Needing a cure for the letdown from last weekend’s failed ride, we headed out to the Ditch on Saturday afternoon. Kona weather brought thick, hazy air and almost nonexistent winds. On the drive to Waimanalo, it didn’t feel so bad, but once the ‘Cruiser stopped, the true depth of the humidity became apparent. Nobody was around, which surprised me, since I’m usually not the first to show up (although usually not the last either – that’s Root’s job). I got my stuff ready while watching three recently abandoned kittens going about their daily routine. When Jeff, Sara, and Danny showed up, they said Root had texted them to say that his brake pad had delaminated, so was off to find some epoxy to remedy the situation. Since it was clear that Root would be late, they took their time. Thanks for letting me know, guys!
Jeff and Sara took an immediate interest in the abandoned kitties, being crazy cat people. There was a friendly but passive calico that stayed by the empty food and water bowls left with them near the horse fence across the street. She vocally approached Jeff when he went over to see what was going on. The grey and white “Great Hunter” male that had been pouncing on things unknown in the wedelia in front of my truck immediately went over when he heard the mewing. The last all-grey initially approached Jeff, then decided otherwise halfway across the street and went back to hide in the shade below the crime Civic in the parking area. If left to their own devices, that one would be the most likely of the three to survive to adulthood. We refilled their water and went through our food inventory to find something that was least objectionable to cats. We settled on Sara’s blueberry crisp Clif bar. They were unimpressed at first, but by the time we finished our ride, all the bits were eaten or otherwise gone from the food dish. Jeff considered returning on Sunday with a carrier to retrieve them and take them to a shelter.
Root showed up and we started the ride. The climb up Government Road was a bit rough on the cold legs, but as is the norm, the part that really was the issue after being off the bike for most of the early part of winter was the ass. At the entrance to the side loop, I aired down the tires, but as usual, blend them down too much. I really have to start carrying a gauge to help prevent that. At the top of the downhill, and again along the lower traverse, we found horse poop. This was a bummer, since up until now this singletrack had been horse-free. We took the Ditch out to the end, passing an odd assemblage of vertical sticks and ribbons beside the tree root step-up jump halfway out. I have absolutely no idea what that was all about. We went up cardiac hill to the upper plateau, but took our rest at the ironwood hill instead of the big tree in hopes of getting some relief from the heat in whatever light breeze there might be up top.
The descent down the backside was pretty rough. Root had an even tougher time because his hastily repaired brake pad failed from the heat and he lost his rear brake. Along the descent, there were erosion issues along with horsey footprints and both fixed and loose cobbles stirred up by the horse traffic: It was like riding down a hill of billiard balls. Near the bottom, there was a recent albizia fall, and while the trunk missed blocking the trail, a bunch of the branches were in the path, so we took a little time out to clear some of the debris before continuing on. The return was quick, but I didn’t have the legs to get it into the big ring. Passing the ribbons for the second time, I still didn’t get it. There were some people with dogs were going in when we got back to the parking area. A couple of men came out before we started, but we didn’t see anyone at all on the trail. Post-ride dinner was at the pub of course, and both Jeff and Sara tried the new lamb pastie on the menu. I got a little taste, and I’ll definitely have to get one the next time around.
Wonder if Jeff went back to rescue the kitties?
Pictures here
D = 11.99 km (7.45-miles), Vavr = 12.4 km/h (7.7-mph), Vmax = 35.4 km/h (22.0-mph), T = 58-minutes
Update: Jeff went back on Sunday and collected three kittens and took them to the Humane Society. He caught a grey female which was smaller than the wary grey male we saw. The grey male went apeshit and bit Jeff’s hand when he tried to catch it, so it was left to its own devices.
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