More Hawaii

Alas, I only went paddle boarding once, but I did manage to make a trip out to the beach for some swimming. Most of the time, I was busy seeing the reflection of my goggles and thinking I saw a flash of shark or when my hand passed next to my body that I might be reaching a nude colored jellyfish. Needless to say, my swim workout was pretty pathetic, but that's normal. I'm still proud of myself for attempting a workout in the ocean. Unfortunately, my only normal advantage to open water swimming is the extra hydration I get from the unplanned gulps of water and sea water saps even that sad leg up on other swimmers. I tried to make up for it with a Tabata Something Else in the surf. It didn't make up for being a bad swimmer, but any workout on the beach in Hawaii just before sunset is a good one.
Speaking of sunsets, Friday ended early enough to catch one last glimpse late afternoon and evening. I drove up to the North Shore. Now, an important thing to know about Hawaii is that driving is utterly miserable. Since I spent a few years driving Northern Virginia rush hours and now ride sometimes stylishly and sometimes on a bus through hideous Korean traffic, I now consider myself an expert at judging traffic. Please note that I refer to Hawaiian traffic as miserable - not terribly dangerous. The speed limits are slow to begin with and the Aloha culture means that no one is in a hurry so why not drive 10 miles under the speed limit and hang out in more than one lane. Then at rush hour(s) which run from about three and a half hours in the morning and again in the afternoon, Honolulu comes to a standstill. I braved the beginning of the madness and started on my trek out to the North side of the island. On the way up, I stopped briefly at the Dole Plantation.  I was disappointed to find my suspicions were correct - it was a major tourist trap with lots of sloppy dressed people checking off "authentic Hawaiian experiences" like eating pineapple ice cream off their bucket lists. I plowed on, by now I'd left traffic behind and made my way to the beaches of the North Shore. I stopped for a while to feel the tide roll in at Banzai pipeline. A few surfers were enjoying the last hour of sunlight (prime shark munching time) and made me nervous by coming too near large rocks in the surf. Rain began to fall - again- so I meandered a little further up to Sunset Beach and almost to Turtle Bay. Then I enjoyed the true sunset from several different beaches as I started back in search of dinner. Truly, sunset on the North Shore was magnificent. The sun was a bright neon orange, slipping behind foggy clouds only to slip out for one last frame before slipping below the horizon. Meanwhile, the sky held a full palette of pastels to even out the shock of the sunset. The whole time I was driving or stopping to watch the sunset, I noticed locals and more relaxed (real) tourists alike wandering toward the beach, some with lawn chairs, some with wine, settling in to enjoy an incredible show - what a treat to have guaranteed Primetime every evening outside your doorstep instead of on the TV!
And I've stayed up past my bedtime, so photos and news of Australia and possibly Korean driving will come sooner rather than later!