Kauai | The Decompression of a Boomer

Posts Tagged ‘Kauai’

Aloha, Mahalo … Spring!

March 14, 2015

I should be done blogging about our January trip to Kauai, I know. Except, FYI, when I left off we were still in Kauai – at the airport bar in Lihue – sucking down Mai-Tai’s. You might be worried about us. (Huh?) You know, that we might drink too much, fall off our chairs, and miss our flight. (Could we be so lucky?) As you might recall, we were self-medicating in the Lihue Airport Bar so as to induce sleep on the pending 5-hour Red-eye flight to LA…

Alas, we’ve boarded the plane now.

You’re posting this ugly photo?

I’m still taking photos since I can’t sleep – sandwiched between Eric and David. David has drifted off to sleep. Eric is awake, and he and I start scrolling through the photos on my I-phone… We pause on the photo of Eric at the Kalypso Restaurant in Hanalei, you know … (I’ve already posted this photo once, but I can’t resist…)

Eric having an ecstacy experience

We’re laughing uproariously over the photo. And our laughter is cackling through the dark silence of the plane like a bolt of thunder in the night sky over sleeping campers. It’s the first moment I realize the plane has gone completely dark and silent, because everyone is trying to sleep. Sleep? I try every method possible to coax myself into sleep, counting my breaths, counting backwards from 100, counting sheep leaping over fluffy clouds … I do apparently drift off to sleep, as suddenly the pilot announces we are descending for a landing….

We land in LA at 5 AM. Although feeling pretty brain dead, Eric and I decide to try and find breakfast. David says he isn’t hungry. I don’t know where we ended up. We didn’t have much time and the pickins’ were slim, if that helps explain it. All I know is, we end up in this fast food court and I order what Eric orders. Ranchos Heuvros – or something. I don’t speak Spanish. I don’t typically eat Mexican food either. This is what we get:

How do you spell delicious in Spanish?

Black beans on one end of a black plastic sectioned plate, rice on the other. I like to mix them. Tortilla in the middle with fried eggs on top. Not sure what that is on top of the eggs. The egg white is tough as lizard skin, I discover, as I woefully attempt to cut it with my fork. I taste a bean. David moans in disgust watching us trying to eat. I dunno. Could any food look edible at 5:27 AM, jet-lagged and sleep-deprived?

Fast forward seven hours – we’ve landed in Salt Lake and are driving the last 140 miles home to Idaho Falls.

Eric’s fur lined leather bomber hat magically appears on his head. Was it in his coat pocket? I’ve changed from flip-flops into the frozen soles of my winter shoes that had sat in the truck our whole trip.

Good news awaits us, weather-wise, over the next six weeks. All we weather is a couple of bouts of hoarfrost

January 21, 2015

And a skiff or dusting or two of newly fallen snow.

The winter snow had melted off by mid-February, a full month before it normally does. David and I took this selfie in our front yard on February 15.

Does it look like spring to you?

We were going to send it to Victor’s I-phone as a joke. But then, that just seemed too cruel. Victor and Steph left Kauai at the end of January to spend the rest of their winter in …. Boston. Ouch. (Need I repeat how miserable their winter has been, likely the most miserable winter in Boston history…) I kindly have not kept Steph and Vic abreast of the goings-on for us here in southeast Idaho weather-wise. Suffice it to say, we had the warmest February on record, from records kept since 1850. That’s the warmest winter in at least 165 years, with an average daily temp of 47.1 degrees.

So, yeah, time to put a wrap on the Kauai blogs. Heck we’ve had crocus blooming here for several weeks. And we noticed yesterday, the robins have returned. Or maybe they never left this year.

But wait! I do have one more photo of Kauai – taken on our hike in Wiamea Canyon.

This one’s for the ladies:

This picture’s for you, Steph

Now you have a new ‘happy place’ to escape to. You know, like if you’re on a plane or something, trying to lure yourself to sleep… Or if you live in, say… Boston.

Tags:hoarfrost, Iniki Mai Tais, Kauai
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Flipflops, Diphthongs, and Darkness

March 7, 2015

Saturday, January 17 – still in Kauai! Yea! Well, tonight we catch the Red-eye from Lihue back to L.A. and then head onward to Idaho. Sigh. I can’t keep tonight from coming. I can, however, freeze time in my blogs. Thus, I’ve managed to extend our January trip to Paradise through February and well into March. (Why not just stay in Paradise till spring has officially sprung?)

