Occasionally Adventurous: May 2011

Monday, May 23, 2011

Day Twenty-five: A Long Day!

We were mostly packed up by eight a.m. this morning, helped by the early sunrise streaming through our bedroom window. We ran out of coffee yesterday, so headed out for breakfast at Java Kai in Hanalei. We got out of the car into a light rain which turned into a downpour just after we got inside. This place is almost like fast food - limited menu, but they bring it to your table. Tables are outside on a wide wrap-around porch or picnic tables out front. We got lucky and got a table on the porch. By the time food came, the rain had stopped. We went outside to finish our coffee at a picnic table, which had mostly dried off.

Back at the condo, we sat outside for awhile, then Pat packed the car and found someone who was glad to get the remaining stock of Longboard Lager. Our plan was to simply kick around the area north of Lihue until our ten p.m. flight. I had looked into alternatives for storing our luggage during the day, but the only possibility I found was a late checkout for half the daily rate for the condo. We decided it wasn't worth the money (though we had a couple of hours mid-afternoon when we wondered...).

We stopped first at the Hanalei Valley overlook, just at the turn off to our condo. Next stop was Anini Beach, where we spent an hour watching snorkelers and a wind surfer. We drove up a couple of back roads and got some nice valley and mountain views northwest of Kapa'a. At the south end of Lihue, we stopped for shave ice, this time with ice cream at the bottom. I really wish someone around here would start a Hawaiian shave ice shop, maybe with some other Hawaiian food options. We only had shave ice twice, but both times really enjoyed it.

By now it was 3:30, and we had lots of time to kill. We drove to the beach park on Kalapaki Bay. This small bay is nice, but we found the park to be run down and not very inviting. The sea wall looked like it could fall into the water any time, and the access road was just big rocks that looked like they could kill the suspension of the car. We parked a few feet in and sat for awhile, looking over at the Kauai Marriott at the center of the bay. Finally I called the Marriott and was assured that we could leave car and luggage safely with a bellhop.

Relieved of luggage worries, we headed to Duke's Barefoot Bar for happy hour - $6 mai tais and decent local music made us feel much better! We had a drink, then ordered food. Pat had another mai tai, then coffee with dessert. I switched to iced tea. Duke's signature dessert is Hula Pie: a huge (4 inches tall) slice of vanilla ice cream on a thick oreo crust, with hot fudge and macadamia nuts on top and underneath, and a big dollop of whipped cream. We split one, and were glad we still had a few hours before we had to get on a plane. Happy hour and music both ended at six, and shortly after that we rolled away from the table. We walked the beach walk and through the courtyard garden, checked out the pool, and otherwise behaved like registered guests. Around seven we claimed our car, filled it with gas, and went to the airport.

Our flights were uneventful. The longer one, to Phoenix, was overnight and pretty quiet after the baby near us settled down. I took a sleeping pill and got about four hours of sleep in small bits. Pat was wide awake the entire time. He read by someone else's light for awhile, but didn't want to reach over his seat mate to turn his own light on. We were on opposite sides of the aisle in the same row. I had tried to change seats but couldn't find two together. We had breakfast at a sports bar at the Phoenix airport, and finally arrived in Detroit at four p.m. (ten a.m. in Hawaii). Josh and Katie picked us up. We came home to a very happy dog, and a completely cleaned house. Josh had even done all of our laundry, including the sheets and towels he had used.

We had dinner with Josh and Katie at our favorite local tavern, Brady's. Their mai tais aren't nearly as good!

Hanalei Valley

Taro fields in Hanalei Valley

Kauai has such lovely mountains!

We found this protected forest on a back road west of Kapa'a.

Anini Beach

More jagged peaks

The 25,000 square foot pool at the Marriott.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Day Twenty-four: Around Hanalei

We've been staying less than ten miles from the beautiful and quirky little town of Hanalei, named for the perfect little bay it sits upon. We had a mellow start to the day, getting around to breakfast just before ten. We drove to the end of the road on the northwest corner of the island. The road ends at Ke'e Beach, just at the spot where the Na Pali coastline begins to head southwest. Ke'e has a lifeguard, showers and picnic facilities. It's all white sand, and wildly popular. The parking lot was overflowing, and cars were parked up to a mile away along the road. Pedestrians had nowhere to walk but the road, ducking between cars when someone wanted to drive down the road.

We made mental notes of beaches that were less crowded and closer to Hanalei, then found a parking spot in town and walked around the two major shopping centers, which are directly across the road from one another. We walked the half mile down to the public beach and watched people playing for awhile. Back in Hanalei, we had lunch at the Kalypso Bar, on the main road. We got lucky and got an outdoor table next to a small strip of garden. The coconut shrimp was outstanding, and the mai tais weren't bad.

After lunch, we decided to just head back to our condo. Neither of us felt like being on the beach. I read a book and Pat napped. Late afternoon we walked the grounds of Sealodge, our condo complex for the first time. And the last, since we have to leave tomorrow.

