Garden

wow, so since we went to Kauai I have been blogging non stop about our trip! So here is a update on our community garden: it rocks! We have been able to harvest a TON of green beans, broccoli and lettuce so far. The radishes we done when we got back from our trip but I have planted a new row to hopefully have later in the summer. We also have carrots, peppers and tomatoes still growing and producing. I have a ton of zinnia flowers and some herbs that are doing well also. The garden has been a fun experience. Last weekend we had to pull some broccoli and all our lettuce because they stopped producing. I tried planing some more seeds of various things but I am not sure how they will do mid summer when it has been so hot here. For now we are still enjoying green beans and carrots. Hope to have peppers and tomatoes soon! Here are some pictures I took in June when we got back and everything was thriving:

Kauai: Day 9

Our last day in Kauai we packed in a few more activities. We decided to try a little kayaking. As you know, we are big canoers....but kayaking is whole different ball game! We kayaked up the Hanalei river through the valley and farm land. It was about a 4 mile kayak trip and I was exhausted by the end! It did rain on us but since we were working hard, the rain felt good. It was nice to be on the river, but I am not sure I am well made for kayaking!I will leave this to our friends Michell and Kelly...I still prefer my canoe. :)

After kayaking we had a picnic lunch at a park in Hanalei. Before leaving Hanalei Eric and I also took one last walk on the beach. It was a beautiful afternoon!

We went back to our place, packed up and hit to road to the airport. Along the way we stopped and Duane's Ono-Char Burgers. They are amazingly delicious! My parents were staying a few more days so they dropped us off at the airport and headed back to the rental home. Goodbye Kauai.... until next time.... Mahalo and Aloha!

Kauai: Day 8

Our second to last day in Kauai was pretty low key. The day started off nice and Eric and I headed back to Hanalei beach for him to do a little surfing while I relaxed on the beach. The waves on this day were pretty small but Eric still had fun just hanging out on his board.

After surfing we had lunch one more time at the taco truck and explored the pier at Hanalei Bay with my parents. The water was a beautiful jade green and I couldn't help myself taking a lot of pictures!

After the lunch, we headed back to our place and then Eric and I decided to do a walk to Tunnels Beach. Along our walk we saw a sea turtle hanging out in the shallow waters so I jumped at the opportunity to get a picture of her!

Tunnels is a beautiful beach with a great view of the mountains. We didn't snorkel here but I wish we would have! We did set up the hammock and relaxed in the shade while watching the ocean. It was a great day of relaxing!

Kauai: Day 7

Today we did a sailing trip with Captain Sundown. Captain Bob and his son Larry took us on an amazing sailing trip on their catamaran up the Na Pali Coast. We started out in Hanalei Bay early in the morning with about 10 other people. We followed the cost for a good couple of hours rolling with the swelling waves. I had to keep my eyes on the island and the Na Pali cliffs or I would start to get a little sea sick but it was a beautiful ride! Along the way we could see the hike we did the day before and then Larry pointed out the valley we saw from our hike at Waimea Canyon. It was cool to see the places we had already been from a different perspective.

We hiked the left side of these cliffs the day before.

The ridge line in this picture is what we hiked on the Na Pali cliffs

Once we got down to the end of the Na Pali cliffs we stopped for some snorkel time. The reef here was cool with lots of pockets and holes that the fish swam in and out of.
The water also felt great after being in the sun for a while on the boat.

After snorkeling we headed back down the coast back to Hanalei Bay. It started out slow while we at a sandwich lunch following the coast line closely. We were able to see a lot more of the details along the coast. There were a lot of waterfalls coming off the cliffs and caves as we headed to Hanalei. After about 20 min we turned a bend along the coast line and ended up going against the waves. This part of the boat ride was like a wet and wild roller coaster. We kept going up the big swells and then came crashing down onto waves and ended up getting soaked in the process! Each wave we hit came over the catamaran and drenched us. It was a lot of fun, but I wont lie, I was a little nervous about staying in my seat! Obviously, the camera went away at this point in time. I did want to get it wet!

Here is a picture though, of they bay once we returned.

Captain Sundown was the BEST tour we have ever done. It cost a lot but was worth every penny! I highly recommend him if any of you ever make it to Kauai!

After our sailing trip we laid low the rest of the day. We had some appetizers back at Kalypso before heading back to our home away from home. Then we basically crashed for the rest of the evening. But we did make it onto the beach for a quick glimpse of the sunset before retiring for the day.

Kauai: Day 6

On our 6th day in Kauai we decided to do another hiking trail. This one is probably one of the most famous hikes on the island. It is at the "end of the road" on the North Shore and it is called the Kalalau Trail. Most people hike 2 miles in and then 2 miles back. This is what we did. BUT, you can also hike another two miles from the beach to a waterfall (this would be an 8 mile hike) or you can get camping permits and hike/camp 11 miles in and 11 miles out (someday I want to do this!!).

We started our hike early in the morning on a mostly cloudy day. Here was our first view of the beautiful Napali Coast - one of many....

The hike went really well and I was super proud of my parents doing 4 miles on a tough trail. Even my mom who had knee replacement surgery less than a year ago was a rock star! The trail follows the side of the cliffs for 2 miles and like I already said.... there are some amazing views of the coast line on this hike.

While we were hiking we were mostly covered by clouds and some sprinkling rain but the sun came out a few times. Since it rained the day before, and was raining a little on the trail.... buy the end of our first two miles our feet were COVERED in mud. It was very slippery but we made it through.

At the end of the 2 miles is a very pretty river and beach to relax at. The ocean water here is VERY dangerous so you can not swim, but it is still pretty to look at. The ocean here is so bad that there is actually a sign posted while notch marks for every person who has died trying to swim here. It is a very persuasive way to encourage people not to get in the water.... worked for me!

After taking a break on the beach we started back on the trail to the end. The hike felt great and there were so many beautiful things to look at, from the coast line, to the mountains, and all the vegetation surrounding us.

After we finished the hike we had a picnic lunch and then enjoyed the afternoon at Ke'e beach (which is where the trail begins). Eric and I snorkeled here a bit before we were too tired to keep going. 4 miles of hiking and an hour of swimming did us in.... so we enjoyed napping on the beach for a while.