On David, Eric’s and my last morning of our trip we all attempt to walk down to Waiakalua Beach. (Say it with me: “Wah-ee-ah-kah-loo-ah”). Now, pronounce it again – swaying your hips as if they’re cloaked in a grass hula skirt. Why do Hawaiian words and names contain so many vowels? (You might ask.) Well the reason is, there are only 14 letters in the Hawaiian Alphabet. Easy! Uh, except they use a lot of diphthongs. They use what? You know, diphthongs. Two vowels together – gliding vowel – a complex vowel sound in which the first vowel gradually moves toward a second vowel so that both vowels form one syllable. Whatever. Now say ‘Waiakalua’ pronouncing it correctly with the diphthongs. For that matter, pronounce ‘diphthong.’

Anyway, here is the view of Waiakalua (pronounce it one more time – will make a hula dancer out of you yet!) Beach from the trailhead:

Except, the trail is steep, windy, rooty, and slick. Anger us conditions! We turn around, head back up and just linger to savor the view. I capture a picture of Steph and Victor – well, a picture of Steph, and a picture of Victor:

Steph

Victor

Okay, so the end of our trip is nigh upon us. Only a few hours left! I must pack. And must capture more images of Kauai to bring home with us!

Thus:

Steph and Vic’s garden,

Another photo of their birdfeeder:

And another view of the golfcourse and mountains from their patio

Their patio ocean view:

Our last dinner, compliments of our personal chef, Victor:

Several delectable Chinese dishes prepared with only the freshest organic ingredients.

Savored with fine wine…

Uh…it’s over now. Time to hit the road for our 10 PM fight to L.A.

Darkness descends on our drive to the aiport in Lihue –

Ah- wait a minute! One last taste of Paradise!… in the airport bar. Mai-Tais all around. Eric goes green. I mean, parts with his green…

Eric buys the last round

Self-medicating ourselves to sleep through the 5 hour Red-eye to LA… that’s the plan, anyway.

Yeah, except that plan never works for me…

Is it spring yet?

Tags:Hawaiian alphabet, Kauai, Princeville golfcourse, Waiakalua Beach
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Queen’s Bath, Lumaha’i Beach

February 21, 2015

Paradise

“Come on! You left Kauai a month ago!” I know, I know. Actually a month and three days ago. But I just can’t resist sharing these last few photos and videos of our trip – sites along the north shore of Kauai, near Princeville. The picture above is a closer view of the photo below, the stream flowing along the path down to the Queen’s Bath –

Definitely Paradise

Through a banyan tree forest

The path toward the bottom is very steep – the quintessential Kauai ‘anger us conditions’ kind of path after a rain. Luckily we’d had several dry days in a row, so we ventured down.

Okay, so we should probably take the signs seriously. Waves are unequivocally breaking on the ledge.

The surf was high, so we stayed on the rocks one tier above the ledge and were only able to overlook the spot where the Queens (Stephanie and I, myself – Josephine) could bathe. Oh well. We really didn’t want to get crushed on the rocks or washed out to sea during our beauty baths. Better to enjoy the waves from a safe distance. I shot this video.

Nice touch with the rainbows. The Queens (Steph and Jody) are duly scintillated and enraptured.

Climbing back up now

Watch your step!

From here we head for a stroll on Lumaha’i Beach. Steph likes to get her feet wet.

Lumaha’i Beach

Uh, not that wet!

I captured a video

Surf’s up!

There. An injection of Paradise. Isn’t that just what the doctor ordered to spiff up your February day?

Especially if you’re in Boston. Or anywhere east of the Rockies for that matter… Whewsh! Uh, I’ve no comment there. Other than that’s the winter I’m glad I didn’t come back to.

Tags:Kauai, Lumaha'i Beach, Queens Bath
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Waimea Canyon

February 12, 2015

So of course, weather permitting, you can’t visit Kauai without checking out Waimea Canyon. Princeville is on the north center shore of Kauai and as the crow flies, is probably only 20 miles from Wiamea Canyon. Except, to get there by car you have to circle about 3/4 the way around the island to the town of Wiamea and then drive north about 10 miles. The drive takes about 2 1/2 hours. Here is a link to pictures of the island so you can locate Princeville and Wiamea Canyon.

