Safari So Good

It’s Saturday and a rainy day here on the islands – our last day in Kauai.  We attempted to go snorkeling yesterday at Poipu Beach.  We went in the water in spite of the fact that it was very windy and the water surgey.  We did see a lot of different tropical fish, so it was worth it, but the conditions reminded me of my old abalone diving days off the north coast of California – with 6 foot visibility on a good day and 3 foot swells.  We finally gave up and headed back to the house on the opposite side of the island.  What makes Kauai quaint is the lack of freeways, cities, and big buildings.  These are the same things that mean it takes two hours to travel 25 miles on the two lane highway between Poipu and Kilauea.  Getting through the small town of Kapaa, on the East side of the island, is where the traffic really backs up.  Kapaa has about 4 stop lights and each one can take upwards of 10 minutes to get through it.  Hawaiians are quite polite drivers, however and will let you into their line of traffic with a friendly wave.  It is the tourists who get impatient.  So we practiced Ahonui every time we got into the car.

We took advantage of the bad weather by playing some games.  Natalie LOVES to play games and guilt tripped the young adults into playing with us.  We played Crazy 8s, Gin Rummy, a version of scattergories, and dominoes.  We had a lot of fun.

Saturday was another windy and intermittently rainy day.  Brian, Natalie, and Brittney went to botanical gardens, while the rest of us shopped around different towns.  Saturday evening, the ‘old’ adults (Michael, Me, Rob, Karen Ann, Brian, and Natalie) had a wonderful dinner at the far north end of the island and left the ‘kids’ to fend for themselves.  The group surprised Michael and I with gifts and a thank you card that each of them (including all the kids) had signed.  How sweet!

While we were gone, Jake drove all the kids to Kapaa to get dinner at the Noodle House – unfortunately, it was closed.  So, they drove all the way back north to Hanalei to the pizza parlor.  They got there at 7:30 and the pizza parlor stopped making pizza at 7 — Bad timing!  But, wait, the men in the back were talking and it turned out that someone called in an order for 2 pizzas, but he had not picked them up.  Would the kids be interested in taking these two pizzas for the price of one?  Needless to say, the answer was YES!  So they headed back to the house with their pizzas and Jake was walking over the entry steps (which cover the Koi pond and have inch-wide spaces between the steps) when he dropped the house keys in the pond!  This is not a shallow pond we’re talking about.  It is about 3 feet deep.  Fortunately, one of the many sliding doors was left unlocked, so they got into the house and found some extra long tongs in the kitchen.  With Jake stretched out on the steps and using the tongs, he was able to reach the keys!  It was like an episode of Modern Family!

Jake rescues the house keys with kitchen tongs and his long arm!

Sunday at 7 am sharp, we all headed to the airport to catch a 9:19 flight from Kauai to Honolulu.  The layover was just under 5 hours, so Michael arranged to have a van pick us up at the Kauai airport and take us to the Waikiki Prince Hotel for a fabulous Sunday Brunch Buffet.  Afterward, the van picked us back up and took us back to the airport for our flight to Sacramento!  Let me tell you, this is the way to spend a layover — eating loads of fresh seafood, eggs Benedict, waffles, and dessert — then walking along the sunny beaches of Waikiki.  What a great way to end a great vacation. ALOHA🌴🌺

Brian and Natalie

Brittney, Jake and Lexi.

Hailey and Kenzie

Crabs legs and shrimp

Eggs Benedict and bacon

Pumpkin dessert

First day of 2015 – let’s go kayaking in Kauai!  The more adventurous of the group (everyone but Rob, Karen Ann, and Kenzie) wanted to go kayaking or paddle boarding on the Hanalei River.  We rented kayaks at Dock Dynasty (funny, huh?) and the two paddle boarders decided to kayak with the rest of the group, since we were headed down the river for a couple hours.  It was so beautiful and we had a great time, squeezing through a few tight spots and enduring a couple downpours in the early part of the trip.  As we paddled up stream, we passed banana trees, coconut trees, egret nests, a bridge, ferns, and other flora and fauna.  At one point, the water was sprinkled with yellow hibiscus flowers as though we were walking up the aisle behind the flower girl in a wedding.  Jake, Natalie, Hailey, Lexi, Michael and I had single kayaks; only Brian and Brittney were in a tandem.  We paddled a total of about 4 miles and went as far as we could without having to get out and drag the kayaks over the bottom of the river.  Jake led the pack, acting as our scout and forging through some very tight spots!

