Transferring

The last time I posted a blog was almost a month ago. Here it is April 1st and I have exactly 20 days left on the island. The weeks and months have flown by this year and I knew it would. We are in preparation of moving off island. Brian has sold some items that we will no longer need such as my surf board! :( We have planned our road trip from California to Houston and have even shipped my Jeep. Things are happening so fast and the worst part of it all is I am sad to leave my very close friends behind. It's great to move around, explore new cities, have new adventures but meeting great people and leaving them behind sucks! Yes, there is email and the phone but what about the coffee and lunch dates? Those are gone unless you visit that person once you have left. Good friends and good people are hard to come by these days which is sad but so true.

I have one more week of work and then it's vacation time for the Rieger's. Brian will be on leave from April 8th until we leave the island which will be April 21st. We are flying to Los Angeles, picking up our car, and staying one night there. Our first stop will be Sequoia National Park for two days and then Yosemite for three days. I'm so excited about taking Brian to Yosemite. We will then drive towards Las Cruces, NM to visit a friend of mine and then finally head to Houston.

We will enjoy the time we have left here and spend as much time with our friends that we can. They will be missed dearly and thank goodness for skype!

Oahu Island Ride

What would be a more beautiful ride then around the island of Oahu? When I was thinking about this I had just over two months left here on Oahu. I thought of some friends that would be interested and loved the bike. I had a meeting at my house regarding this ride with my friends and we all came up with a weekend that worked for everyone. Saturday, March 6th was the day!


During this time while waiting for the big day, a friend calls and wants to know if everyone would like to wear a Spam jersey. Yes, Spam in the can. A little info here; Hawaiians are big on Spam and you can order it in many restaurants around the island including McDonald's. So Spam is a huge thing here!


The day finally arrived and me, Brian and five of my other friends all met at my house at 7:30 am ready to ride. We started out heading East and cycled through Ewa Beach, Waipahu, Pearl City, by the airport, Honolulu, Waikiki, Hawaii Kai (where we stopped for lunch; Greek food), Makapu'u, Waimanalo and finally finished at Bellows Air Force Base. This ride was 52 miles long with a couple big hills to climb. I felt really good after the ride and wanted to go for a jog but the Miller Lite was staring me down so down the hatch it went with four more to follow. I don't normally drink but we rented a cabin on the beach and the setting was perfect for a few beers after an awesome ride. They went down pretty good and knew I must stop after the 5th one because I knew I had seventy something miles ahead of me the next day.

That night we had BBQ and all the fixins (yes I said fixins, that is what Texans say)along with cookies and smores melted by our camp fire. It was a beautiful night and we all got to relax and enjoy the beach, sunset and camp fire!


Sunday arrived and we woke bright and early to finish the ride. We headed out and not even off base yet, it begins to rain. We pull over under a bus stop and wait it out. It finally stops and we begin once again. About 12-15 miles later we stopped at a McDonald's for a breakfast snack. When you are biking this many miles, you are entitled a McDonald's snack! Once again it began to pour cats and dogs so we waiting and took more pictures! Once the rain had settled it was still a bit dark and grey the way we were headed, but we knew we would probably get wet anyway so we got on our bikes and began once again. Sure enough not even five minutes into the ride it begins to rain and it was coming down pretty good that it was beginning to sting my face but we pedaled through and finally it stopped! We were good and wet and so were the roads which is not a good thing for small road bike tires. Then it started, out of seven of us we had five flats. Two people had one flat and my poor girlfriend had three in a row. At this time we were not making good time with all the stops but we kept on pushing through the Windward side of the island.


Finally making a bit more progress we stopped near sunset beach for lunch at Ted's. It was a great place to stop and we were all starving. I haven't eaten this much in one time in a long time but it was so good and so worth it! After lunch the three flat tire friend was not feeling well so her husband came to pick her up. We were all sad to see her go and not finish with us!