We eat a hearty breakfast and hit the road from Princeville about 9am. Two hours later we are traveling north on Wiamea Canyon Drive – soon the canyon comes into view! And Wai ‘alae Falls:

We pull into the parking area at the Canyon trailhead. First order of things: pit stop! I head into the ladies room – this sign is posted over the toilet:

Huh. Tourists! Are we that stupid? Anyone educated enough to read the sign needs that much instruction in what not to flush down the toilet? What would etc. include? Tinkertoys?

We’re at the trailhead now – trying to figure out the sign.

Okay, so the trail one way is 1.8 miles. You reach the trail intersection in .5 miles. Except any trail you add on to .5 miles doesn’t add up to 1.8. (???)
Steph, Eric, David, and Victor, all whizzes at math, are involved in this discussion.

Oh well. Let’s just go! Uh, warning ahead:

With a visual provided in case you can’t read English. “The ground may break off without warning and you could be seriously injured or killed, or really spoil your picnic.”

And more warnings:

No diving or jumping? Into Wiamea canyon?

We have hiked the first .5 miles now. Tourists have added valuable information to the sign. Turn left to get to the Falls:

Turn right to jump.

We checked out the Cliff View Point.

Pretty magnificent!

Back on the Canyon trail we meet this sign:

Well the Black pipe trail might be all right, but we really want to see the Falls. (Who put up these signs? Is this some kind of joke on tourists?)

Hiking along the canyon now.

I guess if you seriously intend to jump, this would be the place.

David took a video right here. Check it out:

You can see there’s a bit of a drop-off from where we are standing.

We’re at the Falls now. The Waipo’o Falls:

We all pose for pictures:

Steph and Vic

David and Jody

Eric

Hiking back now

Palm trees will grow anywhere

The lone palm tree

Time for a beer break. I took a picture of the great tasting organic beer we were drinking – you know, to see if we can find it back in Idaho:

Beer still-life with limbs

Anyway, good thing we took a break, because we had a steep climb ahead of us.

Elbow close-up

We’re back out now. None of the tourists that enjoyed the hike during the same time we did jumped, dove, or broke off the edge of the trail into the canyon.

We stopped for lunch at the only place in this area you can buy lunch: The Koke’e Lodge. Here is a photo of the Lodge from my archives, that I posted in a previous blog:

Near the entrance we were met by the Rooster Brigade:

No matter. We made it in safely, ordered chili with rice and cornbread all around. Although the food here isn’t all that great, I’m starving. You know, on account of back there at that pit stop at the beginning of the Canyon hike, I flushed yesterday’s boxed leftovers down the toilet. Hehe.

Tags:Kauai, Wiamea Canyon hike
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Jungle Hike!

February 8, 2015

One very warm and sunny morning David, Eric and I decided to check out the Jungle Hike in the the center of Kauai where you have great views of Mount Wai’ale’ale and surrounding mountains. We drove south from Princeville down the east side of the island through Kapa’a. Soon we were driving alongside Sleeping Giant:

Somewhere after Sleeping Giant we took a right turn (I’m such a great tour guide). Eric had gotten us all excited about finding the ‘Gate’ that was in the movie Jurassic Park. To get there you drive on Kuamo’o Road past Opaeka’a Falls then over this spillway (where literally, the river runs right over the road.) And then another spillway … The problem is, it’s a rutty dirt road, full of pot holes.

I was being tossed around like a rag doll in the back seat and not taking photos. But no worry. I just happened to find this you-tube movie that actually takes you over the whole route in a Jeep, over the spillways, through puddles, ruts and potholes (at a very fast speed), through the Gate (!) to the end of the road – with relaxing Hawaiian music playing all the while.

I invite you to click on the link and go for the drive, at least to the 2:15 – minute place (where I took the next photo). Also, for full effect, while you are watching the movie, toss your torso rigorously to the right and then to the left in sycopated beat to the music (the road has deteriorated a bit in the years since this video was taken).

Did you go for the ride? – through the Gate? At the 2:15 point the Jeep slowed almost to a stop and then barrelled around a large puddle. Well, I took a picture at that spot. Because we had stopped – at a pond. I figured there was no way we’d get through it. “Turn around!” I pleaded with Eric and David. They pondered it for a minute. We were not in a 4-wheel drive vehicle, but a rear-wheel drive SUV.

Then David jumped out and waded in to see how deep it was.

