Monday, January 24

Time to Go....Bleck!

(So this is posted a few days late.)

We had to get out of the room at 11am.  We got up at 8am, had a final breakfast, packed up the luggage, then moved the luggage to the car.



We turned in the keys.  Said goodbye to Ali.  Who's Ali?  Well, he's the guy from Wyndham that we met when we were in Oahu and he was working there.  Then wierd and randomly, he transferred to this resort on Kauai and when we went to the office to get laundry supplies---there was Ali!

After checking out the resort was kind enough to let us hang around until we need to leave for the plane which was to leave at 9pm.  So we went to the pool area and lounged.  Russ cooked lunch.  We drank the remaining drinks.  We snacked, slept, swam, hot-tubbed.  

Eventually it was time to go, so we used the resort's Hospitality Room, showered, and hit the road for Lihue.  We stopped for one last dinner at Duke's.  The Ahi sashimi was amazing...

As were the Lava Flow girlie-drinks...

...and another Hula Pie!

We hung around for a bit to watch what we could of sunset over the bay...

Then we got to the airport.  We changed into (gulp!) blue jeans and sweat shirts.  Then got aboard.  It was a 6 hour flight to Seattle.  The boys and mom slept, but I cannot sleep on a plane. So, 6 hours later we arrived in Seattle around dawn.

Now, Russ has many nicknames.  One is Mr. Fidget.  He is--quite truly--physically incapable of just sitting down and...waiting.  If he has a doctor's appointment at 3pm and arrives at 255 (which would be a rarity) he would be unable to sit and wait for that 5-minute span.  He would find himself compelled to go somewhere and do something -- drive to the grocery store and shop, or rebuild a carberator, or in fact ANYTHING -- other than sit and wait. 

So, we're in Seattle with about 6 hours until our connecting flight.  Russ (as mentioned) was unable to tolerate the notion of just hanging about in the airport resting, so he insisted on renting a car and touring Seattle.  Because getting our luggage from the carousel, getting to the rental center, renting the car, loading the car...then at the other end gassing up the car, returning it, getting back to the airport, getting our tickets, checking the luggage...would leave us with a total of about 15 whole minutes to tour the city with.  So....naturally...off we go!

We drove about 20 miles in order to get to a Starbucks, because apparently the dozen in the airport were not adequate.  Then off we went to downtown Seattle, during morning rush-hour, in the rain, with very little time to return to the airport.  We maneuvered the one-way streets...and found our way to the Space Needle.

Mom took a look and said, "You don't expect me to go up there, do you?"  She posed for a picture, then off we went....

To the airport?  No...we still had 3 or 4 minutes.  So it was off to another Starbucks!

As it happens, this was apparently the original Starbucks that started the entire foolishness and since Garry is a junkie, Russ thought it would be nice to stop and let Garry go in and pick up a coffee cup souvenir.   (It was a nice idea actually.)

Finally it was back to the airport.  We checked in and got on the plane to St. Louis.  After a 4 hour flight, The Three of We had to change planes there, but Mom Edna left us to catch a bus back home.  We kissed and hugged her goodbye and We Three scooted onto our plane just as it was boarding.  Another 3 hour flight and we were back in Baltimore.

It was cold!  Not the weather to which we had become accustomed!  We got home just in time to fall into bed and try to get some sleep because in 5 hours we have to get up at 430am and go to work.  Hooray!

So...the adventure is over.  It was great and we look forward to our next one.

..but wait until you hear what happened next...

Sunday, January 23

A Day on the West Side

Today we got up fairly early and drove around the island to the west side.  Our goal was Waimea Canyon, which is an amazing bit of geography that Mark Twain (?) dubbed "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific."  It's huge...and in the middle of an island.

First stop, however, was Garry's addiction: Starbucks...

Russ plotted the entire trip on the iPad....you know.  You know.

Along the way we spotted a sign...so we stopped and knocked on the door.  No one let us in.  Will they ever let us in?

We drove along the ridge, stopped at a few pull offs, then stopped at the end of the road for an amazing overlook.  You stand at the edge and see sheer cliffs that drop off to a valley...that leads out to the beach..then the ocean...then on to the horizon...and to space.  It's awe inspiring!

Russ wanted to go on a hike, but it was a bit too rough for Mom, so she and Garry and Damian stayed behind.

After Russ returned, we drove back down the mountain to a beach where everyone napped in their own particular way.  Mom and Russ on the beach; Garry and Damian in the car with the windows down and enjoying the breeze.

After the beach we went to Alma's family's get-together to visit and eat.  And we visited...and we ate.  Boy did we eat!  We visited.  Garry slept on the hammock.

Then we said good-bye to the family, drove back to the resort and started the preparations for the (gulp!) return to Baltimore (and West Plains for mom).

So tomorrow we have to check out at 10am.  We'll have a bit of adventure, but largely we'll be watching the clock so we don't miss our plane.  Tomorrow's post will likely not appear for a couple of days until we get back home.

Aloha!

Saturday, January 22

A Lazy Day Near the Resort


So today we were bad.  Sort of.  We were all tuckered out from yesterday's excitement that we slept in late.  Really late.  We missed Alma's family event.  Had a late (really late) breakfast which was crazy delicious.

