Kauai Day 2

Between the time change and going to bed so early, we woke up just as early in the morning. We had decided to spend all of Thursday exploring the west side of the island, so we got up and going. But first snapped a picture from our balcony:

We stopped at a market in Koloa for some breakfast and snack foods for the day. From there we drove west all the way to the Waimea Canyon road. The road was windy and fun to drive, even in our horrible rental car (note for next time, do NOT get the full-size vehicle! That impala was the worst and way too big). We stopped at the first main lookout and were amazed at the canyon:

There was a half-naked Hawaiian guy just standing on a rock behind us and we felt a little weird about it until he started talking to us. He goes up there and tells the tourists more about the natural ecology of Hawaii and also about the true meaning of Aloha and Hawaii. It was interesting to hear.

At the car there was a little fruit stand so we bought some apple banana egg rolls and some funny little rambutan fruits that tasted kind of like grapes:

We drove to the very top lookout where I was hugely disappointed by what was supposed to be an incredible view of the Kalalau Valley:

The view on the other side of the ridge was still a bit foggy but vibrantly green:

We decided to stick to our plan anyway and hike along the Pihea Trail that runs along the top of the ridge and goes into the Alaka'i Swamp (the highest swamp in the world). As we walked the view seemed to clear just a bit.

We had been hearing the booming of the waves crashing and we were finally able to see to the shoreline below. We later learned it's unusual to hear the waves from that far away; the surf was so big the whole time we were on Kauai!

The trail was gorgeous and we had cloud cover and a misty rain off and on.

 The first half-mile or so there were some slick spots and we tried to get around them, but a couple coming the other way told us to not even bother trying to stay dry because it was going to get a lot muddier. Sure enough:

We eventually got to the boardwalk section of the swamp and it was much easier going:

 We got to a river crossing that I knew I was going to fall in, so Dan crossed and ran ahead to our destination to see if the view was worth it. It was still socked in:

so he ran back to where I was waiting and we turned around.

Trying to get a panorama of the boardwalk crossroads:

 Heading back:

We were wet and muddy but we both decided it was one of the better hikes we've ever done just because it was so different from anything we're used to. And we were practically alone on the trail!

As we got back to the lookout the clouds finally cleared enough to get a better glimpse of the canyon. I know it wasn't the full effect, but the view with the rainbow was enough for me:

The parking lot was much more crowded when we walked back to the car and several people stopped and asked us if the lookout was that muddy - we had to explain we went on a long hike and that's why we looked the way we did!

We drove back down the canyon and stopped at a little market to get ahi poke and brought it with us to the Shrimp Station. That seafood lunch was so good - the best raw fish I've ever had along with a big plate of coconut shrimp.

We had to be tourists and take one picture of the chickens. There are chickens and roosters roaming all over the island. Dan took this because he said it looked like a great free-range chicken (eating garbage off the ground)...

We wanted to sit on the beach after hiking all morning so we kept going west towards Polihale. The road was right along the beach for some parts and we were amazed at the waves. We stopped at one beach to watch some surfers and boogie boarders that obviously knew what they were doing. Dan said he would definitely not get in water like that.

We drove until the road ended and turned into a dirt road all the way to Polihale State Park. Dan drove fast on the road, that poor rental car. The waves were just as huge at this beach but Dan jumped in for a few minutes while I facetimed with the girls. They liked seeing the ocean through my phone and telling us all the fun things they were going to do that weekend with my parents.

Even though I didn't dare get in the water, I loved that beach with it's dark cliffs and never-ending sand. And it was practically deserted. A few pictures:

After Dan had his fill of getting knocked around by waves, we drove back down the road to a beach that our guidebook claimed was almost always calm because it was protected by a reef. No luck for us there though, you couldn't even tell there was a reef and the water was just as rough. We got back on the main road and eventually ended up on a small beach called Salt Pond which had a very calm section. Dan snorkeled there and saw quite a lot for how close he was to the shore.

We ended our day with great burritos at Da Crack followed by ice cream at Lappert's. Our first full day left us loving this island and excited for the rest of the adventures we had planned!