Oahu and Kauai, to summarize...

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We would have liked to have been blogging the whole trip...but that's not the point of vacation. But now we have a few minutes with a computer while waiting to check into a hotel...

Let's see. We started with a day or two on Oahu. The highlight was snorkeling at Hanauma Bay...with sea turtles and tons of cool coral. Not much else to speak of here...no pictures of this. We spent our first day on Oahu at Pearl Harbor, aboard the USS Bowfin and Missouri. And that's it...off to Kauai.

Kauai was wonderful. Loved it. Had great sun, great swimming and snorkeling the whole trip. Hiking the Kalalau Trail was the highlight. Camping at the county campgrounds was also a wonderful thing that saved us mucho dinero on this trip. $3 a night per person to camp out next to the ocean and under the stars with 60 degree temperatures...a super way to go. Camping at Kalalau was interesting. Hot, humid, and hard to find a nice campsite that wasn't occupied by one of the valley's...eh-hem...interesting residents. Very friendly people...beautiful spot.

Not much in terms of night-life when it comes to Kauai. Only found one internet cafe (if that is any indicator of night life?)...I think the fancy resorts were set up though. Lots of payphones to be found on the island. They really made me feel like we were all on vacation...cell phones felt so out of place.

So, back to Oahu now. Tomorrow we snorkel at Hanauma Bay and enjoy the 'Please Don't Feed Me' song (to the tune of 'Under the Sea) that has been tormenting Mark since we were there last week and had to watch the orientation film.

Back to AK on Sunday. Big plans await us there with the new (new for us) Chevy G30 Diesel Box van (like an ambulance). Mark bought this used air force shuttle vehicle a few days before we left...and plans to turn it into a burrito-selling truck (coming soon to your neighborhood). Kidding. It shall be the perfect AK RV.

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Photos

Huge
We spent the whole morning wandering aboard the USS Missouri...you could easily spend a whole day.

First day at the beach
We were pretty excited...

The chickens
Mark feeding chicken to the chickens. These roosters were all over the place...and a good reason to have earplugs while camping.

A monk seal
This guy must have had a rough night, he spent the entire day sleeping on the beach next to us (roped off to prevent the Sheraton guests from getting to close, although this didn't stop them all).

Kalalau - the beginning
Mark and I - day one on the Kalalau

I think we go that way
The trail hugs the Na Pali coast line, just a few hundred feet above the ocean.

The vegetation
Pretty cool, spiky, jungle plants...that hurt.

More vegetation
A beautiful, exotic flower...

Hanokoa
We camped at Hanokoa the first night on the trail, 5 miles in. It was located in one of the many valleys the trail goes through, and amongst old Hawaiian agricultural terraces.

Snarf?!
There were lots of goats on the trail. These guys were fighting just a few feet in front of us.

Baby snarfs
awh...

What trail?
This photo makes it look like we're hiking on cliffs. It really wasn't bad. Thankfully we had dry weather.

First glimpse
You can see the Kalalau valley from here, the are that looks like green lawn (and really is like a nice lawn, maintained by our goat friends) is at the base of it.

The Valley
We're about to hike down into the Valley, you can see Kalalau Beach in the background

The largest moth I've ever seen
It took me a while to get the camera to focus on this guy, his wings were a just a blur.

Kalalau Beach
Mark at the beach. The nudists haven't emerged from woods yet.

Thundering waves
The waves that hit the north shore were pretty fantastic to watch, and listen to at night.

Morning
The cliffs seemed even more spectacular in the morning. It got hot quickly, so we left the Valley in order to hike the whole 11 miles in one day.

Wild pig
We finally saw a wild pig, a tiny one, on the road up into Kokee State Park. This is him, running away.

Salt Pond Beach Park
Our campsite at Salt Pond, on the Southwest side of Kaua'i. This is where we spent our last few nights on the island. For $3 a night/person...how can you beat this?

Kalalau - overlook from above
This is us at the top of the Kalalau Valley. We cheated and drove here, through Kokee State Park. Beautiful view to where we camped in the Valley below.

Ice Cream Truck or Burrito Cart?
Kidding. Mark and the newly purchased diesel box van. Excited Koda dog jumping around inside...

Comments

[Babbcali]

Kalalau Valley
Yo Hippies. I spent many winters in Kalalau. I hope you met some of the regulars, like Uncle T or Mayor Ronnie. You know the Dali Lama visited the valley and called it the intersection of all parts of the Universe. Hope all is well. Dudley & Valerie

[Szabinski]

yo.
His Holiness at Kalalau? Nice. It was definitely a fantastic spot. I don't know if any of those we met were regulars...but they were definitely characters. How are you guys these days? Did you buy a house?

[Babbcali]

Hey Laura. Life is great. Life in a condo is even better. But life in a house might be the best, you lucky thing. Land, yard, garden! Congrats to you and your new digs. We are currently remodeling one of the bathrooms, so let us know if you wish to borrow tools, materials, know-how, etc. Spank Mark on the bottom for us. Much love. Dud & Val

[Szabinski]

hey again...
hi guys...been awhile since i checked this. no exciting travels for me. hey, let me know if you guys need help with remodeling. not that i have any great skills to offer, but i'm really offering mark's skills. i know we'll have some serious work cut out for us this fall with a new roof, argh! it'll be fun to catch up with you guys again and hear about your new place. any good shows coming to town this fall? hope all is well...