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destructive hurricane. Kaua i is as beautiful as ever. . And don't forget, there are plenty of other things to do in Kauai, just in case the wife, the husband or kids don 't want to ri de . While yo u're o ut ro osting a ro u nd in the ra in forest s, there a re many other activities available on Kauai, such as kaya king, bicycling, heli copte r rides, river boat tours, hiking... But none of these activities come close to matching the d ual sport tour. And the price isn't bad at all, especially when you compare it to the cost of taking a helicopter tou r, a po pular tourist attraction in Kauai . A half-hour rid e in a whirly bird will cos t you an ywhere from $80 to over $100. Overall, the tour we took could've been easily handled by a novice-skilled rider. As far as riding double, a more experienced rider could've handled a passenger without too much problem, as Phil and Theresa proved on the first day. There we re only a few short technical sections that Phil skipped and joined up with us a little ways down the trail. Even the second da y was do-able two- . othe r as we slipped and slid our way up and d ow n the hills. It was a complete blast. We soon reach ed our desti na tio n : Kalalau Lookout. At app roxima tely 4000 feet, we were at the highest point on the island and overlooking the ru gged an d isolated Na Pali Coastline. We go t a brief view of the Pacific Ocean below us before la rge pu ffy clouds blew in and everything turned to white. As the su n sank in the west, we basica lly ba cked-tracked our way to th e Kaumuau i H ighway that skirted th e so uthe rn coastli ne and h igh-tailed it back home. My day was d one after we got back to the shop abo ut 7:30 p .m., but Ovela n d , Ra thbone, Greg ory and Van Gieson imm ed iately began washing off the bikes and p re p pi ng th em for the next day's ride. 24 That time-consuming thing called "work" prevented Gregory and Shepard from joining us on the second day, and a more techni cal trail planned for th e da y prevented Theresa from go in g along, bu t that was okay with her, as she ha d ha d enough of the XR's thin seat. Oveland, Rathbone, Van Giesen and m yse lf lef t the shop abo ut 10:00 a.m . and headed inland to Blue Hole - "The Crater of a Thousand Wate rfalls." We rod e as close as we could to the base of on e sec ti on of the tall waterfalls and stopped for a whil e to soak in the sigh t. We headed back to Kapaa, turned north and rode on a dirt road along the beach . Once ag ain , we veere d off th e two-tra ck dirt road and followed a super-tight and narrow (thankfully dry) trail, a section that is used in the Kaua i Hare & Hound race. It was tough but fun, and since there was no checke red flag at the end of the trail , we cruised along at a comfortable pace. After stopping for lunch at a small but quaint burger stand, we turned north on the Kuhio Highway and followed it for about 20 miles to where it ends a t the Haena Sta te Park on the north ern tip of the Island. Here, you can park your bike, change into your swimsuit and relax on Kee Beach if you want; or hike up the rocks a short ways to the base of a hu ge cliff, where down below, angry waves crash against the rocks. This, in my opinion, has to be one of the most scenic places on the island. By now it was midafternoon and we tu rn ed ar ound for home, but we still had one obstacle left to ride : The Powerline Trail. " We' ll save the bes t for last," said Oveland with a sly grin on his face. Ever si nce we go t to Kauai, I kept hearing abou t this "Powerline Trail." I was getting worried. "Remember the slick mud yesterday? Well; the Powerline Trail makes that look like pavement," said Oveland. "But we don't ha ve to do it if yo u don't (Above lelt) What' s a dual spo rt rid e without a creek.••er river crossin g? We rode through a few but none of them were too difficu lt. (Abo ve) Here we stopped for a rest next to a small waterfall where Oveland and some of the locals came to bathe alter Hurricane Inikl demolished th e Island In 1992. (Rig ht) Mike Gregory negotiates one of the many " side" trails along o ur route on the south side of the Island, where it can get quite hot. Obviously. It rains little here . want ." I wilted to peer pressure. The Powerline Trail was basically a 13-mile "shortcut" back to Wai pouli. Simply put, it's a m u d d ed -o u t and super-slick two-track road that would offend a pig . I mean: it was slimy and gooey, but it was ridable, except for the two mud holes tha t required the use of the buddy sys tem to get each of the big bikes thr ou gh . Riding over the Powerline Trail required precise throttle control , careful line-choosing and delicate braking, bu t once you get th ese three techniques dialed, well, it wasn ' t all that bad. In fac t, I'd do it aga in in a flash. Don't wo rry though, th e Powerline Trail will only be used at the trail master's d iscretion, taking into account the rider's ability, weather conditions and just plain whether or not anyone on the tour wants to chalIenge it. We racked up approx imatel y 110 miles on the second day and, according to Oveland, we "just saw a small fraction of what the island has to offer. The three- or four-day tour wo uld be ideal. That way you'd ge t the chance to see more places an d spend more time enjoying the views. " If this so unds like something you'd like to do, now is the time to d o it. Kaua i is beginning to rebound from Hurricane Iniki, w hich basica ll y fla t te ned the island in September of 1992. As a result, the tourism indu stry in Kaua i ha s dropped way off and is just no w showing signs of returning to the da ys of old . In o the r words, p ric es for hotels and meals - for the time being - are down sligh tly, and the island isn't crawling wi th tou rists . Only a keen eye can spot tell-tale signs of damage caused by the up, except for the tight trail alo ng the beach and the Powerline Trail, but there are alternate routes. So, if you're trying to d ecid e where to go for your next well-deserved vacation, and you don't wa nt to leave your helmet behind, you might want to check out Two Wheels Dual Sport Ad ventures Tours. After all, what could be better than riding d ual spo rt bikes on Haw aii? Two Wheels Dual Sport Adv entures 4555 Pouli Road Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii, 96746-1562 800-896-1230, 808/822-7283, FAX 808/822-0267 Travel Air International Atten: Gwen Gilleres 3-4301 Kuhio Highway Suite 204 Lihue, HI 96766 808/246-0532