NORTH TO THE SUNSET (BEACH, THAT IS)

It's always fun to go to the north shore, and today was no different.  We rented a car, an expensive proposition in Hawaii, and we bought the insurance because we didn't want to be painting the car in a parking lot with spray paint, as we did on one trip here.  So it ended up costing us $85 for one day.  And god forbid we didn't get it back by the time they closed or we might have had to pay another $25 to park it overnight.  On the good side, we only used three gallons of gas and drove the car all day.  

Our first stop was the Cafe Hale'iwa which is a funky little cafe with delicious food.  I think maybe they only serve breakfast.  

They had some interesting art, too.  

Our first beach stop was possibly the most fun, due mostly to Sunset Suzy and her two dogs.  

I noticed the dogs when we arrived, but didn't know who they were with.  But after we had been there for about a half hour, I saw them both trotting down the beach, looking out at the waves.  

Clearly, they could see their owner was getting ready to come in from surfing and they were going down to meet her.  Is this too cute for words?

We also went to Shark's Cove,

Pipeline, and Sunset Beach,

the latter where they were having a surf contest and we got to see the junior women's final heat.  I'm not sure this bus load of tourists even knew there was a contest.  

Our day was topped off by a visit to the Big Wave shrimp truck

and the Dole plantation for a Dole Whip.