Sitting now in grey Seattle, Hawaii - as these things go - is beginning to seem like a dream. So I figured I should write a short review before as with dreams it is forgotten.

A big attraction of Hawaii for us has always been the amazing variety of ecosystems and things to experience within each one. This time around, Hawaii did not disappoint, as ecosystems can never disappoint. We did manage, though, to experience them just a little more fully. For the first time we went to the top of Mauna Kea, the white mountain. And for the first time we walked into the sea, with mask and snorkel or at least just peering through the glassy water, visiting the multicolored fish. Out to sea, we repeatedly spotted the Humpback whales, or at least their spouting and breaching.

On the cultural side, we ate and enjoyed poi and haupia, observed a hula lesson, and got a brief ukulele lesson. We found a real, not tourist, lumberyard selling KOA and Mango woods, and talked to an old lady making designs on tapa. We came to understand the impact of the final demise of the sugar industry, and had a deeper look at the diversity of people that results from the immigration waves from countries as diverse as Portugal and Philippines. We even learned more about the Mexican cowboy (paniolo) culture of Waimea and the Parker Ranch.

As tourists, we found the Natural Energy Lab, Seahorse Farm, and Onizuka Space Center, and learned about the previously unknown to us north western archipelago of Hawaii at the centre in Hilo. And we found the Painted Church, near Captain Cook.

With these things and more, it turned out not to be just another spin around something we had done before. And no doubt lots of other new experiences are left over for any time we might do it yet again. (Though do not hold your breath for old Grampies swinging through the jungle on zip lines or donning parkas to scale Mauna Loa!).

On the other hand, our official reason for going to Hawaii was to cycle as much as possible, and in so doing to fend off loss of condition and gain in weight that comes from sitting around in the northern rain. Well we did cycle as much as possible, logging over 1000 km - much more than last time and remarkable for an itinerary that Google Maps gives as 466 km if done as efficiently as possible. But strangely we do not feel all that much more fit than before leaving, and we think we gained weight. This is a mystery that we are trying to pin on the poor quality of readily available or affordable food.

The really final test of the value or enjoyment of the trip is in the quality of the cycling. Quite aside from the terrain, natural surroundings, or road conditions, cycling quality is usually dictated to us by the automobiles. We had fantasized that the remote island of Hawaii might offer some freedom from the overwhelming dominance of the motor vehicle in America. But not so. There is a constant flow of vehicles all around the Island, and not just in the main Kona to Hilo west Hawaii corridor. The flow is comprised of locals in ragged pickups, who have little regard for speed limits or roadway caution, let alone cyclists in the way; dopey tourists in rented jeeps; and heavy trucks engaged in an endless cycle of moving dirt, dirt moving equipment, cement, or water around and around the island.

To be fair, there were places where road shoulders were extremely good, separating us well from the traffic (notably on the Hawi to Kona Ironman stretch), and there were a few quiet local roads, notably in Puna. But very very few people who live on Hawaii bother to have bicycles, because there is so little good space to ride them. With the wonderful weather and both flat and hilly terrain, if they would build the bike infrastructure, locals and foreigners could revel in it. But cycling is just not in the culture here, not enough to invest seriously in bikeways or too many bike lanes or signs.

What does it all mean? Overall, we loved it. But for a Winter cycling destination we will look next to Spain, or Cuba, or maybe Thailand. These places will have their own ecological, cultural, and cycling landscapes to discover for better or worse. That is, the adventure continues, but for now:

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(Stay tuned for the story on Costs and of course Hits).