Kauai Trip, Part 1

OK, so it's a little late in coming. Let's just say that last week was a very non-technological week. Not to say that I wasn't grateful for the network connection we had in Kauai... :)

Last Monday, the two of us left Oahu to explore the Garden Island for a couple of days. And I just have to say at the outset that it is a breathtaking island. So different from Oahu. Less touristy, slower paced, less traffic, and fewer buildings. Oh yes, it's also the island that limits the height of the buildings by the tallest nearby palm tree.

I know that photos can't do justice to God's creative works, but here's the view we had from our hotel room.

Of course, there's a story there too. We get to our hotel to find out that we've been upgraded to its sister resort just down the street - with lots of extra benefits!

On our second day on the island, we got up and watched the sunrise on the beach. If you've never done this before (on any beach) then it's a must. It's one of those experiences that everyone should have at least once in a lifetime. Later in the day, we drove down to the south side of the island and stopped at this blowhole in Po'ipu to watch the humpback whales (from a distance) as they spouted and waved to us.

Here's the blowhole. It was formed by lava that created air tunnels in the rocks. You can kind of see the ocean spray blowing up and out of the hole.
So after the whales and the blowhole, we made our way over to the Kauai Coffee Company. Who knew that one coffee farm could grow over 20 kinds of coffee?! We also found the (tiny) (hole-in-the-wall) Kauai Kookie Kompany. Hey, the free samples were nothing to complain about! We drove all the way to the end of the Kaumuali'i highway, out to the entrance of the Pacific Missile Range facility. Um. Yeah. Then we turned around.

After that, we headed out to the Waimea Canyon. As a Lit major, I feel that I should let you know that Mark Twain called it the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, although rumor has it that he never actually saw it. His loss. I've seen a lot of amazing sights in my lifetime, but few rival the majestic beauty of my first glimpse of Waimea Canyon. Breathtaking is not an exaggerated description. Again, the photos just don't do it justice.

Notice the waterfall!

And of course, we had to get a photo of us:

To be continued...