We drove back to Hanalei for dinner at The Dolphin, which has a pleasant spot on the Hanalei River at the east end of town. More fish for me, but Pat went for chicken. Back in Princeville, we stopped for ice cream at Lappert's, the Kauai dairy with fabulous ice cream. I had Kauai Pie: kona coffee ice cream with coconut, macadamia nuts, swirls of chocolate fudge, and crispy vanilla cake bits. Wow. It's a good thing Lappert's was a rather late discovery. We've been there three times since we got to Kauai. Many more visits and we'd be buying new clothes...

We have to move on by eleven tomorrow morning, but our flight isn't till ten p.m. I'll be back by Sunday to wrap this vacation record.

One lane bridge over Hanalei River

Hanalei Town

Historic church on Main Street

Ke'e Beach

Wai'oli Beach Park on Hanalei Bay

The view from our lunch table

Hanalei River at sunset

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Day Twenty-three: McBryde Garden and Wailua Falls

We were out the door on the early side today, heading all the way to the south shore. We stopped in Kapa'a for breakfast at the Ono Family Restaurant. It's old and quaint, and a local hang out of sorts. I've never seen a more extensive breakfast menu. It has all the traditional breakfast fare, with local standards like fish tacos, ahi omelettes, and coconut syrup. I had plain french toast and Pat had a veggie omelette. Both good, but nothing to rave about. After breakfast we stopped at Hilo Hattie's, which our guidebook says is good for genuine Hawaiian souvenirs. Most of what we saw was made somewhere else, and we ended up with more free shell leis, but nothing else.

At the National Tropical Botanical Garden visitor's center, we signed up for the self guided tour of the McBryde Garden. The other choice was the Allerton Garden, a more formal landscape requiring a guide for a very expensive tour. That one was sold out anyway, so off we went on a shuttle bus into the Lawa'i Valley. The whole ocean end of the valley was at one time owned by Allertons and McBrydes. Allerton was interested in botany, and both gardens are planted with native plants as well as imports from around the world. We spent a hot hour walking the pathways, then took the shuttle back to the visitors center, which also has a nice small garden.

We stopped at Spouting Horn park, which has three large blowholes. Next we drove by all the resorts in the Poipu area, and concluded we like Princeville better than either Poipu or Kapa'a, even though it's a long drive to some of the interesting features of the island. We had a late lunch at Brenneke's Bar, on the ocean across the road from Brenneke Beach Park. It was the only sit down restaurant we found that was open for lunch. Most of the Poipu restaurants are only open for dinner, though there are a couple of taco vans and fruit stalls. And we saw a man with a Starbuck's cup, leaving a shopping center that we didn't drive into, so there are probably more options than we found.

On the way back north, we drove four miles up Highway 583 to Wailua Falls, a powerful double waterfall flowing into the Wailua River. We watched three teenagers swimming in the pool and walking around the falls. I hope they got home safely. The rocks are reportedly slippery, and some deaths have occurred over the years. We made a quick stop at Walmart to get a book for Pat to read on the plane home, and some chocolate covered macadamia nuts. I've been afraid to buy them till close to the end of our trip. I know they're addictive, and fattening.

Back in Princeville, we stopped at Foodland to pick up food for this evening and for breakfast. We're having a mellow evening at home. Hard to believe that in 48 hours we'll be at the Lihue airport turning in our rental car. It will be good to be home, but we'll miss the wonderful weather and lovely scenery of Hawaii.

The private Allerton beach

The Allerton house, heavily damaged in a 1992 hurricane. It's now occupied by a family friend who is a marine biologist.

A typical grouping of native plants.

More native plants

A rally large orchid plant, which is growing attached to a large palm tree.

The same orchid plant. It's just tied to the tree, with it's roots curling around the trunk.

Most of the plants are well established, and huge.

Red jade plant blooming

This black-crowned night heron flew in and posed for us.

Explaining the garden

Mangoes growing near the visitors center. Amazingly, I can't find Hawaiian grown mangoes at Foodland. Theirs come from Guatemala or Mexico,

Spouting blowhole.

Wailua Falls

Young adventurers. They were yelping and hooting loudly.

Day Twenty-two, close to home base

Today we slept in, relaxed, and did very little. We went to the Kilauea Lighthouse and Wildlife Preserve, which has a very short walkway and viewing on three sides of a peninsula. It was a beautiful sunny morning, with lots of photo ops. The birds wouldn't pose for us, but we got a few shots of gulls and red footed boobies, and one of a cardinal. We ate lunch at the Lighthouse Bistro in Kilauea, and headed back home. Pat napped. I caught up with email and found a novel to read.

Pat awoke near sunset. We drove down the the "sunset beach" near the St. Regis Hotel. There were clouds near the horizon so once again we didn't get the full drowning of the blazing ball. But it was pretty, and the pink tinged clouds over the mountains in the west were beautiful. We had dinner at the Paradise Bar and Grill in Princeville. It's great to sit outside in a restaurant and not be either swamped with insects or cold. We'll miss that when we get home. Not that we eat out very often.

