Century Ride

So...a little more detail about the Century Ride on Sunday.

We got there EARLY in the morning. Dad dropped us off at about 5:30am...and got in place at the staging area (the parking lot between the Shell and the zoo...boy Cec, you would have LOVED the smell). Went to 'Group C' which were the hundreds of people who rode 6-7 mph and prefered to 'look around and enjoy the scenery', as the description in the registration said. (we were really in between Group B 13-17mph riders and Group C, but we figured we'd just pass people as we went and prefered to not be pressured, which is indeed what happened)

Here's Rye in the staging area. At this is point we looked around and realized that 75% of the people around us were from Japan!!! And LOTS of Japanese families and people who DIDN'T look like they had trained...

So after a lot of fan fare, speaking (over 50% was in Japanese)...

They released us in sets by speed...and at about 6:30 we were off!! Funny, it was so crowded though, we didn't get ON our bikes till after the start point!

The first part of the ride was from Kapiolani park up to Diamond Head, and I'll admit I was concerned with the incline. But with so many families, Japanese tourist and Japanese elderly (well not THAT old, but in their 70s), Rye and I easily got up the hill and past people, where upon we came up to the really nice look out and had a great laugh, because not a quarter mile into the ride all the Japanese riders had gotten off their bikes and were taking pictures of each other, the view, the angle of diamond head...(see them in the background?) Hee hee...it was pretty funny.

Okay, didn't want to write a novel, so will just post a couple more pics of the ride.

Here's Rye coming up to Hawaii Kai drive.

After a restroom break (we strayed off the route to Rye's folks' place) we stopped at the turn around point a little after Sandy beach...(this is Rye coming up to it)...and then headed back towards town.

This was a pretty funny but disconcerting sight. This CUTE little Japanese boy was pushing along on his tiny little bike. He looked like he was 5!! Only, there were NO adults around?! We had no idea who he was with, but he seemed to be doing just fine.

And here's the last mile. That's Diamond Head in the background for those of you who aren't local, it's what the back of it looks like. :) This is where I seriously started to die. And you can't tell, but it's at LEAST a 5% incline there, which after 24 miles and no training seriously feels like a mountain. ;) How that little boy ever made it is beyond me. (wonder if he did?)

At anyrate, we had a GREAT time. We were a lot less sore then we thought we'd be, and I can't wait to get back on my bike and start riding again!!! (if only i had a fan attached to my bike...biking in Hawaii is HOT) :) :D

long sunday

it's almost 11pm, and i only got 3 hours of sleep last night AND rode 25 miles this morning, then had a couple of dad's friends over for kalbi dinner here, who just left...so i'm about to keel over, but didn't want to leave people hanging from the last entry. :)

we made it this morning just fine...will post more later, when i send myself the pics from my phone. meanwhile here's the one rye took of me at the turn around point at Waimanalo.

weather was beautiful, LOVE being back on my bike, ride kicked my but...yet it was so much fun, can't wait to go again.

uh oh...

not quite the auspicious beginning. still up at midnight! century bike ride tomorrow. rye's flat refused to be fixed. with more than 10 blisters on his hand, a bunch popped, scabby or bloody, finally got the tire on, only we have to be awake in 4 hours!!! 6 am start! gonna try for 25 miles now instead of 40. :) should still be fun!

Waikiki Weekend

Okay, since I've been getting grief from several people to update my post and show what we've been up to, thought I'd at least post for this weekend. :)

Rye and I had a wedding to go to on Saturday night, with the reception at Halekulani. While we didn't quite feel like the splurge of a $400/night room there, we did think a night at the Outrigger Reef Hotel to play tourist would be fun.

For my girly friends - here are photos from the wedding - the decor and reception were AMAZING.

They even had a photo booth!!

Had never seen such an elaborate, yet classy cake.

Waikiki Weekend - Pt 2

Since I had so many wedding pictures, thought I'd do our few other shots separate. :)

Here's the view from our room:

And just an elevator ride down to the beach:

Yummy tourist drinks with the beach, stars and sound of waves...

And thanks to Mer, really yummy ramen in the middle of all these Japanese tourists!

A really nice weekend away. Hee hee...It's nice to play tourist. Even if we're only 5 minutes from home, it felt like we really went somewhere! :D

Happy Anniversary G & P

Granny and Papa's anniversary at 3660. I think we figured it was their 69th!!! I only hope that Ryan and I are in HALF as good shape as them at 95 years old! :D

Marley and Macie had a great time with their new play mate...this was taken by Macie. Not too bad for a 3 year old. :)

happiness

so for the last two weeks i have been keenly aware of how happy i've been. not like when mom was with us happy, when i took things for granted and everything was right. but like a, this is adjustment, this is healing... this is family and this is home... and i know that the past two weeks have been the happiest i've been in the past year. and i know that it was because the four of us were together.

well...we just came home from dropping cec off at the airport...and we're back down to the three of us. ;) but it's nice being together with dad, and as i came to post how wonderful the past two weeks have been with cec, and how i had a hard time saying goodbye to her, wondering if we'd ever live in the same city again...i walked into her room and began to laugh, because there lying in her bed is cecily (flat cecily). hee hee...and what i know to be true is we'll never truly be far apart.