Kauai January 2003

--writing with Apple laptop--

--Becky writes unless noted by Marilou--

--Marilou takes most of the photos--

It's been one and a half years since our last visit to Kauai.

Tuesday, January 14, 2003

Howdy and Aloha to all,

After painfully waking before the sun, driving to Atlanta as the sun rose, going through the new and improved airport security check points, and flying three times on Friday and once on Saturday, we have arrived in Kauai at our timeshare. All the many legs of the trip are due to us taking advantage of an inexpensive fare Delta offered. I'm not sure spending less money is worth longer travel time. And because the Delta flights rode us around the mainland so much we arrived in Honolulu too late to catch the last Hawaiian Airlines flight to Kauai, so we had to stay the night in Honolulu.

Somehow just getting here, however that happens, is worth it!

This is the first time we've come to Kauai in January. The temps are
slightly cooler than the summer's highs of 85F, with highs now around 75F degrees. Though with the wonderful breezes, if you're in the shade, it can seem quite cooler. I might have to get another long sleeve something, I only brought one with me.

The island looks greener than we remember it to have been in the summer. I believe there was a drought going on in the summer of 2001 when we were here last. It's odd to consider that a drought could happen at the wettest place on earth. Even though the two tallest mountains here, Mt. Kawaikini and Mt. Waialeale ale, catch more than 44 feet of rain a year, differing parts of the coast can suffer drought. The west coast is always very dry, reminding me of Arizona. Where we are staying at Poipu Point is in-between being the driest and wettest parts of the coast. Both cactus and palms grow side by side here. Much of the sugar cane was and to a lessor extent still is grown in this area. Now, also, there are coffee plantations.

One of the main reasons for coming at this time of the year is the whales. They stay in this area for several months as they migrate north. When we got into our condo Marilou looked out the window and said, "I think I just saw a whale". I looked to where she was pointing in the sea and sure enough, about 500 yards out was a couple of whales blowing and swimming along, showing their backs as they crested out of the water. I had time to get my binoculars and watch them roll through the ocean surface several more times before they moved up the shore and out of sight from our balcony.

At 9:00 pm we drove back to Lihue's airport to pick up Nikki and
Cathy, our friends we invited to join us these two weeks. We met them with the traditional lei of flowers. They were tried and very happy to be out of the plane and on the ground. They, as we, too, had experienced a partly rough and longer than usual ride from California due to a
tremendous storm over the Pacific which created very strong headwinds for planes traveling west. The Captain of our plane kept apologizing and explaining that he couldn't get higher to escape the winds until more fuel had been expended to make the plane lighter. So, for the duration of our meal being served and eaten there was quite a bit of turbulence. Thank goodness I don't get air sick anymore.

From the airport Marilou drove Nikki, Cathy, and myself back to the condo and after some relaxing conversation and unwinding we all went to bed.

On Sunday morning the 12th, Cathy and Nikki got up earlier than us,
which is not too surprising, knowing us. Even though the time change gets everyone up earlier than usual the first couple of days here, they still beat us up. Cathy went out at sunrise for a walk looking for a church and then a little later Nikki went out for a walk along the shore. I began writing this and Marilou read a book.

The whales are playing in the same area as yesterday. Their tales are so unmistakable. The size of these creatures is impressive, at 400 to 500 yards, binoculars are not necessary to know that one is seeing Humpback Whales. It is great though, to see them through binoculars; such grace on a huge scale. I've been told by a native that the whales show up here in late November to calve that year's young and mate for next year's offspring and the whole group stays until spring.

Around noon a large school of dolphins went by just off shore. There may have been 50-60 of them weaving the surface of the ocean up and down with their dark silhouettes.

Monday started with a beautiful sunrise, as most days do here, and when Marilou and I got up Nikki and Cathy were already outside observing it from the shore. The whales put on a great show this morning. Many times one pushed its enormous body half out of the water and sometimes spinning with flippers outstretched so that its white belly was up before crashing back down, making a great cannonball splash. Again, as with yesterday, in-between the shore and the whales a school of dolphins swam by.

Nikki said she's decided that they could go home now, that everyday was just going to be the same; beautiful sunrise, whales, dolphins, great weather, and then a beautiful sunset, over and over! What a sacrifice to have to stay here two weeks! Oh, well.

The first day we arrived was overcast and cool. Ever since it has been
very clear and the big mountain is uncovered from it's clouds almost all
day. In the summer that is a very rare sight.

