I sit at a desk all day in front of a computer, so it's an amazing antidote to step out after work and get some fresh air. What's more extraordinary though, is that I don't do it more often. However, as the summer nights grow longer, my play gene has grown and requires more indulgence. So with my bike stowed in the bed of my truck, there were no excuses.
I confess to feeling a bit of a pillock clunking along the pebbles in my bike shoes, helmet and spandex (I'd ditched the bike further back), but what the hell - it's not like I'm going to run into anyone I know. "Hey you!" said Jenna, a fab woman from my book club "wotcha doing mountain biking out here?"! "Looking like a twat and not wanting to get noticed" I thought....but too late.
The south swell wasn't all it was forecast to be, but at 5:45pm the light and waves were entwined in their magical dance and I was captivated.
Let's hope duck diver boy doesn't have a bulls eye on his shorts!
Did I work today?
Rewinding back to the weekend and I was in the mountains again (no that's not me!) riding my bike part way up Waipoli Road toward Poli Poli. I say part way because the start is so steep I've convinced myself I could never make it, so I cheat and park at Frisbee Golf forest. It's a peaceful ride with just the bird song and para gliders for company. My time, 40 minutes up and 8 minutes down! "You've got legs of steel" said golf frisbee girl as she passed me post ride loading up my bike, was it wrong of me to not burst her bubble by telling her I'd had to stop twice on the accent?!
Coming back home though Kula there are many local small farms and I was caught by the symmetry of this humble cabbage patch.
Enough, enough, lets all paws for a tranquil thought or two.
The touch of the wind against my skin is chilly at first and I know I have to pedal hard (initially) to get my body temperature beyond my own momentum generated wind chill factor. I warm up quickly and it allows me to delight in the view. My eyes always light up as I whiz by the poppies. My friend Lex said recently that when she first moved to Maui she didn’t grock the flowers as she came from the East Coast where the flora are soft and have petals. Here the tropicals are magnificent stiff, waxy creations and while she did learn to love them, I think about her comment every time I pass by this lovely garden. The little kid in me really wants the Jacaranda's to have the smell of the palmer violet sweets I ate when I was eight. Well, they don't and that’s probably a good thing so nothing distracts from their sheer purple perfection. Which reminds me of a funny 'tweet' I read recently. Someone asked Lord Fry how he pronounced the word 'ate'. He replied, 'I'm an "ett" man, but there's no right or wrong about it. In the North they're likely to say "eight" I think." Damn him, how does he know these things?! Hmmmmm now what kind of cycle 'safety first' is this? Still, now I think about it not all traffic cones are meant to give advance warning of hazards or temporarily redirect traffic in a safe manner.........or are they? (Cue Scooby Doo flashback music)!
Tour de Maui. Un Petit Film from Sharon on Vimeo. And finally a little amateur hour entertainment from my pau hana ride after work last Friday, a hui ho!
I sit at a desk all day in front of a computer, so it's an amazing antidote to step out after work and get some fresh air. What's more extraordinary though, is that I don't do it more often. However, as the summer nights grow longer, my play gene has grown and requires more indulgence. So with my bike stowed in the bed of my truck, there were no excuses.
I confess to feeling a bit of a pillock clunking along the pebbles in my bike shoes, helmet and spandex (I'd ditched the bike further back), but what the hell - it's not like I'm going to run into anyone I know. "Hey you!" said Jenna, a fab woman from my book club "wotcha doing mountain biking out here?"! "Looking like a twat and not wanting to get noticed" I thought....but too late.
The south swell wasn't all it was forecast to be, but at 5:45pm the light and waves were entwined in their magical dance and I was captivated.
Let's hope duck diver boy doesn't have a bulls eye on his shorts!
Did I work today?
Rewinding back to the weekend and I was in the mountains again (no that's not me!) riding my bike part way up Waipoli Road toward Poli Poli. I say part way because the start is so steep I've convinced myself I could never make it, so I cheat and park at Frisbee Golf forest. It's a peaceful ride with just the bird song and para gliders for company. My time, 40 minutes up and 8 minutes down! "You've got legs of steel" said golf frisbee girl as she passed me post ride loading up my bike, was it wrong of me to not burst her bubble by telling her I'd had to stop twice on the accent?!
Coming back home though Kula there are many local small farms and I was caught by the symmetry of this humble cabbage patch.
Enough, enough, lets all paws for a tranquil thought or two.
