 1 On our way to the cottage at Barking Sands. We splurged and rented a Jeep to see how we liked it. We've always wanted one...but they are so darn expensive. |
 2 A big storm blew in while Dave was out provisioning (and Ben was napping). He had to race to get the roof put back on the Jeep! |
 3 But then the sun came out and look what a gorgeous, remote beach we had virtually to ourselves. The sand is latte-colored - yum! |
 4 We had a good walk, throwing coconuts, finding crabs, stepping in footprints. |
 5 Catch us, Daddy! (Like their little travel outfits so I can find them readily at the airport? Or at least describe them easily! Thanks so much Aunt Kate and GG!) |
 6 Our cottage was the fourth from the left. |
 7 It's our anniversary, so there are some shenanigans underway. |
 8 When I say "Catch me!" please do, ok? |
 9 Out to dinner at Shenanigans on base - they are all decked out for New Year's. |
 10 Anniversary dinner with mom and Richard, who accompanied us on this trip. What a great view! |
 11 On an early morning run - catching the moon still up, too! |
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 13 Doug - I think of you every time I see surfers. Miss you! |
 14 Felt like I was running across the top of a latte on the way back. The rising sun made the sand look so creamy. |
 15 Those mounds are crab holes. Big ones. |
 16 Sun catching the waves and making them sparkle. |
 17 Out to breakfast before hitting Waimea Canyon. Such nice views of a rural area. Kauai is so relaxed with far fewer people living there than O'ahu (60,000 or so vs almost a million). |
 18 The canyon is immense! |
 19 Trying to catch the whole family is challenging! |
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 21 Waipo'o Falls - 800 feet of falls in two tiers. |
 22 Jeep! Dave liked the roominess of the four-door vs two-door. We all had a great time with the roof off up front. The XTerra has all the get-up-and-go of a Jeep so we're hard pressed to make a change, but there's just something about a Jeep...or an old Land Rover Defender. |
 23 Richard took some great snapshots of us. Fun to be a celebrity with his beautiful long lens reaching out to grab a photo op! |
 24 Hang ten! |
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 26 Ready for a hike! |
 27 Remarkable views of the Na Pali coast. |
 28 Starting out a bit damp on the trail but totally doable. Remember that storm picture earlier in the gallery? Yeah...very very muddy soon! |
 29 Carefully testing my grip...pack is about 50lbs with 28 lb boy, water, first aid, rain jackets, food... |
 30 Dave was entrusted with the camera because these were some steep drop-offs! I don't like to venture close at all :) |
 31 Mom and Richard checking out a bit of the trail before heading on to see other sights. |
 32 Just amazing ridges and views popping out at every turn. |
 33 Dense foliage at about 4000 feet. The mountain that feeds the streams and swamp at this elevation has the highest rainfall per year in the world - over 450 inches. |
 34 Sam really loves muddin'... |
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 36 Dad, watch this! |
 37 This is for you, Uncle Tom! |
 38 Snacks at the vista, finally! The slipperiness made it slow going at the end - about 30 min to do 1/4 mile!!!!! We usually hike about 2 miles an hour. |
 39 Cloud rolling in... |
 40 Dad and son, enjoying the view and a happy day. Sam was just laughing and laughing the whole time, and Ben enjoyed it as well. Lots of Germans and Scandinavians on the trail. One guy was so cute and peppy - he really looked like a Christmas elf. Sam joked about him having funny shoes and Ben kept saying "look his shooes!" |
 41 Ben gets to walk a bit at the end - we keep him on a puppy harness when we need to be extra careful. He doesn't like to hold hands with anyone but Gramma, so this gives him independence and us security. I can "parachute" him to break a fall or help him navigate tricky terrain. |
 42 At Waimea Brewing Company on an old sugar plantation. Beautiful "old Hawaii" grace. |
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 44 The boys and Gramma out playing a bit before dinner. |
 45 Like the sampler??? |
 46 I was so hungry after carrying Ben for such a long time. Then I tried to read about restaurants on this long, winding, downhill road from the canyon ridge. I literally made myself almost sick. By the time we got to the restaurant I was shivering and ready to devour beer and/or food! |
 47 Taking Ben for a walk to check out the sunset. |
 48 Sam loved climbing this hala tree! |
 49 View of the plantation restaurant from the ocean side. They rent houses there...very tempting! Thanks for the picture, mom! |
 50 Inside our cottage having breakfast...pancakes then heading up to the North Shore and Hanalei Bay! |
 51 See where Dave slept? Right by the door to enjoy the ocean sounds. I slept with the boys while Mom and Richard had another room. Everyone but me was coughing so much that we had to divide and conquer or none of us would sleep! |
 52 One-lane bridges! Sign says "Local courtesy is 5-7 cars" |
 53 Such a neat town - Hanalei. Shot out the windshield, but you get the feel. |
 54 Finding a good snorkel spot for the kids with the surf up was no easy feat. Dave spotted this one on our way to Ke'e beach to see the end of the road. We wound our way back, checking out some lava caves on the way, then climbed down these roots to the westernmost portion of Hanalei Bay. |
 55 Can you spot Dave? |
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 57 Me and my favorite snorkel buddy! We love exploring so much, like hiking under water. |
 58 See who we found? One of our usual friends, eating the algae. |
 59 Richard's feet! |
 60 Richard took this awesome picture of Ben! Love that I can see Richard in the sunglasses! These shades, by the way, are the bomb. They are Julbos, they float, they are reversible (no rightside up or down), and virtually indestructible. $25 but worth it here where the sun is so strong. Believe it or not they are mountaineering grade - category III protection or some such thing! |
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 62 See the surf just past the rocks? Pretty sizable waves. |
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 64 Ben working on his technique! |
 65 Mom or Richard took this tranquil picture. This is Kauai. Peaceful, uncrowded. Can't wait to go back! |
 66 Us in our little Jeep :) |
 67 Yum! Brazilian food for lunch! |
 68 Funny guy :) |
 69 And shave ice and mac nut milk shake (this was to die for!!! Ben and I totally fought over the straw). |
 70 After a fun day running around together...this is at Lydgate State Park, a good place to snorkel with kids as well. |
 71 Ok - now a serious one, Sam :) |
 72 Sunset on our second full day. Leaving tomorrow...boo hoo! That's Ni'ihau in the distance. It's a private island owned by the Robinson family, descendents of the Sinclairs who traveled to Kauai from Scotland to look for good places to graze cattle. I'm thinking they just wanted better weather. You can't just pull up on a Ni'ihau beach and look around, though. They will shoo you off saying the beaches are not public. The island is 17 miles away, they only get mail once a week, and there are only about 200 people living there, honoring the ancient Hawaiian lifestyle. One school for 40 kids is run entirely on solar power. If you read up on the island, you'll find a fascinating connection to the attack on Pearl Harbor during WWII... |
 73 Someone kiss me, it's sunset! Sam was the only taker :) |
 74 We actually got to see whales breaching very close to the shore! Dave estimates less than 500 yards - might even be closer than that. They were visible just beyond this cresting wave where the water appears to have a darker stripe. |
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