Hawaii 4.0 - A Treacherous Ride

After watching the sunrise, we loaded back into the nice warm bus and headed down the volcano a bit to a drop off point to begin our 28.2 mile bike ride down the volcano to the beach below (far, far, below!). We got a long safety brief (blah, blah, blah) about riding in single file, keeping our distance from other riders, not crossing the yellow line into oncoming traffic (that was pretty intuitive to me, but I guess they had to mention it!), to keep a safe speed of 18-25 miles per hour (surely I can handle that!) and to remember to tip our guides (how that is part of safety, I am not quite sure).

At this point I was feeling pretty confident that I was not only going to have a great ride but that my days riding a bike as a kid would help me race down the mountain with finesse. They gave us gloves, a bike, and a wicked cool helmet and we started down the mountain. Not one switchback later and I was in a sheer panic...my bike won't STOP!!! I am hurling down the side of a volcano and my brakes won't save me! Switchback after switchback I tried pumping the breaks...it sounded simple enough during the safety briefing, but when it became a matter of life and death it just didn't work! I tried pumping the breaks and all I got was a heart pumping faster as I continued speeding down the mountain!

About 7 miles into the ride, we all stopped for a photo opportunity and I threw myself into Kevin's arms crying that I was surely going to die on that mountain. He lovingly told me I didn't have to ride anymore and that I could get into the van that was following our group (to carry the wimps like me who can't handle the speed)...but my ego wouldn't let me. I was pretty sure I was going to die, and not only would it be the fault of my seemingly missing brakes, but also my pride.


So, we were off again, and this time I had a new resolve - I was going to enjoy this even if it killed me! Well, we made it to the beach and all in all it was a great experience, even if I cried half the time down and wanted to kill my daredevil little sister for egging the guide faster and faster down the volcano. I was COMPLETELY out of my comfort zone - that's for sure!

Photo Op!

WE MADE IT!!!

That's a look of relief!