Yippee!!!

[Veronica]

I'm turning 40 this year and I thought it would be cool to go to Hawaii to celebrate.

Thom thought it would be a good idea to do a practice 600K around the Big Island. I actually have to go 1.5 times around it. :) The roads are good, there's not too much traffic, the weather is great in December...I can cheat since it's not an official brevet and have support whenever and wherever. I figure it will go a long way towards building my confidence about the longer rides.

We locked on all of our reservations this past weekend. I'm very excited. We're spending a couple of days in Kona - two of which I'll spend cycling and Thom will be doing support. After that we'll have a couple of days up at Volcano.

I wasn't sure Thom would be able to get the time off - irritating SAP implementation....

We love the Big Island!

Now I just need my new bike...

V.

[Trekhawk]

LOL - I love the part about 40 and Hawaii and then you went and scared me with the 600km part.:eek:

Im sure for the V machine it will be no problem.

Enjoy your Hawaiian adventure.:)

[CyclChyk]

Wow Roni that is so AWESOME!!! (Is it ok to call you Roni? I have a cousin with your name.....)

Anyway, keep us posted! If its as awesome as you say, I may do it for my
40th (god its SO close!!!!):eek: :D

[Veronica]

My nickname as a kid was Vonni. It's what most members of my family still call me. I put up with it from them. :D

In 7th grade I was teased unmercifully (in my opinion) the first day of school by my Science Teacher when I told him that was my name. I've been Veronica ever since. A few people over the years have called me Roni, and I'll answer to it. But I've never felt like a Roni.

V.

[maillotpois]

Yay for you! That should be fun. Thom's a good sport.

I'm excited about the snorkeling, hiking and beaches when we go to the Big Island. We leave Sunday!! Last night, we were looking at photos from the last time we were there in 1998. Wow, Emily was SO small. She wants to go on a glass bottomed boat. I am not supposed to scuba right now, so we may do that while DH is scuba-ing.

[CyclChyk]

A few people over the years have called me Roni, and I'll answer to it. But I've never felt like a Roni.

Then Veronica it is. And I completely understand. My real name is Petra (pronounced "pay-tra") - I have been called every name imaginable, and the nicknames are endless........ Page is about the only one I will tolerate.....

Oh, BTW - I love your sig line. The Little Prince is my absolute favorite book. "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye". <~~that one refers to the skinny me :)

[Kitsune06]

That'll be an awesome trip, V. Have fun! =)

[Veronica]

Oh, BTW - I love your sig line. The Little Prince is my absolute favorite book. "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye". <~~that one refers to the skinny me :)

I've never read The Little Prince. I only had two of years of French in high school and it was a third year reading. And we didn't read it in my college French classes either. Now, I'd have to get it in English. :rolleyes:

I found the quotation on a website and just really liked it, both personally and professionally.


I'm glad you spelled your name out phonetically. I was reading it in my head as Pet'ra.

V.

[Lise]

Congratulations, V! What a great trip to look forward to. Of course Kona is where the Big Triathlon happens. I am so anticipating your adventure report! :D

[Jo-n-NY]

That sounds great Veronica. Tony and I were there in Feb and road 20 miles of that stretch of road was my first outdoor ride after my cycling fall. You are so right, the roads are wonderful. Does that road go around the whole island or to do that amount of distance its a there and back?

~ JoAnn

[Adventure Girl]

Thom thought it would be a good idea to do a practice 600K around the Big Island. I actually have to go 1.5 times around it.Other people on vacation say, "I'm going to ride around the island."
V on vacation says, "I'm going to ride AROUND the island!":eek:

[Veronica]

The trip is coming up soon. That's why Thom is working so many weekends lately, so he can go and not worry about work. I'm targeting Christmas Eve and Day for the ride. Hopefully Thom will take some pictures. I'm looking forward to it being sunny and warm. :)

V.

[Bikingmomof3]

Yay V! I am so happy for both of you. What an awesome birthday gift. :cool: I cannot wait to hear about all your wonderful adventures. :)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Are you taking one of your bikes? Which one, and how are you going to transport it?
Sounds like a huge amount of fun!!!

[Veronica]

The Legolas - now named Honu. We have a case that will hold two bikes. It's what Cindy and I used to go to Nova Scotia last summer. Thom is probably not bringing a bike though. Two will fit, but it's a bit of work.

V.

[SandyLS]

We leave for Hawaii on Dec. 21. We are taking the four teenage grandkids with us this time and letting their Mom and Dad tag along too. Two nights on Oahu then two weeks with the kids on the BI. After two weeks (one week on Puna, the other in Kona) everyone goes home except hubby and I. He retired in July, so we are staying on the BI another 3 weeks, then going to Mokokai for a week so I can do the mule ride. We are not taking bikes with us. Transporting them seems so expensive, especially since we are making several inner island flights, and hubby's Goldrush is cumbersome to transport anywhere. We think we might try to find a couple of cheap Walmart bikes to use while we are there, just for bumming around and getting in a bit of saddle time. I know those bikes will make me thankful for my beautiful Bianchi when we get home in Feb.
Veronica, I can't think of a more beautiful place to celebrate a birthday. Honu is a great name for your bike. Have you ever had the chance to swim with them? They are so graceful. One of the homes we are renting is in Kapaho. We have counted as many as 30 of them some mornings while swimming in Champagne pond. Do you have a copy of The Big Island Reveled? It is the best guide book I know of about the island. Have a great trip.
Sandy

[Veronica]

We have a bunch of the Wizard pub books. They are a great read. Thom works for Lonely Planet and their book is not nearly as good. It actually sounds they are trying to dissuade you from going to see the lava.

Sounds like you'll be on the BI the same time we are. If you see a crazy chick riding a red bike, on Christmas Eve/Day that will be me. :p

V.

[SandyLS]

Have a safe ride, Veronica. I'll be watching for you and give you a holler if I see you.

[SandyLS]

Hi Veronica,
How was your ride around the Big Island? How about a report? Every time I saw a red bike I had to look to see if it was someone that might have been you. I found one gal on a red bike, but that was on Oahu and I know you weren't going there. I fully planned on stopping every woman I saw on a nice red bike on the B.I. and asking her if her name was Veronica, but the closest I came was seeing a large black man on a red bike.
We had a wonderful six weeks in Hawaii. It was sure hard to come home to sub-zero temps. this week!
Sandy

[Veronica]

I had knee issues after the climb to Volcano and stopped in Hilo - 120 miles into the ride. I had hoped to ride some more when we relocated to Volcano from the coast. But we cut our trip short when burglars attempted to rob us a second time, Dec. 27. I was hoping we could hook up when we moved to Volcano. But...C'est la vie.

I wrote about the ride in the Christmas Eve thread I think.

Six weeks in Hawaii! I would love that!

V.

[SandyLS]

Sorry to hear about your knee issues. There were several tours climbing that mountian around volcano when we dove by in the car. They were all working very hard. Looked like challanging climbs. I'm afraid I would have been doing a lot of walking. The high winds did not help at all. As for the burglars, I guess bad guys are everywhere, even in paradise. I'm glad you were not harmed. Perhaps you'll just have to try the trip again for your 41st birthday. ;)
Sandy

[Veronica]

The burglars were here in California. :mad:

V.