After surviving a Timeshare presentation from Wyndham I’m not sure it was really worth the $100 show discount, good thing it was raining most of that time. Speaking of rain, what’s up with the weather? All the locals are saying this is quite unusual etc. etc. but Thursday drizzled most of the day with some serious short downpours mixed in. I know folks back in Winnipeg are dealing with -35°C so some rain when it’s +80°F is not exactly a hardship but some sun would be nice.
During one of the sunny breaks we had lunch in Lanahai at Cheese Burger in Paradise and then walked the town taking in the sights. The humidity is through the roof with the rain and then heat so we move on to explore more of the island by car. Driving north we head to mile marker 38 to see some pools on the edge of the ocean formed by a lava flow and a blow hole. The road is narrow and twisty and the guide books don’t even mention that in comparison to the road to Hana so I wonder how crazy that drive will be.
Hiking around on the shoreline cliffs is quite something. No trails or trails everywhere, no or few signs, and certainly no restrictions. Just walk right up to the edge of a 200′ cliff, as close as you dare, at your own risk. Makes for some good photos.
After some exploring t’s back to civilization for some take-out dinner to bring back to the condo.
It’s Friday and we’re up before the birds today or perhaps they are just hiding because of the wid. High surf warnings made the news last night so we’re not sure if today’s snorkeling adventure is a “GO’ or not. We’ll drive over and find out. Could need some alternate plans for today. The weather forecasts have been for sun, but so far, day by day the sun is getting pushed out until “tomorrow”. This really needs to stop.
Getting the lay of the land on the first full day in Maui after a late arrival. Did some exploring of the resort and then attended an orientation session put on by the concierge. He did a great job and of course managed to sell us all kinds of stuff as the result of his pitch so we’ve got activities lined up for the next few days. He also got us to go to a timeshare presentation to obtain a discount on some stuff. I hope that won’t be too much of a mistake, I’m not too keen on these kinds of “deals”.
The Aston Kaanapali Shores is a great resort with wonderful grounds and a nice beach and a great view if the ocean with the island of Lanai in the distance. Just looking at the ocean for a few minutes any we spot multiple Humpback whales either breaching, waving a dorsal fin, flashing a tail in the air, or spraying up some water as they surface to breath through their blowhole
Our original room, while OK, had a queen size bed. Shirley checked with the front desk and managed to change rooms to get a king bed and as it turns out quite a nice too upgrade. We’re now on the “penthouse” floor and the room, while the same size, is much more nicely decorated, better appliances, bathroom fixtures and an awesome view. We think the lady at the front desk really decided to bless us, because this is a primo room in the resourt.
With al that done we headed over to the Beaches Club and enjoyed a great breakfast while overlooking the pool and ocean and then hit the road for a little sightseeing.
Considering where we are we managed to see a lot of shopping centres, grocery stores and the Costco. Hopefully, that’s the end of that, and we’ll be on to seeing the real sights for the rest of the vacation.
The one major attraction that we manage to get to is the Iao Needle, in Iao Park, in the Iao Valley, this is kind of an Iao thing. Anyway, the main claim to fame is the “needle” a large lava formation that from the park vantage point does indeed look like a needle. Later in the vacation we fly by in a helicopter and learn that it’s actually the end of a long narrow ridge. The park is nice with several short hiking trails and gardens as well as architectural heritage area featuring Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino and New England style houses.
Not sure what the deal is but there are lots of chickens and roosters roaming the island and we’ll hear lots of “cock a doodle doo” during the vacation.
After being out and about for the afternoon we return to the condo and get a pleasant surprise as we pick up the keys to our new room, which is very nice. We unpack and settle in for the rest of the vacation.
It’s been cold over the last couple of weeks, colder that it’s been all winter so far with temperatures in the mid -20°C and windchill putting it in the mid -30°C. These lower temperatures have brought some stress and challenges to cycle commuting both for me and the bike.
