Biking up to Kōkeʻe
This was something that I had talked about with my clinical instructor, Gregg. He had asked a couple times if he thought I could do it - if I could bike all the way to the end of Kōkeʻe Rd. I had driven up a couple times, and I knew it was a long, steep, winding road to the top. This morning, before the ride, I was giving myself lots of excuses to not go: “Too dangerous, not worth the risk,” or “What’s the point really? It’ll take a long time.” Even during the first few miles I was still at it: “Ah... my back kind of hurts. No shame in turning around now.”
Here’s what the trip looked like, courtesy of Google Maps:
Two roads lead up to Kōkeʻe; one comes from Kekaha (where I live) and the other comes from Waimea (where I work). As you can see, I started in Kekaha, went to the top, and came back down towards Waimea.
And here’s what the elevation gain was like one way (almost 2 miles):
The first half of the trip was a pretty grueling. The road just keeps going up, rarely giving you a break in the form sweet, sweet level road. Sometimes the grade was pretty steep, and I got off and walked my bike on several occasions. As I would say on the heavier inclines, “I’m dismountin’ for dis mountain!”
Because of how winding and narrow the road is, safety was of extra concern. So I fashioned a flag and wore a bright blue shirt to maximize visibility. The flag was MacGyvered out of a defunct fishing pole, a tattered bandana, and three zipties.
I packed a bunch of peanuts and a 1.5L bottle of water and headed out. A couple miles in I heard something in the distance that sounded like gunshots. I saw a figure down the road swinging something around. Turns out he was whipping his whip around. Actually, there were about 5 of them, just.... whipping away. I got closer I could feel the shockwave from the whip, and the sound was unforgettable. The video (as usual) does no justice for what my ears were experiencing. Naturally, I pulled over to ask the ring leader if I could film him.
You probably noticed that it wasn’t just whipping the same way over and over; these guys were practicing whip tricks. He was showing off a behind-the-back move afterwards. These were homemade whips. It’s one of those things where you realize, “Huh. Of course that’s a hobby.” Of their hobby, one whippersnapper explained that it was a good exercise and that it allowed them to vent.
I hopped back on Pam (bike’s name) after my newfound friends cheered me on and sent me off, unaware of how difficult the trek ahead would be. But you just keep pedaling. Maybe you dismount and walk for a few minutes, but you always get back on.
There’s something quite pleasant about doing something like this alone. It’s probably not as safe to go solo, but setting your own pace and spending time thinking while you’re on your bike is just great. Although I didn’t realize how encouraging it was for drivers passing by to gesture something motivating to me, like a shaka or a fist up.
After about 2 and a half hours of basically nonstop ascending, I had reached the end: The Puʻu O Kila lookout. A vibrant double rainbow appeared.
All that was left now was a rapid, downhill ride that I will not forget. It was exhilarating! I could feel all the potential energy from the first half being released - such a rush. I must have topped out around 40mph at least. Some sharp turns at the bottoms of hills required forceful braking. On the way down I remember thinking that the fastest trip would be “no breaks up, no brakes down.” Both are bad ideas.
And, eventually, it ended, emptying me out onto the highway - the same one I use to commute every weekday. And soon I was back home, alive. Took a shower, ate a bunch of food, did laundry, and proceeded to chill. Fun day.














