Na'pali Coast

So I mentioned that we hiked out to the crest of one of the ridges of the Na’pali coast, today we got to see this fascinating coastline from the water. We took Captain Andy’s Zodiac boat tour as recommended by the Staples. This was a high quality adventure. Our captain, Captain Matt, and his first mate, Lisa, were very knowledgeable and friendly. The ocean was clear blue and smooth as glass, our captain said it was the smoothest day of the year. The Zodiac boat glided over the water with hardly a bump. We stopped to view a couple pods of spinner dolphins that swam and jumped right along side our boat. We saw several see turtles and sea birds up close as well.

We went the entire length of the coast line stopping to take the boat right into several sea caves. We were able to dock at an archaeological site where ancient Hawaiians lived along this rocky, steep shore. We snorkeled there, which I enjoyed much more than I had anticipated. Then they fed us a fabulous hot lunch and gave us a guided tour of the site. It’s amazing that people lived in this narrow shore among these huge cliffs, but it’s so beautiful you can see why they did.

Do you see King Kong's face?

Spinner dolphins

The beaches gets swallowed up by high winter surf. We were there just before the swells arrived.

Ridge after ridge after ridge.

Water fall

Ken and I inside a sea cave which has an open top.

A waterfall inside a sea cave.

After the boat trip we started making our way along the Eastern Shore to the North Shore. We stopped to view a few beaches, but continued on to arrive at our hotel in Princeville just at sunset.

The view of Hanalei Bay from our hotel.

Perseverance

When we woke up this morning we thought we’d hike in Waimea Canyon and spend the afternoon at the beach. We started by eating breakfast on our porch while watching the dolphins play off the shore. Then we drove to the spectacular Waimea Canyon.

There are two hiking options in this area, you can either hike into the canyon or out along a ridge of the Na’pali Coast. We chose door number two, but about ½ way down the 2 ½ mile trail we were still walking in mountain mist with little visibility and began to doubt our choice. We ultimately decided to take the gamble that we would be able to see the view once we got to the end of the trail. The gamble paid off when we finally dropped below the clouds in the last ¼ of the trail. The view was breathtaking, and the chance to walk out on the tip of the ridge was worth the hike.

Look beyond Daddy to the ridge to the left and behind him. We were standing on one just like that.

After taking in the view we headed back up the 1100 foot elevation change when about ¼ of the way up the rains hit. As we squished our way up the trail we came to understand why the YMCA camp up the road is named Camp Sloggett. We were soaking by the time we made it back to the car. Ironically, our swimming suits became our dry clothes for the day. Driving back down we stopped to take a few more pictures of the dramatically different looking Waimea Canyon after the rains.

Since it was late in the afternoon we decided to head for a Western Shore beach to take in the sunset. We thought we’d drive all the way to the end of the line at the Polihale State Park. It was a little difficult to find the road and when we did it was a rough dirt road. It took about 20 minutes to drive down to the beach and we weren’t sure we’d ever make it. But when we got there we were treated with the best beach on the island. The sand was soft, fluffy white and so clean. It was like walking on a marshmallow. The water was clear blue and warm. We walked along the beach and let the sun warm us after our soggy hike. The lesson of the day was to keep on going because that’s when you get to the good stuff.



Love,
Mom

Indiana Jones

This summer was surprisingly hot in Millbrae, and my dryer heats up the whole house, so I decided to try hanging the clothes out to dry in the backyard. I strung twine from the patio cover across the yard to one of the bars of the trampoline safety net and used a pack of clothes pins I used once for some church activity. It worked great until one day Zad decided to play Indian Jones in the backyard and tried to zip down the laundry line. The line snapped sending Zad to the ground. He thought it was great fun and wanted me to put up more twine, but I decided to wait for cooler weather to do laundry. Today I got to experience the joy that Zad found on that summer day when we zipped through the jungle here on Kauai.