One of the first mornings where there as some nasty windchill I got a little frost bite on some exposed skin on my cheek. I tried a couple of different balaclavas but nothing was really working for me. The ones that covered everything also covered my mouth, making it hard to breath. Then I read a blog post about layering. I knew about layering for jerseys and pants etc. but this blog post described how the rider layered various bits of headgear to meet the demands of colder temperatures. The next day I teamed up my heavy balaclava with a headband, positioning the headband just below my eyes, over the nose and down to the top of the lip. That, in combination with ski googles, resulted in no more exposed skin and some comfortable riding in the wicked temperatures.
With the rider part of the equation fixed up another problem came to the forefront. One morning, about 5 minutes into the ride, the chain seems to fall off and get stuck between the tire and the rear chain stay. I put it back on and we’re under way for a few minutes, and then it happens again. Now I’m paying attention. It seems that the rear freewheel cassette is not spinning freely enough and when I stop pedeling the cassette keeps rotating and forcing he chain forward against the now stopped big ring, causing it to get all caught up between the tire & chain stay. For the next few days I ride without stopping peddling to keep tension on the chain. It’s a little weird peddling and braking at the same time and every once in a while I’d forget and get the quick reminder with the clatter of the chain dangling down.
Being big on looking after the bike myself I decide after a little shop work that I need to get the freewheel off and clean is up. Problem #1 is that it has not been off the wheel in 30 years and is frozen on and the penetrating oil doesn’t seem to be helping. Problem #2 is that I don’t have the proper removal tool. So, it’s off to my favourite LBS, Woodcock Cycleworks to get a tool, some advise and possible some parts. It’s Saturday and about -30°C so there are not too many people at the shop and the mechanic offers to remove the freewheel while I wait. Once he discovers it’s really stuck on there, we agree I’ll come back in an hour or so.
Later in the day I’m back at the shop, and the news is not too good, they can’t get if off either. Best recommendation is to buy a new wheel and new freewheel cassette. I go with that option, plus a new chain knowing that the old chain and new cassette won’t get along well (more on that later). Back home I re-assemble the bike, get everything adjusted and I’m good for monday morning.
The first 5 minutes of the ride on Monday is going well. It’s still very cold, but I’m rolling along fine, until the 1st stop. I step on the pedals and nothing, just spin, the freewheel is not re-engaging with the wheel. This is a problem. It does re-engage, after some amount of time, but the slightest loss of tension, and I’m spinning. I’m forced to turn back home. Fortunately, I don’t have to walk all the way and nurse the crippled bike back to base.
After some thinking, I decide to put the old wheel back on ad try again. I’m counting on the old freewheel spinning better after being filled with penetrating oil. After switching over the studded tire and re-adjusting the brakes the bike is ready for round #2. However, I’ve left the new chain on and sure enough, the new chain and old cassette fight it out and I’m reduced to 2 or 3 gears that work somewhat reliably without the chain skipping over the cassette. Later that night I’m putting on the old chain, re-inserting a pin from an old link and once again adjusting the brakes and rear derailleur. It’s about 10 pm as I’m tightening he bolt that hold the shifter cable on the read derailleur and the bolt strips. I’m hooped, my inner MacGyver has reached the limit, I’m out of ideas to get the bike on the road for the next morning.
I resort to the car the next day and once again stop by Woodcock for some advice & parts. I’ve surmised that the new wheel & freewheel cassette is too loaded up with grease and in the low temperatures the grease is just not letting the unit re-engage. The shop confirms my diagnosis and says they can force in some oil with compressed air to thin out the grease. That and a new derailleur and it’s back to the basement shop to re-assemble the beast one more time.
This time I do a test ride late in the evening to confirm that all is good. That and the next day’s ride confirms that the drive train is functioning well and the shifting is sweeter than it’s been in a long time.
Lesson Learned: Stress brings out the weakness. Perseverance, patience and help from friends gets you through.
New read wheel, freewheel cassette, chain & brake pads. New derailleur shows up later to complete the package.
