Except for a puncture on John’s back tire today, we had a really good ride this Martin Luther King 2011 holiday. I wish we could launch earlier, between 6-8 a.m., but it’s not to be. Besides, I note that people ride all day long, so why not us? We had some wind today, but not that much. There was considerable traffic, and we had to pass other riders to maintain our momentum.
The puncture came relatively early and right as we entered Aina Haina, no doubt from the debris and grit on Kalanianaole Highway. Whenever John yells at me I always wonder, “UGH! NOW WHAT?” I might have just gotten nearly killed, or too close to a jogger, or pushed over an old person using a walker (NOT. JOKE!). This time it was because of his puncture. We stopped at a bus stop in the shade and John was pleased to have found a shard of glass through the tire and into the tube. He changed out his tube, pumped it up and we were soon on our way. The old tube was tucked into a pocket for repair.
Bad weather tends to cause the propagation of potholes, and John hit two very nasty ones on Hawaii Kai Drive. Knowing that our newly elected leader Mayor Peter Carlisle has to drive along the same route on his way from Carlisle Hale to Honolulu Hale, I hope he takes note. And while he’s at it, my own street hasn’t been paved in 50 years. We’re due. I’ve got a whole lot of Honolulu Fire and Honolulu Police department members, active and retirees, on my street. How about a nod?! I digress.
We made our way to Diamond Head, which is a natural turn-around point for us, and as we were taking pictures I noticed the Dixie Grill Lunch Wagon at one of the lookouts. Andrew confirmed it was his first day there. His offerings included a pulled pork sandwich for $6, beef brisket sandwich for $7 and a mixed plate for $9. We got the beef brisket sandwiches with slaw. They were great and they obliterated most of my exercise points I’m sure, but hey, working out and riding is all part of making the rest of life fun! John and I worked hard today on our ride, so eating ono BBQ fit well with that ideal.
At the moment Garmin Connect is down and so I’m waiting to upload my stats for the ride. I’m pretty sure we moved at a fine clip. I love working hard, knowing the results are right there on Garmin to show I’m no slacker.
Lavagal 
I want more brisket.