On Bicycles, and.... what else is there?

When Cara said she wanted to go on a vacation I asked her where she wanted to go. Hawaii, she suggested. Hawaii. I'd only been there once: to Oahu for a conference in Waikiki. Nice riding on Oahu, but I knew we'd not be going to Oahu this time. There was only one island which could be on this agenda. Maui. Why? One word: Haleakala. Ever since reading the description in John Summerson's book, I knew I had to go. In the rankings, only three climbs in the United States have a rating exceeding 6: Mount Washington Auto Road in New Hampshire (6.45), Mauna Kea on the epinonymous island of Hawaii (6.33), and Haleakala (6.13). Of these, two have bike races. Of these two, only Haleakala is open to general bike traffic. Mauna Kea (and nearby Mauna Loa, rated 5.26) aren't paved to their summits. So of the four, the clear choice is Haleakala. There are several ways to approach Haleakala. After all, the entire eastern half of Maui sits on the mountain, which rises fr...