Wailua Homesteads Country Roads Ride

A suggestion to plan a ride close to home resulted in Robert MacDougall (front row, center in black & red) planning the Wailua Homesteads Country Roads route. Eighteen riders participated, including a few new to the group.

Wailua Homesteads roads don't typically have shoulders, so riding as part of a group added to the comfort level for riders unfamilair with the area. The roads were a bit wet, not unusual for December in Wailua which is one of the island's wetter areas. Fortunately the wet  conditions did not contribute to any mishaps, and only minor mechanical concerns arose.

Comment: "Tommy, we missed you. I hope you are feeling better. We had a pleasant ride. I make a rule not to ride on wet roads, but was glad I made an exception today. We rode safely, but my bike needs a good cleaning. The pot luck was lucky again. Sushi, wraps, noodles and chicken. Sumi contributed some cakes."  —Richard

Comment: "Tommy, since we missed it, let's do it and invite others who may want to do it again :-) I really want to experience a group ride, I heard it was fun and pleasant, not racing." —Bryan

Comment: "It should be reported that Angelo was found!  Apparently he took a wrong turn and did 2 laps of the course looking for us. That's 50 + Miles in the steep foothills of Kauai.   He is definitely fit. Angelo deserves a prize!" —Robert

The base of Makaleha was the far point of the ride. Randy Blake, the executive director of Kauai Path (in the orange jacket) took the group on a little detour to the top of seldom traveled Moalepe Road (not Moalepe Trail). There he pointed out features of the mountain that his family see daily from their nearby home.

Sherman Fong admires Makaleha's waterfalls. "Makaleha" translates as "with eyes of wonder."

Mahalo to Heatherbell Fong for making these images available.

More of Heatherbell's pictures from this ride are posted on Flickr.