He set the mud line on his legs up to the SUV to see how high it went: Just beneath the passenger door. We can do it! We all hopped back in, he gunned it and we made it through. Whew!

We parked just below the Gate. There it is ahead!

Jurassic Park Gate

Okay, so only the poles are still standing. But at least the gate is open!

Entering Jurassic Park

Click on his link for a nice map of the whole route you see in the video leading to the Gate and the Jungle Hike beyond. (Eric, you will love this map!)

Wai ale’ ale’ Map

The Jungle Hike trailhead is a short distance beyond the gate. We are just starting the hike … “Hey, David and Eric! Turn around and pose for a photo!”

So well-trained to pose on command. (No they aren’t)

Now some photos from the hike:

The path is a bit tangled in places

We’re driving back out now. On the route we meet a spirit guide

An egret. We met it on the road going in and then coming back, exactly the same way – poised right square in the middle of the road. We would slow way down and practically run him over, when he’d fly off – just to land in the middle of the road ahead of us again.

We made it back just fine. Although I wouldn’t want to be in the rental car business in Kauai.

Tags:Jurassic Park Gate, Kauai, Wai' ale'ale
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Annini Beach, Princeville (Kauai-3)

February 1, 2015

We spent a lot of time in and around Princeville where Steph and Vic own their home. Every morning David, Eric and I walked down to Annini beach, you know, to whip our bodies into shape. The path down to the beach is right next to the Westin Resort, just a short cut across the golf course from Steph and Vic’s house. Here is the entrance to the path:

David starts down

It’s hard to capture how steep this walk is – but it’s basically like climbing five stories in about 400 paces. It’s extremely treacherous after a rain. Slip and land on your butt just once to experience in full measure the ‘anger us conditions.’

We’re down now, at the beach.

There’s a huge sand bar so the waves crash very far out. The first time we came here we waded in and caught some sea cucumbers, which, basically look and act like … cucumbers.

I always trailed behind making it back up. I snapped photos of Eric and David ascending the path above me.

Eric is half way up

climbing the other half – back to the top

Whew! Check that one off!

You can hardly navigate Princeville without circling this fountain in the roundabout.

And spotting Layson albatross either circling overhead, doing their courting dance, or nesting. They tend to return to the same place to nest every year. There are two albatross pairs nesting on Stephanie and Victor’s street. One pair is nesting right in a neighbor’s front garden.

Albatross bond with a mate for life. Their courtship entails especially elaborate dances that have up to 25 ritualized movements.

They can’t breed until they are five years old. Both birds incubate the egg – the male does so first. There is a 65-day incubation period and the chick takes about 160 days to fledge. To mate and raise a chick requires a big commitment! Maybe that’s why you see a lot of single Albatross hanging around.

Looking studly and regal.

Albatross live a long time. The oldest known live bird, a female named Wisdom, is at least 63 years old. She recently hatched a healthy chick, believed to be her 36th (to summarize some of the information in the linked article above).

We always try to earn our keep at Steph and Vic’s house to the best of our ability, you know, stay in their good graces so they might invite us back! Although by our second day here, Eric was already getting us in trouble.

“What’s the deal with those chairs you sent, Eric?”

Eric had sent Victor and Steph two antique dining chairs from his store back in Idaho and promised Victor they would arrive the same day (or before) we did – He had shipped them in a single box. Well, they didn’t arrive; not yesterday and … not today either. “You have spider duty, Eric, if they don’t arrive soon.” Victor tells him.

Oh wait! A package has arrived!

“Is this the chairs, Eric? You just add water to expand them to normal size?”

Two more packages arrive. No chairs.

Victor is also unhappy about a certain detail concerning the antique round oak table Eric had sent two years back. It pulled apart to add leaves but one edge of the seam down the middle stuck up about 1/16th of an inch – it was annoying, and Eric had worked on it last year and declared it fixed.

“The edge is still sticking up Eric.”

Eric fiddled with it. Unscrewing screws underneath, screwing them back in. Adjusting this and that. Finally David, being a physicist, volunteered his expertise.

two hunky dudes

Voila! Table fixed.

The chairs did finally arrive. They worked out great.

Eric got out of spider duty. But he had to install the new birdfeeder. Fill it with organic birdfeed.

Then work on it again to straighten it.

The birds caught on really fast – “Hey, new hot spot open for lunch!”

