Green Sands Beach

Walking up to Greensands...
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Saturday on January 13, 2007... a day that will leave in green infamy. We climbed into the housing vans nice and early, and drove across the island to Green Sands Beach, which is in the middle of NOWHERE... the road turns into a narrow dirt track that runs through fields of cows, horse ranches, and plains empty except for giant power windmills. We had to pull off to let cars pass us going in the opposite direction. The parking lot was a huge barren splotch of dirt, and sprawling away from the "lot" in all directions were trails beaten into the dunes and ocean cliffside by atvs and walking feet. After a 2.5 mile trek, all of the trails converged and dropped into a huge opening in the shorefront. The result of this bizarrely beautiful geology is a breathtaking beach with green volcanic glass sand. The beach continually erodes under huge waves that were determined to beat the crap of me that morning... after having our bathing suits pulled off in rather embarrassing little episodes (don't worry, the only beachgoer who saw was a dog, and he didn't look like he cared too much).

the ocean at the mouth of the greensands miniature bay (the crescent shape makes for some MEAN waves)
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Greensands Beach was WINDY. I struggled against the sand for awhile, but human beings can adapt to anything for the sake of a beach, as I learned how to set up my towel in what felt like the center of a tornado.

So there we were, relaxing on a beach at the bottom of a huge ravine, when I hear barking far above me. On the cliff wall, a little dog was scampering around like a mountain goat, retrieving sticks that his owner would chuck as high as he could. It was pretty sweet!