Kauai October 2012 Day 4

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We rode up the dragon's back today - meaning we took Hwy 550 to the end of the pavement in Kokee state park. You cannot imagine this road. I've had dreams where I'm driving up a road so steep, that I end up falling backward. This was that road. Thankfully Paul was driving, but at one point, it was so freaky oh-my-God-steep, I slapped my hands over my eyes. Also thankfully, we didn't fall off the road.

We decided to take one of the longest trails, an 8-mile round trip through the planet's only 4000 elevation swamp. Turns out, this thing was something dreamed up by Dr. Suess. Paul said it was like walking on a potato. Well, maybe a potato that's been sitting forgotten in the back of a cupboard for 6 months. I know. We've had that potato.

So we clamored up and down these crazy hole-riddled hills for about an hour, ate the pizza I'd carried in a bag with gigantic Fuji apples and Diet Cokes, then decided there were more pleasant ways we could be spending our day. So we hauled our sorry middle-aged, Nebraska butts back to the trailhead. Funny thing - I wore a Nebraska t-shirt without thinking much about it, and we became trail celebrities. Everyone has Nebraska ties. We met a guy who was delighted we were no longer in the big 10 (from Texas). I met an anethesiologist from Omaha who now lives in California. She knew Dr. Gregorious, who gave me my spinal block for my c-section. It's a very small world when you meet someone on a cliff in Kauai who knows the guy who was directly involved with the birth of your only child. Always wear your Nebraska shirt when traveling.

So having survived a few miles of that nightmare, we decided to take the rainforest trail a few miles down the road, which was made for my creaky knees. It wasn't very scenic or interesting. But it was easy and I liked that.

Paul carefully made our way back down the steepest road on the globe and we stopped in Koloa for a heaping plate of mussels and a beer. Then another beer for Paul and a mai tai for me. Tomkats gets two thumbs up for decent food and excellent drinks after a day of hiking the highest point of the island.

When we got back to our condo, we walked down to the beach area in search of fresh pineapple to go with the terriyaki steak we bought at the store yesterday. The sweet young thangs at the convenience mart introduced us to Li Hing powder. I'm not sure what's all in it, but it is wicked awesome sprinkled on pineapple. It's sort of salty, sweet and fruity. It's made of plum powder and some other stuff that is supposedly legal.

We walked the beach and headed back to the condo. I watched some bizarre show on parasites and diseases that infect people. It was sort of interesting, but totally gross. I'm not missing much by not watching much TV.

Paul whipped up the terriyaki steak and pineapple while I made jasmine rice. Life.is.good. It was freaking fabulous and cost a fraction of what we would have spent at a restaurant. I am my father's daughter :-)

It's Friday night and I'm confident we can make it to 10 p.m. Maybe.

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