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Kauai
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  • Tracy Stone

Kauai

The Motley Crew in Kauai Read more
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  • Trip start
    April 7, 2024
    Kauai

    To the islands we go

    April 7, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

    This trip is a trip that wasn’t supposed to happen. But sometimes you just have to make the most of a bad deal, and I think spending a week in Kauai is definitely making the most of it.

    Our travel this spring has been nuts. For instance, we couldn’t leave until Sunday afternoon on this trip, because Sarah was in Kansas City on. Journalism trip which didn’t get home until 11:30pm the night before.

    So, Sunday afternoon, we boarded our flight from San Jose to Honolulu and connected to Lihue, Kauai. I couldn’t wait for a real break from it all - and I was hopeful that Kauai was the right place.    Read more

  • Kauai

    Breaking Waves, Turtles, Construction

    April 7, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    We picked out the most amazing rental for while we were here. Right on the cliffs of the ocean, with beautiful 2 story floor to ceiling windows, and a balcony where you can sit and take it all in. Amazing.

    Until 2 days before we arrive, we hear from the property managers that there’s construction going on from 9-5, with scaffolding all across the front windows, and a construction drape preventing you from seeing. And the work is loud, banging that echos throughout the place.

    What to do?

    We again went through all the listings. Should we cancel and find somewhere new? or just deal with it? With an offer of 50% off, it became enticing. And if we are out of our place from 9-5, perhaps it’s not a big deal.    Read more

  • Kauai

    Day 1 - Pouipu

    April 8, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    On our first day, we wanted a true vacation day. Beach, followed by beach, followed by beach. We didn’t have to go far, hopping 5 mins down the road here and there to find the next one. Tracy and I got to start the day with a nice walk around the town, and then we loaded up our car and headed for the beaches.

    Lawai Beach - seemed like a non-beach, but we realized everyone was out snorkeling. So we grabbed our snorkeling gear and went out and explored. We saw some really cool fish right off the coast.

    Port Beach - We drove into town and grabbed lunch a lunch of Poke & Pork Bowls at the Koloa Fish Market and then drove over to Port Beach to have a picnic lunch. Cute little beach with almost nobody there. Sarah and I went swimming in the beach, and it was glorious.

    Shipwreck Beach - We then drove down to Shipwreck beach which was aptly named, with crazy waves that wanted to swallow you up. We got into the water for 5 mins, and then decided it was probably wise for us to take it in from the beach.

    We ended the day with a fancy meal at The Beach House right at sunset. Super fancy place, but a great way to end our first day in Kauai.    Read more

  • Kauai

    Kauai from the Air

    April 9, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    I can’t believe we decided to book a Helicopter tour. I can’t believe it. And I was honestly so excited having never flown in a helicopter and wanting to see Kauai from the Air. In the end it was all that I had dreamed about and more - I hope to remember it forever.

    Starting from Lihue, we took off along the rocky terrain of Kauai, getting to see Waimea Canyon, the Nepali Coast, Hanalei Bay and so much in between. And we didn’t just fly by everything, but our pilot would fly down into the Canyon, do a 360 so we could all see it, and then fly out. We continued to fly over the water to take in the Nepali Coast, getting to see it in a way that you could never see it otherwise. It is gorgeous. Seeing all the beaches along the North Coast was amazing, especially Hanalei Bay and then into the interior behind Hanalei was fantastic. Waterfalls sprouting up everywhere, full Rainbows below the Helicopter, flying in and out of the clouds and mist as we went. Amazing.    Read more

  • Kauai

    Slow Yourself Down

    April 9, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    The official slogan for Hanalei should be Slow Yourself Down, as once you get to Hanalei, there’s no reason to hurry up and get out of there. With rain coming down hard as we drove in, we were a bit uncertain how this was really going to work out. After eating our lunches in the car letting the rain die down a bit, we decided to make a go of it.

    Boogie Boards, Beach Chairs, Beach Umbrella - we were packed and ready to go. And it was perfect. The nice, easy waves of Hanalei Bay make for the perfect place to catch waves, soak in some sun, relax under an umbrella while it rains, and watch as clouds and waterfalls form in the hills behind you. If you ever need a place to just relax for a day, I don’t know if there’s any place that’s better.    Read more

  • Kauai

    Tubing through the Canals

    April 10, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Our adventure this day brought us to the backcountry, where we loaded a safari truck and headed 45 mins into Steve Case’s farmland to ride tubes down the irrigation canals. After a brief history lesson on the former sugar cane plantation, we plopped onto our tubes and set off. What was most surprising was the number and length of tunnels that we went through along the way - 5 tunnels with the longest being 3/4 mile with twists and turns within the tunnel.

    A totally fun tour and a surprise hit for everyone. We floated down the canals, bumped into walls and fellow tubers, spun in circles when you couldn’t see what was happening around you, and just had a great time.    Read more

  • Kauai

    Crushing Boogie Boards & Toes

    April 10, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    A short walk from our construction site condo was one of the best swimming beaches and boogie board beaches on the island - Poipu Beach & Brennecke’s Beach. The next morning, Tracy and I headed out early to swim some laps at Poipu Beach. It was a beautiful morning, we got to see some cool fish in the reefs by the beach, and tried our hand at Open Water swimming (definitely not as easy a pool laps).

