Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Hard times

« on: September 21, 2010, 11:13:09 pm »

We are also being very frugal.  It is amazing the great used gear that you can find at the Goodwill, St. Vinnies or on Craigslist and garage sales.  Plan early, and allow time to shop for the bargain and it really helps. Our bikes are great investments to physical and mental health, and worth every penny we spend to maintain them. We even have studded snow tires for our bikes and can enjoy them all winter (pretty harsh in the mountains of WA state!) Being able to take a trip to Hawaii and depend our bikes for transportation sure beats renting a car and will be much less expensive and a great way to get around the island rain or shine!

2

Alaska/Hawaii / Re: 2011 Hawaii

« on: September 21, 2010, 11:04:40 pm »

The Big Island was our #2 choice, I expect it will be a lovely vacation for you!  The travel case we found on Craigslist for $40, a steal with a retail value of $300-400.   Combine that with a $75 baggage fee and it is less expensive to travel with our bikes than rent them.  Plus, we know/like our bikes & what they are capable of- they are lightweight.  The rental shops on Kauai all had Kona's which are pretty heavy compared to the Specialized bikes that we own. My boyfriend is 6'3" and has a 29 inch bike, hard to find in a rental.  I am very excited about this trip, it will be the first time to Hawaii for both of us and we are so thrilled that we can bike instead of having to rent a car- that's a cost savings in itself- traveling on a budget! Our next obstacle is food- I've heard that Hawaii is quite expensive, so we are trying to stock up on healthy snacks (love dehydrated mangos!)and figure out a way to cook fresh seafood and veggies.  Perhaps packing a Jetboil system & a hotplate?  Any ideas?

3

Alaska/Hawaii / Re: 2011 Hawaii

« on: September 20, 2010, 11:35:24 pm »

We are going to Kauai in Feb, 2011 and taking our mountain bikes.   I have found a bike cargo case on Craigslist and we are able to borrow another one from our friendly bike shop (thank you Fred @ Recycle Shop in Ellensburg, WA!).  We have been learning a lot about shipping bikes and how important that travel case will be! Also packing extra tires/tubes as we aren't sure if we will be traveling on volcanic rock or sand, but how much worse can it be than the basalt of Eastern WA?  My boyfriend's bike is a 29" and hard to fit in a case, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Has anyone else biked Kauai?  I am anticipating lots of rain in February, but we will have a great time rain or shine.  Have a great day and enjoy the ride!