At last we made it to the North Shore and was mentally preparing ourselves for pineapple hill! This hill begins by the North Shore and goes up steadily for five miles to the Dole Plantation. We huffed and puffed and all made it to the top. It was quite the hill and would almost like to try it again for training purposes. We were now 20-22 miles from the house and the last 15 miles were some rolling hills and we were cruising at about 25-28 mph. At last we were back at my house and it was six o'clock and we started at nine o'clock that morning. We had completed seventy-six miles and had been off and on the bike for eight hours. It was a great ride and we all had a blast!

Yes, we got the Spam jersey!

Big Island.....Day 2

Today started out great! We filled our bellies with an awesome breakfast and then headed out for our 5 mile hike around a small crater and onto the volcano floor. We had awesome views and traveled through lush rain forest and hard black lava. Steam seeped from the rock and you could feel the heat. This is an awesome hike and we both really enjoyed it. After the hike we walked through a lava tube which was really cool.



After the hike we got cleaned up and headed to Hilo for some lunch. We stopped at Coconuts Grill and had a wonderful lunch with a wonderful view of the ocean. While on the Big Island you tend to forget about "everything" and are truly relaxed. After lunch we drove to see Akaka Falls which is a 420 foot drop from the top. It's off the main road and through this small town. Once you get to the park it's a small circular hike along a paved path with some stairs. It's a very small hike for such a beautiful view.



We left the falls and drove to Laupahoehoe Point. To many on the Big Island, this park is associated with tragedy. In April, 1946, twenty-one children and three adults were swept away to their death by a tsunami. There is a memorial and many articles from this tragic day. The beach here is rugged and can get a bit rough. The town has moved further up the hill. The lives lost here will not be forgotten.




Our last sight seeing stop for the day was Mauna Kea, which means White Mountain. The summit reaches 13,796 feet and the visitor center sits at 9,000 feet. We drove to the visitor center and watched the sun disappear behind the mountain and you could see a blanket of clouds below you. You truly feel like you are on top of the world. There were many telescopes to view many things such as the moon! It was about 49 degrees and I was very cold! My uncle had a wonderful time and got to ask many questions.

Big Island....Day 1

My uncle Greg flew to Hawaii,from Houston, TX Saturday afternoon for his second visit to Oahu. I thought a trip to the Big Island would interest him, especially to see the active volcano.Waking up bright and early we arrived to the Big Island Sunday morning around 9:15. We flew on a very small plane which is always exciting when flying over large amounts of water ie the Pacific Ocean! I also love how you walk to the plane and use the stairs. I told Uncle Greg I would snap a photo of him on the stairs and he could wave and act like the President. We both chuckled!

We arrived, got the luggage and rent car and off we drove seeking out breakfast. We ate at Ken's in Hilo which is a favorite for the local people. Breakfast was fantastic and our bellies were now happy. We forgot rain jackets back home so I was happy to hit a Ross where he found his jacket and Wal-Mart where I found mine. He needed a new jacket and hey I could use more than one moving to Seattle area.

We finally made it to Volcano National Park and checked into the cozy little cabin. The temp here is awesome. In the sixties during the day and low fifties at night. We went to the visitor center, Jagger museum and checked out all the amenities that the cabin had to offer. The cabins are operated by the army. They have a general store, post office, bowling lanes, lounge, fitness center, activity center with video games, pool tables and air hockey. Quite the hook-up for being in a National Park!

We had lunch and then headed down Crater Dr which much lava was visible and could be hiked on. Further down the road were spectacular views of the ocean. We were at three thousand feet and drove all the way down to the ocean. Its a feeling of being on the moon at times, the way the lava looks and the mass quantity of it. He hiked about six hundred yards to wherwe the lava covered the road back in 2003. It was amazing! We headed back to the cabin and was near dinner time. I went to the gym for a bit and he went to the lounge for a couple cold ones. Later we met and went to the cafe and enjoyed a nice hot meal. It was getting late so we watched a little TV and then off to bed!

Swimming

Triathlons consist of swimming, biking and running. I love the bike and have gotten quite good at it, especially the hills. Running I can do and working on my speed. Swimming is also an enjoyment and I'm getting better at it as well. It's like this meditation state; in which you glide through the water and the sound is only the water, your own breath and your very own thoughts. I feel very traquil at times while doing my laps.

