kauai day 6: our last beer before tomorrow

breakfast at an outdoor coffee and fruit stand before we head back to waimea canyon for a "mini-hike"

on the first trip there we were too exhasted from the canyon trail to walk to the famous lookout spot at the top of the park so we thought we would make a return visit and check it out.

ummm- yep- pete is once again sporting his super cool black socks with his german tourist hat- (practical but not too pretty pete!)

but when we got there the view was shrouded by clouds

oh goody- another slippery trail where if i fall off the edge it will mean certain death! after hiking that we needed a drink..

so south of the park we stopped at the waimea brewing company, "the worlds westernmost brewpub" for lunch and some cervezas!

their slogan- "the last beer before tomorrow" hee hee

it was set on the grounds of a gorgeous old plantation that is now a small and low key resort

you can rent out these adorable bungalows- so cute (and pricey!)

i think this is a banyon tree? gorgeous- and so huge- this picture shows less then 1/2 of the trunk!

next we headed over to the ritzy SW side of the island (where all the resorts are) for some sunshine

we even fit in a little bit of beach/chill time!

at dinner pete nabbed these awesome long exposure shots, yep- all with our trusty point and shoot (you can do it too- just put your camera on a steady surface- turn off the flash- and make sure your subject holds still)
good job pete- you have done well young grasshopper!

Kauai day 4: bikes and boats!

this was my favorite day on the island! in the morning we took a bike ride on the east side- including a climb up towards the mountains and through the country side - quite a workout on the way up- but a pretty sweet coast down!



And in the afternoon we headed over to the southwest side of the island to catch a catamaran tour of the NaPali coast- the best way to see the gorgeous cliffs!

we saw tons of dolphins and even a few humpback whales jumping out of the waters

I was having a blast and spend most of the 5 hour tour on the very front perch of the boat


but after we stopped to watch the sunset...
pete developed a little problem with the motion of the ocean (as you can see on his face)
yep... he got a little sea sick!

kauai day 2: helicopters, kayaks, and luaus

a few photos from the helicopter tour-i was thinking it would be a little more "exciting" but still quite beautiful and peaceful- and you have to try everything once! we flew over the napali coastline- gorgeous!


i did take one of my fancy cameras down to hawaii with me- but it pretty much stayed in my hotel room- instead i took my little pocket camera on all our adventures- does a decent job and much easier to carry!

a few pics from our kayak trip up the wailua river- went to a fern grotto and a swimming hole- good stuff!

quite the pests- with no natural predators these roosters are all over the island

yeah- im a dork

coconuts!

we ended the day at a luau! touristy fun...but like i said- you have to try everything once!

kauai day 1: the waimea canyon!

ummmmm- check back later for the words part of this post....im still sleep deprived and jet lagged and can't write a coherent thought- but had to post something to satisfy my siblings- (your welcome dave and morgan!)

last night in kauai

killing some time before dinner- thought i would throw a photo up from right before the helicopter tour. i attempted to post video but the internet down here is not my friend, actually my computer and my point and shoot camera are not friends either- can't get the photos uploaded right now besides a few from the first day- but probably a blessing in disguise or else i would be wasting precious vacation time playing with photoshop! we have been having a blast - exploring all corners of this gorgeous island!

one more full day here and then we fly out tomorrow on the red-eye!