Happy birds

Happy birds make happy Steph and Victor. Happy Steph and Victor makes happy world. Jody, David and Eric’s world: Incredibly happy.

I sneak in to capture a picture of the masses of happy birds, including those gathered on the ground around the feeder.

Oops. No worry. Within 60 seconds they’re all back and everything is happy again.

So ends another day in Paradise.

Life is good.

Tags:Annini Beach, Kauai, Layson albatross, Princeville
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Okolehao Trail (Kauai-Part 2)

January 29, 2015

“De Plane, De Plane!”

As Mr. Roarke from Fantasy Island would say in his suave Mexican accent, “I believe that is the mountain plateau the plane flies alongside to land in Fantasy Island.”

“Smiles everyone. Smiles!”

You call that a smile Eric?

Okay so we’re gasping. It’s our first hike – on the morning of our first full day in Kauai – and we’re ascending the Okolehao trail. (Why hadn’t I whipped myself into better physical shape for this trip?)

Stephanie settles against a banyan tree

We got there though. Here we are on a high plateau.

My brain has implanted itself on my t-shirt.

Another view:

You are looking at Hanalei Bay on the north shore of Kauai. To get to the trailhead from Princeville you make an immediate left after crossing the Hanalei bridge. Then you drive about a mile and it’s right there. You know, in case you’re in the area of Princeville. Here is a nice link with more photos and information about the Okolehao trail.

David is leading the way down now

The rest of us are attempting to follow

On the way back we meet a fiddlehead.

A furled frond of a young fawn, I mean fern.

We also come upon a very shy plant – a miniature dark seafoam green cousin of the fern maybe?

Nestled amongst the grasses. It likes to disguise itself as other ferns and vice versa. We don’t really understand this plant; it becomes very closed up and withdrawn when you touch it. Here – in this video you see David touching the leaves:

Does the plant suffer from some sort of reactive detachment anxiety? Is it a carnivore? Maybe a form of Venus fly trap too gentle to capture anything? I Googled “plant in Kauai that folds up when you touch it” and it came right up. It’s called mimosa pudica. Scientists think the plant uses its ability to shrink as a defense from herbivores. Animals may be afraid of a fast moving plant and would rather eat a less active one. (For sure.) Another possible explanation is that the sudden movement dislodges harmful insects (and most certainly scares the crap out of them).

In Kauai the plant is known as the hila-hila plant. Other common names include tickle-me-plant, humble plant, touch-me-not, shameful plant, sensitive plant, ant plant… It is native to South America and Central America but has been introduced to many other regions and is regarded as an invasive species in Tanzania, South Asia and South East Asia and many Pacific Islands. In the USA, it grows in Florida, Hawaii, Virginia, Maryland, Puerto Rico, Texas, and the Virgin Islands.

In other words, you’re probably already familiar with it.

Mimosa pudica protects itself from humans eating it too. I’m not inclined to eat a fast moving salad. I’d rather eat a less active one. Especially after drinking one of Victor’s killer Margaritas.

Tags:fiddlehead, Kauai, mimosa pudica, Okolehao trail
Posted in Kauai, travel | 2 Comments »

We’re Baaaack!

January 25, 2015

What the heck is this, Jody? You fancy yourself some high falutin’ crappy aerial photographer now?

Why yes!, I mean no. I just thought you’d like to come along with us (David, me and my brother Eric) on another trip to Paradise. Pinch yourself! You are now flying over south San Francisco. Why that must be the Golden Gate Bridge ahead!

Okay so it isn’t the Golden Gate bridge. It’s just some other crappy bridge. Well, snap on your neck pillows, don your eye patches, shove in your ear plugs (or not – but they sure help insulate you from the high-pitched engine noise) – settle yourself in for the five-hour flight to Lihue, Kauai!

Thursday, January 8, 2015, 1PM- we have just landed in Lihue, and are headed up to Princeville – on the northern shore of the Garden Isle – for our 10-day visit with Steph and Victor.

ALOHA, KAUAI!

Not again, you say? NO!! PEOPLE ARE SICK of hearing about our wonderful stupid trips to Paradise. Plus, once I get started I just blog on endlessly. I know. I was telling myself this. I AM NOT BLOGGING. Until … we were back on Larsen’s Beach, had prodded Eric and David past the nude bathers, and came upon a Monk seal napping on the shore

Then Eric cozied up to a new scaly, thick skinned companion.

who could likely whip around and bite his head off (don’t piss her off, Eric). Was she laying eggs or something? Why else would the sea turtle be resting up on the sand?

