I'd like to start with a special thanks to Amy's parents, for making this trip possible.
The sun setting over the ocean, as seen from the balcony of the condo we stayed in.
Whale watching - a highlight of my entire Hawaii stay
We hiked a portion of the Sliding Sands Trail at Haleakala National Park. I ran to and from the cinder cone you see in the distance.
The view of Haleakala National Park from about 10,000 feet above sea level.
Flowers
We drove the road to Hana. This picture was taken near one of the few black sand beaches in Hawaii.
A stretch of unusually dry weather forced the closure of The Seven Sacred Pools. Tiny stagnant pools remained. No swimming. We drove over the bridge you see in the distance.
On our final day, Amy and I went to the Iao Needle. We ended up hopping a fence and hiking back into the valley behind the tourist corral. There was some steep terrain and faint trails to deal with, but it turned out to be a lovely adventure.
The Iao Needle
Islands from the sky, on our way home to Kauai.
Here we go! – a whirlwind of Kauai happenings from Christmas to my birthday.
photo: Dec 24th
The view of Kalihiwai Bay from the bluff
photo: Dec 25th
Our Little Christmas
photo: Dec 28th
"Christmas" Dinner
One of our friends wasn't feeling well on Christmas Day, so we had a make-up dinner a few days later. On the plate is the appetizer: baked prosciutto and endive rolls (from Wonderfoods by Natalie Savona). We had Ono for our main course, and an orange almond torte, made using oranges we picked, for dessert. Yum.
photos: Jan 2
Hanakapi'ai Falls Hike
This hike takes you along the Kalalau Trail (Na Pali Coast) for about two miles to Hanakapi'ai beach, and then another couple miles to the falls.
The beach. Winter currents here have a strong flow along the Na Pali Coast. If you get carried out here, there's no safe return to shore for a long ways. Don't get swept around that corner to the left!
Our crew (minus Amy) near the base of the falls.
Hanakapi'ai Falls - The portion visible from here is 410 feet in height.
Hala Trees have crazy roots.
photo: Jan 4
My First Trip to The Bowl
Here, I'm leaving the relative comfort of the beach breaks of Hanalei Bay to paddle out to a reef break called The Bowl. This, and subsequent sessions there, have provided a whirlwind of experience – awe, elation, frustration, fear, and more. Being caught in the wrong place for head high waves (and bigger) is something I'm still trying to adjust to. Being in the right place and riding one of those waves, is truly beyond description.
photos: Jan 7
Okolehao Trail - appx 4.5 miles round trip, 1200' vertical gain
Amy and I get another hike in. We went a little bit beyond the "finish" of this hike towards Hihimanu. The trail gets steep and narrow in places, requiring the use of ropes that are tied to trees. We plan to go back and make a go at summiting.
Amy on one of the roped sections (beyond the main Okolehao Trail)
photos: Jan 16
Birthday Bonfire at Rock Quarry Beach
It just doesn't get any better than this.
Fire.
photo: Nov 28th
I can't recall a time in my life where I've spent more time barefoot or in flip flops. I think I went two months without putting socks on, until a cold morning finally broke the streak. This is what I wear, Sanük Beer Cozy flops. Comfy.
photo: Dec 4th
Tom, Laurie, Amy and I enjoyed a beautiful sunset at Ke'e Beach. It's at the end of the road and the beginning of the Kalalau Trail and Na Pali Coast. Amy jumps into frame.
photo: Dec 8th
This seems like so long ago. My surfing has come a long way in the five weeks since this was taken.
photo: Dec 16th
Kauai seems to constantly work to return to a natural state. Cars succumb to rust, and untended paths quickly become overgrown. Here, quick work is being made of an abandoned condominium project (also former site of an old Club Med locale and near where some filming for Gilligan's Island took place).
(blurry) photo: Dec 23rd
My iPhone struggled in the waning light. Amy and I found a short, faint trail near Kalihiwai Bay, complete with ropes tied to trees to assist on the steep sections. It led to a volcanic rock shore at the point of the bay. There were a couple large blowholes and walking near this one was quite the experience. The intense low frequency booms of moving water, and feeling so exposed to the waves, created a very different experience from the tourist stop at the Spouting Horn Blowhole.
Assuming I get around to it, Part 2 should bring us through Christmas and up to my Birthday. That's it for now.
Hanalei Valley
We bought a car! The freedom has been nice, but we've already run into some issues with the vehicle. A new water pump has gone in, and we're still battling a windshield leak that puts a pool of water on the driver side floorboard with heavy rains. Heavy rains have been frequent of late. Hopefully, we'll be able to sell it for something close to what we paid for it, when we depart.
Here's what 160 twenties looks like.
We had a few days with some pretty big surf.
Amy got a board at the surf swap. Unfortunately, she recently sprained her foot when she fell in some shallow water. You can read about it here: http://ameliacarolyn.com/2009/11/14/injuries-and-setbacks/
We've hiked to this waterfall a couple times now. It's fantastic. Here we are on the trail to it.
It's quite an experience to be behind a waterfall like this – feeling the heavy water fall on you and the noise of the water.
This pictures gives a good idea of scale, with our crew swimming back and Amy and I still beneath the falls.
Sunset yoga. Adria's standing bow:
Amy's standing bow:
This didn't work out very well. It was quite hard to balance with two people.
More crazy tropical foodstuffs. Dragon fruit at the farmer's market. Amy is the hand model.
We went to Larsons Beach for Nate's birthday party bonfire. It was great to hang out on the beach with friends and enjoy good food and margaritas, set by a roaring fire, in such a beautiful setting.
Warning at Larsons Beach.
