Day 5: Saturday
We took off to go to the Kauai Coffee Plantation. When I learned that there was such a place on the island I knew we had to go. Aaron and I are big coffee fans and this place just seemed like something we couldn't miss.
Grow tiny babies....
More plumeria....
This cup is just the right size for a Monday...
The label of their fanciest, most expensive coffee. I had a sample and it was so smooth.
My very first CARDINAL!! I was so happy to see him. He sang for us. He was bigger than I was expecting but just as beautiful as I've ever imagined. I saw one more cardinal on this same day.
The harvester...
Coffee flowers. Aren't they just so delicate?!
We toured the farm and did some tasting, bought some souvenirs and gifts, and left with a couple of iced coffees. P.S. None of the people in this picture are us.
We took the rest of the morning and the afternoon to drive to the north side of Kauai. Up the west side is very populated as you go through Lihue and Kapaa. The beaches are lovely on the Pineapple Coast. We made our way to the Kilauea Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge.
The entire cliffside to the right was full of birds. I didn't know at the time what they were. Now that I've done some research I would say they are either Laysan Albatross or Red-Footed Booby. I wish I would have studied them a little longer but they were rather far away and I didn't have my glasses on. They were pretty loud and liked to soar and seemed to be resting mainly in the trees.
Just west of Kilauea was Hanalei, one of the prettiest spots on the island. It was most jungle-like here on the North side. We stopped for lunch at this grouping of shops.
I think I would like to spend more time exploring the beaches around Hanalei. We stuck to the main road and didn't take much time to veer off. We were super surprised to discover the Maniniholo dry cave up the road from Hanalei. From the opening, it goes back about 300 yards.
Outside there were these huge Tarzan like vines hanging down the cliffside.
Just across the road was the Ha'ena Beach Park. The surf was up on this particular day and we got to watch the surfers for a bit.
This house was right at the beach and was built elevated. Many of the houses in this area were up on stilts. For tsunamis would be my guess.
Back in Hanalei, a picturesque little church.
We got back to the house later in the afternoon. I spent the rest of the day half napping in front of the tv watching old episodes of Full House. Some of the family went out snorkeling. Pizza Hut delivered our dinner that night and we chilled.
The next day I sat out in the sun with my coffee for the last time. I tried to soak in all the bird songs, all the fresh flowers, all the tiny lizards...to just memorize all the details of this beautiful place. I shed a tear for what I was going to have to say good-bye to. Really, it was that hard to leave.
We went to the beach again. Aaron and Blake did some boogie boarding. Austin and I soaked up some sunshine. I did a little yoga under a palm tree. The four us just sat there for what seems like an hour, not wanting to leave that beach. I snapped a couple pictures as my heart broke a little.
The rest of the afternoon we just took a drive along the south and side of Kauai. We made our way back to Waimea. I thought of my Charlie and my chickens when I say this bus...
And we saw a heavily laden mango tree in someone's front yard...
Our flight leaving Kauai departed after 10 p.m. We tried to get some sleep before landing in Los Angeles for a quick plane change the next morning. We were home in Washington before noon. And reunited with our Charlie pup within a couple hours.
Here he is on my lap for the drive home...
It was a beautiful, wonderful, memorable trip. I love Kauai. I love the aloha spirit. I love the warm sunshine and the flowers. I love the birds and the water. I love the beaches and the sea turtles.
Mahalo Kauai
A hiki i kekahi manawa (until next time)
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