Kauai: Wrapping up the trip.

There is so much more to this trip than just the adventures we had. There were lots of slow times and random moments that are hard to fit in with any one story.

Stories like us spending a couple hours chasing a barn owl down a rural road so Debbie could take a picture, but eventually the owl got anoyed and took off into the trees.

Or the thousands of flowers that appear everywhere. Flowers in every color you can imagine. Some even change color during the daytime from bright yellow in the morning to red in evening.

The awesome trees could be a story all by themselves. Trees, while not native, come from all over the world. The tree that looks as if it came out of a movie about Africa, probably did come from Africa.

The local wildlife like the Ni Ni, also known as the Hawaiian Goose is everywhere here. There are many more creatures to be seen in addition to the wild cats and chickens.

Don't forget about Puff the Magic Dragon from Hanalei. When the waves are up and the wind is strong, mist still billows off his nose, and when the sun sets just right you can see fire too.

But regardless of where we went, and what did the trip was really about was who we were with. Time to spend with each other without the world getting in between.

Kauai Ziplining!

Princeville Ranch on Kauai is a 2600 acre working ranch which the operators have also set up horseback riding and ziplining. How can you not take advantage of that?! That's what we thought, so with a phone call and a credit card, we made reservations for the ziplining adventure and headed out.


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Kauai Kilohana Plantation and a Luau

The Kilohana Plantation is formerly a 16,000 acre estate built by sugar baron Gaylord Wilcox in 1935. Today it is both a tourist attraction and historic site. Now home to a few shops, Gaylords restaurant and possibly one of the biggest Luau's on the island of Kauai.

Kilohana translates into "Not to be surpassed". Yes it is a tourist attraction, but it is also very fun.


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Kauai Catamarans, Whales, Dolphins and Coffee

Wednesday morning started off bright and early with us leaving our room around 5:30am. This was so we could catch a ride on a 60 foot catamaran named Lucky Lady operated by Kauai Sea Tours. The tour was to take us from Port Allen out to the Na Pali Coast. Because of the time of year, the weather, and the wildlife it was an action packed ride that we will not soon forget.



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Waimea Canyon of Kauai: Grand Canyon of the Pacific

Day three of doing touristy things we decided to head up Waimea Canyon to verify a rumor that it was a great place to see. Were we in for a surprise!








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Kauai Day Two: Touristy Driving

Day two on Kauai was a bit of a slow day. We were still getting into the swing of things on the island. Not knowing a whole lot about what to see or where to go we decided that a self guided tour from a tourist map was a good idea.

All of the places we visited this day were also places where loads of tour buses showed up. Off and on we ran into crowds of people who had as much clue as us about what to see. Our advantage was that we went at our own pace and not somebody's chosen pace on a bus trying to pack as much into one day as possible.

One of the places we vistited, three different tour buses mearly stopped beside the road, told the passengers about it then continued on without letting them get out and look. Strange, but better for us.




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First Day on the Garden Isle of Kauai.

Overlooking Taro Fields near Hanalei

Kauai is known as the Garden Isle. One of the peaks on this island is the wettest spot on earth with 451 inches of rain per year. Much like our home, all this rain makes it one of the most lush places on earth as well. Tropical is the perfect description.

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Unplugged

When you live a connected lifestyle, it is easy to become frustrated by lack of connectivity. That electronic leash that keeps you attached to the rest of the world becomes an addiction. While we fully intended to keep everyone up to date on our stay in Kauai, we ran into a bit of a problem. Most of the time service was not available, and when it was, it was painfully slow preventing uploads of pictures and videos.




However...  seeing this sign at a small coffee shop in Hanalei was both a blessing and a lesson. Put down the phone, step away from Facebook, no need to blog, just enjoy where you are, who you are with, and your time here. You can share it with others later.

Now that we are back home and unpacked, we will be spending the next few days catching up and sharing our adventures. And adventure it truly was!

Saying Hello to Paradise.

Friday, January 24, 2014 we boarded a plane for Kauai, Hawaii. A friend of ours was gracious enough to invite us along for a mid winter trip to the garden island.

For the most part, the flight was pleasant. A few bumps along the way, but nothing too extreme. Around 2pm Kauai time, we landed and began our adventuring. Actually we went shopping for food to fill the fridge for a week.

Both Debbie and I were badly in need of a trip away. Sometimes when you provide for many people you forget to take care of yourselves.

When the chance came to get away, we took it. No Jeeps this time. Emma is in the hands of a trusted friend and border collie trainer, along and with one of her litter mates, so she is getting a vacation of her own.

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