The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Hawaii - Circumnavigate The Big Island - 2018

January 6th to January 20th

Ride Director: Warner Griswold
Ride Co-Director: Sue Bunten
Ride Driver: John McCoy
Report by: Gerald Lum

Circumnavigate the Big Island – 2018

The Big Island of Hawaii has it all. You can go skiing in the morning (13,579’elev), and surfing in the afternoon. Weather ranged from warm days on the leeward side to cool breezes/light rain on the windward side. There are 16 climate zones in the world and the Big Island has 12. In addition to biking, there were opportunities for swimming, snorkeling, visiting museums, palace, chocolate plantation, coffee plantation and macadamia nut factory.

1. starters Warner Griswold is one the hardest working ride leaders along with his assistants, Sue and John. His pre tour duty includes an incredibly, massive buying spree at Kona Costco. Imagine buying $1600 worth groceries at one time! All this gave us the opportunity for yummy happy hours and gourmet lunches each day. We all took turns to help with happy hour and lunch set up. Sue shared numerous stories of Hawaiian history. Warner, Sue, and John did a great job looking after us making sure we had water and snacks along the way and that we were all accounted for at the end of the day. The rental bikes were great as were the numerous off days to relax or further explore.

The shake down ride from the Sheraton on Alii Drive in Kona consisted of local farmers markets selling, star fruits, mangoes, pineapples, dragon fruit, giant avocados, bananas, and citrus. Also along the route were the oldest historic missionary church, and a royal palace to visit.

From Kona we biked to the historic Manago Hotel, which takes you back in time when life was simpler. Family owned for 90 years, hotel amenities were sparse, but the view from our rooms of the Kona Coast was stunning. This hotel is known for their pork chop dinner and sumptuous Hawaiian breakfasts.

The ride around south point was a journey of contrasts, from dry off shore winds on the leeward side to stiff headwinds around south point, to humid on shore winds at Black Sand Beach. The next three nights were at the posh Kilauea Lodge where Hawaii’s active volcanoes reside. The lodge, at 4000ft. elevation, was in the midst of the clouds with light drizzle. The giant ferns gave the feel of Jurassic Park. The Volcano National Park was a wealth of information on the formation of the Hawaiian Islands, the active volcanoes, plants, and animals.

Our next stop, Hilo, is the laid back Hawaii of yesteryear. Some folks spent the off day at the Imiloa Astronomy Center, others biked to Rainbow Falls, and still others sampled local food, or rented a vehicle and drove to Mauna Kea for great views.

1. epic ride to Waimea along the Hamakua Coast had great coastal views, challenging climbs to the high ranch country. Here we stayed at the Historic Kamuela Inn. The scenery biking to the high country was ever changing, and the landscape could be mistaken for Scotland. The ride along the ridge road to North Kohala also had amazing diversity, from high sheep/horse country to tropical, coastal lowlands.

The Hawaiian Island Retreat is best described as getting away from it all. This spa retreat/hotel was only accessible from steep dirt roads. It was remote and nestled in a wilderness setting perched on a cliff above the coastline. Some of us stayed in yurts, which are large, circular, well appointed, canvas tents. Havi, a nearby town, is a great place to shop or grab a cappuccino. The view from the Pololu Valley lookout was great.

The ride to Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel started with a great tail wind that transitioned to a strong side wind. We rode thru miles of lava fields. Hapuna Beach is one of the world’s best beaches. Two days here would be great.

Our last ride day back to the Sheraton was more miles of lava fields. Overall the Big Island Tour is a memorable experience not to miss.