Slow b(ike) to Hilo

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/57042600s'
That was a shock, waking up to a gorgeous sunny day in rainy Volcano, Hawaii. After an amazing breakfast of bagels, fruit, Hawaiian sweet breads and some local lore from the very interesting local character serving breakfast at the Chalet Kilauea we got onto the highway and pointed our bikes (literally) down the hill to Hilo. 4000 ft down to sea level, don't think we actually turned a pedal all day. First stop, the Akatsuka orchid farm - gorgeous!
Lots of glass (shattered beer bottles, often the case on US roads) in the bike lane today. I got the first puncture about 15 kms into the ride. I guess my road bike tires aren't really tough enough for these roads, the outer tire was actually cut. A piece of cardboard inserted between the tube and the tire stopped the tire from bulging too badly after being repaired roadside but we decided not to do the side trip we had planned, and just head straight to a bike shop in Hilo and replace my tires. Tony, who was riding with us got his first puncture shortly after mine. That was repaired. Two kilometers down the road he flatted again, same tire. He came with us to the bike shop!
The bike shop in Hilo was great. I bought a pair of Specialized "armadillo plating" (not real armadillos) tires and put them on, am now feeling bullet-proof! Turned out the owner also has a small coffee farm (maybe everybody on Kona does??) and sells coffee beans "Biker's Brew" in the bike shop. Of course we bought some. Cathy, not to be outdone by me in the bike shopping department, bought a snazzy cycling top.