I'm glad I'm writing this down, because it's hard to keep track of days. I think we're on Wednesday. First, I had to cut and pasted all the previous messages into the blog. Sorry about any spelling/grammar issues. I'm still mastering the touch pad.. I'll blame it on that anyway. I can edit at home.
This morning we took off fairly early to give ourselves plenty of time to get through Lihue and on to Princeville for our 10 a.m. ziplining reservation at Princeville Ranch Adventures. The "book" recommended this company because there are actually 7 ziplines and a swinging bridge all in a beautiful cattle ranch valley with views of the mountains... in a land called Hanalei. (I never even knew there was such a thing.)
Our guides Rhonda and John took 10 of us for the Zip Express. That means that we chose not to have sandwiches and a swim in a waterfall for an extra $40 each. We're doing a waterfall tomorrow anyway. Four from MN, 2 each from GA, CA and us.. all ready for a challenge. The guides gave the safety pep talk and fit us into our fashionable harnesses and helmets. Then, we warmed up on the shortest zipline... testing out the starting and stopping techniques. (I just hoped I could land on my feet each time.. and I did .. for the most part and so did John.) Then we walked through the pastures and the trails to each zipline, each with its own name and characteristics. Of course, the longest one was right by a big bee hive (not THAT close) I was so concerned about getting a good run at it so I wouldn't be the one stuck in the middle of the line needing to be rescued that I forgot about the bees. (I had my bee sting kit just in case.) I think we got some good pictures, though it's hard to focus on the point where someone is going to be and then quickly take the picture at the right time. I may have good pictures of the others in the group and not necessarily us. Photos should provide an idea of the terrain and the lines. The time went by fast. We left at about 10:30 and got back about 1:30. Then we went in to Hanalei for lunch and a check of the guidebook to figure out what was next. I picked Queen's Bath for the next adventure. Back to Princeville and follow-the-map exercise to find the trailhead leading to the rocky cliffs, past a little waterfall to a swimming pool size tidepool. We lucked out. Surf wasn't too high and not so low that the pool wasn't being replenished with ocean. John had his snorkeling gear and we floated around in comfortable temp water and watched the fish... and they watched us. One school came up to explore several times. I wish I'd taken along an underwater camera. We had the pool to ourselves (with the fish). A few other people came by to look while we were there, but no one else swam while we were there. When we got out, the next couple arrived. It was truly magical. We have some photos of the pool itself and I think it will show how the water gets in. Fun to be in the pool when a wave comes in and swooshes the next bunch of water in.
This would be the last trip this far north so we detoured to the lighthouse on the way back. I remembered to bring our National Park pass so we got in even though there was only 10 min. until the place closed. The lighthouse is now a bird refuge and I guess we hit the "show time". There were signs around the fence to explain about the special bird species. We'd see a sign, then the bird would fly over. Look at the next and that bird flew over. We think we saw albatross, red-footed booby and frigate bird, plus a pair of nenes. (nay -nay). It was a quick trip, but just in time to be able to get in.
We knew were were close to the Kauai rush hour returning to Poipu, but we just took our time. Nice thing about rush hour is you can't rush. There's time to look. Most of the road is 2 lane and Kauai is famous for its traffic back-ups. We stopped at our local grocery and got a bake it ourself pizza and added our own fresh pineapple.
Wow. What a day... and tomorrow will be big, too.
Tomorrow morning we have to be at the Wailua River at 7:15 a.m. for a kayak trip to a waterfall. Mom, we may paddle by Fern Grotto, which I think you said you saw. The morning trip was recommended because ... fewer people will be on the river. There are at least four different companies all taking people up the river. We could have guided ourselves, but the "activity" person at Kiahuna said the trail to the waterfall is a little tough to find. I didn't want to have a Salzburg moment on our last day in Hawaii. If you don't know what a Salzburg moment is, ask us, Sara or Chris. I was willing to pay extra to avoid it.
Coming back early will give us some time to recover from paddling. We haven't even been to the nice swimming pool or to the closest beach. We'll see what we can fit in. We're going out to dinner tomorrow night and then time to pack. (WAHHHH)
Our condo's owners are coming the day we leave. We've been e-mailing through the week and they have been helpful with tips. (like the blue vanilla shave ice.) Their parents are already here and we may meet them tomorrow. They want to take a look at the bedspread to see if it needs replacing. If so, Tracy and Seth may be packing an extra suitcase. It may be paradise, but home maintenance is a continuing issue.. sound familiar?
Time to put out tomorrow's stuff. (bug spray? check. sun screen? check, etc., hat? check... etc.)
No comments:
Post a Comment