Some coworkers rented bikes yesterday and we all went biking on the Big Island of Hawaii. The roads are smooth around the city of Hilo and have wide strips of bike path along most of the roads. If you stay near the coast you’re almost sure to stay on flat ground, but if you head inland at all, you’ll be in for a climb.
We passed a lot of rocky, lava stone beaches before our path ended at a dirt road into a park where the evergreen trees stood tall against the surf. Half the group decided to drop the bikes and hike on into the woods, and half of up decided to double back to a black sand beach that we had seen on the way.
I regretted not packing my snorkeling gear, as the beach turned out to be packed with locals snorkeling with their kids. Even without the snorkel we saw sea turtles poke their heads out of the waves, and butterfly fish and parrot fish in the shallows.
About an hour after we arrived a local came out of the surf with an octopus hanging from the stick he used to spear it. A crowd gathered around the man and we all touched it and some let its tentacles suck on to their arms. I’m too much of a bleeding heart to watch an animal poked and prodded until it dies, so I went back to my book on the beach.
We biked maybe 10 miles through the Big Island, and my new folding bike held up really well. The technology of folding bikes have come a long way, it seems, and the whole contraption rides stiffly and securely. There were a lot of strange looks and questions from strangers, and a few people took it for test rides on the pier, but it was all positive. In other words, no one has beaten me up on the playground and taken my lunch money for riding a stupid looking bike. Yet.
Today was a show day with rehearsal in the morning and shows at night. It was a tender port, which means the ship anchors out at sea and you are brought to shore by the life boats (or “tenders”). I didn’t want to bring my bike on a tender (I’m certain I’ll drop it right into the sea), and tenders are generally a pain, so I stayed on the ship all day.
Tomorrow we’re overnighting in Kauai, which means the ship doesn’t leave until the following day and we have all day to explore. I think I’ll take my bike out, with my snorkel gear this time, and find a beach called “Poipu Beach”, which I hear has great snorkeling.
David J. Hahn
David J. Hahn is a Broadway conductor and keyboard player. He co-founded MusicianWages.com with Cameron Mizell in 2008. Visit his new project, Songwriter.fm and sign up for his songwriting newsletter.