There is a farmers market that moves around the island. Each day it is held at a different outdoor location. At the designated spot, the participating farmers line up their tables and at the appropriate time, not sooner, the eager shoppers are let past a rope gate and the malay begins. It is a first come first serve situation with bargaining galore. On Monday the market happens at 12:00 sharp at the baseball field in Koloa, the town nearest our stay. I went armed with the camera, while the others had their dollar bills. Most items are packaged to the even dollar and the farmers don't like making change. All kinds of local fruits, vegetables, and flowers are available. It is quite an experience.

After the market we drove to the south side of the island to Port
Author, looking for a fresh fish market. We didn't find one there. We
did find a fellow with a sulfur crested cockatoo. Cathy, who has had
many birds, asked to pet the big white bird and its owner said she
could. In about two seconds the bird had crawled onto Cathy's arm and
was very happy nestling against Cathy and letting her scratch him all
around his neck and under his wings. Cathy said he is a youngster and
for another year or so one could expect him to want to be cuddled. His
name is Hapa and he loved the attention. He showed off by raising the
feathers on top of his head into a great headdress. A beautiful bird. We
have seen wild flocks of them in their native land of Australia. It was nice to see one up close and personal.

Then we drove further west to our favorite pizza place on the island in
Waimea and shared our favorite "pesto with all kinds of stuff on it
pizza" with Nikki and Cathy. They agreed, it is a great pizza.

The west side of the island is so much drier. Lots of sugar cane is still grown there. Some of the "unusable" areas are used by the Navy as a missile range. The Waimea Canyon is carved into the west side of the island, also known as the Little Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

In Waimea we found a grocery store selling fresh fish. So, we got some
and headed home. Later Nikki fried them for dinner and we had a fruit
salad made from all the fruit that was bought at the local market earlier in the day.

More in a few days.

Hope you are well,

Becky, Marilou, Nikki, & Cathy

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Tuesday, January 21, 2003

Howdy and Aloha to all,

On Tuesday there was rain off and on, which brought the humidity up
some. The showers are scattered and short lived with blue sky
showing between the rainy spots. Nikki and Cathy had wanted to rent
bicycles and that was put off for another day. We packed a lunch and
drove out to nearby Kawailoa Bay to check out the sink hole. Last time
we were here, in 2001, there were two archaeologists digging in a cave that is in the sink. They were finding pottery dating back to pre European times. This time the sink hole passage was barred and nobody was working there. It was a nice walk anyway along the beach and up the little stream.

Shortly after noon, while the tide was high, we went to see Spouting
Horn. In a lava rock shore in the Poipu (pronounced, Po-e-pu) area is a hollow vent hole that the ocean water is forced through when the tide is up. The air being pushed ahead of the water makes a roaring noise through another hole about six feet away each time the spout blows. With good waves the spout can reach 30 to 50 feet straight up and the roar can sound like a large dragon (we all know what a dragon sounds like, huh?). It's fun to watch. At this little park is a crafts fair, too, though not a good one. Much of the crafts are imported stuff.

That evening we all went to the Luau at Gaylord's. In 2001 we went with John and had such a good time and knowing that it is rated as one of the best on the island, we didn't hesitate to go back. I think the show was even better this time. And certainly the food was as great as we
remembered it. Though the Poi still doesn't have any flavor. LOL.

Wednesday was rainy in the morning. We planned to do something indoors like go to the museum and by the time we walked out to the car the small storm which had been producing the rain for the past day and a half was moving on out to sea, so we changed our minds and headed for the Waimea Canyon instead. As we drove up the canyon road the air began to get cooler. Up at about 3500 feet the wind from the tail end of this weather system had become quite unfriendly.

Thinking we were going to the museum when we left the condo, we had not brought much extra to put on. It was down right cold! We were parking, running to the view points, looking around and running back to the car very quickly. Shorts and Hawaiian shirts don't cut it in 40 degree temps. The weather up there in summertime sure isn't close to being that cold. Still Nikki and Cathy seemed to enjoy the canyon and the other interesting areas up at that altitude. We also spotted a new bird; one that feeds off of the flowers that bloom on the mountains even in the chill of an Hawaiian winter.

All of us were happy to get back to the relative warmth of the lowlands.
Even though the winds were still incredibly strong, the sun warmed the
air. We checked out the salt ponds at Hanapepe where salt is still being produced on a small scale. Then we stocked up on some more groceries and drove home for supper.

