We rented bikes in Kapa’a and rode the 10-mile roundtrip Ke Ala Hele Makalae Path.
We got a lot of sun and great beach views.
We also found this pretty tree tunnel.
On the way back, we stopped to take a photo and ended up looking for whales.
That reef-safe sunscreen really doesn’t rub in.
After biking, we ate pizza for lunch and headed to the beach for some swimming.
We stopped by the ReStore to see if they had snorkeling gear and towels and they did. I also chatted with this friendly cat.
Buying used snorkeling gear was a good idea in practice, but so-so in execution. We intended to donate it back at the end of our trip, but they were unexpectedly closed that morning. So then we had to figure out what to do with unwanted gear. If we visit again, I’ll look around for a weekly rental place.
Grilled cheese stuffed with pulled pork? Yes please! The meal at Porky’s Kauai was amazing!
On the way back down from our ridge hike, we stopped at a lookout to see where we had been. Here’s a view of the canyon.
And here are the falls.
And here is Matt, carefully taking a picture.
It was another day of vigorous hiking. Two things are true about this trail: you will see a lot of people, and it’s not really a trail to traverse with your flip flops. It’s also very up and down. A number of people remarked on how lucky I was to have my hiking poles.
There were gorgeous views of the canyon.
Self portrait. Notice how sweaty I am!
In the middle of this picture, there is a gray smear, just below a hump of greenery. That’s the lookout from the parking lot. We stopped there yesterday. From that vantagepoint you can see the many hikers who are hiking along the ridge.
Here are some of the many hikers.
Down in the canyon.
I didn’t make it all the way to the falls. I rested here and people watched while Matt continued on to the falls. It gave me ample opportunity to see the stone arch.
And take more pictures of the canyon.
On the way back, we stopped at a viewpoint and took a not-great timer photo. Unlike the trail itself, no people were at the viewpoint when we were there.
We enjoyed the winding drive down Waimea Canyon Drive and stopped at a lookout to take some pictures. Here, you can see Ni’ihau in the distance.
Us being bad at self portraits.
Same picture, but with camera phone.
My Aunt Carol had clued us in that we could get fresh papayas on the way to/from Waimea Canyon and we did! They were delicious.
Back in town we got our meal: surf and turf taco for Matt and quesadilla for me. We ate in a park nearby.
Then we stopped at JoJo’s Shave Ice and had our minds blown. I grew up with snow cones and enjoy them on a hot day, but this shave ice is macadamia nut ice cream topped with ice that has been shaved and then is layered with delicious flavors and then cream is poured over the top.
It was incredible! I had a coconut flavored one and Matt got something with tropical fruit.
Rust on the bumper, a bar for surfboards, a graphic of a paddle, and a bumper sticker that says “I’d rather be at Polihale.”
Polihale would be Polihale State Park, the most Western publicly accessible beach in Hawai’i.
We took advice from one of our guidebooks that said to drive to the end of Waimea Canyon Road and work your way back down. In doing that, we drove to Pu-u O Kila Lookout and did a hike to Pihea Overlook.
Here’s the view from the lookout. We were very lucky in that it was sunny through most of our hike. This area is known for constant clouds rainfall.
From the start of the trail. The beginning part has views on both sides. You can tumble either way.
Matt explores the view from the edge.
It was fun walking along the ridge.
I also enjoyed this very unique (to me at least) moss.
The part of the trail to Pihea Overlook involved a lot of moving ourselves upward. Another plus of it being dry and sunny is that there was much less sliding in the mud.
This was the hike where we observed people in the parking lot and thought they had probably slipped and fallen, but discovered that just getting ourselves through the trail muddied our legs as if we had fallen. I did fall once, but the mud on my legs came from hauling myself up that narrow trail. And I was very glad I brought my hiking poles.
Here are a few wisps of clouds.
And here we are at the vista.
Matt takes steps to make sure he won’t fall.
Clouds moving in.
Some of the trademark Kauai mud on my hands. Plus, my hiking poles.
While writing this post, I enjoyed reading this post about the same hike. Thanks, The Hiking HI
A sunrise view from our kitchen window.
And from our back porch. That’s the ocean in the distance.
Had we not gone on the tour, we might have missed the tortoises. Thankfully our tour guide clued us in that the tortoises are used to clear land so native plants can survive. They take the place of a bird that became extinct. And we got to see them!
There were about 20 of them and each one had its own pen. They were very pretty.
I loved the plating on their legs.
We walked past many of the pens.
There was also this beauty.
And we saw two different kinds of lizards. This one had a red throat.
And this blurry picture shows how well this one blended into its surroundings.
