A Drive Around the Island

Today’s plan was to drive around the island.  This was really the first time that we had the whole day free.  We were a little bummed starting out though.  We were so excited to find out that the Triple Crown of Surfing was being held at the North Shore December 8 – 20.  As strange as it sounds, this has always been a dream of mine to watch the surfers at the Banzai Pipeline, and to find out that it was the final of three events was going on while we were here was like hitting the jackpot.  I couldn’t even imagine watching all the famous surfers.  It’s like the Superbowl of surfing!!!  If your not familiar with surfing events, here’s a tough lesson to learn.  They don’t actually surf from December 8 – 20.  They surf when the waves are good during that time, until the competition is completed.  Because of the rough weather we have been having, the waves were great early on.  Long story short, the finals were held yesterday and a new champion was crowned.  There was not one surfer in site today when we drove by the North Shore.  Oh well, there’s always next year.

First stop this morning was to again join the 22,000+ people picking up their official marathon certificates.  I guess it’s official.

Driving out towards the North Shore, we were treated to a double rainbow.

Next stop was the Waialua Coffee Company.  We got lucky and got a private tour of how they make coffee.

We even learned how to tell if the coffee bean flowers are good.  It’s all in the smell.

On the outskirts of Waialua is the beach house that Scott’s family had when he was growing up.  Due to the big “no trespassing” sign in the front yard, we had to park a few blocks away and walk through someone else’s side yard to get to the beach.

The key is blend in and look like you belong there.  Yeah, good luck with that where Scott and Nick are concerned.

Based on suggestions from many different friends, we were obligated to check out the glider rides.  The boys were totally up for this adventure.

After filling out the forms, which basically stated that if anyone dies, we can’t sue the glider company, the boys were strategically placed in the glider plane. 

Then the glider pilot explained what was going to happen with the second airplane pulling them up into the air and then releasing them to “glide” back down.  This was about the time Nick put together why he had to sign a disclaimer.

And they were off….

Just about the time that lead plane let go, the clouds broke and they were able to see all up and down the coast line.

Just in case you were wondering, everyone made it back to the ground safely.

The boys decided that after that adventure they needed a shaved ice from the famous Matsumoto grocery store.  Since Scott was taking the picture, this guy agreed to step in and be a placeholder.  Just kidding. 

There was no sharing of the shaved ice.  It was every man for himself.

Scott pulled off at Waimea Bay so that we could enjoy some time sitting on the beach.  He also knew of this spot because as a kid he and his friends would climb the rocks and jump off.  It didn’t take long for Scott and Nick to get in line for the popular pastime.  (I am pretty sure that Scott pushed a few of the kids out of the way to get to the front of the line.)

First up was Scott…

Not to be outdone, Nick added a little flair to his jump.

After one jump each, the boys decided to just walk up and down the beach and look cool.

Last stop was the Makapu’u pullout.  This is a great whale watching point.  Unfortunately there were no whales today.  They probably heard the surfing competition ended yesterday and decided to go home!

For dinner tonight we went to the restaurant in our hotel.  We have not ate at this restaurant before and were quite surprised to find out that you literally have to cook your own dinner.  It was really interesting.  The waiter sits you, gives you a regular looking menu, and takes your order.  Scott and Nick ordered teriyaki chicken and Scotty and I ordered the rib eye steak.  Imagine our surprise when the waiter came back shortly with our dinner, only it was completely raw.  You have to go over to the grill area of the restaurant and cook it yourself.

What a great idea!  We paid regular price for our dinner, yet we did all the work.  If I ever open a restaurant, I am totally going to do this!  Low overhead, due to not having to employ any cooks, but a fun adventure for the guests.  Actually, we all agreed that this was one of the best meals we have had so far on the trip.

We are halfway through our vacation and we are having a blast!