    We then headed over to Brennecke’s with our boogie boards, and had a bang up time. Big crashing waves, floating turtles and lots of fun. Sarah and I road the waves until we couldn’t take getting beaten up anymore. My board cord snapped, I went to retrieve it, and snapped my toes. 3 of them. I’m sure they’ll heal in due time.    Read more

  • Kauai

    Waimea Canyon

    April 11, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    On the day the rains were supposed to come, we headed out to explore the Waimea Canyon area.

    Our first stop was the Kauai coffee company plantation, where we got to sample coffees and do a quick tour (and evidently, show our love for cats). We then ventured into the town of Hanapepe, where we found a great bakery (macadamia nut cinnamon rolls - yum!) and the swimming bridge.

    We then headed into the Canyon, the main attraction for the day. It was a great drive, as we rode up to the top of the Canyon. It’s crazy that this canyon exists on this little island - with the red dirt and deep ravines. And it was really cool to see it again after our helicopter tour, and to be able to say, “Remember when we were down there!”. Totally cool. The drive finished at the top of the Napali Coast, with beautiful views of the ocean. The high winds were definitely a reminder that the storm was coming, so it was time for us to head down.    Read more

  • Kauai

    Here comes the rain

    April 11, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    The weather was threatening rain all day, and we planned to shorten our Waimea Canyon excursion in order to avoid the downpour. After three full days in the sun, we were honestly ready for a reason to avoid more sunshine. The rain was slow to appear, but once it came, it decided to come down hard.

    One of our daily treats was finding a different coffee shop to try - most of which were food trucks tucked in along the side of the road. On our way back on this day, we found the best little coffee shop, tucked into a Warehouse filled with crafty shops. As the rain started to come down, we sipped and shopped, finding little something’s for everyone and more.

    Once back at our place, we watched as the wind and rain came in over the ocean. The waves outside our windows were pounding, and soon enough lightening started to light up the ocean. It was a fun time to just be inside. We watched Jurassic Park (filmed on Kauai), did a puzzle, and ordered dinner in. The perfect night to just relax.    Read more

  • Kauai

    Last Day

    April 12, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We survived a crazy storm the last night where supposedly Waimea Canyon got 18 inches of rain and our condo lost power for a couple of hours. Uncertain what the day would bring, as storms were predicted to continue, we decided on a chill day. Tracy and I tried heading out on a walk to explore the coast, only to start being pummeled with rain 15 mins into it - it was time to turn back. In addition, dad was feeling a bit beat up with his broken toes, sprained ankle, and what felt like an impending cold.

    There was a cute shopping center we decided to explore in the morning, waiting to see what would happen with the weather. Just having a lazy day was perfect. We enjoyed a nice easy lunch, the sun started to come out, and we made plans for our afternoon.

    We decided we couldn’t spend a week in Hawaii without some Hula Pie, so we made our way to Luhie for some beach time with the goal capping off the day at Duke’s and their famous Hula Pie.

    The beach was a disaster. Disaster. Evidently, the storm had pummeled the beach, which left it filled with trees, logs, and crap, and the water was murky brown from the backwash from the storm. On this very beautiful beach, not a single person was in the water. So, we skipped that plan.

    But, Duke’s was hopping. We got a table right on the beach, enjoyed a nice meal, and of course, finished it off with some Hula Pie. Perfect!    Read more

  • Kauai

    Turtles & Sunsets

    April 12, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Throughout our stay, whenever we ventured near Poipu beach, we would get to stop and see the turtles. At anytime, there were 2-5 huge turtles laying on the beach. Never once did we see them move, but there they were. Evidently, they come to shore to sleep at night, so we always got to see them there.

    We also tried to see the sunset at Poipu beach, on multiple occasions. But we always missed it. Either we were too late, it was too cloudy, or it just didn’t happen. So, somehow, this was a sunset-less trip to Hawaii. Weird, right? I do think it didn’t help that it rained almost everyday that we were there - including our first night when we flew in and the day of our early morning departure. They aren’t kidding when they say this is the rainiest island. It’s wet.    Read more

  • Kauai

    The Only Child

    April 13, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    First vacation as an only child. It was quite different. First of all, I had to share a row with mom and dad instead of having a kids and a parents row. Another key difference was having a room all to myself. I happen to have a massive king size bed where I could sleep any way I wanted and not fall off. But it did feel quite lonely with no one to scratch my back. During the day, it was very different because I didn’t have a partner to hang out with but rather stuck with those two. It was quite nice at times and also with some missing family members (not saying names), I think we were all able to just take some time and relax on vacation. This is new! Overall loved this trip, just wishing I had my travel buddies with me and missing them lots.Read more

    Trip end
    April 13, 2024
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