Oahu’s Wild Side

The North Shore of Oahu is definitely the wilder side of the island. It is far less-populated and less-developed than the south side of the island, which is where you’ll find the city of Honolulu.

I’m happy to report that the “lost” folder of images has been found. The image below is the first one I captured with my point-and-shoot camera. This beach is the one I refer to as “our beach” because it was only about a five-minute walk from the apartment we rented.

Our Beach on Oahu

I didn’t mention in my previous post just how ready I was for a vacation. Mike and I are blessed in so many ways, but life has presented some challenges of late. Our parents are aging and their health is declining. My Dad is worse off than my mother-in-law (MIL). He’s been dealing with side-effects of pelvic radiation he underwent about 13 years ago to treat prostate cancer. It, along with my mother’s death, has taken a toll on his mental health. Not only am I not sure how to help him, I’m not entirely convinced that he wants help. I mean, I’ve been able to spend some time with him and help address some of the issues, but we need to come up with a long-term solution. My brother has spent some time up there, too, but he lives even further away than we do.

The new job has also been challenging. There are some other family and friend issues I don’t really want to get into here. Just trust me when I say I’ve been quite stressed all year and REALLY needed a break from everything.

Mike on our beach.

The entire time we were in Hawaii, I blocked reality out of my brain. I refused to let my mind linger on any troubling thoughts. It wasn’t easy, but I did it, and it was sooooo refreshing. It did feel a little selfish, but I think I needed that mental break even more than the physical relaxation.

Patterns in the Sand

There was certainly enough visual interestingness to help keep me distracted.

Our first Hawaii sunset.

That first sunset was a little disappointing. It was beautiful, don’t get me wrong, it just wasn’t the most dramatic sunset I’ve ever seen. What was cool however was seeing just how many people appeared on the beach specifically to watch the sun dip below the horizon. I guess it’s just what people do in paradise.

Our Oahu Beach

I took lots of pictures. I was trying really hard to capture that one perfect beach image.

Vivid Colors

The sky was so blue. And the water, with its varying shades of blue, was absolutely mesmerizing. Pictures don’t do it justice.

Beautiful Water

Being right there, standing on that beach, was definitely an immersive experience. Couple the stunning visuals with the sound of the waves gently lapping at the shore. The warm sand caressing my feet. The tingling feeling on my skin. I swear, it was almost as if my skin were singing as it soaked up the sun’s warming rays. There was a cooling breeze, too. And birds singing. Not seagulls, songbirds.

Low Tide

I really did spend a lot of time on that beach.

I love the color of that water.

I did eventually return to the apartment where Mike was perfectly content to be reading and relaxing. Later, though, we got in the car and made our way a little west of our apartment to see Turtle Beach (not its real name).

Yes, there really was a turtle there.

Turtle Basking in the Sun

It almost looks dead, right? Apparently, a lot of people who happen upon turtles like that think they ARE dead.

Turtle Basking in the Sun

Because I was careful taking both of those pictures, you can’t tell how many people are milling around the poor thing, gawking. You can see what I mean in the next shot.

Annoying Crowd of Onlookers

We couldn’t bear to stand there amongst the throng. So we got our chairs out of the car, walked further down the beach and found a shady spot to sit and chill.

Away from the Crowd
Beautiful Beach
Quiet Time

We sat there for an hour or so. I actually lost track of time, which is a good thing. Then we went and had a late lunch before continuing west to an even more-remote part of the island.

Wilder Beach

That was where we got our first real look at a bunch of lava rocks.

More-remote beach on Oahu’s northern shore.
Black and reddish-brown lava rock.
Looking at tide pools.

There weren’t as many critters in the tide pools as we expected, I guess because the waves are so strong.

Wild Beach

 

Exploring the Rocky Shore

 

Coral

 

Rocks

 

Water

 

Away from Civilization

It was really a lovely place. You can’t tell from the pics that it was very windy there. The waves were crashing against the rocky shore. It was definitely music to me ears. 🙂

6 Replies to “Oahu’s Wild Side”

  1. What beautiful place to just relax and decompress from daily stressors.

    I am glad you two were able to get away (and find those lost photos to share)

    1. I was VERY happy to locate the pics. I took far too many beach photos, but it was sooooo beautiful. The decompression was much-needed and appreciated.

  2. This trip sounds like it was just what the doctor ordered, on top of the Anniversary celebration. I know too well the stresses of parental health challenges, topped with other family stresses and a new job…wow! So glad you were able to get a real break!

    And those photos, oh my, just incredible! I know they probably don’t do the reality justice, but they are idyllic just the same! 🌞

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