Coconut trees!

Tight squeeze.

I love a parade!

Jake – our scout and most seasoned kayaker!

beautiful!

Hawaiian graffiti under the bridge.

Hailey and Lexi – sisters.

Natalie should be a kayak model!

Jake hiding out in the trees, waiting for some other kayakers to pass..

Brian and Brittney.

Michael and me (you can’t see me because I am taking the pictures) — slow and steady (the elders of the group).

It’s New Years Eve and we are on Kauai – doesn’t get any better than this!  Our plans for the afternoon and evening include a boat ride on the Wailua River to the Fern Grotto, then a Luau.  Because we needed to leave the house around 2 in the afternoon, we didn’t make any plans for the morning.  Instead, Hailey, Lexi and I walked down to the beach to get some exercise and beautiful Hawaiian air.  Brittney had already left with her parents to do some shopping in Hanalei, a cute little town up the road.  As always, I took my camera with me (I am rarely without it).  It was a lucky photo day, as I got a couple of beautiful shots of the girls, here’s one:

Lexi and Hailey on our walk to the beach.

After lunch, we all loaded up into the cars and headed to Wailua River.  We arrived and took a few pictures at the dock, then boarded the boat for our ride down river.  We were treated to the lovely Hawaiian Wedding Song and Hula dancers at the Fern Grotto – it was beautiful.  Afterward, we rode the boat back to the dock to head over to the Smith Family Tropical Paradise to wait for the Luau.  We got a tour of the grounds and watched the roast pig taken out of the Imu (the pit in the ground).  Next stop – unlimited Mai Tais and food!  Yumm.  After dinner we moved to the outdoor theatre to watch the international show, which included dancers representing the different cultures in Hawaii; including Tahitians, New Zealanders, Japanese, Chinese, Filipinos, Somoans, and the Hawaiians – what a treat!

My boys, Brian and Rob, and me.

On the trail back to the boat.

The group on the boat to Fern Grotto.

A song and a dance – Hawaiian style – at Fern Grotto.

Hailey, Kenzie, Jake, Lexi, and Brittney – love these kids!

At the Luau- we had a reserved table!

My handsome husband and Me.

My favorite! This is Lexi, Brittney, Me and Hailey New Years Eve 2014 and us at our first trip to Hawaii in 2005! Too cute, yes?

We had nothing planned for Tuesday, but decided to drive to Waimea Canyon (referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific) and stop at the various towns along the way.  First stop was Kapaa for breakfast at the Beachwalk Restaurant.  We had a wonderful breakfast across from the beach.  We then moved on to Hanapepe to see the swinging bridge and look in a couple of little shops.  As we headed up the steep grade to the top of the Waimea look-out, it started raining.  No worries, we’re in Hawaii and it’s common to get some rain for a few minutes, then sunshine for the rest of the day.  But by the time we were at the top, it was pouring and it did not look like it would stop any time soon.  Nonetheless, we waited — and waited — and I fell asleep in the car.  About an hour later, it was still raining and the canyon was completely covered in thick white fog.  We finally gave up and drove back down the mountain.  We stopped in Poipu and had a Puka Dog (a fair consolation prize), then drove on to a Kilohani Plantation, where we found a few little shops to peruse.  A little disappointing overall, but really, how disappointed can one be in Kauai?

Our view at breakfast.

Michael on the swinging bridge in Hanapepe.

We stopped at this lookout prior to Waimea Canyon – thank goodness, since the rain and fog arrived shorter after this!

