Kauai 2013 - Day 16 & 17

Day 16 began with a do-over at Anini Beach and we were so glad we returned.

I think it was around 10:00 a.m. when we arrived, and I was surprised to see there weren't that many people here today.  We were hoping to set up our chairs under a tree which provides a good amount of shade and we lucked out.  There was just enough space for us.  The one thing our condo didn't have was an umbrella so we are thrilled when we find a spot at the beach with shade!

Mike & I wasted no time in getting in the water to snorkel.  I knew we wouldn't see many or any fish, but I was hoping to see some turtles.

Unfortunately, I continue to have problems with my snorkel gear.  First, my mask from home leaked and I couldn't use it.  So, we decided to get some gear from Pedal & Paddle.  Next, when we were at Tunnels the other day, on our second time out snorkeling, the strap snapped in half.  Stopped by P&P on the way home for a quick exchange. Finally, when at Anini, I put the new mask & snorkel on, I took about 5 breathes under water and the mouth piece filled up with water.  After a couple more attempts and looking closely at the snorkel, I could see a crack in the tube of the mouth piece.  Mike graciously gave me his snorkel to use and he went back to retrieve one of our old ones.

While I was out by myself, I came across a good size honu eating at the ocean bottom.  It amazed me how well they blend in with the sandy bottom of the ocean.  I watched him for a bit before I headed back to shore to check on Mike.  As I was cruising back in,  I almost swam right in to another turtle.  This guy was a bit smaller and was at the surface catching a breath of air.

I love the gentle sea turtles.  When we were on Maui, we stayed at Napili Point and enjoyed snorkeling in Honokeana Cove.  So many turtles!  If any of you have "liked" the facebook page of Napili Point Resort, you will see that their profile picture is a turtle.  That is a picture that I took.  My favorite shot!

Back to Kauai... Here are some pics of the turtles at Anini.  (In case anyone is wondering, my underwater camera is Fujifilm FinePix XP60. This is not an expensive camera.  Before this trip I used the previous model and was very happy with its reliability and pretty good pics when the conditions were right.  This trip I purchased a newer model.)

Mike happened to spot this guy resting on the bottom.

This was all the snorkeling we did on this day.  The rest of the time was floating on the water and relaxing on the beach.  Nathan REALLY liked this beach.  We brought a cheap floaty that was in our condo and he had the best time just floating around.   Nathan loves to swim and is on a swim team at home, but most of his pool time is work.  I think he enjoyed just playing and having fun on the water for a change.  It made me happy when he told me how much fun he was having just relaxing on the water!  This was his favorite spot so far.

Don't think this is how future Naval Officers train????

Who would have thought that one small yellow floaty would bring someone such joy?!  : )

The coveted shade spot!  We were all happy to share.

This fall, Michael is enrolled in the Navy ROTC program at OSU.  There is high expectations for the Midshipman 4/C to maintain a strong fitness level and Michael has high expectation for himself to be top in his class.  He uses any opportunity to squeeze in some workouts.

After several hour at the beach, we did our usual, go home, get cleaned up and go find somewhere to eat.  When we take vacations, I try to budget so we can eat out once a day.  The rest of the time we eat in the condo.

Tonight the dinner compromise was burgers once again at the Chevron Station.  I have had my fill of meat on this trip so out of desperation for some veggies, I ordered a garden salad w/ grilled chicken and hoped for the best!  Well, I was pleasantly surprised.  It wasn't the cheap iceberg lettuce, but dark greens with other assorted veggies and spicy grilled chicken on top.  The only thing I didn't like was the dressing. It was ranch. Yuck!  I know some people like it, but I don't care for it on my salad.

Also, on impulse I decided to order a pizza to go for lunch the next day.  I have read mixed reviews on the pizza here, but I have to say, it wasn't half bad.  It was the Paniolo Chicken with extra BBQ sauce.

Once we got home, Mike and I put on our tennis shoes and went out for a much needed walk.  We walked the lovely trails to the play ground in Princeville and back.  We stopped to take a few pictures along the way.

Came across some Rainbow Eucalyptus tress that lined the golf course.

On the homestretch of our walk, we decided to continue on down the Pali ke Kua trail to get a different perspective of the sunset.  The beauty of God's creation that surrounds us is astounding!  I am again reminded of how blessed I am.

For some reason our boys don't find it necessary to go watch the sunset every night so we have no one to take a picture of the two of us.  Tonight I found a rock ledge to place my camera, hit the timer, run over to Mike and hope I get the shot....... Not bad for our first attempt!

As we started back down the trail, I see this large hole in the ground.  Not sure what I might see, I cautiously looked inside. Whew, so glad it wasn't some wild boar ready to attack, but instead it was the cutest fuzzy little baby bird.  I took one quick picture and we quietly walked away.

We finished off the evening by playing one of our families favorite board games I had brought from home, Truth Be Told.

This game is always good for many belly laughs! (Usually at the parent's expense.) It's quite entertaining to see how your family perceives you and how they often know you better than yourself.  Warning: Not recommended for those easily offended. Must be play with a sense of humor!

Day 17 - Hanalei Bay

This was our first day to spend at Hanalei Bay.  We got to the pavilions around 10ish.  Our main concern was the lack of shade, but fortunately with the wind blowing it wasn't too unbearable sitting out if the full sun.

We no sooner  set up our chairs when the boys decided they were going to go jump off the pier. So, off we went.  They had a blast jumping off over and over.  We were able to get some great pictures of them in action.

Once they had their fill, we head back to our bright and sunny spot in the sand.  Knowing that there was a member in our party that would start to complain about the heat, Mike started to search for a patch of shade.  Found it and it was directly behind us.  At first I was concerned it was on someones property or on the border, but after looking further we determined it to be part of the beach.  Also, I felt better when both the lifeguards and the people at the house saw us and no one said anything to us.  It was the perfect spot.

Michael and I didn't sit for long. We left Mike and Nathan to their reading and relaxing in in the shade, and we took off for a swim and boogie boarding.  I'm not sure why, but I wasn't sure if I was going to like this beach, but ended up really loving it.  One of the things I liked about this beach was the sand. Soft as butter!  It didn't have sticks and little objects in the sand that you constantly have to be careful like at other beaches.  I loved how you could wade out in the water and enjoy the softness of the sand.  No rocks to speak of.  We spent about and hour out enjoying the water and the small waves.

Soon we decided to head back to the condo and get cleaned up so we could head into Kapaa for a little shopping.

On our way through Anahola, we stopped at Reggie's Wild Boar for dinner.  It was very good.  A tad salty for my taste, but still the meat and the vegetables were cook to perfection!  We also purchased the banana bread and chocolate-Kahlua cake for dessert when we got home.  I particularly LOVED the chocolate cake!

I spotted this beautiful Plumeria plant.  It only had a few blossoms on it, but they were vibrant with color!

We continued on to the hoppin' town of Kapaa.  We stopped in about every shop that was still open.  Most places close at 6 which was a bummer.  We did stop by the Ono Restaurant for the boys to get a shave ice.  Delicious as always.

We next stopped to get gas and since there is a car wash in Kapaa, we decided to clean the car too.  What better way to spend a Friday night!  We really know how to have a good time!  Seriously though, Alamo told us that there would be an extra charge if the car came back too dirty and since we have to car for 3 weeks, we didn't want to take any chances.

We missed the sunset over the ocean tonight, but on our return drive to Princeville, I managed to capture a few pictures anyway from the side of the road.

And....... tomorrow is another day.