Back to the Mainland

After an incredible 3 week Anniversary Adventure in Hawaii it's time to return to the Mainland today.

Na Pali Coast - from Kalalau Trail

A few highlights from our last days on Kauai.

The Na Pali Coast is a beautiful and rugged coastline only accessible on foot, boat or helicopter.  We opted for a short hike on the trail to check out this breathtaking area!

river  crossing

a beach of carins

a little muddy!

Queen's Bath - an amazing place (tidal pool) to take a dip when the tide is just right.

the tide rolling into the bath

Poipu Beach

Hawaiian Cardinal 

 More snorkeling

Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal - lounging on the beach

 Misc. Fun

treated ourselves to a traditional Lomi Lomi - steam room, salt scrub and massage.  Ahhh!

one of our favorite meals - a Gorilla Bowl from Makai Sushi - it's a Poke Bowl (raw fish and seasonings) - YUM!

Tom survived the Shrimp Station (with only eating Fish N Chips since he's severely allergic to Shrimp)

Aloha Exchange - a great little store that Tom hovered in on due to the Patagonia sign out front

Chickens and Roosters EVERYWHERE!  We'll miss our daily wake-up calls from them.

Flying today from Hawaii back to Phoenix.  Tomorrow we pick up Moxie (yippee!) then back to the RV in Tucson.  Friday we'll start our drive back east.

Til next time...Happy Trails!

Kauai - The Garden Island

Hola from Kauai - our last island stop on this Hawaiian adventure.  Kauai is called The Garden Island and we see why.  It's lush and gorgeous!  However, that means a bit of rain which also means rainbows!

What's perfect about this island is you have both lots of hiking and lots of beautiful beaches!

And with rain comes beautiful waterfalls!  Some easy to get to and some tucked away in the canyons.

Wailua Falls

take note of Waipoo Falls off in the distance  in Waimea canyon

this is from the top of those falls (a nice hike to see this treasure - it's much better in real life!)

the short falls at the top

Waimea Canyon

There are even a few lighthouses on the island.  Mary Ellen has been waiting for these for 2 weeks!

Kilauea Lighthouse

Ninini Point Lighthouse

the view from Ninini Point - the airport is right here and the planes fly directly over the lighthouse to land

Coffee is huge on the islands and today we stopped at the Kauai Coffee Company so Tom could enjoy a few samples (I believe a few too many as he was ready to run a marathon by the time we left) and take home some beans.

My new "office" comes with a nice view.  Several people have asked where we found all of the great places for our stays.  VRBO.com

We are here until the 20th and then fly to Phoenix to start our drive east and back to PA for the summer.

Til next time...Happy Trails!

Maui Wowie

Maui Wowie was Tom's saying on the island but not referring to marijuana!  He had heard the saying and just liked it!  Plus there's a candy bar, WowWee Maui.  Fitting!

Another great little place to stay on this island.

Road to Hana - We survived the drive - 52 miles, 617 curves, 56 bridges (one lane mostly)!  It's beautiful and well worth the drive to see all of the scenery along the way as well as in Haleakala National Park (Pools of Ohe'o and the waterfalls).

bamboo forest on the way to the falls

Ohe'o Pools

Molokini Crater is a submerged volcanic cinder cone which is a great place for snorkeling.

look closely to see the octopus on the coral

Haleakala - Hiking and Biking!

I love being above the clouds!

We survived the 23 mile bike ride down the mountain and back into the town of Haiku.  Unfortunately, the companies no longer take bikers to the very top as there have been fatalities.

Til next time...Happy Trails!