Prolific Poultry

I think the Kauai chicken deserves its very own post. Freed by Hurricane Iniki in 1992, they have been fruitful and multiplied. They are everywhere.
 

Smith's Tropical Paradise

On Friday night we went to the Luau at Smith's. They have beautiful grounds which are well worth the wander-time.



 

Tree Tunnel

On the way back from Poipu we stopped in the Eucalyptus Tree Tunnel.
 

Sea Spray

On Friday we also went out down to Spouting Horn to take some pictures. The spout also makes a loud moaning sound.

Sugar Shack

Friday morning we went over to the Robinson Sugar Plantation and took their tour.

This is a young field of sugar cane, planted earlier this year; it'll be harvested in 2008.

Once the cane is old enough the irrigation is withheld so that the cane will produce more sugar. 2 months after that the field is set afire, burning off the leaves and leaving the cane stalks. The stalks are loaded on to trucks as many hopeful egrets stand by.

The truck is then unloaded at the sugar mill.

The stalks are ground, pressed, washed (and many other things that I don't remember). The bagesse (cane trash) is separated and burned to provide electricity for the mill. The sugar water is washed again, turned into a syrup, crystallized, and molasses is separated out and sold as cattle feed. Eventually you end up with brown raw sugar, which is then sent off to C&H in California.
 

Free Day

We were going to go snorkeling today but decided to blow that off in favor of a free day. So, we hung out for a while, drove up the coast to Duane's Ono Charburger in Anaholo (really good burgers, with plenty of chickens standing by in case you drop something). Then we worked our way back, doing some shopping and some sightseeing.

Opaekaa Falls...

The Wailua River...


Wailua Falls...

After we got back we dropped by the pool, simmered in the hot tub, and walked over to watch the sunset. The sunset was too real. I regretted not having my camera, but there's no way it could have conveyed the moment, and even if it could have, nobody would have believed it was a real picture. Molten sky, golden air, all reflecting in the tide...Priceless. 

Fore!!

Hung out at the pool this morning, ate some takeout plate lunch, and golfed in the afternoon. Lots of fun.

Jess wants me to subtly mention the fact that she got par on hole 13. Woohoo!

Another important point to mention...of the dozen balls we purchased, we only lost 5. The fellow back at the Pro Shop said most people lose more than that just on hole 6 (pictured above). So yeah, good day for us.

Kipu Falls

Cattle on Kipu Ranch. This ranch has appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, et al.

Kipu Falls...appears in the beginning of Raiders, when we first see Indy's face.

As we kayaked up the Hule'ia River, we saw the rope swing that Indy used to swing into the water, just ahead of the Hovitos. Indy was so good, that when he hit the water he landed 20 miles up the coast in the Wailua River. That's the magic of editing. 

Kayak Kauai Style

We went on our Zipline Safari today, which consisted of a kayak trip up the Hule'ia river, a jungle hike (or two), a rope swing into the water, a tractor ride across Kipu Ranch, a zipline ride,
hanging out at a waterfall/swimming hole, and a boat rideback to the start.

This guy wasn't very exciting...

edit: Jess tells me that's way too obscure (see, he's not very exciting because he's a boar...get it? It's like bore but spelled differently. Cool, huh?)

Now Jess says I'm like a pendulum, swinging from too obscure to entirely too much explanation.

Anyway...for every 1 person on the island there are 4 wild pigs. Because of their great numbers, bounties are offered for hunting them (which didn't stop our tour guide from feeding them). The pigs are actually contributing to the destruction of Kauai's reefs; the pigs root and dig, resulting in more erosion, which leads more red dirt washing out to sea and smothering the coral. Jerks.

Joe on the zipline. It was fun, but too short. The lady that went at the same time as Jess was scared, but by the end wanted to jump up and do it again (we could only ride once, though).
Jess, standing by to step off.

On to Kauai...

Monday morning...drove back to Kailua, stopping at a black sand beach along the way.

Just a short couple of plane rides later and we're in Kauai. Sweet. 

...You better love-a me now or love-a me not..

Some more volcano pics...

The Pu'u O'o vent and spectators waiting for dusk. This is another location where flashlights are very important. Imagine forgetting your flashlight and trying to walk back after dark ("crazy dark") over black volcanic glass. The ranger's recommendation, should you find yourself in such a situation, was to lay down and wait 'til morning.

 

Lava comes down soft and hot!....

Sunday afternoon we returned to the volcano and walked down a lava tube. The first section is lit and paved; the second section is not. This is where you experience the true meaning of "pitch black".


We drove Chain of Craters Road down to the coast and stopped to look at some petroglyphs.

This is where the lava crossed the road during the 1983 Pu'u O'o eruption. This eruption is going on to this day, feeding into the sea. Hawai'i is the only state in the Union that is getting larger every year.
 

...when the Vol-cano blows!!

Sunday we got an early start and commenced to hike all over Kilauea. It's really very impressive, very dramatic landscape.


This is Kilauea Iki, another of the smaller craters inside the Kilauea caldera. Those small specks on the pale line across the middle? Yeah, those are people.


Walking across the crater. Again, very dramatic, as we walked across bubbles that never quite popped. Water is a very good thing at this point.