Kauai day 6 - Kalaulau trail part 1

Today's little adventure will be along the Kalaulau trail leaving from Haena. We have no idea how long it will take us to hike the trail, so we left very very early. So early that the lighthouse wasn't open when we reached Kilauea... oh, and it was also raining...



We also hit some of the other sites on the way North... The Dry Cave...



The wet cave...



And finally drizzly Haena...



Here's where we are and where we are going.



Our plan is to hike only as far as the Hanakapiai Falls



Hmmm... is this a good idea in the rain? Haha!



Actually, we spoke to some locals who told us that we would be fine as long as we don't cross the river. hmmm... what river? I guess we'll know it when we see it....

Ready or not, here we come!



To be continued!
ALOHA!

Kauai day 5 - Grandma and Papa go home

Oh, it's a sad day Grandma and Papa are leaving tonight...

But before that, the kiddos have a six hour snorkle tour of the North shore.



They are all loaded up...



And there they GO!



In the meantime, us old folks head out for a picnic at Salt Pond.



Papa managed to get himself wet without Cheryl's help ;0D



Checkout this BEAUTIFUL day,... wait until you see tomorrow, haha!





Then it's back to Grandma K's house to hang out and wait for the kiddos... I think Kai wants to go home with Grandma and Papa...



Or maybe he's just up to mischief...



Then we head back to the Small Boat Harbor and sit next to the mutant ducks, waiting for the kids to get back.



They're back! There are big waves coming in from the south, but since they headed to the north, they had a pretty smooth ride. They saw turtles, dolphins and whales; went on a picnic and a stroll to an ancient Hawaiian fishing village; and of course snorkling!



That's the end of day 5! ALOHA!

Kauai day 4 part 2 - post Sleeping Giant

After the hike, Jim is pulling a Sleeping Giant imitation on our balcony (and sun burning his feet).



We left Jim on the balcony and Chris hanging out in the room...



Cheryl and I headed out to the Poipu tide pools.



There are some good sized fish in there



And a couple of cuddling sea cucumbers



Afterwards we headed out for a real nice dinner at "The Wrangler" in Waimea with the family. Where we had a great dinner and even greater dessert.



ALOHA!

Kauai day 4, part 1 - The Sleeping Giant

Today, we took one of the trails that I've always wanted to try... up to the top of the Sleeping Giant! Only 4 miles round trip!

You can see the head of the Giant up in the distance:



And away we go...



... and go...



... and go!



Very soon we are up above Wailua!



Here's a great view of the river mouth.



Then we are up to the top of his sternum.



End of the trail? But, we haven't reached the head yet!



We wait on the neck:



While the kids head to the head:





A couple of views from the top... Makai - side:



and mauka - side:



Our day isn't over yet... more to come!

Hawaiian Quilts

While in Kauai, Cheryl and I each got a pack of Hawaiian fabric scraps from Hilo Hattie. It was $5 per bag of mostly square scraps which were remnants from their clothing production. I picked a masculine looking pack to make a quilt for Chris's room. Cheryl got a more colorful pack. Here are our finished quilts...

Here's Cheryl's. It's her first quilt and she did a great job:



And here is the one that I made for Chris:



Not bad for $5, huh?

It's been a busy at work since we got back, but look for the Kauai recap to start up again soon!
Aloha!

Kauai - day 3

Cheryl and I started our day with a 6 mile run to spouting horn and back; then we moved East... Hitting all our favorite hot spots:

1) Walmart

2) Coconut Marketplace

3) Hilo Hattie's

4) Waipouli Center (the one with the painting of a whale)

5) Wailua Falls



6) Opaekaa Falls



We also hit Anchor Cove, Kalapaki Beach and then back to Grandma's house to hang out.





Did you kiddos save a beer for Papa?



How many people's 97 year old grandma can cook Chicken Hekka? (Don'[t forget to dig to the bottom because there it tofu!)



Grandma K is really amazing... and a GREAT cook!



Excuse us while we finish our YUMMY dinner... :oD

Hooray for Hollywood!!!

We interrupt the Kauai recap with an 11 mile run up to the Hollywood sign with the Run With Soul running group.



The cave in this one is the cave they used in the old Batman series. It's the original batcave! :wink: It's not really a cave; just a few intersecting tunnels.



After that it was a long drive home in bumper to bumper traffic. Then I had to jump in the shower to get ready for a retirement party. Busy busy Saturday!

Happy Weekend Everyone!