our kindles and once we were taken back for our treatments we saw the places that looked so interesting in the photos. Our little cabana was cute ans secluded, with a couple of outdoor lava showers that we didn’t get to use (probably for body wraps?)  It was nice to lay around with the breeze and birds as the masseuses went to work.

Thoroughly relaxed, we walked back home and then met up with a work friend, Luna, for sunset drinks.  We followed her to the Beach House and got lucky scoring a corner table.  We enjoyed a couple mai tais and appetizers  before Luna needed to head off.  We capped off the night at another restaurant on the way home, then crashed a little early for a big day of adventure coming the next day,!

Lavaman – the aftermath

It’s been almost a week since the race and now it seems so long ago.

The rest of race day concluded with time at the pool – as if I needed to swim anymore, but we were mostly cooling off and going down waterslides.  Then there was a big victory party for all the Team in Training chapters, dinner and dancing poolside as the sun set.  You would think our legs would’ve been like jelly but we danced for quite awhile, despite the very random playlist coming from the DJ. Highlights included Kelli & Lauren’s spot on rendition of Ice Ice Baby, as well as Lauren & Mario recreating Thriller.  By the time the party ended it felt like we had dance late into the night, but it was only about 9:00pm and we were all in bed by 10:00pm.

Monday morning, Dean, Lauren & Kelli all headed to Lanai for a few days while I slept in.  My roommate Stephanie went to get a massage and I lounged around my room.  Shortly after Stephanie left there a knock at the door with free breakfast arriving, extending my lounge time even more.  Eventually I was all packed and head towards the lobby to meet Courtney who had graciously offered me a ride down to Kona where I was planning to spend the day with Lee & Retha.  Another teammate Mario was also heading south with us – we dropped him at the airport, and then I got front door service to the Kona Bali Kai.

I had barely set my bags down when I was in charge of making cookies.  The rest of the afternoon was also spent catching up on emails, watching basketball (memphis, what happened?) and getting acupuncture.  That’s right, I said acupuncture.

Retha has a guy named Joe that comes regularily and since he was scheduled to come that day, I got treated too since I have always wanted to try it.  Joe treated Retha in her wheelchair, so I laid down on her bed and waited to see what would happen.  Since it was my first time, Joe only used 8 needles: one each in my hands, near the thumb, one near each elbow, one near each knee and one near each big toe.  The only one I really felt going in was the one near my left toe.  The rest were just quick pricks.  In an ideal world Joe wanted me to turn off the TV and totally relax, but it was the begininng of the national championship game – no way!  So I watched the first half form bed with needles stuck out from me.  Occasionally I would feel little gurgles or twinges, but nothing too crazy.  After awhile, Joe pulled needles out and was on his way, but not before insinuating once again that I probably didn’t reach full relaxation since the TV was on.

Later I made dinner and the Uncle Lee drove me out to the airport to catch my red-eye flight back home.  Since Kona is a tiny airport, rolling in an hour early is usually fine.  On a week when two airlines have gone out of business, apparently not a good idea.  Walking up to teh counter, I was informed I was one of teh last to check in and may not get a seat since teh plane was oversold, despiet the fact that I was part of a group.  I hung out there for about 40 minutes, at which point I got a boarding pass with a seat asisgnment, but that seat had an asterik next to it, meaning I would need to check-in again at the gate.  I hurried over to security and the X-ray machine broke down while my stuff was right in the middle of it.  While waited anxiously to figure out what was wrong, my name was being called over the intercom to get to the gate.  Several stressful minutes later I got my stuff, ran to the gate, got a seat and walked out to my plane.  whew!  While happy to have a seat, a recommendation for all of you:  Red-Eye flights the day after a triathlon, not a great idea.

We landed back in rainy Seattle 45 minutes late, which cut into my nap time before going to work.  I caught a few winks before putting in a full day, then headed home to get a massage around the corner.  Lindsay worked me over, but in a good way.  At the end she said “I wanted to spend more time on your shoulders, but your legs were so sad.”  That my friends, sums up my lavaman experience.  I may have been slow for the field, but I finished and still beat lots of other people.  And in the end, no matter what the time, I finished my first Olympic Distance triathlon while 6 billion other people around the world did not 

 

 

Lavaman – Race Day!

4:45am came quick.  I slept pretty well though, especially considering our next door neighbors were up partying until about 3:00am, sliding their deck door back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.  Cleary not Lavaman participants.  Anyway, my roommate Stephanie & I got dressed, made sure we had everything we needed in our bags, started eating and then headed out into the darkness to meet Kelli, Dean and the rest of our team.  The toughest part of the day came at the elevator as everyone was leaving around the same time and each elevator could only hold three bikes.  Three full elevators passed us by before we started calling for an up elevator instead.  We each finally made it on and met ack down at the bottom.  My elevator already had two folks in it, then we went all the way up to 7 and disappointed other racers on each floor on the way down as teh dorrs opened to show them a full elevator.  We did squeeze a fourth person into ours though, to aleviate a bit of the pinch.

Outside we met everyone on the grassy knoll as we have each day, and waited a bit longer than usual due to the elevator chaos.  Once we had everyone, we enjoyed another short mission moment to remind us all why we were racing today, then mounted our bikes to ride over to the transition area.  The sun was finally coming up and it was hard to believe ths day was finally here.

This transition area had different bike racks than any other race I’ve been, low on the ground where you stick your back wheel.  However, these racks are clearly made for actual competative athletes, as the slots were thin for racing bikes and did not fit the fat tires on me & Kelli’s hybrids.  Therefore, we had to find a spot on the perimeter fence for our transition area.  This worked out great though, because we had a lot more room than anyone else for all our stuff. 

