Waimea Canyon Bike Ride

On Monday we went on a bike ride down the Waimea Canyon. My mom told me my brother wanted to do this last time we were in Kauai (10 years ago), but I never knew. I thought it sounded like fun, so we signed up for the Sunrise tour through Outfitters Kauai. My mom didn't care to go, so she stayed at the condo with Ava. The rest of us got up early and left at 5:15am.

I was hoping to see the sunrise as we rode down the canyon, but that didn't happen. We met at the shop, got gear, and watched the sunrise as we drove in the van to the canyon. On the drive we got some breakfast and an education on the island and its culture from our tour guide Harold. He was an interesting guy and quite informative.

Before we started our ride we stopped at the Waimea Canyon Lookout. It was a beautiful view. It was pretty hazy though and was hard to get pictures that did it justice. We walked around for a little bit before heading to our starting point.

We didn't start our ride at the top. I don't actually know how far of a ride down from the top, but we did about 12 miles. It was almost all downhill, so we didn't have to worry about pedaling. We just had to relax and enjoy the scenery as we blazed past it. I was happy we stopped a few times down so we could enjoy the view and get some pictures. I know some of the other people in our group (my brother and the other young guys) were hoping to zoom all the way to the bottom. I enjoyed a slower pace at the back of the pack.

A few times during the ride we exceeded the 25 mph speed limit. At first I was nervous going so fast downhill on a curvy road, but after a while I felt more comfortable. By the time we reached the bottom I was keeping up with the rest of the group and only the 3 required bike lengths back from my dad.

By this point Rich was bored being in the back with me and headed to the front of the line with my brother. He had a hard time being in back of me for most of the ride because due to my size I had a hard time going as fast as some of the bigger riders. I felt bad I slowed him down, but I enjoyed hearing him whistle songs from "Singing in the Rain" as we went down the Canyon.

Overall we had a great time. It was a nice way to start our day. We saw amazing views and learned a lot about the island. We are glad we had this experience and would recommend it to anyone visiting Kauai.

Halfway down we stopped for a snack. Our tour guide brought Kauai made cookies and starfruit from Harold's backyard.

In the distance you can make out Ni'ihau Island. It is a privately owned island and not for tourists. On this island they make beautiful leis made from tiny shells. These leis are special and very expensive.

At the bottom of the canyon we stopped at a souvenir store and found this giant shirt. I thought it would be a funny picture, so I climbed inside and encouraged Rich to hurry and snap the shot before I got in trouble.