Kaua'i, Wrapping it Up ...

I didn't get a chance to blog the events of Friday and Saturday; here is the short, short version.

On Friday Jenny had to go back to work because they were going to retry the mission from Thursday night. Before she left, though, we were able to call AA and change my flight to leave on Saturday instead of Friday, which was cool. I called up Hertz and found out that I didn't have to do anything special to keep my car for one extra day, and that was pretty cool too. Jenny and I had a nice lunch at a place called Tropical Burger, where I tried a Hawaiian special guava burger. Nowhere else would I eat a burger with a healthy dose of purpleish-pinkish goo on top, but it was very tasty. Afterwards, I lounged around the condo for a while because I was pretty "beached out". (Seriously, did I just say that?) Instead of hitting the waves, I drove around and did some shopping.

Later that night, I headed back to the beach on the west coast to watch and see if our missile was going to fly. After some waiting, and annoyance at a gigantic cruise ship that happened to sail through the range right around launch time, we indeed flew and did pretty well.

I was set to leave on Saturday around 12:45 pm so Jenny and packed up and we hit a great place called the Beach Hut, which sat on the bay where the cruise ships come into port. Jenny drove me to the airport and after a long good-bye, I boarded my plane and started the long journey home. The flights were good, but long and I am happy to be home.

The End...

Kaua'i, Day 7

Jenny was feeling a little better today, which was good since she had to go to work for the mission tonight. We first picked up my rental car so I could get around while she's working for the next couple days. Afterwards, we met up at a store that sells gifts and beautiful, handmade jewelry from gems and shells. They have a large collection of Ni'ihau Shell Lays, which are as amazing as they are expensive. We shopped around for a little while, and afterwards went to Puka Dogs so Jenny could try it out before she had to head to work.

In the afternoon, I rented a body board and headed to Shipwreck Beach for the rest of the day. The waves were about 2 feet with very occasional 3-4 sets (though I did get hammered by one 6+ foot set that broke further out), so it was a nice calm day and there would be virtually no danger of rip currents. Now, when I surfed all the time growing up in Florida I was very much in shape, and could paddle around all day long with no trouble. Just paddling around for the first 10 minutes, I totally had forgot, and now remembered, how much work surfing/body-boarding actually was. It didn't help that I neglected to rent fins to go with the board.

Anyway, I had a great time and came back to the condo, got cleaned up, and headed out to the west coast to watch the mission. I was super excited because the sky was perfectly clear, and I was sitting on the beach in excellent position to see the whole mission unfold live. Unfortunately, after nearly 2 hours of waiting, I learned that the mission was scrapped for the day due to various "environmental" reasons. I was a little bummed since I was supposed to leave Friday afternoon and wouldn't get another chance to see our system live. However, the sunset and star-gazing was so perfect, that I didn't feel like I waited for nothing.

I stopped by Brick Oven pizza and picked up some dinner and headed home, and Jenny and I watched a movie before heading to bed. Also, we discussed changing my flight so that I would leave Saturday instead of Friday, so we'll see tomorrow if that is a possibility.

Kaua'i, Day 6

Jenny was feeling sick today and slept most of the morning while I watched some t.v. and finished a book on the lanai. Later that day, Jenny started feeling a little better and we went for a short walk in the afternoon. We ended up making enchiladas and nachos for dinner and then enjoyed an after-sunset walk on the beach. There was an area on the beach that was roped off because two monk seals had come up on shore to rest for the night. I didn't realize that the seals were as big as those two, and it was a pretty awesome sight. So I've seen whales, monk seals, and green sea turtles now, and the only thing I haven't seen happily swimming around is dolphin. But hey, I still have two more days to go...

Kaua'i, Day 5

It only takes 3 words to describe today:

Beach & Chocolate Souffle.

Peace.

Kaua'i, Day 4

Jenny had to work all day today, so I had the day to myself. After taking Jenny to the "drop point", Barefoot Burger, where we had lunch and where she was meeting her ride into work, I headed for a site called Fort Elizabeth, or the Old Russian Fort. There wasn't much to see at this site, as the only thing that was left were piles of old lava rocks that vaguely resembled a wall. However, I followed a path down to the beach (I actually thought that maybe that is where the fort was) and was rewarded, as always, by a beautiful view of the ocean from a black sand beach.

After getting back to the condo and relaxing for a little while (I think Roddick and Fish were playing), I decided to go for a little walk and explore the coastline around here. I headed down to the beach we went to the other day and started walking west. I reached the end of the beach at Poipu Beach Park, and I sat on a bench and watched the surfers for about 15 minutes. Then, I started walking back towards the east.

I trekked up along a hilly street once the beach ran out until I reached Poipu Point condos, where I saw a sign declaring public beach access through its parking lot. I headed through their lot and reached the beach access, where I could choose between heading to the Hyatt Beach and Shipwreck Beach or following beach trail along the rocky coast. I headed up the trail and climbed down along the rocky shoreline, where waves crashed and plenty of old lava tubes offered some exploring. I was treated to the sight of many endangered Green Sea Turtles swimming nearby. I think I may have even seen an ultra-endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, but I wasn't sure.

After hanging around there for a little bit, I headed back towards the Hyatt and Shipwreck beach, which were both very nice sandy beaches. Shipwreck beach was sandwiched between the Hyatt beach and a tall rocky bluff, and after wading through the water I headed to the bluff to see if I could find a way up (I had already seen people up on top). I made it to the top and the view was quite surreal. I sat there for a long while and watched whales off in the distance as well as the large sets rolling onto the rocks.

I made my way back to the condo and then headed to world famous, as seen on t.v., Puka Dog for dinner, and came back to the condo in time to make my way down to the beach again to watch the sunset, where I sat for about 30 minutes.

