A leap of faith

WAIMEA BAY, Hawaii -- There is some unfinished business Zach and I intend to take care of on my next visit to Hawaii. We happened on Jumping Rock on Oahu's North Shore late in the afternoon and we simply weren't prepared.  No swim suits, for crying out loud.  We might have showed those kids a thing or two. Or got hurt trying.

I can still hear the sound of that poor boy hitting the water smack on his back.  Ouch!  It's only about 50 feet, maybe less, from the top of Jumping Rock to the Pacific Ocean below, no problem if you time the waves and land correctly. But if you're going to try a flip, you best hit the water upright. This kid didn't and paid the price with a back side flop that must have smarted like a severe sunburn.  Next time he'll rotate on his way down.

We had just left Pipeline, which is famous for the spectacular waves we've seen in Hawaiian surfing videos. But the Pacific was fairly tame on this afternoon, so we continued along the Kamehameha Highway to Waimea Bay.  That's where we found Jumping Rock and later, at a Mexican joint in Haleiwa, made our pact for a return visit to take on the cliff.

If you ever find yourself on the Kamehameha -- it's one of the most spectacular road trips you'll ever enjoy -- drop some Allman Brothers in the player. That was Zach's choice and I'm happy to report the kid seems to have the music down.