Since I don ‘t have much to share, I took some pictures of the house and surrounding area.

The walkway over the Koi pond to the front door.

The living room, with surrounding picture windows.

Just inside the front door – bottom floor, one of the sliding doors to the deck. The upper landing is the sitting area outside the Master Bedroom.

Water lilies in the Koi pond at the entrance to the house. 

Look – A Baby Gecko on our couch next to Natalie!

See how tiny it is?

And a close up – I LOVE Geckos!

A rainbow (from our deck).

Monday morning, we piled into two of our three rental cars and headed to Hanamaulu to begin our journey down the Sugar Cane Canal.  We started by filling out waivers for everyone (always a good sign)!  We were then fitted with gloves and hard hats with lights on them.  We brought our own water sox (required), so we were ready to go.  After a bumpy ride to the first stop – a scenic lookout – we proceeded to the launching point.  During our ride, our guide Geri (short for Geronimo, according to her) had each of us give his or her name, what we do for fun, what we do for work, and our personal life motto.  A silly, but fun, ice breaker.  My motto “Live each day as if it is your last” and Michael’s “You can’t take it with you” is reflected in the fact that we are on a family vacation in Kauai getting ready to tube down a drainage ditch with the kids and grandkids!

What a motley crew!

Our group at the scenic overlook.

One of our guides, Geri.

Great company and great guides – recommend you go if you ever go to Kauai.

We were given the obligatory safety speech, which included such things as keep your elbows inside the tube and your feet crossed and relaxed to avoid kicking other tubers in the head.  Which, by the way, we were all willing to do until later in the trip when the Canadians started singing “Wheels on the Bus” loudly and badly out of tune in an echoing tunnel!  As we headed down the plank (appropriate to the way I was feeling) toward the 20 or so large inner tubes floating in the canal, I proclaimed “I don’t want to go first!”  I am a big girl and not particularly graceful anymore (I probably never was), so I did not want the entire group watching as I flopped my significantly sized behind into one of the tubes.  So what happened?  Yeah, that’s right, Geri pulls me down to the front and announces, OK, Karen will be our first tuber and show us all how it’s done!  There is no way to get out of that position gracefully (and, as noted above, Grace was my aunt’s name, not mine), so in I went, a bit like a whale trying to sit in a beach chair.  Yes, it was cold!  Once I was in, I could relax and watch everyone else, judging each against my own performance.  Turns out, I was not the worst.

Now every brochure and on-line description says this ride does not include rapids and is an easy ride down the canal.  For the most part, that was true.  What isn’t included in the description is the knocking against the sides of the canal, which consisted of rock and/or foliage, and the spins you can get into if you hit the side or another tuber just right.  Oh yeah, there was also the approximately 4 foot “waterfall” we went over and the swells of the current which seemed very much like baby rapids!  In fact, I had Michael’s camera, which is not water proof, and as we headed down a certain area, the guide ‘suggested’ I put the camera back into the dry bag I brought!  I was unable to bring it back out for the remainder of the ride.  Most of us had fun, but Hailey for one has indicated she had fun, but never needs to do it again — hmmm.  She is so light that she got stuck at the very end, which is where the annoying Canadians were splashing and singing.

Natalie and the group gearing up with one of our crazy guides.

Brittney relaxing (but it’s early in the ride).

Michael seems good to go.

Natalie looks pretty even with a hard hat on!

Kenzie and Karen – also looking mighty pretty!

Brittney’s having a good time!

It is just wrong to be so cute under these circumstances!

Lights on, Brian, we’re heading into one of the five caves we will be going through.

Here we go…

It’s dark in here!

Rob and Hailey.

What a cute couple!

Jake looks very comfortable in that tube and hard hat.

When we got to the end of the tube ride, we dismounted and boarded the bus to a lovely picnic area, where sandwich makings were ready for us to assemble and enjoy.  What is it about water sports that make one so hungry?

