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Published: February 24th 2007
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Nick and Linds shwangin
we found a cool tire swing near the beach in Hanalei. We arrived at the Lihue airport at 5:50 in the morning, the sun had yet to rise, but we were both wide awake. I wish I could say it was because we went to bed early and were well rested. Unfortunately it was because our small jet plummeted to the ground for five minutes mid flight... A bit of an exaggeration, but that is how it felt. We reached cruising altitude and the stews passed out our beverage, and then we went into a strange dive. Our flight attendants scrambled to get to their seats and buckle up. It was pitch black outside so we couldn't see how close we were getting to the ground, and they never explained why we had the disturbance.
Long story short, we were happy to have our feet on the ground...and in KAUAI!!! We rented our 4-wheel drive vehicle (thanks to the advice of a friendly car rental associate) as the sun began to heat and light the land we had entered. After figuring out how to maneuver through our huge vehicle (that we swore we would NEVER want or need), we were on our way...out for adventure and whatever was to come our
way. We felt free, young and full of love with an added shot of oxygen from the beautiful, untouched island of Kauai. As we drove, we recognized the simplicity of the architecture and lack thereof!! It is this simplicity that we have both been longing to find. In the early morning sun we had yet to find much that was man-made. Everything was of God...as it was meant to be...untouched and beautiful. We were breathing...and breathing easily.
Lihue, is the main town, with the airport, some hotels, and shopping. Compared to most places it is just a sleepy little town. Everything was quiet and there was no traffic. We stopped at a little breakfast place called Oki's Diner. Perched up on our balcony we caught our fitst glimpse of the local wildlife.
Roosters!!! There are roosters and chickens everywhere here. You are more likely to hear the crowing of a rooster, than the downshift of an oversized vehicle, which is pretty amazing. I got the mac nut pancakes and Lindsay decided on the pineapple... Our waitress (flo?) let us in on their secret, they are so good because they put the fruit in the batter before they cook
Refueling with Organic Coffee
We had to travel 3000 miles into the pacific, but we found a place in the U.S. without a starbucks on the corner. em. The best part was the three bottles of homemade pancake syrup that were placed on our table. My favorite was strawberry...Linds liked coconut.
Two full bellies later, we were off for a drive. It was now somewhere around 8:00am. Our drive went through the small towns that border the east side of the island. Their names, in order, escape me at the moment. Included were Kapa'a, Wailua, Kilauea. As excited as we were to drive, we couldn't resist turning into a small residential street to check out the beach. We walked directly out to a rope swing for two, surrounded by other swings made of tires, wood and rope (the way swings were meant to be)!! We knew in our hearts that we were already in love with the land we had come upon. How was it that this place of untouched beauty and majesty existed, like a fairytale, as if waiting for our arrival?? We walked to town that was FULL of organic food stores, boutiques, yoga studios and local coffee shops. The only Starbucks around was in a shopping center in the next town that was owned by a California-based company. Need I say more? Kauai
Breathtaking
Words don't do this view justice has regulations against big box stores. Yes! This was, by far, Lindsay's favorite town. Nick, in agreement, checked the community boards for available farm land.
Off we drove further up the coast in search of the next stop. We were both silently waiting to be disappointed by Kauai...filth, of some sort, had to exist, but we were yet to see it.
There is a single two lane road, speed limit 45, that takes you from the North west side around the outer edge to the North east side. The whole northern part of the island is inaccessable by car. It is called the Na Pali coast, a stretch of sheer cliff faces carved by waterfalls and wind erosion and protected as state reserve land. Besides protecting over 75% of the land as forest reserve Kauaians have made a law limiting buildings to the height of a palm tree (4 storys), dividing much of the coast into agricultural land one home per 3 acres, and as you drive on the main road you see there are no plans to expand any time soon. On our drive we came to about 5 one way bridges. One way of traffic has
cool little church
There were as many churches in Kauai as there were beautiful views. This little mission church offered drive through salvation. Lindsay and I were in and out in five minutes...Praise Jesus...Eternal bliss here we come!!! to pause as the one or two cars heading in the opposite direction passes by...or as the occaisional rooster makes its way off the bridge.
The remainder of our day included stops at the Kilauea Lighthouse, Anini Beach, Hanalei Bay and the caves. Attempting to beat the sunset and make it to the COMPLETE other side of the island where our campsite was, we put the pedal to the medal. We still needed to stop for food to make for dinner. We decided on grilling steak and vegetables. The road to our campsite at Polihale beach was intense. We were VERY thankful for the 4 wheel drive vehicle. A sedan would not have made the trip...although there were quite a few attempting the journey. We made it to the beach just as the sun was setting. A storm front was moving in, so we only caught a glimpse of the sunset, but it was a beautiful glimpse. After dinner, we played with our new camera and came to find that we were under the most amazing conditions with the moon, stars and geological features appearing clearly in every shot. We decided to camp in the car, as it was
Amazing
This is the view shortly after you pass through the pearly gates a windy, rainy night. Nick had brought the blow-up mattress. At full inflation, it only left about a foot of air between the bed and the roof. We both had a night of awesome, peaceful sleep.
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Uncle Dan
non-member comment
nice pic's
Cute girl, cute troll, nice pic's, next time, shave. Love ya