View southeast from the lighthouse

1913 lighthouse, being renovated now

Mountains to the west. Our condo complex is on the far right.

Small island off the tip of the lighthouse peninsula. Inhabited only by birds.

The small light on the left is in service. It shines directly into our bedroom window.

Sunset

Another view to the east. Clouds are low over the mountains.

Eastern sky at sunset.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Day Twenty-one: Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali Coast

Yesterday was so full of beauty that I took 368 photos and shot two videos. We left early for the south shore, where we drove up Rte. 550 to the spot where it joins the Waimea Canyon Road. The canyon and valleys leading up to it are gorgeous. Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands with no volcanic activity. The mountains are covered in mineral rich red soil and lush greenery. There isn't a bad view anywhere you look up here. We drove to the end, stopping at every turnout to take photos and just breathe in the clear air and look at the scenery. We saw several helicopters and one small plane in the brief time we were out of the car. At the end of the road, there is a protected overlook, and the start of a 17 mile trail that follows the ridgeline and overlooks the west (Na Pali) coast of the island. The only ways to get to the Na Pali shoreline are by kayak or boat. More on that a little later. Our time at the overlook delighted us with the varying weather conditions. We got peekaboo views of the coast through fast moving clouds. Sometimes we were standing in a cloud and couldn't tell there was anything out there. Other times it cleared up enough for a good view.

On the way down, we stopped at the only restaurant on the road, inside Kokee state park. Lunch was convenient if forgettable, but the lawn and pine tree vista was nice and reminded us of some spots in the Colorado Rockies. The Kokee Lodge Museum shares the grounds. It has lots of bird exhibits, some souvenirs, and a place to make tour reservations and rent cabins in the park. The mountains of West Kauai are so dangerous to hike and even camp in that everyone who wants to walk past the overlooks and a couple of shorter marked trails must register with the rangers.

After lunch we drove back down to the coast on the other road, Highway 552, which has some views of lesser valleys and some farmland. The lower elevations away from the shoreline resorts are paniolo country, with lots of cattle and horses in wide grassy fields. Grassy here is different from our Michigan experience of grassy. We could walk into some fields and be lost in ten seconds flat. Grassy roadsides sometimes meant that we had to get out of the car and find a low spot to see past the roadside.

We drove through the historic town of Hanapepe, which reportedly has over 40 buildings on the National Registry of Historic Places. It has an active community of artists and a few galleries, most of which were closed. There wasn't much happening here on a Monday afternoon, and we found it to be unappealing and run down. Everywhere we go we see signs of the poor economy of the last two years. Motels half built and roped off, empty storefronts, and poorly maintained buildings, especially away from the main resorts. The tiny church of St. Sylvester in Kilauea, where we attended mass last Sunday, supports over 400 people from it's food bank. A sure indication that here, as everywhere else, working people are hurting and many are unemployed.

Our last stop of the day was Port Allen, where we had reserved a dinner sunset cruise. The boat pulled out around three and cruised slowly up the Na Pali coast to the spot at the north end where the road (highway 56) ends just west of Haena, at a beach park. There are forty "cathedrals" along this coastline - tall spires of rock covered in greenery. There are also a few small sand beaches with little coves which can handle kayak and raft landings. We were amazed to hear from the guide that there are two native Hawaiian villages near the beaches, with 500 and 1500 hundred residents. Backed by the mountains, they are inaccessible from land, so necessary goods arrive by boat.

On the way out we saw a small school of spinner dolphins and were excited because they usually only visit boats in the morning. On the way back, just as the sun was low enough in the sky to produce color, a huge school of spinners arrived near the rear of the boat. Our captain slowed down and reversed, and we followed them for about ten minutes, watching the show as they leaped, turned and flipped for us. Fortunately, I had just come down to use the facilites, and arrived on the main deck in time to have a good view of everything. I shot 7 minutes of video (love the 32G memory card in the camera!). It's in the Picasa web album. If you decide to take a look, skip to the middle for the best shots. I'll edit it when I get home and learn how! Another camera note: On this sometimes bumpy cruise, near the end as I was shooting the dolphins, the problem with the lens disappeared. No more dark corners on the video, or on the last shots of the day, of the sunset and the full moon. I'm hoping the problem is really gone, at least for now. I guess I'll still have to look into it when I get home. Seems like a bumpy ride shouldn't rearrange the lens, especially when the camera is in hand, as it was last night, or in it's case in a car driving tamely on a well-paved road.

We had an uneventful drive back north, and got to Princeville in time to visit Lappert's for ice cream. It took over an hour to upload the photos (the long video was the main time hog), and we slept like children.

These photos are out of order. Waimea Valley is first, followed by Na Pali Coast, sunset, then full moon. Can't make them appear in the right order, but you get the idea! And if you can, schedule your trip to Kauai now. It's an amazing place!