I can remember back in college when I first started to swim, for racing, that is was rather difficult. I could only swim a few hundred yards and had to stop. One of my professors that trained "Super Man" for an iron man taught me how to swim whithout getting so tired so quickly. Ever since then I have enjoyed swimming. I have had several people along the way coach me in how to get better and faster. I want to get faster but the tranquil emotions take over at times and I just swim back and forth.



Some people don't swim for several reasons: scared of the water, can't swim, can't swim with their head under water etc. I highly recommend swimming because it's low impact on the joints, great exercise and can put you in pure relaxation. Swimming in open water (ocean) is also enjoyable. The marine life is such a pleasure to view while swimming. Especially if you are swimming in waters you can see through, unlike Galveston where it is brown!

The "Bike Path" in Hawaii

To answer the question of the last blog, yes, I did go get my French Onion Soup that night. I was a very happy woman!

There is a bike path here in Hawaii that is about 8 miles long and only allows bikes, walkers and runners. No motorized vehicles! Yes, we have bike lanes but this is a "special" bike path. Brian and i use this bike path when heading to Pearl Harbor. Along these 8 miles are some very interesting views and smells.

When entering the bike path you suddenly feel as though you have just arrived to the Philippines. On the left side of this path is a muddy creek in which houses live on and some are not quite houses, more like shanies. I am very thankful not to be living in them and fishing from this so called creek. Moving along on the right is a beautiful view of the decommissioned Naval ships in the harbor. These ships are also referred to as the "moth ball fleet". They are rather close and seeing the actual size up close is rather intriguing. After the ships there really isn't much to see except the path, shrubs and trees.

There are a few parts that smell of human waste and urine, yes, I'm still talking about Hawaii. Hawaii is considered paradise but there are some hidden places that I would call something else. Every city has its beauty and it's homeless! Hawaii has a huge homeless problem but hey, where else would someone want to be homeless? It's never cold, running water and bathrooms at the beach! To top it off you have ocean front property for FREE! So along the bike path there are homeless especially along Blaisdell Park. It's a nice park but along the side of it are many tents lined up or should I say a community of tents. Along the other side of the path is still the harbor. What else could you ask for? Yes, I know....electricity! No they have no power!

Other portions of the path are through subdivisions, along schools, businesses etc. This eight miles is not the most beautiful bike ride but it is eight miles off the main road. I believe Hawaii has a vehicle sport to see how many bikers they can hit. Many bikers have been hit so each day I ride I say a prayer. Why do I ride then? Well I believe you have to live and live your passion. If you don't; then one day when you are old, you may wonder what it would be like to live your passion. Life is very short so we must take this time to live it to the fullest and never hold back!If you live in Hawaii and haven't been on the bike path, well you are not missing much but it has been quite the experience.

In training and can't sleep?

I'm currently finishing the first week of my second month of training. This week has been so much better than the last week. I feel stronger and full of energy. Well the energy is usually a given for me. So yesterday, I ran 5 miles and taught my 1 hour spinning class (burning a total of 1300 calories). I got home around 8:00pm and ate a small dinner (chicken pecan spinach quiche), had a glass of wine and read a magazine (Runners World)for a few moments and began to feel very sleepy. Well here comes 2am and I wake up craving French Onion Soup. What in the heck?

I get on-line and search any restaurant on the island that serves it. I find these two fancy ones which are in hotels in Waikiki and they just don't appeal to me ($$$ cha-ching). I was considering going just to satisfy the craving when I thought of Yard House. Yard House is Brian's favorite restaurant and I enjoy it as well. After searching for about an hour I realize one of our favorite restaurants serve it. I know where we will be dining this evening.

I'm not sure about this 4.5 hour sleep deal but I'm sure it will catch up to me sometime today. Isn't it when you get older the less sleep you get? Come on, I'm only 35!! I'm an early riser but this is ridiculous. Oh well, thank goodness for the blog!

Today is Friday and I will be meeting some friends to zumba (a work-out at the gym done in a class setting where you salsa, shake your butt and have a great time), eat breakfast (maybe they will serve my soup!), swim and maybe sneak in a nap before dinner.