Adventure #34: Kauai Part 4

"A'ohe hana nui ka alu'ia." - Hawaiian Proverb that means "No task is too big when done together."

May 9-12, 2015

**I apologize for some weird formatting. It won't save my changes for some reason.

May 9

On Saturday morning, we woke up, packed lunches, got dressed, and then we headed out for our hike at Waimea Canyon. Before our hike we stopped at a lookout point that gave a stunning view of the canyon. There were so many colors to see! There were red and orange hues in the rocks. And then contrasting greens in the foliage with a waterfall and the blue ocean still in view. I've never been to the Grand Canyon before, but this view is going to be hard to beat.

After a few pictures we were finally ready for our hike. But because we had rental cars, we had to park by the highway and then hike to the hike. 

These boys were monkeying around the whole hike.

We found another lookout point along the way.

Also, my mom and Jordan thought it would be fun to take these photos:

You see what I mean about monkeying around?

Jordan and James thought that these sugar canes looked like raptor hunting grounds. Lol I'd have to agree with them. 

Jordan stayed with me at the rear of the pack. It wasn't always easy keeping up with the nonpregnant folks, especially when I had to take bathroom breaks. Haha

Again, more monkeying around.

Here's a quick video of our hike. It was so strange to me to be walking through this forrest and then suddenly we're standing on the edge of the desert looking canyon.

 

My dad ain't afraid of no cliffs!

This is the view towards the end of our hike. On the opposite side of our first lookout.

This hike was way too easy for these boys, but they were good sports for me and my slow self.

It's amazing he can still lift me, huh?

Haha this pictures makes me laugh every time.

Jordan tried to run down this hill as fast as he could... Maybe a little too fast. Lol

 

We were pretty famished after our hike, but we decided to stop by one more spot before we got dinner. The Spouting Horn was definitely worth putting off dinner. And it looked even more beautiful because we were there during sunset.

Here's a video of the Spouting Horn. If you'll notice, there's a man standing right next to it just a little up and to the left of the Spouting Horn. He looks incredibly tiny compared to the spouting water.

To top off the night, we drove through this Eucalyptus tunnel on our way to dinner. I can't explain to you how much I love this island. It doesn't matter where you are, what time it is, or what the weather is like, every piece of this island is a work of art.

May 10

Our last full day in Kauai was Mother's Day! Jordan got me and my mom roses, and then we got more roses at church! We went to the LDS branch in Hanalei Bay. We were only able to stay for sacrament, but it was a great meeting.

We had to switch hotels because Sunday night we were staying at a hotel closer to the resort. So we decided to make a few stops along the way to our new hotel. The first stop was supposed to be a botanical garden, but because it was Sunday it was closed. MAJOR BUMMER. :( The next stop was the lighthouse. Again, because it was Sunday, it was closed. I felt terrible because it was me who planned for us to do those things.

My parents weren't too bummed out though. They were just happy to be in paradise.

We stopped to eat at this char-burger place which was pretty good. They didn't have a bathroom though, so my mom and I asked around until we found out there was a Baptist church just up the road with a bathroom. So my mom, Jordan and I went and met these super sweet women. They let us use their bathroom and then they gave me and my mom candy necklaces for Mother's Day!

Here are our gifts from Mother's Day:

After we left we finally got to visit a place that was open on Sunday. Wailua Falls. It's difficult to describe how large and beautiful these waterfalls are. And when the sun hit them directly, you could see a rainbow in the spray of the falls. You can see it very faintly in this picture.

Our new hotel for our last night in Kauai was not as accommodating as our resort. Poor James had to sleep on the floor on the couch cushions. He's always good about sacrificing his own comfort so that everyone else can be comfortable.

I forgot that we stopped by a little store and found this cute onesie for our baby girl. :)

May 11

Unfortunately we couldn't stay in paradise forever, so we woke up early and headed for the airport. My parents of course always kept a good attitude.

But I can't say the same for my brothers. They were more bummed to leave.

We made it safely home to California and ate some delicious Mexican food. I knew we might not be in California for a while because we would be moving to New Jersey, so I insisted on eating some real Mexican food, even if it was 10pm.

May 12

The next day Jordan and I had to take our long trek back to Utah. James dropped us off at the airport and Jordan and I tried to figure out how to travel with two large suitcases, a carry on, a stroller, and a car seat! After our flight back to Salt Lake, we hopped on the Trac to get to Provo. Of course it broke down in Orem so then we had to ask a friend to pick us up there. Thank goodness Austin is so sweet!