Apparently, an entire group of people complete with double rider bikes were on their way to Lanai from Maui.
I suspected this was a part of a large group of people traveling through Hawaii and maybe even further.
There were many different languages being spoken and about a dozen double rider bikes loaded on board. I thought that I even heard that they had a second boat chartered to carry even more of the group over to Lanai. Maybe they were considering it if they couldn't all fit. There were bikes inside the cabin and all over the back of the boat.
If you have never been to Lanai, the city at the top of the island is reasonably flat, but the incline from sea level to the city (there is only one), is very steep and winding.
There are three main paved roads from sea level to the city and the city sits at about 2500 feet in elevation.
The three main roads lead from Manele Harbor, where we are headed and the Manele Bay Hotel is located. The second main road goes from the city to the Kamalapau Commercial harbor and the third and longest road goes to a desolate region known as ship wreck beach. As it's name implies, there are a few ships visibly sitting on the reef off shore. This area also called keomoku has no water or food and is on the wind blown North Shore facing Molokai and Maui. They was some extreme winds todays with warnings posted for the summit of Haleakala on Maui. It's a great place to drive to with plenty of food and water, but not my idea of a place to bike to.
For many years, Keomoku was scattered with many shacks that local families had built out of would drifted ashore to some pretty elaborate "shacks" that held the whole family and more. A great place just to get away on the weekends.
Listening to some of the English speaking bike riders talking about passing the "Fruit Loops Cereal" around had me wondering if they were fueling their bodies correctly for what they had ahead of them.
My thought was maybe they would stay at the Manele Bay Hotel the first day and then make their way to the city and stay at the Koele Lodge, sister to the Manele Bay Hotel and then base out of there while exploring the island, but riding the boat with all their riding clothes and at least a half dozen even had their riding helmets on, I thinking that they were ready to attack the ride to the city as soon as they get unloaded and assembled.
I later found out it was a group that was touring Maui, Lanai and Molokai. In fact, they were to end up at the Kamalapau Commercial Harbor at the end of the day to go to Molokai, I assume on the Molokai Princess.
No doubt, Lanai being such a small place, I suspect I will run into at least one of them in the today, especially since there are only a few places to eat on the Island of Lanai. A couple in town and the ones in the Hotels. They are all pretty pricey, but if you want to get the feel for life on Lanai, chances are you will dine at the Blue Ginger Cafe in beautiful Downtown Lanai City and skirting Dole park, but then again almost everything skirts Dole park, being right in the center of Lanai City.
As it turns out, within a few hours of leaving the Manele Bay Harbor I did run into them or most of them at the Blue Ginger while picking up my lunch.
In general the ride from Lahaina, Maui to Manele Harbor Lanai is almost exactly 45 minutes, but since we are in the middle of Humpback Whale season, the time of year they come from northern waters to mate and give birth to the young, watching for Whales crossing our pass is a critical part of the Captains job on the Maui-Lanai Expedition.
I do have to put a plug in for the Expedition and it's crew. Most of them have been working the boat for many years and the Captains operate these ferries incredibly smooth and with the utmost precision.
Well, were almost at the Lanai, Manele Harbor and the real work of the day begins, although I've been up since 3:45am in order to pull off this boat ride and move all my equipment single handed. I still have a full day of work ahead of me.
Thinking about people who enjoy traveling the world just to bike ride around, and one gentleman said he had been all over the world and lost count of the places he's been, and my world of living in Hawaii and traveling the same areas to do work, it makes me think of the various mind movies we all create for ourselves to have such varied goals. It's amazing what the mind can do, because frankly, you would never catch me riding up those hills on a bike.
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