I never met a hill I liked…

Today I decided I wanted a cup of coffee at Starbucks in Kahala. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing special about their coffee. It’s just that it’s a nice ride and Lisa, the manager, used to work at the Starbucks next my office. I’d been out there since she moved but had never seen her. So…
I left early, not as early as work, but I wanted to be back by 10:00 a.m. I was. It’s not 3 hours for most bike riders, but I’m slow and I did spend a fair bit of time having coffee, so when I was moving I was moving at my usual just short of glacial pace.
Except for a half a block on Catherine Street near Diamond Head. I only went up a block if I recall, but the last 100 feet are at about a 90 degree angle. Well maybe not quite that bad but…I did have to walk the bike up that wee bit. Other than that I rode the whole way, slight hills and all. I should note that a hill for most people is a mountain for me, but I do okay as long as I remember to gear. Hey I even passed a guy today going slower than me if that’s actually possible. 🙂
So here’s the route…

As I passed KCC (Kapiolani Community College) I came upon their weekly farmer’s market. They have a great food program there and sure enough they had a booth, but mostly they were simply and generously allowing the space to be used. It was crowded!

I stopped (hey, I’d forgotten about that) and walked through it, but decided against buying anything as I was on the outward journey. Next time I’ll start earlier and hit them on the way back. It was actually quite nice and I did have a small cup of brewed coffee there before moving on.
KCC does have an exhibit going on I’m going to take in soon (before it goes)…

All in all it was fewer miles than I’d ridden last weekend, but had far more elevation changes so it was, I suspect, about an equal bit of energy, mayhaps even a bit more.
While researching a route for my ride (none found though, but I do live here and have biked that neighborhood 20 years ago), I came across an article in the Honolulu Advertiser about a fellow who bikes through Kaimuki on his commute to work. It would seem he does it a lot faster than I would care to ride, but whatever works.
Later today I will ride downtown and back, but that’s a “real errand” as opposed to the more or less erzatz one for this morning. After all, I can make a cup of coffee at home.
Aloha!