A Wonderful Week in Kauai

Since we had been to Kauai before we had some old favorite spots to visit as well as some new adventures to try. We were also lucky enough to have our friends the Harris's join us at the resort for a few days. Their boys loved Poi pu beach and could play there for hours stabbing waves, boogie boarding and snorkeling. On Tuesday we took them to the North side of the Island for amazing snorkeling at Tunnels. There are a large variety of tropical fish there that are unbothered by the humans gawking at them. Even the turtles were quite friendly and seemed happy to let us swim near them. Scott swam out to the edge of the large reef but headed back in after glimpsing a tiger shark. After snorkeling Scott and I went off to make arrangements to rent our camp gear and the Harris family found Chicken in a Barrel. We ran into them again in Hanalei and enjoyed some happy hour drinks with them while watching the NBA finals from a restaurant with killer views of waterfall laced mountains.

Excellent snorkeling at Tunnels

Wednesday Scott and I ventured off on our own and went up Wiamea Canyon. The day was clear so we were able to look down into the Kalalau Valley and look forward to our adventure there. We hiked the Honopu Ridge trail. Due to trail erosion, the parks department had taken down the sign to the trail which made the route that much less populated and much more overgrown. The fern groves were immense and we got a little scraped up by the foliage. The views at the end of the trail looking down on Honopu Beach were amazing. When we got back Kara invited us over for a delicious dinner.

One of our favorite hikes along the South Shore

Thursday we avoided the tour companies, rented kayaks and headed up the Walia River with the Harris family. Malik wanted to be first up the river and we had to work hard to keep up with him and Scot. The hike through the jungle to the falls was short and the falls were cool and refreshing. Scot and the boys had fun getting blasted by the falls while Kara, Scott and I watched them get pounded from shore. Back in the kayaks we headed up river again to a swimming hole. Everyone jumped off the 10 foot cliff while I took pictures. Scott had to repeat his back flip since Mason missed seeing it and we practically had to drag Malik away because he kept wanting to jump "just one more time".

Friday Scott and I headed over to Kalapaki beach. My tummy was angry so I relaxed on the beach while Scott mastered stand up paddling. Next we ventured over to check out the Nawiliwili Lighthouse. The views were spectacular and since we were at the end of the runway, the planes looked like we could reach out and touch them as they flew over. Just down from there we found a little local boogie boarding beach. Teens browned from the sun leaped into the rough surf and let the waves shoot them out while twisting and flying. Scott provided the entertainment for them by donning his snorkeling gear and heading out to find some fish. Upon returning from his swim one boy asked him if he had seen Tony out there. "Ya kno brah, Tony the Tiger shark". Upon returning from our day's adventures, we went to our local Poipu beach to find that two Hawaiian Monk seals had landed. Over dinner with the Harris family we learned that there are only 1100 Monk seals left and only 200 in the Hawaiian islands. We were lucky to get to see them!

Saturday we said goodbye to the Harris family and Scott and I headed North again. We went to our favorite beach, Hideaways. The trail to get to the beach is steep and slippery but the snorkeling is always worth it. On both of our visits to this beach I have managed to fall down on the trail and both times we've had to wait out a rainstorm but no complaints!  We had a lovely picnic, sat out a brief rainstorm and explored the reef some more. Not 5 feet from shore we found a leopard eel and Scott spooked him out of his den for a picture. You'll have to trust me on how awesome the pics were (see Napali Coast adventure). Back at our condo in Wiohai we packed for our big adventure and went to bed early. The next day we'd be heading off the grid.

A perfect day!

The pictures say it all. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful place to make the commitment of marriage.

It was as if the sunset reflecting off the ocean was created just for us.

 

It was the perfect beginning of our life together. 

Mahalo Pele.