Then we decided to hit the road and go to Queen's Bath.  Which turned out to be about a quarter of a mile away.

Queen's Bath starts with a nice..slightly steep and slightly challenging hike down a trail, beyond a small but enchanting waterfall, along a rocky lava shelf, passed a couple of "inlets" and then the bath itself.  The bath is a sort of basin that's been carved out by eons of water.  It's deep enough to jump into and calm enough to swim and relax in.  At least normally.

However, it's Winter in Kauai and the water along the north is rough.  Really rough.  So rough that if we were to attempt the Bath, we'd likely have been (a) pounded agains the rocks as the waves came in, then (b) have our nearly lifeless, bloody bodies swept out to sea where (c) the sharks would devour our remains.

Seems Calm Enough...

...Until This Booms Over the Edge and Rushes Toward You!

Oh...So That's What This Plaque Is Referring To!

So we sat and watched the waves.  They were huge waves as the picture above will attest.  And off in the distance we saw whales jumping.  So we sat and watched that for a while.

Finally it was time to return to the car.  Russell, distraught that he didn't get to splash in the Bath, decided to splash in the waterfall.  Then climb up it.  Fortunately for him, he didn't slip and fall because if he had...whatever parts the waterfall didn't kill, I would have finished off.

Yup...That's Our Russell Under the Waterfall

Here's a little video of one of the inlets.  The kids like to swim here.  However, it's very scary.  You see, it's a sort-of comma-shaped..inlet.  The ocean surf pushes water into the "bay" which rises and lowers as the water comes in and goes out.  But today the ocean was...angry.  Watch as the water not just lowers but abruptly drains down to the rocks.  Then....a huge wave comes in and the water level rises quickly up to the top...as more whitewater pours over the top of the rocks.  Danger!  Danger! Danger!

Returning from the Bath we went to the pool to get our daily splashing in.  Then Russ made a super yummy Portabella Mushroom "burger."  We ate on the lanai and had a visit from some of the local cardinals.  They were both cautious and friendly; including taking food directly out of our hands.

Then...we all fell asleep!  Really!  For like 3 hours, we just slept!  haha!

We woke up, went back to the pool.  Russ cooked dinner.  We ate dinner, watched TV, did a few pictures, then went to bed.

Lazy day.  Great day.

Friday, January 21

"The Best Day Yet" --Mom Edna


This post is pretty picture heavy.  It can't be helped.  Russ packed this day with sooooo much adventure goodness, that it was practically an entire week's vacation.

We got up early...really early...but late.  The previous I asked Russ when to set the alarm, and he said, "We need to be on the road at 530am."  So---like a dope---I set the alarm for 530am!  So when we got up, we were already 30 minutes late!  And we had to get completely around the island by 715am!  So I drove!  And we got there...

To our boat ride.  It was great!  A 7-hour-long tour that took us along the Napali Coast, a snorkeling stop, and hopeful animal encounters.  It all paid off...

First some pictures from around the boat.  Russ was the photographer-in-chief, so there's not many pictures of him, sadly...

Mom Edna at the Very Front of the Boat...

...soaking in the waves, the sun, the wind.  Master of All She Surveys!

....and enjoying the free Mai Tais!  You Go, Mom Edna!

It's winter, so the water along the northern shore is rough to begin with, and today was no exception.  Because of the big storm that announced our arrival on Sunday, the water was also all murky from the Red Dirt run off.  So we didn't get to snorkel.  Oh well.

But we saw Honu (the green sea turtles) and--interestingly--flying fish!  They were skipping around the boat as we steamed along.

And we say dolphins!  At first a few small ones, then we discovered we'd wandered into a pod of about 100 of them!  And they were Spinners, so every so often, one would leap out of the water doing barrel rolls.  Later on a handful of much larger Bottlenose Dolphins joined in and froliced about.  They swam right alongside the boat, giving us numerous photo opportunites which (fortunately) Russ was able to take advantage of!

 Because we didn't get to snorkel, the Skipper took us farther along the coast than normal.  We saw many "can only get there by helicopter or boat" beaches and waterfalls.  The waves were huge and the spectacle of the scenery cannot be described.

But for me (Damian) the hope and highlight of the journey was to see whales.  And we did.  Not up-close-to-the-boat like the dophins, but still close enough to be awestruck by their silent majesty.

Double!  Two in Synchronization!

Eventually we returned to port, tired, sun-filled, well-fed.  But the day had only started according to Russell, so we then drove around the corner to Glass Beach.

 Then we went to visit our neighbor, Alma, who is also in Kauai (from Baltimore) for a family function.  We spent about an hour visiting with her clan before heading out to the Spouting Horn!  But first we stopped at Jo-Jo's for shave ice goodness...

We stopped at Spouting Horn park and first marveled at all the chickens.  They run amok all over Kauai, but here they were particularly thick.

The Spouting Horn

We then drove through Koloa town, then through the tree tunnel.  We stopped in Lihue for chinese food...then headed home.  We were tuckered out!

It was a long day, but a great one!  Thanks for letting us share.

Aloha!