Hawaii 2013: Kauai, Part I

Our itinerary changed a few times due to weather, cancellations, and delays.

It was crazy...we imagined we were on the Amazing Race a few times while we were deciding when to change our flights and where to book through.  We ended up missing our evening in San Francisco, spending the night in Dallas, and getting to our hotel 8 hours later than our original plans.  But, considering other options, it wasn't that bad.  We arrived in Kauai SO late at night, and we couldn't see anything on our rainy drive to our resort.  The island really is quiet and very dark at night.  The resort still welcomed us in such a grand way at 11pm.  We woke up to drop our jaws and see what was just outside our windows....we had no idea!

This was the view from our room.

We don't know how, but we really got the best room in the resort!

Bottom, corner floor.  Quiet, great view.  Amazing!  

We walked right out to this view and could walk straight to the beach from our room....

and the pool was to the left. 

Here are a few more shots from the resort:

 This is the resort from a different part of the island.

Isn't it amazing that out of all those rooms, we got the one we got!!!

It was nice that we were "jet-lagging" because we woke up at 6am, even though the goal was to sleep in.

We took advantage of the morning and went out exploring.

This is our ride while in Kauai.

We drove to some pretty beaches and walked on them a little.
There are so many different beaches, and they are different with different characteristics.
This morning we went to Ke'e Beach and Tunnels Beach.

There were some beautiful little "caves" in the mountains.

You could walk down in them, and this particular one has fresh water in it.

 Pretty overlooks everywhere along the way...even on the other side, away from the ocean.

This is Hanalei Valley Overlook

We went back to our resort to enjoy the beach there.

But, it was rainy, so we hid under this cabana for a while, and I took a nap.

We got back out in the sun...

...but the weather was CRAZY!!!  It would rain for 5 min, and then be sunny for 10.  Rain, then sunny. It did this all day long this day.  We caught on, and like everyone else would just cover up with the towels and wait for the cloud to pass.  It would, and then there would be sunshine.  "They" say this is typical of the weather this time of the year.

Gray got out and snorkeled some of the reef at our resort. 

See all the haze and mist?!!!

 Wild chickens were EVERYwhere on the island.  It was funny.

Chickens are in Kauai like cows are in India.

 

We got fed up with the rain, and got ready for an early evening out.

Though the weather was calling for SO much rain the next couple of days,

our next day at the resort was the most beautiful, and it was clear and sunny all morning long!

It was hard to leave that day, but we knew more adventures and fun were coming.

This morning, we could see the top of this mountain and the waterfall going down the middle.

If you right click and "open the image in another tab," you should see it very clearly!

Aren't these waterfalls AMAZING!!! 

Again, we woke up quite early (jet lag?), so we didn't feel like we were wasting 

our time reading and hanging out because it was like....6am!!!
6am?  What?  I was going to sleep in!!!!

This wild chicken brought along the kids, looking for breakfast too. 

This little guy was so pretty and had the sweetest song that we fed him! 

As we would leave our room, to go to the hotel exit at the road, there were overlooks at both upper levels.  EVERY time we'd go back and forth, we would walk out and gawk at the beautiful views on both levels.  It was AMAZING, and it never ever got old. 

Here is a short panorama video:

A few more shots from the hotel terraces:

This is the reef Gray would snorkel right on the shore of our beach. 

This morning, we walked to Queen's Bath.  It was a beautiful, rocky beach with ledges of  lava rock that created some lava pools.  Certain times of the year, you can swim and play in these pools.  This time of the year, the waters are a little higher and dangerous.  At times, the waves would just crash right over those rocks in the middle of the above picture.

 

A little scare tactic?!

We saw so many turtles swimming just beyond the rocks.

Check out the fun waves and turtles in the video:

Though we couldn't swim, it was incredible watching the big, rough waves crash onto the rocks.

 There was a pretty waterfall along the path to the beach, and it's pretty cool to see a beautiful, fresh waterfall fall into the saltwater ocean.  Beautiful hike, pretty stream and waterfalls, beautiful cliff/mountainous cliff, ocean--big waves and clear blue water, sea turtles, lava rocks...
I just kept feeling like it was too much to take in at one time!!!

We went back to our resort and hung out on the beach until the early afternoon.  

We checked out and drove to the south part of the island, and our time there will be Kauai, Part 2!