The last time we were in Kaua’i we tried to go to Polihale beach, but it was closed, so when we saw Jordan and he said that he and Caroline and Caroline’s friends were going there later in the day, I was psyched to go. Yay! A beach I’d never been to!

Polihale is the last beach when you drive down Hwy 50 west from Waimea, past the Pacific Missle Range Facility.* Actually, you go all the way to the end of the highway then you get on a dirt/gravel road and drive for about 20 more minutes. That was the most bumpy road I’ve ever been on. Huge holes… er.. pukas? You really have to wear your seatbelt or you’re going to get some bruises. Good thing we had an SUV. It wasn’t a fun drive, but the beach at the end was totally worth it.

Polihale Beach is Kauai’s westernmost point and it’s Hawaii’s longest beach with 17 miles of white sand. At the north end of the beach, where we were, are the cliffs of the Na Pali coast. I heard that the dunes here can get up to 100 feet tall and that because the entire beach is unprotected from the ocean, the surf and currents can get really fierce.

*The Pacific Missile Rang Facility (PMRF) is the world’s largest instrumented, multi-dimensional testing and training range. It’s also he only range in the world where submarines, surface ships, aircraft and space vehicles can operate and be tracked simultaneously.

When we left Polihale, we went to Waimea Brewing Co. in Waimea. I had two beers – the Leilani Light, a crisp light golden ale brewed with just a touch of crystal malt and malted wheat that delivers a pleasantly mellow hopped character along with a smooth finish, and the Lilikoi Light, a light golden ale with a passion fruit flavor sure to tantalize your taste buds. The Lilikoi Light was a little too fruity, but I liked the Leilani Light a lot.

On the way home we called Brick Oven Pizza and picked it up in Kalaheo before going back to the condos. The pizza at Brick Oven is excellent and we often get while in Kaua’i, but $80+ for 3 pizzas is kind of ridiculous! Don’t remember it being that much the last times. Then again, I think Dallas’ parents paid last time.

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