Next we needed to get numbered – in Seattle they usually just mark you up with a giant sharpie pen, but here on the Big Island we got numbered with the actual Ironman stamps which was pretty cool.  Timing chips were attached to our left ankle and then back to our spot to apply sunscreen, finish eating, and strip down to our swim gear before heading to the beach.

After surveying the swim course we met our team under the finish line sign for a team photo.  Then it was back to the beach to watch the officials make final adjustments on our crazy M-shaped course.  We found Lauren on the beach, ready to assume her duties as the Moral Support-Shopping team and race day photographer.  Before we knew it, the Elite field was off onto the course, as were the men five minutes later.  Five minutes after that, the air horn sounded and all the women were off too.

I headed into the water in my usual manner, at the back of the pack and starting out slow, while everyone else fights to get out front swimming over each other.  The previous two days of practice were a great help though as I settled into a rhythm much quicker than usual.  There were a lot more people in the water though, so lots of maneuvering occurred throughout the swim – this luckily where being a breaststroker comes in especially handy.  Slow and steady wins the race, especially in the swim – stroke by stroke I gained ground on many and even passed 8 men by the end, all of whom had started 5 minutes before me.  I felt good, and just kept moving along, even when fish scurried beneath me or a wave hit and I would swallow some water.  A mile later, I swam my way back onto shore and trudged towards the transition area.

The race organizers had put carpet down on the way to the transition area and it was here that I first felt a stinging on one of my toes.  I looked down and knew I had cut it coming out of the water on a piece of coral or some other rock.  I asked a nearby volunteer where the medical tent was but they didn’t know so I kept walking.  I asked another volunteer, and they told me there was one at the swim start.  The swim start?  I just finished the swim moron, I’m not going back there now.  Luckily I had packed my Group Health Ouch Pouch in my bag, so I just headed towards my stuff and took care of my toe myself.   Cleaned up with my towel and a anti-spetic, then a band-aid.  Got my socks and shoes on, my shorts & T, re-applied sunscreen, tied my bandana, scarfed down some water & shot blocks, grabbed my helmet and headed towards the bike start.  Lauren was there cheering me off as I mounted my bike and rode out towards the highway.

Hitting the highway we had a pretty good tail wind again, so it was a nice way to get started on a long lonely road.  The ride is pretty barren and hot, but it gave me a chance to suck down some water and mucn down a clif bar.  About a third of the way in was a long gradual hill, but I just found a good gear and cranked along, slowly inching towards the turn around point.  The turn around featured a short steep hill that got some good pain going for a minute, but it was over quick and then the volunteers gave you a new bottle of water.  Back on the highway, it was mostly downhill on the second half of the course which was great, but the wind swirled about in spots meaning there was no real break, no coasting for us.  The last quarter of the course was tough on the butt too.  My masseuse is gonna love my glutes on Tuesday when I see her.  Eventually I glided bak into the resort and there was Lauren again, cheering me back in.  Idumped my bike and helmet, changed shoes, sucked down some more water and took off for the last part, a six-mile run.

Landin greeted me at the run entrance, which begin with a ricky lava trail, meaning that I would continue to use the term “run” fairly loosely for this part of the course.  Running on these varied surfaces was not fun, so I walked a big chunk of the “run”, like at least 3/4.  But I was cool with that – I didn’t want to twist an ankle and I enjoyed seeing the scenery as we wound our way through the Waikoloa resort.  It was also getting hot.  As I hit the “popsicle” loop section which was on brand new black asphalt, you could really start feeling the heat.  The first three miles went pretty quick and after having checked the time a couple times I knew I was still on pace to meet my goal.  After four miles we headed into the main part of the resort, winding our way along the water and lagoon, past the pools and restaurants.  Along the Kings trail I sang One Shining Moment, already ready for the basketball game the next day.  At this point I had my eyes peeled for my Uncle Lee & Aunt Retha who were coming out to watch, but because Retha is in a wheelchair I wasn’t sure where they might be as the Waikoloa is not the most wheelchair friendly spot.  But as I passed the final restaurant without spotting them, I figured they must have gotten stuck out on the road in the traffic caused by the race.  I turned the corner down to the final stretch, 1.5 miles of lava rocks and sand, and down at the bottom of a small hill, just before the trail, there they were, behind the water station, just waiting for me in the shade.  I ran over to say hi, catch my beath, and down some water.  I gave Retha a quick sweaty kiss and then continued on my way, re-energized and ready to tackle the end of this course.  I walked over the rocky parts, jogged on the trail parts and made my way to the sand.  With finish line in view, I jogged my way in with Kelli & Lauren cheering me on, right around my goal of four hours.  whew!

 A big beach BBQ greeted all finishers, so we noshed and recounted our journeys with our teammates at the ocean’s edge where the day had begun.  Dean finished in just over three hours, Kelli just under 3.5 hours.  The overall winners came in around two hours – seriously.  Eventually I made my way back to the transition area to pack up my stuff and turn my bike in for shipment back to the mainland, the I wandered over to the Kings Shops to meet up with Lee & Retha for awhile.  We caught up at Starbucks, made plans for the next day, and then parted ways:  them to home and me to the shower. 

It was a good race – I can’t believe I did it.  I probably could have put out a little more effort in spots, but I wanted to enjoy it and not kill myself.  I met my goal, finished and stayed healthy except for my sliced toe, so all in all, a very good day.