The town of Hale'iwa (Hallay-eeva) reminds me of a commune for surfers. As we walked into the little shops I was struck by the fact that most of the workers were not native Hawaiians. I'm sure they work enough hours to pay the rent and then surf the big waves of the North Shore, much like the ski bums in Colorado, who give lessons and then ski all day.
Our first stop was the wonderful Clark Little Gallery. If you haven't heard of Clark, you need to check out his website, www.ClarkLittle.com . He is a photographer who specializes in waves. Yes, waves. I know you're thinking that sounds strange, but if you see his photographs you will understand how unpredictable and beautiful they can be. The colors of the sand, silt, and sun reflected through the water make for amazing keepsakes. The photos are not easy to take and Clark has (according to the woman working in the gallery) separated his shoulder when a big wave slammed him into the sand.
I would guess it takes about 500 shots to get the one you really want, as most money shots are lucky.
In any event, Jonna and I kept saying, "ooo, look at THIS one!" over and over as we walked through the gallery. I'm sure we will be going back!
You know that vacations involve souvenir-gathering. So I set off with Jonna to find some cool surfer shirts at the surf shops. Well....as I said above, these little towns remind me of communes in Colorado, and boy was I right. Every single shop had shirts that glorified the mighty cannabis leaf...yes, juju weed, marijuana. Bob Marley featured on a few as well, despite the fact that he's not Hawaiian, and I also saw one of Che Guevara...not sure of the weed link there, but I'm sure he would approve of the Hale'iwa lifestyle. They also boasted beautiful blown glass...bongs and pipes!!
Seeing the weed shirts made us hungry (hahaha) so we decided to take a food break at Luibueno's, a Mexican restaurant. Those who truly know me understand that I could eat Mexican food 24 hours a day without tiring of it, and with that I am a skeptic when I see a restaurant like this in Hawaii.
The food was amazing! We shared some chicken quesadillas that both of us couldn't finish, delicious rice, and the best refried beans I've ever had...not sure how they prepare them differently but they were scrumptious. One of the best parts of Luibueno's was what I spied on the tele over the bar...Manchester United playing Chelski in the Champions League semi-final (played several weeks ago)!!!!! So Luibueno's was a two-thumbs up for Jonna and me.
We drove around the corner and parked next to the water so we could find some other surf shops (and hopefully no weed-themed shirts). We parked next to a small inlet that had an interesting bridge over it. I didn't take a pic, but Wichitans will know exactly what it looks like...the John Mack Bridge that spans the Arkansas on Broadway.
Across the street was Volcom Surf Shop and we were met by a very friendly clerk who told us we could unfold all the t-shirts we wanted, because it was a slow day and she needed something to do...so we obliged! How wonderful that I did find some cool surf shirts there that didn't look like some druggie would wear it!
We walked around the corner and found a shop that had painted coconuts sitting on a table outside...with painted on mailing labels...yes, you can mail a painted coconut to your loved ones! hehe I passed on that one.
We drove down Kamehameha Highway, which parallels the coast and made a stop at Turtle Beach. Giant sea turtles hover around the beach in the water, and so we took off our flips and walked in the deep sand to get a closer look. You have to watch closely because you will see their heads bob up and down and then a flash of fin every once in a while. I was hoping one would come ashore so I could get a better pic, but they wouldn't oblige. So, I took pics of waves and people instead.
Turtle Beach
North Shore surf at Turtle Beach
Turtle Beach looking back toward the mountains
Jonna
Not sure what this guy is going to do when the waves get bigger...
We continued down the coast to Waimea Bay. I'm sure you've heard of this place even if you're not a surfer. Home to the famed Pipeline, in November and December the best of the world's surfers ply their trade on the Pacific waters. Water is the most powerful thing in the world (outside a nuclear bomb), and standing in the surf you can feel that power. I can't imagine being atop a 30-footer on a skinny board with nothing between me and death but good balance.
Right now the waves are for beginners, but even so the parking lots are full and there is no room along the highway, as the future surfers learn their craft.On those cars you will see bumper stickers that say, "Eddie Would Go," marking a story about a surfer who would venture into the dangerous waters to help a friend.
Jonna and I didn't hang ten, but turned around to head back to Hale'iwa and Matsumoto's.
M. Matsumoto Grocery Store is famed on the North Shore for its shaved ice (or the ungrammatically correct "shave ice"). After walking the beach and driving the coast, we decided to join the other 1,000 people craving the sweet coldness. Jonna gave me a rundown of her faves and we settled on "The Hawaiian," which is a rainbow concoction of banana, pineapple, and coconut flavors. We ordered smalls and paid the extra 25 cents to get them in a red thingy-ma-jig that prevents sloppy eating. Yummmmmmmmmmy is all I can say. The coconut was a bit overpowering but it tasted so good! For two it was only 5 dollars, but even then you can probably surmise that M. Matsumoto has a nice house in Hale'iwa!
You can't see the throng waiting to eat...
Yummmmmmmmmmmm!
I'm so jealous! I want to come hang out with you two!!!
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