Kailua-Waimanalo Gardens

It looked like I might get wet on my ride today but the Rain Gods were kind and I didn't even feel a drop. It was gloomy but nice because it wasn't hot although it was a bit windy.  I also had my first fall today using my new clipless pedals.  It's only ride #2 using them so I don't feel so bad and it wasn't a horrible fall.  It was embarassing though as the car coming towards me stopped and offered assistance.  Oh well- had to get that first fall out of the way.  Technically that was my second fall but the first one was not my fault- the person riding in front of me last weekend on my group ride stopped suddenly with no warning so I ate it BIG TIME.  My knee still looks horrible but most of the pain has subsided.

Anyway, back to my ride...
You can click on the link at the end of this post to see the entire route on Google Maps- it also tells you my speed for each mile of the trip.  I've noted here what to expect on each road traveled:

-Mokapu Blvd- this is a very wide road so even with cars parked along the side, there is still plenty of room for bikers and cars to share the road comfortably.  No bike lane/path.

-N. Kalaheo Ave- had to ride in the road with traffic but only for 1.5 blocks

-Kainui Dr- Has what appears to be a bike lane but there's no pictures of bikes in it so it is more likely to be just a very wide shoulder.  This road has very little traffic

-Kainalu Dr- BIKE LANE!  nice!

-Kaha St- No bike lane/path but very little traffic

-Kihapai St- No bike lane/path/shoulder- here you'll be totally riding on the road. I found motorists to be quite kind to me biking on this road. They'll wait patiently until they have room to pass you

-Hamakua Dr- When you first turn onto Hamakua from Kihapai, you have to get in the left lane to go straight through the intersection (traffic light).  Once you get across you can ride in the right lane (no bike lane/path) and it's wide enough to share comfortably.

-Keolu Dr- BIKE LANE!  Very nice!  When you reach the end and then turn right at the "beginning" of Keolu Drive (see map), there is no more bike lane.  Also, you'll see as soon as you turn right that you are going to have your first challenging hill to climb.  I don't know enough to tell you what the gradient of the hill is, but I will tell you that I take it in my easiest gears, and I'm huffing and puffing when I reach the top

-Kalanianaole Hwy- Wide shoulder to ride in and this will be your first big downhill portion of the ride.  Enjoy it and try not to think about how you're going to have to climb back up it on the way back.  Once you reach the bottom and you come around the curve the shoulder disappears so you have to ride in the road.  You don't stay on the road long however...I'd say it's only 1 block before you turn right onto Kumuhau

-Kumuhau St, Waikupunaha St, Ahiki St, Hihimanu St, Kakaina St, and Mahailua St - Nice country roads. No bike lane/path but there is very little traffic and the street are wide and remote enough to share comfortably.  There are some rolling hills but nothing too challenging. Just enjoy the garden scenery as you ride along the mountains.

-Back onto Kalanianaole Hwy- This can be tricky because there is a lot of traffic at certain times so you might have to push your way out into traffic but it moves slow enough that it shouldn't be too difficult. Sometimes I wave at people to let me go and they always do.  You'll be riding in the road with traffic for another short distance and when you come around the curve you'll see the most difficult climb of the ride. You have to ride back up that hill that you had so much fun flying down earlier.  Again, easiest gears possible, and I recommend not looking up to see how much farther you have to go.   My pace up this hill is about 6-7 mph and I am always huffing and puffing when I reach the top.  You can rest easy after you've made it though because from there back to the start there are no more hills to climb. Hooray!

-Back to Keolu Dr- As soon as you turn right on Keolu, get in the left lane because half way down the hill you will make a left onto Keolu Dr (the loop) and then you'll be back into the nice bike lane.

-I'll skip past the next few streets because I've already told you about them above (Hamakua, Kihapai, and Kaha)

-You'll see on the map that I returned to Kainalu Dr and road down it almost to Kuulei Rd. I did this because I wanted to get up to 20 miles.  Kainalu Dr, as I mentioned above, has bike lanes which are very nice to ride in although you'll often see casual riders going the wrong direction in these lanes.  They are always going slow enough though as to not be a problem.

Ok, hope you enjoyed!  My next ride is tomorrow so I'll post the details either tomorrow night or Monday night.

Google Map of Today's Ride