Just before supper we found a gathering of friends of Bill's in Poipu Beach Park. Sitting at a park table while the sun was setting was a wonderful place to meet with friends. "These rooms" takes on a whole new meaning. There were also three Monk Seals asleep on the beach. They sleep for days and so the wardens help keep them undisturbed by setting up rope barriers to protect the seal's snooze.

We awoke on Thursday to beautiful weather once again. The storm had finally blown itself all the way out to sea. The big mountain was
crystal clear. I don't get tired of seeing it. The summer keeps a cloud
on the highest part just about all the time. And I love the rest of the
mountains, too. Worn lava mountains look unlike any other mountains,
with their sharp ridges and especially here being covered in Kauai's
green carpet.

Nikki and Cathy rented snorkel gear and we drove to the east side of the island checking out prices on bikes for them. Marilou and I had lunch in Wasabi's Sushi Restaurant while Nikki and Cathy had their lunch at the nearby beach.

They ended up renting bikes back at Poipu and rode to the snorkeling spot where we met them with all our gear. We all went for a snorkel at the old native harbor which is only a small boat launch now. Despite the lack of beach and general unbeachieness above water, this is rated as one of the best snorkeling spots because of it's rocky underwater and the depth drops off sharper than the pretty beach sites. Many scuba drivers also use this spot as a walk-in entrance, too. We had a good swim in the cool water and saw quite a few fish and large schools. The summer does offer many more fish and warmer water. I heard that the water temp today was about 68F and in the summer it's about 75F.

After the snorkel we went home and got ready to go out to Gaylord's, one of our favorite restaurants, for a 6:30 supper reservation. We had a excellent meal and as we drove back to Poipu the almost full moon lit our way through Tree Tunnel.

Friday, after breakfast at home, Cathy and Nikki rode their bikes into
Koloa town, a couple of miles from Poipu, to explore there.

Marilou and I drove off to the Trading Post in Lawa'i to look at Ni'ihau leis. These are leis made from tiny shells. I mean really tiny! The necklaces are made on the island of Ni'ihau, the "forbidden island" 18 miles west of Kauai. About 30 native families live there and only invited guests can arrive on its shores.

At the Trading Post we saw some excellent examples of these leis. For Marilou's birthday, which is Sunday, I bought for her the one she picked out. The young lady at the store gave us a great education on this possible dying art form. It seems less of the young on Ni'ihau are learning to make these incredible leis. A really good necklace can take up to a year or more to produce. Finding the shells and then making the hole in it, where 2 in 3 shells fail, and collecting enough of the various colors, some rarer than others, is quite a lesson in patience.

Marilou and I then met Cathy and Nikki in Koloa town for lunch.

Afterward we drove to the very end of the road on the west side of Kauai. Barking Sands Beach, Polihale State Park and the start of the Na Pali Coast is the reward for driving the last few miles over dirt road through a sugar cane field that hasn't seen a scraper in years. Makes our Fannin County Road Department look great!

Being winter, the wind and surf were up on the west side. There are huge dunes between the beach and the fields and on the other side of the fields are the beginning cliffs of the Na Pali Coast. About a mile up the coast, the beach, and cane gives way to the cliffs coming right down into the ocean. So much wind and water (both rain and ocean) pound this coast line, it's one of the fastest eroding places on earth. Though, to our eye and lifetime, not much changes.

Friday night was the full moon and it had risen before sunset. The
clouds that stream off of the big mountain gave the silver moon ribbons
of gray in which to dance as we drove home from exploring the west.
Marilou grilled T-bones and fixed native sweet potatoes and eggplant for supper. Nikki and Cathy fixed a salad. We've not been lacking for good eats here. We watched Blue Hawaii that evening. LOL

Saturday morning there were scattered showers in Poipu They stopped by noon and we all headed for the north side of the island. In-between Kapa'a and Princeville is the world's largest clam shell lens
lighthouse. I don't know much about the len's qualifications, it was the
scenery out on the small peninsular we stopped to see. On the one hill
high above the ocean sat Laysan Albatrosses and on another hill were
Red-Footed Boobys (yes, that is a bird).

The further north we drove around the island the more rain we ran into. The north side of Kauai is the most lush, so it stands to reason that it would receive the most rain. With the island being only 33 miles across east to west and 25 miles north to south, one might not think that the weather could be so different from spot to spot and it is. Hanalei was socked in by low clouds and fog. Only part of Puff the Magic Dragon could be seen as he lay in the bay.

