Kauai: Travel + Day 1

Baby step number one, Curt and I were both able to be vaccinated a couple months ago.

Science is amazing and miraculous.

A good section of the adults in our families have been able to also, including Curt's mom.

She wanted to be able to see the kids, we were having our 15th anniversary and were looking to be away from our kids for the first time in over a year and a half, match made in heaven. 

So we planned a trip to the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

We took a long flight from Atlanta to Honolulu, then a teeny-tiny flight from there to Lihue.

{flying past Delta, UT...hi family below}

{Kauai first impressions: look at all that green}

{we didn't reserve a convertible sports car, just lucked out and got assigned one}

We arrived in the late afternoon on the island, but with a six hour time change it was almost midnight on our bodies. So we checked in to our hotel (the Hilton Garden Inn), looked at the adjoining beach (gorgeous and full of jungle driftwood from a nearby river emptying into the ocean), got loaded nachos from the hotel outdoor bar, and went to bed.

The next morning we were up very early (still an effect of that six hour time change) and we went and got breakfast to eat at the beach while watching the sun rise.

Then we drove to the airport helipad to meet up with the excursion group I had booked to take a helicopter tour of the island. We got the earliest slot they offered (7:30am) because I knew from our last trip to Hawaii we would be up and ready to go. Not going to lie, I was nervous. But only a small percentage of the amazing landscapes of Kauai are accessible by road, so up into the air I go.

{my 'nervous but excited' eyes}

{leaving the airport, heading over the green plains toward the Wimea Canyon area}

{Wimea Canyon is called the Grand Canyon of Hawaii}

{the helicopter had seven seats, the pilot and two people in the front, four people in the back. Lovely wrap around windows so everyone had a view}

{heading out to the Na Pali Coast}

{flew into this dead end canyon, turned around to get this view, and flew out}

{you can tell by the million pictures that I thought this whole island was just amazing}

{coming around the coast line to Hanalei Bay...we came to this place another day by land}

{then we headed back inland over jungle mountains, so many waterfalls}

{headed back in to the airport}

When we were done with that amazingness it was still pretty early out. We drove around the lower part of the island and up into the Wimea Canyon area on steep roads.

{view from an overlook at the side of the road...our hike took us out to the top of that waterfall}

We parked at the trailhead and then spent the next few hours hiking.

{There were chickens everywhere on the island, this is at the parking area near the trailhead of the hike we went on}

{at an overlook at the trailhead before we embarked on the hike}

{an overlook at roughly midpoint of the hike in}

{at the furthest point of the hike, to the left was this lovely waterfall and pool, to the right I think led to the top of the big one...we didn't go too far to the right, just turned around and hiked back out}

After all that walking and climbing we were wiped out, so we drove back around to our hotel, stopping for some ice cream and food on the way.

And then after that late lunch we unintentionally just called it a day and slept, and not just a nap, slept through the night.