Kyle's Day - May 5, 2010

Yesterday, we went to Hanalei Bay. It was awesome. We jumped the waves. I also built a huge volcano with a hole inside like a little house. We went back today for surfing lessons. I was kind of scared at first, but it was awesome. The waves felt cool. I wiped out a few times, but after that it was really fun.

We also went to this cool waterfall this morning. It has a rope swing and a ladder. My dad jumped off the rope swing. He also jumped off the top of the waterfall.

Carson and my dad swam in the resort's pool, while I stayed back in the condo with my mom. Then, I played wiffle ball with my dad. It was a tie today, but he's never really beaten me.

Tomorrow, we are leaving. I'm happy and sad. I'm happy because I can't wait to see my friends, but I will miss seeing the beach right out on our patio.

I highly recommend JoJo's Shave Ice and Case Bianca pizza. If you ever get to Kauai, be sure and eat there. Tell them Kyle sent you. :) Of course, they'll have no idea who that is, but I don't think they'll care.

Carson likes Hawaii

I love Hawaii! We are having so much fun. So far, my favorite part has been surfing, and my favorite restaurant has been Bubba's Burgers. When we leave, I'm really going to miss being right next to the beach, but I am not going to miss the roosters crowing loudly!

Although we are having so much fun here, I really miss all of my friends and our dogs. I know our dogs are going to be so happy to see us when we get home. Our dad is not looking forward to being covered in dog spit.

Surfin' Safari

Our last full day in Kauai. We leave tomorrow afternoon. It has been a wonderful trip, and today was perhaps the best day of all.

Fewer words today and more pictures so that I can get this posted.

I took some pictures of these beautiful trees called Cook Island pines. During the Age of Discovery, they were treasured as masts for ships. You can find them all over the island. I think they look like very contemporary Christmas trees.

We started off at Kipu Falls this morning. I don't think the trail down has any chance as a mountain bike trail. What do you think, dad?

It was an incredibly beautiful spot, though a favored one for mosquitoes. There were 3 ways in - jumping off a small cliff, swinging out on a rope after traversing the river, and climbing down a 25 foot ladder. Guess which way Carson and I took? None of the above. Keith did, though. He jumped in and took a turn on the rope. Can you see the guy doing the back flip in this picture - nutso!!

Once again today, I noticed what a gentleman Kyle is becoming. He is has been so thoughtful in helping me over rough spots and offering his hand when it was slippery or otherwise difficult on our hikes. I am very proud of him. I know that God is growing him into an incredible man.

After lunch, it was back to Hanalei for our surfing lesson. I was a bit hesitant, and Carson said she was going to pass. Boy, am I thankful that all of us ended up doing it. It was the best experience. We all got up on the boards multiple times. Carson started with one of the instructors, then began to surf on her own.We were very proud of Carson, who overcame her fear to give it a try.

Both the kids were naturals. I don't know why - it's not like they've had a lot of exposure to surfing in Dallas. Surfing was much easier than it looks. I think this picture of me looks pretty silly, but I don't care! I surfed!

Many thanks to the guys at "Learn to Surf," Nephi and Wesley. They were incredibly patient and so encouraging, especially with our kids. They took pictures for us, as well. Mahalo!

We are thankful that God has provided so many family memories for us at this place and at this time. Kauai, we will miss you!

Back to Hanalei

Hanalei is beautiful, and we were glad to spend some time on the beach there this morning. It was great to relax. The kids played in the sand. Carson enjoys making different kinds of structures, Kyle made "Mount Vesuvius" and named Carson's creation "Pompeii." :)


Keith and I also found a house we could live in. Do you think we could keep the guest room full?


The kids spent a lot of time actually in the ocean today. Before now, they spent most of their time in the sand. The water stayed fairly shallow pretty far out. We walked out and spent time jumping the waves. Carson has never been too enthusiastic about the ocean. She really does not like salt water in her mouth. I think today may have been a turning point for her. I hope so, because we I are signed up for surfing lessons tomorrow!

For lunch, we went to Bubba's hamburgers in Hanalei. Their motto: "We cheat tourists, drunks, and attorneys." Hmmmm . . . 2 out of 3. Not encouraging.

Still, the food was good and reasonably priced for the island.

We have, for most of our stay, stuck to eating out only once per day. Usually, we choose lunch because it's much more reasonable than dinner. Still, we're consistently paying $35 or $40 for our family of 4 to eat out. If you add in an afternoon treat, you can easily spend $50+ a day on dining out. Groceries are expensive, but still a better deal. It's just not feasible to be at the condo for all 3 meals if you're going to see the island, though.

The kids and Keith had another go at shave ice after lunch. The place - Wishing Well Shave Ice - was a white truck on the side of the road, complete with roosters. It was a nice break before our next stop - Queen's Bath in Princeville, which is just east of Hanalei.

Queen's Bath was almost beyond description. We hiked down a path - notice the warning sign :)- it had some views worthy of pictures. The path led out to a lava shelf where a large pool has formed. While there, we could see whales on the horizon. We also saw a large sea turtle swimming outside the 'pool.' I wish I could've gotten pictures, but they were too far away.

Keith and Kyle watched several people jump in before taking the plunge. Carson and I preferred to climb down and get in. The waves crashing into the pool could be huge, causing a very strong current, so we had to pay attention and be careful. Like a lot of things in nature - it was amazing to look at and amazingly dangerous.

After the pouring rain last night, we woke up to more of it this morning. Very unusual. We decided to use the delay to go eat pancakes. Why not? We had some delicious pancakes – I tried the banana – at the Oki Diner in Lihue. They also had homemade vanilla syrup and coconut syrup. Keith says it was more like icing. Icing – Syrup – it’s sugar no matter what you call it! It was yummy.














It was still raining when we left, but we headed back to the area of Glass Beach in ‘Ele’ele. There was a really fascinating hike off the beach, where the weather was cloudy but dry. The shoreline is lava that has been carved and sculpted by years of waves. Many of the small craters on the lava shelf were filled with water and different types of sea creatures – sea urchins, mollusks, crabs, and small fish. There was so much to look at, including keyhole caves and some interesting trees. The kids loved looking in the different tidal pools and searching for unusual rocks. Like most kids, they get along much better outside than they do shut into a room or car together. Kyle is so excited to show Carson different things and to help her across rough spots.

We were still full of pancakes when we left and headed back to Po’ipu to Shipwreck Beach. Some sandstone cliffs carved out by the wind and sea made for another neat hike. These are the cliffs that Harrison Ford and Anne Heche jump from in the movie 6 days/ 7 nights. There were 2 guys checking out the water to make a jump later in the week when it isn’t so rough. Better them than me! It was a long way down.









It was a harder hike than this morning, but just as beautiful. We saw a couple of surfers waaay out in the water. When they caught a wave,

they could ride it for quite a ways because they were so far out to sea.

It was after 2 when we came down for lunch. Tom Kats Grille offered good food and a cat, of course, which the kids found quickly. Lucky for us, our gelato place was not too far away. After all the hiking, we earned it, I think. I went for more Belgian Chocolate with some Key Lime. I was happy to confirm - it was still good.


















Well, in 9 days, we had yet to see a waterfall. It wasn’t the best time of day, but we stopped at Opaeka’a Falls along the Wailu River. The Wailu leads up to the top of Mount Wai’ale’ale (wettest spot on earth) and is dotted with sacred places of worship used by ancient Hawaiians. I hope we get the chance to explore it further.