When we got to the end of the road at Ke'e Beach the rain let up again for a moment. The northern beginning of the Na Pali Coast had shrouds of misty clouds hanging from the damp green cliff tops. We stood tiny on the beach against the giant cliffs. We stopped in Hanalei for coffee and tea and ordered supper to go and drove back home to find it raining there also. That evening we began watching South Pacific.

Sunday was Marilou's birthday. It was a cloudy day though not raining as she and I took a walk on the beach near our condo. The whales were really flipping their tales a lot. It's the males doing all the showing
off to get the females attention during breeding season. A Great
Frigatebird glided overhead.

Marilou and I went to Gaylord's for brunch and then shopped some while Cathy and Nikki stayed at home hot tubbing and napping. When we got back home we all finished South Pacific and then Nikki and Cathy took us all out to eat at The Beach House Restaurant for Marilou's birthday. This is the best place for sunsets and just as the sun was going down the clouds broke up enough to give us a very good show. Also the food there is some of the best on the island.

More later,

Becky, Marilou, Nikki, & Cathy

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Friday, January 24, 2003

Howdy and Aloha to all,

Monday morning was the start of another beautiful day in Kaua'i.
(Officially, in Hawaiian, there is an apostrophe in-between most vowels
when they are together in a word, so that they are pronounced separately.)

Back to Monday morning, it was a grand day to go snorkeling and that we did at Lawa'i Beach in Poipu Nikki and Cathy rode the bikes to Lawa'i and Marilou and I met them there with the gear. There were more fishes than at the landing (where we snorkeled the other day) and a monk seal was asleep on the beach. Now this is a very small beach and the wardens had roped off an appropriate part for the seal and still there were people everywhere else and nothing seemed to bother the seal. It just slept as everyone went about their fun in the sun. Occasionally it would scratch it's side with it's flipper or roll over to bake another side in the warm sun. People took pictures of it and no one got too close.

After the swim, Nikki and Cathy rode their bikes to the Botanical
Gardens right up the street and Marilou and I drove home, changed
clothes and then went to a stichery/fabric store that Marilou has been
wanting to see.

As we were driving home from the fabric store, watching the sun set, we cooked up a plan to rent a Jeep so we could go off road and see places deeper into the forest areas. So, that evening Marilou called around to the various car rental places and found a good deal.

On Tuesday, Nikki and Cathy rode the bikes to Koloa to return them and Marilou and I picked them up in the car. Then we all drove to Lihu'e to pick up the Jeep. Cathy and Nikki kept the car to go wherever they wanted and Marilou and I took off in the Jeep to explore parts yet
unknown.

First we tried to get to a dirt road that follows the east side beaches
and found gates closed. The map we have to go by doesn't show the gates. Bummer. Then we tried to get to one dirt road that heads into the interior towards the big mountain and again found closed gates. So, with our hopes dented we tried for one other dirt road at the end of Hwy. 580 in a State Park. Third time was the charm, and what a surprise it was.

We drove through some rough road and got to the very spot that the
entrance to Jurassic Park was filmed with the backdrop being the crater walls of the big mountain. A forest trail led on up the side of the
mountain. We walked part of it until time made us turn around so we
could find our way out in daylight.

In trying to find this spot we had driven several off-shoots of the main jungle road and at one point the mud puddle of all mud puddles was in front of us, as big as a living room, and at the other side of it was a three foot bank above the water. There were fresh tire marks of vehicles that'd made it through before us, so I put the Jeep in 4 wheel low and drove in ... we got to the other side of the hole and our Jeep just wasn't tall enough to get over the bank and tires started spinning, so I put it in reverse and tires spun a little again ... now the tail pipe was gurgling in the water. I eased us out in reverse after another bump forward. I did NOT want to have to get out of the Jeep in the middle of that muddy pond. LOL

Now that we know how to get to the crater, we've already planned to arrive early one morning on another trip to Kaua'i. The morning sun on the crater walls would be outstanding.

It was dark when we got home that evening. On the way home Marilou
bought some Ahi steaks (Hawaiian Tuna), which she and Cathy grilled and Nikki fixed corn on the cob, green beans, and for dessert we had Lemon Squares that Cathy made.