The zip line was part of an organized tour we took which started out with kayaking 2 miles up a river. Then we hiked to a lagoon where there was a rope swing. After swimming they drove us through a ranch where we observed cows, goats, peacocks, and other birds. We also saw wild pigs and roosters that roam the island. The last thing we did was zip through the jungle down a big cable. It was a very active day. It was a rainy day, even by Kauai standards, but we didn’t mind because it was still warm and we wet anyway.

We came home and got all clean and dry before going to a luau. It was supposed to be on the beach, but they had to move it indoors because of the rain. We still got to eat lots of yummy barb-a-que food and raw fish! It was really good. They had singers and ukuleles and dancers. There was even a fire eater who spun two sticks that were on fire at both ends. He walked right by me and I could feel how hot the torches were. Very hot, incase you were wondering. Here are some pictures from the luau:

Hawaiian hula dancer

A Tahitian warrior

We had a great time, but, sorry, Zad, I don't think we'll be putting up a zip line in the backyard anytime soon.

Love,

Mom

Aloha

Ken and I have never taken a vacation alone since Jensen was born over 9 years ago. So this year we conned his parents into coming to California to watch the kids while we headed for Hawaii. But alas, I can’t do anything without the children, so I told them I’d blog it while we were on the trip so they could see what we are up to.

Today we arrived on Kauai and the first thing I noticed when we left the airport was how great it smelled. There is a constant waft of the most wonderful flower that is sweet but not sickening. It is quite humid, but really warm. Everyone here is really nice; I think it’s because it’s such a beautiful place to be everyone is just happy. It is also very relaxed here and things move a little more slowly than back home, so we spent a long time in line waiting to get out rental car.

After getting our car, a convertible, we headed to our hotel. It has a downstairs and an upstairs with a lanai, that’s what they call a porch. The edge of the downstairs porch has a fence and just beyond the fence it drops down about 50 feet to a rocky cove in the ocean below where we watch sea turtles swimming all day. I’m sitting on the porch right now as I write this. It is dark out, but the moon is big and the sound of the waves is very relaxing. We are going to go to dinner now, I think we are going to have fish. I bet now you’re glad you got to stay home with Grandma and Grandpa and have Little Caesars.

Love,
Mom

P.S. A gecko just ran across the porch.

Visiting The Baileys

After leaving Crater Lake, we were so excited to see our friends the Bailey’s who recently moved to Beaverton. They were so gracious in hosting us on our stay, and it was so great to see them. Bridger and Declan got a chance to bond, and I think we brought a new kind of crazy to their home. Here is a picture of us all on the porch of their new home.

They convinced us to take an unscheduled trip to visit Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast. We thought we would jump out of the car, take a picture of the Pinnacles and take off, but it was so beautiful we decided to stay the rest of the day. The scenery was fantastic, but the soft, white beach of fine sand and the warm water were what made us stay. Playing together in the waves even inspired Jensen to say, “Who says moms aren’t fun?” Thanks, Jensen, I had fun playing with you, too.

Boys on the beach

If fun is measured by how dirty you get, Sage must've had a blast.

This photo just captures Zad's personality perfectly.

Jensen is licking an ice cream cone left on the beach by an anonymous sculptor.

Crater Lake National Park

To finish off Ken’s sabbatical, we took a major road trip. We drove over 3700 miles and visited four National Parks. Here is the first installment of the trip. We first headed north to Oregon and Crater Lake. Crater Lake is really surprising. The lake was formed when a volcano erupted and then collapsed in on itself thousands of years ago. The hole then filled with rain and ground water until it became a lake. The water is so blue it seems unreal. The sides are so steep that there is only one trail down to the water. We opted to take a trail up to a nearby peak to have a better view of the surrounding area. Later that day the children performed a very informative play on the creation of Crater Lake at the amphitheater in the campground. Jensen narrated while Zad and Sage played parts such as a volcano, lava, the lake, and water. Ken and I were the entire audience, so it is safe to say all who saw it felt it was a remarkable piece of theater.

It was cold enough that we were glad we brought all of our winter gear.
Here we are with just a corner of the lake from the drive along the rim.
The pictures don't even do justice to the size and color of this incredible lake.
Get comfortable, kids, you're going to be in there a while.