We woke up early this morning but felt well rested. As the roosters welcomed the sun, we had our first glimpse of the amazing view out our living room window of the majestic mountains. It was breathtaking and prompted us to get dressed and start our island adventure. We hit the road and headed up the northwestern side of the island to the Ha’ena Park, which is where the road just ends. The vegetation along the way was so lush and crowded the already narrow roads. We understood why Kauai is considered the garden island. The drive was beautiful along the coast, and we stopped at different scenic points for photo ops. Mom got a little nervous when the car brushed up against some of the tall grasses. Okay, the windy roads didn’t help much either. Since I was the driver and unable to take every photo I wanted to, she became the shotgun photographer. Along the way, we passed through many one lane roads or bridges. We were quite happy not to run into much traffic at all.

On our return trip we stopped in Hanalei for breakfast at a cute little place, Hanalei Wake Up Cafe. The food was delish, and more than we ever needed. Our next stop…Foodtown. Yes we went to the supermarket to pick up some goodies to have at the condo. 200.00 later we are set for the week. Exciting eh?

After unloading everything, we decided to head to the beach for some good old relaxation. Anini Beach was recommended and only a short drive away, so we changed (or I changed since mom didn’t have her suit). I forgot to mention we tracked down her luggage and it was not in Aruba. It never left Philly. Yes, when mom got off the parking shuttle she stole someone else’s bag and brought it with us to Hawaii. So this time it was NOT Usairways fault for a change. So that’s on its way here and Aaron’s bag is heading to Fort Myers to meet her.

Anini Beach was spectacular. There were numerous shade trees and it was much less crowded then some of the other local beaches. This beach boasts to be the longest and widest fringing reef in the Hawaiian Islands and because of the unique conditions it usually has we’l, protected waters and some of the most consistent conditions for water activities. We saw people snorkeling, swimming, walking, picnicking, and paddle boarding. From the beach we could see lighthouse in the distance. So we decided that was our next stop.

We drove to Kilauea Lighthouse situated on a wildlife reserve. Mom’s National Park pass got us in for free. It’s a small white lighthouse built in 1913. The view of the cliffs along the shore were amazing, but the heat in the sun was starting to get to us. So we headed back to the resort.
George, Carol, Pat and Vic arrived around 4:00, and have the room next to us. We had a lovely dinner at a bistro near the lighthouse. And now, we sleep.