Pinch Me Moment #248

June 10, 2016

You don’t have to bike tour very long before you have a “pinch me” moment — a moment when your senses are so overwhelmed by beauty, you have trouble convincing yourself it’s not a dream. Make traveling by bike part of your lifestyle ... and you’ll soon rack up more “pinch me” moments than you can count.

This particular moment is brought to you by the Big Island of Hawaii. In my mind, Hawaii was just a collection of over-priced, heavily-touristed islands to be avoided. Wow. Was I wrong. There are great roads, friendly people, stunning beaches, and enough “pinch me” moments to fill your panniers.

This view is from our tent site at a Lauphoehoe Beach Park. There was no one else there. Wait. There was a local fishing down by the rocks.

We awoke to the sound of crashing waves, the smell of salty ocean air, and the intense yellow-orange light of sunrise. All we needed was a cup of coffee. I fired up the camp stove and 15 minutes later, we were in caffeinated bliss.

One of the advantages of cycling around this island is getting to watch an ocean sunrise from your campsite, and a week later, experiencing an ocean sunset.

Check out the feature about cycling around the Big Island in the July issue of Adventure Cyclist magazine.

Photos by Willie Weir and Kat Marriner

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SIGHTS AND SOUNDS is posted every other Friday.

Willie Weir is a contributor for Adventure Cyclist magazine. His books, Travels with Willie and Spokesongs, will inspire you to hit the road and might change the way you approach bicycle travel. He lives in Seattle with his wife Kat. You can also find him at WillieWeir.com, Facebook, and Instagram.