A Week in Paradise: Day 5

A Week in Paradise: Day 5

• 9.01.2011

Friday August 12, 2011:

Friday was our last day in Hawaii, and it was the best day too. I wish we would’ve done what we did that day sooner! When we went down to the office to pick up our rental car at 8:00AM, it wasn’t there. When we went back at 10:00AM, we drove away in a convertible mustang! We were livin’ large! It was sooo much fun! We sped down the highway with the sun on our faces and the wind in our hair. That day we toured the island on our own time and in our own way.

Proof that we were there with a convertible mustang.  Wahoo!

First, we made it to Bellows Beach. It’s the beach where my family used to go camping. It was my brother’s and my favorite beach because of the “big” waves. We spent many days booging boarding there and watching for sea turtles. Upon arriving at Bellows, Bron and I dropped our jaws. There was hardly another soul there! The sand was white and the water pristine. It was no wonder it was our favorite beach all those years ago. I romped in the waves and all I could think of was my brother. I wished he was there with me at that moment. Reliving the sights and feelings of that beach was so much fun for me!

Views of Bellows Beach

Doing a sexy "bay watch" run along the beach.  haha

(Apparently I have no shame.  My thighs are on the web for the world to see!)

Next, Bron and I went exploring for Kailua beach. That beach really does live up to its reputation. The water was calm and the colors just blew us away. The beach was a dream! We spent a couple of hours there swimming and snorkeling and just simply enjoying ourselves.

Kailua Beach

Going for a swim in paradise!

(P.S.  That swimshirt is a redhead's life saver!  Literally.)

We continued around the coast of the island and stopped at the world “famous” yellow Shrimp Shack for lunch. It was just a truck on the side of the road, but the food was delectable! We gorged ourselves on coconut shrimp and garlic butter shrimp.

Oceanside Food

We made a few more sight-seeing stops before coming upon giant sea turtles just “hanging loose” on the shore. There were six turtles. They didn’t do much more than lay there and raise a sleepy eyelid at us from time to time, but it was an awesome sight!

An awesome sea turtle just hanging out on the beach

By then it was late afternoon, a perfect time for a short hike. Bron and I walked a half mile to Waimea Falls. We went swimming! Bron loved the fresh water. The pool was sixty feet deep and cool. We played underneath the waterfall and relished in the novelty of being in Hawaii and swimming in a mountainside pool.

Waimea Falls

On the walk back down the trail, we took in the scenic mountainside; there were incredible native trees, strange plants, and beautiful flowers. 

I just couldn't get enough of those gorgeous plants and flowers!

We finished our day with snow cones at the beach in Haleiwa. Then we drove off into the sunset (to catch our red-eye flight home). There aren’t any words to describe how fun and beautiful a day it was. It was truly perfect!

Thank you, Bron, for taking me on this incredible adventure! I’m sure we will remember it for many years. I feel so incredibly lucky to have gone on a trip like this and to have you by my side the entire time.

And that folks, concludes our trip to Hawaii.  Thanks for reliving the adventure with us!