Cycling to Wailuku; An Afternoon on Big Beach

We are well into a pattern now of riding in the morning, then heading to the beach in the afternoon. Yesterday morning, we left from the condo and rode up Pilani Highway, then across the valley that runs between the two mountainous regions of Maui. Then right along the far side of the valley, at the foot of the West Maui Mountains - and straight into a stiff headwind until we reached the other coast at Wailuku. Then across the valley to Kahului and back towards Kihei.

Going through the "Dutch Mountains"

Above and below, the base of West Maui Mountains

Looking across the valley toward Haleakala

Back on the road to Kihei, looking back across the valley to the West Maui Mountains

We have even more reason this morning to be cautious when out on the highways. On Saturday afternoon, on our way back from Lahaina, traffic was being diverted off the Pilani Highway into Kihei. There had apparently been some sort of accident, and the police had closed the road. It wasn't until this morning that we learned that a cyclist had been struck and killed by a pickup truck that had wandered into the bike lane. 

We didn't initially learn about this from the news, however. Mark received a text this morning from his sister and brother-in-law in Kansas City, informing us that a man they knew had been killed on Saturday while cycling in Kihei. We then checked local news sources and learned the rest of the story. Mark's brother-in-law had skied with the man for 10 years. He was 61 years old and leaves a wife and two daughters. So tragic.

We went to Big Beach yesterday afternoon, where Mark took the lead photo. It was a pleasant afternoon of reading and playing paddleball, despite the wind.

Sunset from our kitchen window