Category Archives: Activities

2017 Ironman World Championship

The leaders in the 2017 Ironman World Championship approach Hawi.Bike pedals at 2017 Ironman World Championship.Lionel Sanders competes in the 2017 Ironman World Championship.Bentley Walker competes in the 2017 Ironman World Championship.

Yesterday was the Ironman World Championship race on the island. The race, comprising of a 2 mile swim, a 110 mile bike ride, and a running marathon, starts and ends in Kailua Kona. I usually check in with the race in the vicinity of the bike leg turnaround at Hawi.

Top: The race leaders head up the hill toward the turnaround, accompanied by support vehicles, race marshals, and cameramen.

Second photo: Pumping the pedals is hard work, but can be colorful.

Third photo: Lionel Sanders of Canada led the race at this point, but lost the lead before he got back to this spot on the return journey. However, he retook the lead later and only lost it a couple of miles from the marathon finish, to Patrick Lange of Germany.

Fourth photo: Bentley Walker of the United States digs deep approaching the turnaround at Hawi.

Bottom: Like Sanders, Lucy Charles of Great Britain led the women’s race heading toward Hawi, but she, too, ultimately finished second, behind Daniela Ryf of Switzerland. Charles and Lauren Brandon of the United States were well clear of the rest of the women’s field at this point.

The leaders in the women's race in 2017 Ironman World Championship approach Hawi.

A stump-toed gecko goes for a ride

A Stump-toed gecko on a truck windshield.

For a recent hike, I got up at 4:15 a.m. in order to reach my destination when the gates opened at 6 a.m. I was about 10 minutes into the hour-long drive when I noticed something on the windshield. At first I thought it was a leaf that had lodged itself in the windshield wiper. But then I recognized that it was a gecko.

This isn’t an unusual event. Many times, I’ve been driving in daylight and seen a gecko emerge from under the hood, looking a bit stunned, and flapping in the breeze. In these circumstances, if I were a good person, I’d stop the vehicle, get out, and usher the gecko to safety. The problem is that, for the gecko, safety is usually back under the hood. That means, when I drive off again, I’m likely to see the gecko back on the windshield five minutes later. An hour’s drive could take two.

Sometimes the gecko will head back under the hood or shelter behind a wing mirror. In this case, the gecko hung on where it was. When I stopped at junctions and once, for a longer period, at a traffic light, the gecko stayed put. It says something to the amazing stickability of geckos that I’ve never once seen one flying off into space.

When I reached my destination, it was still there. I got out and took this photo. I’m pretty sure it’s a stump-toed gecko, which is nocturnal. It could also be described as a stunned gecko.

When I returned from my hike, a few hours later, the gecko was gone. It might have jumped off or gone back under the hood. Either way, it did not reappear during the drive home.

 

View from Pu’u Wa’awa’a bench

This bench is one of two on the summit of Puu Waawaa, and this is the view looking north toward the coast and the Kohala mountains.

Benches are the friend of pedestrians everywhere. One nice feature of the hike up Pu’u Wa’awa’a is that there are several benches where one can not only rest, but also enjoy spectacular views – if the weather cooperates. This bench is one of two on the summit and this is the view looking north toward the coast and the Kohala mountains.

Hawksbill turtle

A Hawksbill turtle swims in the waters off the Big Island of Hawaii.

Returning from a long swim, I spotted this turtle cruising along beneath me. I turned to follow it, usually the cue for a turtle to glide away, leaving me in its wake. But this one circled around and went back and forth in the same area for a while.

At first I assumed it was a green turtle, which are most commonly seen around here, but I realized that this one looked a bit different. The bill seemed more pointed and the edge of its shell was serrated. I thought it might be a hawksbill turtle, which are seldom seen here.

When I got home and checked my book it confirmed that the turtle was a hawksbill, which is the first I’ve seen.

Upolu sunrise

Sunrise at Upolu on the Big Island of Hawaii

In keeping with my rigorous commitment to staying abreast of current events, it was only on the day before the event that I realized this week’s eclipse of the sun would be visible in Hawaii. Despite it being only be a partial eclipse here, I thought I should make the effort to check it out.

The first issue I had was that I had neither proper viewing glasses, nor the correct filters for my camera. But I thought that, since the eclipse would already be underway at sunrise, I might be able to get a decent photo or two at that moment.

I set my alarm and, when it went off at 5:15 on the big day, I got up and headed out. It was a promising, clear sky morning as I drove to Upolu Point, the northernmost tip of the Big Island. I parked my car and walked up a grassy slope to the headland which I thought would be a good spot for photos. That’s where I saw a band of clouds on the horizon. Maybe it would break up. Maybe it would blow over. Maybe a gap in the clouds would magically appear.

None of those things happened. This was the scene right around sunrise. The sun was eclipsed by the moon, but they were both eclipsed by the clouds. A while later the sun broke free, but by then it was too late for me, with my gear, to get an image. Still, it was a beautiful morning for a walk and not too late to head home for coffee.