We were up early thanks to the time change and going to bed at 8:30 pm local time. After a good breakfast at the hotel we packed up the toys and found a great snorkel spot. The water was a beautiful aqua and the fish were abundant. Once we were adequately water logged we jumped in the car and headed further down the coast for more exploring. We found a wonderful little bay with black sand which we had all to ourselves. Scott headed in to explore the water and I checked out the lava caves on the coast. The Sheraton property was next on the list due to the rumors of manta rays. We did see one large one but after checking around we found out that the best viewing time was at night. However, this night had other adventures in store for us. We had a date with the Fire Goddess.

 

The island is called The Big Island for a reason. We drove around the Southern tip and over to Hilo on what turned out to be a 3 hour road trip. On the way we stopped at a lovely farmer's market where we were talked in to even more Mexican food. Chile verde served from the back of a van was on the menu this time and it was delicious! Scott set a vendor straight about Utah having no world championship skiers (Hello? Ted Ligety!) and we were back on our journey. Hilo was a short stop for provisions and then we headed South to Kalapana.

We reached our destination when the road ended at a bay now full of lava. The black desert of lava was sharp contrast to the lush green we had driven through for miles. After dodging countless hippies hitchhiking along the road, we met our guide at a "coffee shop". A large compound complete with bar, stage, and small wood buildings set into a tropical forest comprised the coffee shop and was where we met our guide Kyson. 

Us and 7 other couples were driven along the old highway which had in many places been swallowed by lava. We were dropped off and left in what seemed another world. Oozing, rippling lava had cooled and left ripples, braids, crevices and blobs that we hiked over and around. for hours. Some of the lava had been there for years, some as little as a few months and some was oozing fresh from the earth. Along the way we were rewarded with views of the ocean and even a rainbow. 

Suddenly the wind blew and the skies opened up just long enough to soak us to the skin. But the rainstorm was brief and so was the short hike over to the coast. Steam billowed up hundreds of feet into the air. Molten lava glowed as it waterfalled down into the ocean. Waves crashed into the fiery flows creating a spectacular show. After watching mesmerized for 45 minutes we hiked back in the dark. Hovering barely above the horizon in the North was the big dipper. The only sounds were our feet crunching on the lava. The terrain was void of any of the nature sounds that usually fill the Hawaiian skies. What an amazing night!

And we're off! June 13 2013

Well not  so fast. We made it all the way to 2300 East before realizing I had left my wedding dress at home. That made the morning a bit stressful but after a nice job we managed to make final boarding call and we were off!

A long flight we arrived in Kona and drove to a beautiful mountain ranch to get our wedding license. After that we found a place with crappy Mexican food and bad service but the game was on and the beer, which we had to fetch for ourselves, was cold.

The evening brought a beautiful drive up the coast and when we returned to our room we watched the luau from our lanai.

Bring it on!

Shanna tells me this is where I should log my deepest, most personal and sensual thoughts during our honeymoon. Oops, wrong web page.;-)  I'll try to keep the two sites straight in the weeks ahead.

 
I can't believe it's almost here. Thursday we set off to continue the most amazing chapter of our lives. Saturday, the sweet, kind, gorgeous, smart and fiercely independent woman soon-to-be-formerly-known-as Shanna Matheson will make me the happiest man alive by becoming my wife. We have two weeks full of amazing activities: snorkeling, hiking, chasing rainbows, and well, you know...."honeymoon activities" followed by more snorkeling. We'll try to come up for air once and a while and keep you posted on our amazing journey. Aloha and much love, Scott

Disclaimer and teaser

Although Scott is the professional, it looks like I’ll be doing most of the writing. That means I’ll accept full responsibility for the prepositional phrases at the end of sentences as well as the annoying over use of exclamation points!

Two weeks from today we set off on our Hawaiian wedding adventure! I’ll just apologize right now to my coworkers for my complete lack of focus. I have important things on my mind like what nail polish color goes best with sand between my toes.

Here’s a teaser pic of our wedding spot. No, I’m not telling you where it is because you’re not invited.

Welcome to our blog! In just a little more than two weeks we'll begin our Hawaiian adventure! Keep checking our blog for wedding pictures as well as stories of all of our fun activities.