What a good day ...

Kaua'i, Day 3

A Tale of Two Roads

We have a Pontiac G6 rental car, and today we put it through two extremes.

It was the worst of roads...
There is a beach at a remote area of the island called Polihale beach. It is arguably the best car "accessible" beach on Kaua'i. However, the 5 mile road that leads to the beach only lets the brave, the patient, or the 4x4 driver through. Think of the worst road you possibly can, then multiply the potholes by a factor of 1,000,000 and you get this road. Actually, the road is literally more potholes than smooth driving as it is an old dirt sugarcane farm road that rarely gets any state attention. The road is so bumpy that it took us about 30 minutes to drive the 5 miles. People in 4x4 trucks flew by us though because their large tires allowed them to "skip" across the bumps and holes. I imagine that most tourists who hear about this beach make it for about 1/4 mile before giving up, which only makes it more rewarding once you make it to the beach.

It was the best of roads...
After traversing the road that pavers forgot, we headed up the steep cliffs to the "Grand Canyon" of Waimea. This is the road that the G6 was built for, and I gave the G6 a good "go at it"; taking the roads safe, but fun. The banks, switchbacks, hairpin turns, inclines, and s-curves made for one of the most fun roads I have ever driven. We didn't have time to hike in the canyon this day, but we stopped at a few lookouts and the views were definitely worth the drive. We took 550 on the way down which provided an unmatched view of the canyon, countryside, and ocean.

We stopped a great little local joint called Grinds and had some great breakfast skillets for dinner.

Kaua'i, Day 2

Well, Jenny got the day off today, and we moved from the Hilton Resort to a beautiful condo near Poipu beach. We had to wait until the afternoon before we could check into the condo, so we decided to drive all the way up the eastern coast to the end of the road at one end of the Napali coast.

The drive is a beautiful, slow-paced ride along coastal beaches, hilly countryside, and low-lying farms. The most interesting thing about the drive are a series of one-lane bridges that dot the main, and only, highway on the northern side of the island. Basically, you stop on your side until all the traffic has passed, and then your side gets to go, and so on. You wouldn't think such a thing would be practical on a busy highway, but it seems to work well and gives the drive some personality.

After reaching the end of the road, we turned around and made our way back, this time taking the time to stop at some beaches and lookouts. I finally got to see some big waves, though off in the distance, and some locals surfing at a beach that overlooked the break called "Tunnels". Also, we stopped at a restaurant in Hanalei and had a great island lunch, and afterwards we made our way to the lighthouse state park in Kilauea. We spent nearly an hour strolling around on the top of a high bluff where an old, but important lighthouse stood. Among other things, we saw whales, nesting birds, and an albatross that flew big circles around the bluff, often at times coming really close to the people. It seemed as though he was "showing off" for all the cameras around.

After making a quick stop at a waterfall lookout, we made our way to the condo and got settled in, finally unpacking our things. After relaxing a bit, we went to eat at a restaurant called Tidepools, which was located on the grounds of the Hyatt resort in Poipu, with some of Jenny's co-workers. The dinner was good, the company was good, and you can't ask for much more than that ...

Kaua'i, Day 1

Jenny had to go in for a full day of work today, so I was left to "fend" for myself all day on the grounds of a beautiful beachside resort. It was pretty rough for a while, as I ... oh who am I kidding, it was one of the best vacation days one could ask for! It only could have been better in the company of Jenny, but I guess we're even now for her getting to fly first class, hehe.

After a great breakfast buffet, I relaxed on the balcony and read. When that got old, I went to the gym for a bit, went to the pool for a bit, and relaxed with a book in the warm sun and cool ocean breeze. The highlight of my day was a long late afternoon walk on the beach, wading through the shallows of the surf, and feeling the warm embrace of the salt water and sand around my feet. If you know me at all, then you know that is about as good as it gets for me. The ocean will always be one of my great loves, and though I can't speculate what awaits us in heaven, I sure wouldn't complain if right outside the golden palace of God is an ocean.

Once the sun started to set, I grabbed my laptop, went to the longue, ordered a burger, and started this weblog. Right now I am sitting in a comfy couch while listening to a band and enjoying the fresh ocean breeze coming through the lobby.

We'll see what tomorrow holds...

Kaua'i, The Flight

What a long, long trip it is to get to Hawaii. It's hard to give the distance much thought (after all Hawaii is in a box right next to Alaska and California on most maps), but sitting in a crammed coach seat sure makes you aware of just how far you actually are going. The flights themselves were actually pretty smooth, though, and I was able to get a lot of reading done. I finished the most recent "entertainment" book I had been reading called Ballad of the Whiskey Robber whichs chronicles the account of one of Hungary's more famous folk heroes, Atilla Ambrus. It is a pretty entertaining story about a Romanian refugee turned electrician/pen salesman, turned pro hockey "goalie", turned Translyvanian pelt smuggler, turned post office / bank robber. Though, Atilla is a criminal through and through, I found it very hard not to sympathize with his plight at times, but in the end he definitely reaped what he sowed - though the truthfulness with which he handled his situation after capture is commendable, especially in this day and age.

I got through the flight with the help of Whiskey Robber, Batman Begins (which used nearly all of my laptop battery), a couple of re-runs of King of Queens and I love Lucy (the airline movies were Lassie and Good Night and Good Luck - neither really interested me), and reading some of the lesson manual from the Sunday School class on Proverbs that I am soon to be teaching.

We arrived in Lihue 8:00 pm local time, which was about 12:00 according to my internal clock, and I was pretty beat. We tried eating some dinner before bed, but I think my body was already crashing, and I could barely finish my soup and salad. Sleep came quickly for me, but unfortunately so did the alarm clock ...