The weather has gone from ugly to awesome so we finally got a chance to go climbing again. This time we went to USA Beach. Things we forgot this trip: Camera and DUH the climbing guide!! Luckily we had our iPhones. Phone = pics, yay! We just didn't know what any of the routes were rated.
When we got to the beach there was only one local setting up his gear to do some fishing. We had the beach mostly to ourselves. When we walked up to the rock it was much more amazing than we expected. There were a lot of bolted routes in one little area, and it was right up on the water. The climbing area is secluded from the rest of the beach by a huge boulder. I don't know if you're allowed to camp there but I know next time we're bringing friends, our dog, and a grill. It was our own little paradise for the day.
We set up and started climbing. I have to say that when I was belaying Giles, it was hard to keep focused I kept looking at the water and thinking about how much I was dying to jump into that crystal clear goodness. It didn't help that belaying while standing in the sun is really hot work. Plus there were butterflies all over! They kept zipping around so I couldn't get any pictures, but they too were distracting me with their beauty. But I tried my best to keep focused and be a good belayer.
The one downside to climbing here is the rock is either super slippery, like polished marble, or incredibly sharp and rough. The first route I tried started off so slippery, it made me nervous. Climbing shoes DO NOT stick to the slippery parts!
So after climbing until our hands were shredded I finally got to take my dip in the water. It was wonderful! A tad chilly but still so good! We noticed that on the opposite side of the beach about 20 surfers had come out and started surfing. I think this does look like a really nice place to surf. Earlier I had been thinking that there were some pretty good waves out here and I had wondered why there weren't any surfers.
So after our swim we decided to top rope that boulder. My fingers got further injured trying to do the 5.11 that I didn't know was a 5.11. The holds were so sharp but I'm kinda proud, I did get a little ways up. I think my technique is getting a lot better because a 5.11 is way outta my league. So now that our hands were mangled and our arms too weak to hold a water bottle we left.
On the road back we noticed a sign for Kayauchibanta Viewpoint. I had recognized it from the website Okinawa Hai. It's supposed to be the most spectacular view on Okinawa. And since it was and hour and a half drive home, we stopped off there and took in an amazing view. The clouds were starting to roll in so I don't think it was as pretty as it would have been if it were sunny. Here I finally got a picture of one of the pretty butterflies I had been trying for all day.
Our drive back was lit by an amazing sunset so pink the water was turned into a molten sea of pink. It was beautiful. I think today was my best day on Okinawa so far.
Note: USA Beach is located at the Northern most tip of Okinawa. Its basically at Hedo Point. When you make the left turn to Hedo point there is a right that veers off that leads to USA Beach.
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