Waimea Canyon

Rusty and I woke up early Wednesday and snuck out for a sunrise run.  Running along the coast is so relaxing!  We ran along some trails, over some cliffs and up along the golf course.  It was fun to be with Rust, but my legs still felt like jello from the half marathon. 

We all piled in the cars and headed toward Hanapepe to see the swinging bridge.  It was a fun little stop. 

We stopped in Waimea to get some shave ice at the famous Jo Jo’s but they weren’t open yet!  This disappointed the kids to no end. 

Next it was time to head up Waimea Canyon.  We stopped at a lookout to see the Waipo’o Falls.  I was totally blow away.  The different landscapes that exist on Kauai are just amazing.  So many diverse, beautiful things to see.

We are really glad we got this view of the canyon because the fog rolled in just after this and we didn’t really see anything else the rest of the day. The picture below is supposed to be the best lookout spot in the canyon.  We were all pretty disappointed. Except Blake.  He thought standing in the cloud was pretty darn cool.  We went back to the cars and ate lunch, hoping the fog would clear, but no such luck.  During lunch we were surrounded by about a billion chickens all vying for any crumb that came their way.  We made the mistake of feeding them a few bread crumbs and they didn’t leave us alone for the rest of the time we were eating. 

We decided to take a hike to the top of Waipo’o Falls.  There was another waterfall along the trail as well.  We all piled into Grandpa’s car so we could 4 wheel drive to the trailhead.  It was a bumpy, rockin good time.  

Hiking in the fog was pretty cool.  Everything was hazy and it felt like you were walking along the edge of the earth.  Josh doesn’t love hiking so we bribed him with the size of his shave ice.  Every time he was happy and had a good attitude his shave ice was upgraded.  When he whined or complained his shave ice was downgraded.  Worked like a charm.  I told him he could earn up to a large size.  He asked what it would take to earn an extra large.  I jokingly said, “That would require you singing and skipping while you hike.”  Guess what Josh did for about 1/2 mile on the way back?  Yep, singing and skipping :)  At the end of the hike he said, “ Hiking is so much more fun when you just hike and don’t whine like I usually do!”  Well said Josh, well said.

The first Falls were fun.  The kids got to cross on logs across the stream, climb up some big boulders and enjoy the view. 

The second falls were actually the very top of Waipo’o falls. In theory, standing at the edge of this trail should have afforded you a top down view of the waterfall and a gorgeous canyon outlook.  We saw a wall of fog.  Halle is so fun to vacation with.  She never complains or gets tired.  She just keeps going and going.  It’s so refreshing to have a kid who actually likes and appreciates the fun.
Blake and Rusty were playing foxes and when they would pass people on the trail, if those people were wearing certain colors, Blake would growl at them.  It was quite hilarious.
 

We saw this pretty cool spider on the hike.  We were watching him in his web and a fly got caught.  In about 10 seconds flat, that spider had that fly wrapped and eaten.  The kids were grossed out.  I thought it was fascinating.  While hiking though the fog Josh also said, “I am so excited to tell Mrs. Brown that I saw evaporation and condensation IN PERSON!”

FINALLY we made it back down the canyon and to Jo Jo’s Shave Ice.  Come to find out, it was a one size establishment, but the one size they served was SUPER SIZE.  This was our favorite shave ice of the trip.  The size and the yummy flavor combos made it the clear winner.  We all dubbed Halle’s the best.  She had a berry combo with Raspberry, boysenberry and strawberry. 

 
This day wasn’t over yet! After quick showers and dinner we headed to the Smith Family Tropical Paradise to watch the Night Show. Blake rode with my parents and Landon.  They were discussing Star Wars and Blake told Landon, “My Mom doesn’t let me watch Star Wars because she thinks it is too silent.” We all got a kick out of that.  The kids thought the show was pretty fun, as they’d never seen anything like it before.  I think all the adults could have lived without it.  Blake and Josh fell asleep on the way home and we carried them to their beds. 
Can’t find any of the luau pics right now.  I’ll try to add a couple later.