The Invisible Woman

Sightseeing above sea level and BELOW…

On Tuesday, Kelly and I ventured out to see the rest of the island.  We did a bit of shopping first which I am grateful for because we sat in the car for nearly four hours driving to the other side of the island.   Along the way we stopped to see a few waterfalls: the Wailau Falls and Opaekaa Falls.    The first stop wasn’t accessible for the wheelchair to view.   Luckily the second was! 

Kelly was hoping to do a helicopter  tour but due to limited time and outrageous costs we didn’t do it after all.  So this was as good as it got.

We drove to the North Shore to see the big waves.  These  pictures don’t really do it justice since they claimed the swells were 30-40 feet.   Needless to say the lifeguards weren’t letting anyone get in the water. 

We viewed the dry and wet caves from the car since neither were very accessible and we were both tired of getting in and out.  When we got back into Poipu, we met the rest of the family for dinner at a Burger joint in the nearby shopping center.  The burgers were HUGE and the fish and chips were enjoyed by many.  Everyone enjoyed sipping on Kelly’s strawberry frosty…especially Elle and Kent.

Wednesday was a rather quiet day hanging around the resort  with visits to the beach and swimming pool. 

In the evening, the Girls (Marcie, Teyah, Krissy, Nicole, Kelly, my Mom and I) went  to see a dinner show at the Kauai Hilton.  We felt it quite appropriate to see a performance of South Pacific since it was filmed on the island in the 50’s.  Nicole was in love with Emilie or at least his voice.  We laughed and ate(too much) and sang along quietly to our favorite songs.  It turned out to be a fun girls night out!

Thursday was are only dive day.  We dove with Fathom Five Divers.  They have a small operation and there was hardly enough room on the boat for us and our gear.  The water temperature was 74 which is much cooler than what we are used to.  The captain and  dive master were both helpful but not overly friendly.  The dives were good but I was bummed because at some point during the trip my dive computer disappeared.  I tried not to let it ruin the morning but it definitely upset me.  Some days I feel like I am really losing it.  I can’t seem to keep track of my stuff, let alone, help out with the rest of the group.   Oh well, here are a few of the pictures I got today.

 

And tonight we attempted to get some family pictures taken.  The results are a bit disappointing.  I think it is almost impossible to get a group of 7 adults and 2 children to have their eyes open, to be looking at the camera, and smiling at the same time.    Here’s a sneak peak at some of the better results…..  Notice the number of people in them.    Thanks Marcie for your help.

We DID SOMETHING DIRTY

On Monday, Dylan, Krissy, Kelly and I went on an ATV tour.    Kelly was especially excited about this experience because it was something she had never done before.   They outfitted us in shirts, pants, goggles, and helmets. They recommended we purchase these orange bandanas which they ended up giving out to those who weren’t smart enough to purchase them.  

 

 

 

Krissy’s  shirt was holey, my pants had to be tied up with a rope, and many of the buttons were missing on all of our pants.  Quite stylish. 

 

Kelly and I drove a Yellow MudBug and the Tuckers were in a red four seater because that is what they had available.  The tour covered 22 miles of land that is privately owned by the owner of AOL.  The Mudbugs were easy to drive and luckily the trails weren’t too bumpy.   The tour began by an old rundown Sugar Mill.

We drove through an underground tunnel that was about 1/2 mile long.   It was built by laborers without an engineer on staff in the 1940’s.  Amazingly it took only 9 months to complete.  I’m sure today with all the regulations it would take 5-10 years.   The tunnel was for transporting sugar cane from one side of the mountain to the sugar mill.

The trails were extremely dusty but luckily not too muddy.  The most mud we encountered was passing through a little stream. 

A tasty lunch was served by a waterfalls.  Krissy and Dylan jumped off the rocks and enjoyed a cool dip in the water.  Kelly and I relaxed in the Mudbug and were entertained by the other tourists and our tour guide PAT. 

All in all we had a great time.  The tour lasted a little over four hours and we came back disgustingly dirty.    Krissy is the cleanest because she had cleaned off in the waterfall.  We had dirt everywhere.  Last night we found more hidden in all the crevices of our ears.   YUCK!

We cleaned up quickly so we could rush off to a Luau at the Lihue Marriott.   We opted to eat dinner as a group and attend a Luau that didn’t serve dinner.   My Dad wanted to know what the point of going was???   I can guarantee you that the group as a whole enjoyed the meal we prepared 100 times better than anything they would have served at the Luau. 

The show was put on by a local family who has been performing at the Marriott for over 40 years.    The highlight of the show was watching Elle and the Bushling children perform on stage.

Elle had been talking all night about wanting to dance and had to wear her dress in case she got too.  But when the time came she was too scared to go by herself.   After the performance this 8 year old girl gave Elle her Lei.  She was in heaven!

Kents in Kauai

We arrived late Friday evening and picked up two rental cars.  Our first stop was Costco to pick up  groceries for the week.   Then Kelly’s favorite restaurant stop:  Taco Bell.  We arrived at the Waoihai to find a lobby decorated beautifully for the Christmas season.   Everyone was exhausted so sleep was the main priority.

Saturday morning we got off to an early but slow start.   Elle, Kelly, Krissy and I explored the beautiful grounds of the resort.  I think it is probably the most gorgeous hotel we have ever stayed in.  Upon returning, we made a meal plan for the week and my mother and I headed off to the grocery store.   We made trip two to Costco and then to a Save-U-Mart for a few things we didn’t need to buy in bulk.   The most requested item to bring back was POG juice and not only did we find it, we found light POG juice for Nicole.  

Kelly and I decided to go out exploring in the afternoon.  We went to Spouting Horn which is a “blowhole” created by waves forcing water into a shoreline cave, resulting in water shooting out of  a hole in the lava formations nearly 60-70 feet high.  The pictures that follow don’t accurately depict how high the water really shoots.  We of course brought a few items from the local vendors.  

Following that we went check out a few shopping locations.  We stopped at Snorkel Bobs which  claimed to have fun gift items but only found really cheap snorkel rentals.  Next we hit the main street in Koloa but found it not to be very accessible.   Last stop was the  shopping village in Poipu just a short drive from the resort.   We found lots of things we wanted to buy until we saw the prices.  OUCH!  

My dad cooked Hamburgers and Hot Dogs on the BBQ out by the pool for dinner.  Elle and Kent were very excited about seeing the Christmas tree all lit up from the balcony.  I love these pictures.

Then we had to venture to see it close up.  I was hoping to get a few decent pictures of the two of them standing in front of them but these are the results.  They were more interested in touching the presents and the lights than anything else.

 

Today my Dad woke with a touch of the stomach flu.  So only part of the group ventured off to Waimea Canyon.  It was about an hour drive from the resort  but the sights along the way were beautiful.  The road was a bit windy and steep rising to approximately 3500 ft. (at least that’s where we turned around) I was a bit worried since some in our group get motion sickness  but we all survived.   Mark Twain referred to this sight as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” and I definitely agreed.  

 

On the drive back, we stopped in the little town of Waimea for lunch and to visit Aunt Likikoi, a store that produces passion fruit products.  Ever since we traveled to St. Thomas when I was sixteen, I have longed to eat passion fruit again.  It seems almost impossible to find the actual fruit.   I got one today I think because the woman at the store took pity on me.   But we also purchased some passion fruit products that they had for sale.     Can’t wait to try them when we get home.