Monsoon . . . .

. . . well, that's what it feels like today. Twelve straight hours of heavy rain; flash-flood warnings, and no sign of the downpour letting up. After a very exciting day yesterday four-wheeling through miles of wild and wacky dirt and boulder trails, finding the Green Sand Beach, realizing we had to climb down a cliff to get there (!!!), enjoying a gorgeous afternoon sunning and bodysurfing, we started our trek home and the rains start.

Lightning in the distance over the far mountains got closer and closer and louder and louder. The rain came in spurts, building as we drove up the coast from the Southernmost point in the United States to our little village of Pahala.

During a lull in the weather, Gary started a fire in the outdoor lava rock grill at the house while Morgan and I concocted a very special marinade for the chicken--soy sauce, island honey, pineapple, and garlic. Try it, it's amazingly good!

Gary slapped the chicken onto the grill and down came the rain; he stalwartly stayed out there, umbrella covering the grill, until all the grilling was done: twelve pieces of chicken, romaine lettuce, and fresh pineapple rings. The rain did not let up. He came in soaked but successful and the dinner, which also included garlicky green beans, was super delicious.

A plus with the rain is that the Jeep is a lot cleaner than when we arrived last night after our cross-country trek. We had so much fun, yet there were quite a few stressful moments when we considered walking--sraight up runs where only sky was visible as we climbed a very steep incline or red dirt where all we saw were boulders and mud. Inside the jeep, we were rolled around like dice in a gambler's hand. Yeehaw!

I was never so happy to arrive at a destination, but THEN, much to my chagrin, the Green Sand Beach was as the bottom of a very long drop in the bowl of Mahala Bay. Very picturesque and very green, but we had to climb down--yikes! Strapping our bags onto our backs, we made our way downn the "steps" into the bowl--ended up not being as harrowing as it looked from above, but STILL.

After a great lunch of tomato, cucumber, cheese, and avocado sandwiches on the amazing sweet bread they have here, the frolicking began. Much bodysurfing was done by the group while I totally enjoyed protecting the shoreline from pirate marauders and sharks. A few green turtles poked their heads up out of the water to see what was going on.

It was a terrific day by anybody's standards. We cursed the guidebook that called this area a "mild natural curiosity." Phooey on them! Just wait until I write my retaliatory notes. En garde!