adventures
Mom and Dad took CJ, Robin, Daniel and I to Kauai for a week for Solstice this year! We stayed in Poipu, on the southern coast, a five minute walk from the beach.
Our first day, we took a walk along the shore in Poipu, where there are lithified (compressed and hardened) sand dunes. We found a beach with a few tidepools.
Kauai is least populated of the main Hawaiian islands, and one main highway encircles 3/4 of the island. The terrain between these sections is vast canyons and gullies, some exposed, some covered in lush tropical forest. At the end of the road on the eastern side, we followed a trail out to the highest elevation swamp in the world - Alakai Swamp (ok, Robin, Dad and I bailed a mile early).
The trail starts out on slick red clay, using steps that have been worn deep into the slopes.
After a mile and a half, it descends steeply down a rapidly deteriorating boardwalk covered in rusty chickenwire for traction. The stairs were irregular heights, making for a tiring day.
Mosses and ferns grew lushly along the trail, and Robin and I turned back early to take our leisure photographing it.
Robin and Mom and I caught the first lift of the day into the National Tropical Botanical Gardens and spent three gleeful hours inspecting tropical wonders.
Another trail, on the western side of the island, followed a river, and wove us through a pick-up-stick tumble of tree trunks.
We even managed not to get sunburned until the last day, when we took a catamaran cruise up to the Na Pali coast, by following drastic measures.
Our first day, we took a walk along the shore in Poipu, where there are lithified (compressed and hardened) sand dunes. We found a beach with a few tidepools.
Kauai is least populated of the main Hawaiian islands, and one main highway encircles 3/4 of the island. The terrain between these sections is vast canyons and gullies, some exposed, some covered in lush tropical forest. At the end of the road on the eastern side, we followed a trail out to the highest elevation swamp in the world - Alakai Swamp (ok, Robin, Dad and I bailed a mile early).
The trail starts out on slick red clay, using steps that have been worn deep into the slopes.
After a mile and a half, it descends steeply down a rapidly deteriorating boardwalk covered in rusty chickenwire for traction. The stairs were irregular heights, making for a tiring day.
Mosses and ferns grew lushly along the trail, and Robin and I turned back early to take our leisure photographing it.
Robin and Mom and I caught the first lift of the day into the National Tropical Botanical Gardens and spent three gleeful hours inspecting tropical wonders.
Another trail, on the western side of the island, followed a river, and wove us through a pick-up-stick tumble of tree trunks.
We even managed not to get sunburned until the last day, when we took a catamaran cruise up to the Na Pali coast, by following drastic measures.
posted 1/10/2010 
