Beach Bums

One of our favorite activities on the island was "beach hopping" Kauai has so many beaches and the highway runs right next to the ocean. We drove the whole island because it is so small you could really do it in a day. We stopped at many different beaches and collected a small baggy of sand at each one. I thought that a sand collection would be really fun to start, and maybe an excuse to see some more beaches. I am going to find some little glass bottles to put the sand in.

This is the view from the lighthouse that we visited, there is a bird refuge there and is also a great look out point to see humpback whales. We did not see any whales from here but it was breathtaking. Even I look like an awesome photographer, what can I say I don't think you could find an ugly spot on the island.

The lighthouse was built in 1913, and is still working today. We were able to see it at night too.

We happened to see another Walking Tree, so here is a better view of the whole tree. This one is small.

Many birds live here at the refuge on this hill, I am not much of a bird watcher so I could not tell what kind they were but apparently they are endangered. I thought that it was very neat to learn that the helicopter tour companies left this part of the island alone so as not to disturb the birds (or crash).

This tree looks like a pineapple tree but I was suprised to learn that it was really called a false pineapple tree or another name was the Walking Tree and the female trees had the fruit and the male trees did not. The fruit that looks like a pineapple are actually seeds and they can float and be carried away by the ocean to other lands.

Here is a mother and baby Monk seal snoozing on the beach.Here is a field in Hanalei that was planted with taro. Just above it is a huge waterfall.Ty and I decided this could definately be a new career for us. Beach Bums. As you can see the beaches are not crowded and you really can have a private beach to yourself. On several occasions we were the only ones out there.

This is not a great shot of the mom and baby Monk seals but it gives you a perspective of just how close you can get. I was sitting just four feet away from the pair when I took this picture. I actually decided to back up when the mom was getting irritated with the baby because he was trying to coax his mother into returning to the water after sunset and she was not done sleeping. She barked at him several times. One time she heard my camera phone click and she opened one eye to see me then check on the baby with the other eye and went back to sleep.

Another perfect ending to a perfect day on the island of Kauai.

Kayaking the Wailua River

We had so much fun kayaking, it was a great way to see the mountains from ground view because a hike was waiting for us at the top of the river. We started near the bottom where the river emptys into the ocean and paddle up stream to the top where it soon narrows. Believe it or not the breeze makes paddling up the river easier than paddling back down.

To begin our hike we had to cross the river where there were ropes to hold onto to get across the strong currents. I don't know why I was thinking that I could wear jean shorts because the river was up to my stomach.

At the end of our hike was a beautiful waterfall called Secret Falls. The trail was muddy and somewhat difficult to walk in but the falls was worth it.

Of course Ty is never a party pooper so after eating lunch he was the first to go for a swim. I was not exactly wanting to be wet again. Here is a picture of George of the jungle vines that we saw all over the forest, or I would say jungle. They really do bend just like a rope.

The rocks below are what is left of a native village that used to live in the area. They had paths lined with rock and garden walls built by stacking rocks. The houses were dug underneath the ground and usually had rocks above for defense. This one we were told was the Kings house.

We were able to see a Walking Tree. Yes it really does walk. The roots stay somewhat above the ground and the tree walks toward the nearest water source. The back of the tree uproots and a new root grows in the front and slowly the tree moves toward the river or whatever water source is around. This tree might be more helpful in Utah to give a sign of which way the water hole is. I can't think that the natives really needed to find water that often in Kauai since it rains alot.

Exploring the Island

The Beach House Restaurant. I loved that everywhere you went their was outdoor seating and gorgeous views of the ocean. The windows are always open, and no screens are necessary because I think we only saw 1 fly the entire time we were there.

People from all over come to watch the sunset in Kauai, even the native's seem to show up on the beach. This picture is taken in front of the Beach House restaurant where we ate delicious fresh fish. I am not a big fan of fish, but it sure tastes good when it is fresh. I loved the food in Kauai because everything had a slightly different twist of tropical flavor to it.

We happened to find a Botanical garden while waiting for our dinner reservations, Ty was not too into it at first but then changed his mind after seeing some of the most interesting flowers there.

This one almost looks like a bird if you notice the yellow "beak" at the top.

Ty putting on sunscreen getting ready for our first snorkeling adventure.

Amazing sunset at the beach.

We watched three sea turtles here at Spouting Horn beach.

Watching the sunset.

Spouting horn, the waves go up through this lava rock and spits the water out.

The very first beach we visited we happened to have this Monk seal to enjoy the sun with. He had reserved seating at the beach. Posts were put up with a rope around them, and everyone left him in peace. It did not seem to bother him to share the beach with the people.

Whew! Hot stuff!

Roosters are everywhere on the island, or what Ty refers to them as "Cocks". Seeing a rooster at the beach just seems like something is wrong. We seen "cocks" at the beach, the supermarket, the forest and everywhere whe went. They have no predators to eat them and their population out does the islanders.

This was one of my favorite trees here, they were huge and the leaves had a fern look to them. The remind me of the ones you would see in Africa. This is only the top of one that was growing in the canyon below.

Some one happened to have carved this into the hillside, it appeared to be rock but I was suprised when I put my hand on it the dirt crumbles easily. This is the type of red dirt that can be found all over the hills.