Thursday, February 23, 2012

Last day in Kauai

Oh so sad. Today we have to go home. Kevin took Mom and Dad to the airport and I took a walk up through the golf course and some places we hadn't been around the resort. So glad I did some exploring. When Kevin got back I had him meet me and we were able to spend a little more time enjoying the beauty of Hawaii.



One last walk on the beach
Picture perfect moment.
Another memory I will recall often as I return to my sometimes not so peaceful or picture perfect life. A fitting end to an unforgettable trip.

Kauai Day 6

Our last whole day...Time to relax. We had heard about this great golf course that was inexpensive, ($10 a round) and had amazing views. I have only been golfing twice in my life, but I figured, why not. Well...unfortunately we didn't get to golf because we didn't have cash, but we did get to wander the course, which to me was just as good. The views were absolutely breath taking!!!
Kukuiolono golf course




Back to the condo for an entire afternoon of relaxing by the beach and pool.
More paddle boarding. The water was extra calm today.Palm trees waving above my lawn chair...a memory I want to call upon often
One last view of the pool...until next time

Kauai Day 5

Day 5!! We thought we were going to take a break from hiking but we just couldn't hold still. We went to check out this long stretch of paved trail they have along the beach and it was a little tame for our taste so we went in search of...another waterfall!

Some of the paved trail-we got to do some whale watching here.

This is more like it! We had to do a little searching for this trail head. It is not well known among the tourists but we found it!
It started to rain a bit here but it made the hike beautiful, you could see the raindrops in the water and hear it hitting the leaves.
Ho'opi'i Falls.
Kevin was pretty adventuresome here and managed to get to the other side to take a picture. I had to look away a few times as he scrambled over some ledges.

View along the way
This was the 2nd set of falls on this trail. We almost didn't make the trek to these, but we just couldn't resist. We went through some beautiful jungle to get here.
Just had to take a picture of this beautiful leaf. It was bigger then my head!
Some of the obstacle course we battled to get to the falls-see Grandma up there. She was an amazing hiker. I couldn't believe she went through some of the stuff she did. Spider webs, ferns full of water, tree roots and mud didn't hold us back.
I love these umbrella looking trees-and you can see all the pretty ferns in the back.
Beautiful river on it's way to the falls. I am so glad we decided to search these out. Well worth the hike. Now on to the beach for some sun and fun.
We decided to rent paddle boards today and try them out. I loved it! The guy we rented them from told us to stay away from the waves and not to try and surf, but I just had to try it out, so I paddled over to the side where some smallish waves were coming in and some locals were catching them. So FUN!!! The guys were so nice and they coached me along and helped me catch some. Kevin wasn't quite as steady on the board, and spent his fair time in the water but we had a blast!!! The bay where we tried it out right by our condo was perfect conditions for paddle boarding. We liked it so much that we decided to try it again the next day. We even scored a deal by price matching. Gotta love nice tourists who share tips. We also made friends with a sea turtle out here. A few times he would pop up just inches from the edge of the board. Wish I could have taken a picture.

All of us in front of the sign at the condo. The landscaping all around here was so pretty.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Kauai Day 4

Another BEAUTIFUL Day on the island of Kauai. Today we were headed for the North Shore. This side of the island is so lush and green and tropical. Great weather for hiking, a bit overcast and perfect temperature, and good thing, because we were in for some serious hiking. We wanted to see more of the Napali coast. There is a trail that takes you 11 miles in, but you need permits and serious gear for that, so we settled for the 8 mile round trip into Hanakapi'ai falls. Lots of pictures!!

Kevin at the trail head
One of many river crossings and our first glimpse of the falls.
I included this one to (a)show the cool trees and (b)to show me jogging. I often have to jog to keep up with Kevin and his long legs. I was at a particular disadvantage this hike because 2 miles in to the hike the sole of my 10 year old TEVA completely ripped off-Kevin had his I told you so moment here. I was thrilled. I was actually cursing nearly the entire time on my shoe choice. Next time...Thankfully the remaining part held up fine and I completed the hike. We were clipping along at a really fast pace so my parents wouldn't have to wait too long for us.

Looking back down from the falls
We made it!
One of the many beautiful views of the coast
More Napali views
Scenery along the way-this picture was a take 2 because the 1st shot Kevin almost ended up in the river before he made it back, after setting up the tripod.
This is probably one of my favorite pictures of the trip. It is right where the river we were following up to the falls empties into the ocean. This is where most hikers stop. The waves are absolutely incredible here. I think this was called Hanakapi'ai beach.
Kevin soaking in the scenery
More coastal shots. You know what was neat about this hike is that you were way up above the ocean and yet you could hear the amazing crashing of the waves below, and you could even feel the salt and spray in the air. Just reminds you how small you are.
Look who we ran into on our way back down??? We were amazed to see Mom and Dad here with about 1/4 mile left. I was surprised they had hiked in as far as they did. Pretty impressive for a Grandma and Grandpa...the trail could get a little hairy. The timing was perfect.

Kevin in front of the cave by Tunnels beach.
Looking out of the cave
Tunnels beach-this is where we ate our lunch and did some wave watching

Another jaunt...after our early 8 mile adventure I wasn't keen on walking down this trail, but we wanted to check out the beach below the Princeville resort. This beach was fun because it had all these little tiny shells on it and some great views of Hanalei bay.
Love the flowers on the island
We drove out through the country and saw some beautiful farm land. Ironically we ran across a farmers market on our way back to the condo today. We stopped and wandered through it. We bought this yummy fruit called longan-delish!
What a day...jam packed with fun! This is Hanalei bay.