Kauai Day #6

 Today was our last full day on the Garden Isle.  We had one final walk on our morning path,

 took in every crashing wave

 and gorgeous view.

 We drove through the residential part of Kapaa and took a picture of the high school since Taylor met girls from there at this summer's UCSD soccer camp.

 We even found one last waterfall!

 We did some last minute shopping for the girls and got one more shave ice from Ono Ono.

 Matt wanted to take me out for a nice birthday dinner so I chose Duke's in Lihue.

 We drank Longboard's and Lava Flows at the Barefoot Bar before making our way upstairs.

 I attempted macadamia nut crusted fish, but should have stuck with steak or chicken.  Luckily, Matt loved it.

All I really cared about was the Hula Pie!  I was spoiled with a stunning Tiffany necklace and love it!

Matt made me feel very special all week and I loved celebrating my 40th birthday in Kauai with him.

It was great to have a week of no schedules and really just hang out together.

Our last evening stroll was the perfect way to end the perfect week in paradise.  We are sad to say goodbye tomorrow, but are excited to get back to our girls.  We can't wait to bring them back here and experience it all through their eyes.  A very special thank you to my mom who held down the fort while we were gone and gave us the opportunity to get away!  

Kauai Day #5

We had a nice morning walk in Kapaa and then lunch at Kalapaki Joe's in Lihue before driving to Port Allen for a Catamaran Sunset Cruise.  Everyone we talked to said the highlight of Kauai is the Na Pali Coast.  The only ways to see it are by helicopter, boat or an 11 mile hike.  We chose the Catamaran, figuring it would be a nice day on the water to beat the heat and a way to see as much as possible.  

Captain Andy's Adventures was the perfect catamaran choice…great crew, delicious food and a beautiful boat.

It was very cool spotting several spinnaker and bottle nose dolphins along the way!

 It was a little choppier than I anticipated for the ride to the West Shore, but luckily I wore my sea bands and didn't become a casualty like a few that spent most of the trip puking over the back of the boat.  

 The Na Pali Coast back drop is beyond amazing!  

 Even spotted a rainbow!

 The landscape changed every few minutes.  Tall trees, sea caves, red lava rock, goats grazing

 untouched beaches, waterfalls,

 and sculptured mountain peaks.

 It was all breathtakingly beautiful.

 The captain stopped the motor for a while and put up the sails for a peaceful dinner along the coast.

 The "Sneaky Tiki" was my drink of choice 

 and dinner consisted of BBQ chicken, teriyaki steak, salad, rice pilaf and rolls with pineapple upside down cake for dessert.

The night was complete with the perfect sunset as we arrived back in Port Allen.  The perfect way to see the Na Pali Coast and one of the best experiences of our lives!

Kauai Day #4

This morning we joined about 5 other couples for a kayak/hiking trip along the Wailua River.  It was hot and muggy, but we were thankful for the cloud cover so the sun didn't beat down on us for the entire paddle.  We met our guide, Justin, and left from the boat ramp at Smith's Tropical Paradise.

 We had a two mile trek up the river, passing by passenger barges that were coming to and from Fern Grotto.

After a small fork in the river, we paddled through thicker brush and a more narrow stream to our docking spot.  Justin shared lots of stories and historical facts about the island.  

 We loaded up our backpacks with lunch and water

 and trekked through the stream to begin our hike.

 Justin played his ukelele the entire mile in and mile back…loved hearing Pink Panther, Stairway to Heaven, theme song from Titanic and Over the Rainbow!

 We were warned about getting wet and muddy and we were certainly glad we invested in new Teva's for the adventure.  Justin and the rest of us were quite irritated with the group of men who kept trying to keep their socks and hiking boots dry.  I'm pretty sure Justin even called them princesses. The mud added to the adventure!

 After about a mile, we got our first view of the Secret Falls down the hill.  

 We ate lunch with the chickens and had time to play in the water while Justin sat up above serenading us with his ukelele.

 The waterfall was pretty amazing and Matt had fun getting some cool GoPro video with the water rushing over him.

We met another couple from San Marcos and enjoyed chatting with them as well.  We loved the adventure inland

 and had a beautiful morning on the water.  Our arms and legs were pretty sore by the end

 so we drove to Lydgate Beach Park across the street to relax in the calm water.  This man-made beach area has rocks built up preventing strong waves and a perfect little lagoon.

Our final stop was Hee Fat General Store for a delicious Lava Flow shave ice…two thumbs up!

Kauai Day #3

Today we decided to go back up to the North Shore to try out Tunnels Beach.  Kauai Revealed listed it as one of the best snorkel spots on the island.

The water was warm and clear and we even spotted a Moray Eel.

 In his happy place!

Views don't get much prettier than this! 

 We spent hours snorkeling and just relaxing in the water.

 We stopped at this cool cave on our way back into Hanalei.

We loved all of the churches and architecture in this quaint little town and had a quick refueling lunch at Bubba's Burgers while in Hanalei.

I'm sure the girls would love to have this back drop on their soccer fields!