After lunch we were serenaded by one of the young guides and his ukulele.  We headed back to the house, Rob’s group stopping for Shave Ice and Ice Cream, Michael and I went to the store (again) while Brian, Natalie, and Britt got ice cream.

To warm up after the cold tubing ride, the girls all headed directly to the hot tub and enjoyed warm bubbly water and cold bubbly drinks.

The girls in the hot tub!

For dinner, we ordered pizza from the popular local pizza parlor – it was delicious!

For Tuesday we have nothing particular planned.

The morning came early, as we are two hours behind, here in Hawaii.  As for me, I was up at 5 am (7 CA time)!  I made coffee and wandered around the house quietly, waiting for the others to wake and join me.  After a very leisurely start to the day, families split up to go their own ways – we looked for beaches, went to the little towns throughout Kauai, shopped a little and explored the island.

Brian, Natalie and Brittney found two waterfalls to see and went to the Wailua Lighthouse, but it was closed.  Another important event for that group was an ice cream stop (this would be Natalie’s version of Heaven)!  According to Natalie “It was darn good!”

Rob, Karen Ann, Jake, Kenzie, Hailey, and Lexi went to Hanalei for shopping and lunch at Bubba’s was a great hit offering burgers and sandwiches, moving further north to Ke’e Beach, which is literally at the end of the road on the North side of the island.  Then back south to Kapaa where they ate again at the Beach Walk and to a local market to buy some souvenirs, including the infamous puka shell necklace.

Michael and I went to a little shop in Hanalei to rent masks, snorkels and fins for the week, then we stopped at the Dolphin Fish Market to buy some fresh fish.  I really wanted Salmon, but there was none available, so we settled for a large filet of fresh caught Mahi Mahi.  Michael found a recipe for macadamia crusted baked Mahi – it was delicious.  We had salads, bread, and fresh pineapple to go with it.  Everyone joined in to help either prepare or clean up.  All 11 of us sat around the large dining room table, eating and being silly.  I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!  Afterward, we played games and had a few drinks, which made everyone even sillier.  It was a beautiful and relaxing day in Kauai.  Tomorrow we are going Tubing down the old sugar cane canal – all 11 of us!  Should be fun!

Family Dinner – isn’t this a great looking group? Love this family – from left is Rob, Kenzie, Hailey, Lexi, Me, Grandpa/Michael, Jake, Brittney, Brian, Natalie, and Karen Ann.

More pretty flowers!

One of the many pretty flowers in the yard.

Whoever coined the phrase “Getting There is Half the Fun” did not get up at o’dark thirty to take a 6:50 am shuttle, two flights, argue with the Alamo Rental Car clerk for an hour, then take two wrong turns to finally arrive at their destination 15 hours later! But the house is beautiful and now that we are here, worth every minute of travel. There is a pool and hot tub, sauna, a view of the ocean, a deck that runs the length of the house, and the sounds of crickets chirping while the adult kids enjoy the bubbling hot tub under the stars. I am exhausted. The rest of the group drove from the car rental place directly to the house, while Michael and I went to Foodland Market in Kapaa to load up on groceries. This is the way I like it, as it is so much easier for two to do the shopping than 11. Plus when we arrived at the house, everyone was at the ready to unload and put away the groceries (I can’t decide whether they are grateful or just freakin’ hungry — maybe a little of both). I am so happy to share this time with our kids and grandkids. I can’t even be sad that Amanda & Henry aren’t here, because they are busy putting the finishing touches on our newest granddaughter, who is due to arrive in approximately 17 days (but who’s counting)? My heart is bursting with joy! I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Early in the day, not too tired yet!

Brittney, Natalie, and Brian ready to go!

Karen Ann ( with the pretty flower in her hair) and Jake and Kenzie in front of her.

Brian using the travel pillow he got for Christmas.

Lexi, Rob, and Hailey!

Brian and Brittney adding to the grocery list.

Enjoying our Layover in Honolulu.

At Dawn.

Sunrising

A view of the ocean watchers from the lawn.

The view from the deck!

Sitting on the deck watching the ocean.