Kona, Kona, Kona, Tuesday...

So when you go to Hawaii, (or at least when I go to Hawaii) I'm all about the beaches, the surf, the ocean, and the sunset. Tuesday was BEACH DAY, Baby. We were determined to find one of the beaches we had read about, the problem was, you had to walk about 2 miles through lava rock and an extremely rough road to get to the slice of paradise I had read and longed about.

Tuesday morning: get in rented Altima. John and Bill in front.

Kris and Stef in back.

Drive and drive and drive by lava fields, quaint little towns,

the Kona Temple,

and through extremely winding roads. Need water and snacks. Stop at a humid, muggy, nasty little Hawaiian store for over priced water, Big Hunk candy bars, coconut candy, and dried Ahi tuna jerky. Realize we need breakfast as well. Go across street to Rebel Kitchen Cafe and eat yummy breakfast burritoes. Resume driving. Realize we are miles away from the slice of paradise I so longed to be at.

Stop the car. Take pictures.

Get back in car and retrace route of quaint little towns, extremely windy roads, and lots of lava fields. Realize that the slice of heaven we are looking for is less than 5 miles from our condo... hmmm. Decide we will go to public beach since it is now noon and we will leave the hike for tomorrow's adventure.

For so long I have wanted a picture of my toes in the sand with the beach in the background!

Lots and lots and lots of sand to clean out of our swimsuits for a couple of days! Yessss!
"Just hoping that the tide doesn't hit my chair..."
(The Zack Brown Band totally ROCKS.)

Gorgeous beach with clear, light blue water that was so salty it literally made your nose run like a momma who had injected saline into her baby's stuffy nose to break up the congestion.
(Am I the only momma who ever did that???)
Pretty salty.

We were full and happy with our Costco spinach salads, yummy baguette, diet Cokes all around, and shrimp cocktails. Probably my most favorite meal of the trip!

Then it came.
That long awaited for-haven't seen it since Mexico 8 years ago-nostalgic feeling of a beach
SUNSET!
So.Awesome.

John and Stefanie enjoyed it too so I took their picture like the creepy stalker that I am when I have a camera!

Some of the locals (or "natives" as I called them...) enjoying the sunset before acting all crazy again by running into the surf from the shore, with their boogey boards, to catch a wave and surf it in or skim the wave in. They were nuts!

Just another day in paradise!