Wednesday, Nikki and Cathy's boat ride to the Na Pali Coast came
through. It had been postponed the day before due to 20 foot swells on
the Na Pali side of the island. So, they got up early to do that, while
Marilou and I got up a little later and went 4 wheeling again. That
morning we explored the mouth of the Waimea River. Though not rough going, it was out of the way and not the usual tourist place to go.
Local Kauaians have gardens along the river in the flood plain and some homes built on stilts.

Then we headed for the small boat harbor in Waimea to meet Cathy and Nikki after their Na Pali trip. We pulled into the harbor parking area
just as their boat was entering the harbor. Good timing on our part, for
they were back early. The ocean had been too rough for the snorkel part of their trip and lunch, too, had been put off until they got back to land. The captain invited us to eat lunch with the group and so we did.
After everyone had eaten and the boat had been pulled from the water
because gale force winds are expected on Thursday, and everyone else had left, we four were still sitting there at the picnic table at the nice little harbor/beach, too tired to move. Vacationing is hard work!
I've said this before and it's still true. --grin--

Finally, Marilou and I got up some energy and headed for the Waimea
Canyon road to go up to KoKe'e State Park to do some more off road
exploring. Up there we found a dirt road that goes almost all the way to
the Alaka'i Swamp Preserve. There are trails off of this road that lead
to fantastic overlooks of canyons. Also, we identified another bird. This
area is a tropical rain forest AND alpine forest. Yes, it's pretty ... strange. Today, at altitude, the weather was very nice; not too cold for shorts and Hawaiian shirts.

Before I forget, I want to tell you about he chickens that are all over the island. Back in 1992, when Hurricane Iniki came through, many of the domestic chickens were blown out of their coops. They were never recaptured and have prospered on the island ever since. On going generations multiply their population. They're ferial and everywhere.

When we arrived home from our off-road adventures, Cathy was still napping and Nikki had napped and was now awake. After their boat trip, they had mostly crashed and burned. I remember that I felt much the same after my trips to the Na Pali Coast. When Cathy got up, she and Nikki fixed rice, grilled chicken, lots of fruit, and salad. I think I've mentioned that we've not lacked for good eats here. And in case any of you are wondering what I'm cooking, well, I'm not, except for breakfast the first morning. I'm the "dishwasher"; we have a real dishwasher, I just put 'em in it and clean up the kitchen. Good eats for a little work. Not bad, huh?

It's Thursday and our days here are getting much too short in number for all of our liking. Today we turned in Cathy and Nikki's snorkel gear and our Jeep. The hard winds forecasted for today have not been as hard as we had thought. Though, the sea is roaring and I'm glad I'm on land and not out there on the water.

The four of us visited Hilo Hattie's, a big Hawaiian shirt and better trinket store, again and then had lunch in Kalaheo and went to the Kauai Coffee Company's visitor center. There we tasted their different coffees and saw a video of their processing procedures where I learned a few more things I didn't know about coffee production.

The Kauai Coffee Company is a relatively young coffee company and are trying their best to give Kona, which is grown on the big island of Hawai'i, a run for their money. Kona is the second most expensive coffee in the world, Jamaican Blue Mountain being #1. Both are known for their smoothness. Kauai coffee may someday get it's share of the spotlight.

Thursday, mid afternoon we dropped by to see Hapa the cockatoo at Port Allen and then went for Shaved Ice in Waimea. A Shaved Ice is ice shaved from a large block by a machine with a sharp blade and then the fine shavings are mounded and packed on top of ice cream in a bowl and then flavored syrups are poured onto the whole thing. A very cold treat which can give one freezerhead quickly.

For supper we went to Mike's Take Out, a local favorite off the beaten
path in Lihue. On the way back home we pulled into Poipu Beach to
watch the sunset, with a seal, then on home to eat.

Just when life here is settling down to a nice slow pace, it's almost
time to leave. Today was a fairly lazy day. It seems we go go go to get
to all the things we want to see and do the first week or so and then
the calm creeps up and the next thing we know we don't want to do much of anything at all ... much less go back to the mainland.

It's Friday and the storms forecasted for yesterday arrived last night.
Here at Poipu it's partly sunny while the interior of the island looks
very cloudy and probably rainy. There is a nice cool breeze that
helps keep the humidity blown off. Winter drops the humidity very low and these storms bring it temporarily back up to summertime levels.

We leave Saturday.

Aloha to all,

Becky, Marilou, Nikki, & Cathy