The beach was beautiful

not a cloud in the sky that day.

We walked to the end of Pakala point – and picnicked by the arch

Coming back we saw Nene Geese – the Kauai state bird:

An endangered species. We spotted many more Nene geese in the wilds this year than last, very encouraging.

We climbed over that hill and came across an Albatross Nesting area – I caught this photo of a nesting albatross

Pretty soon Victor’s shoe started acting up.

The talking shoe

Like, really complaining.

Eric and David were on it.

Manly men

We stumbled right into a pile of fishing rigging that had washed ashore.

Eric started operating

We all stepped in to help

Still life with feet

Fine result!

Victor’s new look:

Highly paid consultant

Of course the shoe was complaining again before we made it back.

For those with an artist’s bent, here is a still life for you, you know, maybe you can paint it:

Beer with sweaty balls

Eric says the rigging is likely Japanese, although I can’t say that that mangled up pile looks particularly Japanese – I guess you’ll have to ask Eric.

Well, to conclude, that evening we’re on the patio at St. Regis.

Eric and Victor

Watching the sunset.

I dunno. Should I continue with these blogs?

“How many more amateur I-phone photos do you have of this 10-day trip, Jody?”

Boy I’m glad you asked!

Tags:Kauai, Larsen Beach, Nene Geese
Posted in Kauai, travel | 1 Comment »

‘Aloha’ Idaho’a

March 8, 2014

“Aloha …WHAT?” – “Are you kidding? I thought you were done with these endless Kauai blogs!”

Well, actually, not. As you might recall, I left off with Steph searching for her sandals as we were leaving Larsen Beach.

Which, that’s a problem with a nude beach. You wear clothes getting there, shed them on the beach – and preferably not in a trail, because you have to gather them all up again when you leave the beach. (And hopefully, you also put them back on to avoid getting arrested.)

In any case, another 24 hours passed between the time we left Larsen Beach to when we pulled into our driveway in Idaho Falls. (Does this frighten you?) My main focus on our last leg of this trip was to ’embrace the journey’ if you will. How to carry the ‘Aloha’ home to Idaho?

‘Aloha’ is the most Hawaiian word. It can mean ‘Hello’ or ‘Goodbye’. It also means ‘love’ and ‘affection’. The literal meaning of ‘Aloha’ is the ‘presence of breath.’

‘Aloha’ is sending and receiving positive energy, living in harmony –

for example, the harmony you see in nature.

‘Aloha’ was the working philosophy of Native Hawaiians and was presented as a gift to the people of Hawaii.

“Aloha means to hear what is not said, see what cannot be seen, and to know the unknowable.” Easy-peasy.

Well, all I know now is, the sun is setting on Kauai…

“Steph – take one last photo of us!”

Awwwwww. Too late for photos now. It’s time to head to the airport anyway…

Aloha Kauai! For real this time.

Fourteen hours later we are nearing the descent into Salt Lake City where David’s truck is parked.

The landscape seems surreal.

We land safely and have just climbed into David’s truck – Now we have to make the 3-hour drive home to Idaho Falls.

Eric’s riding shot-gun.

Out of no-where that fur-lined, Mad Bomber hat or whatever that thing is called, appears on his head. He travels prepared.

“BRRRRRR!!!” Is all I care to contribute to the conversation from the back seat, wincing from the sting of the frozen lining of my down jacket against my arms …

The whole Salt Lake Valley is blanketed in a thick smog. I had taken a few photos of the smog, but inadvertently deleted them, maybe a Freudian thing, especially in the spirit of carrying the ‘Aloha’ home to Idaho. The smog around Salt Lake and further north into Ogden was thick, ugly and toxic. A stark contrast to Paradise.

We were glad to drive out of the smog into Idaho.

We’re starving now, and I think it’s Malad where we decide to pull off the freeway into Burger King for a quick gut-bomb to hold us over. I capture a photo of this sign as we exit the parking lot:

Yep, we’re in Idaho, all right. Not your most ‘progressive’ state.

There sure is a dearth of snow for this time of year.

We’re not complaining. It’s just an observation. Not going to let fear or worry worm their way into our minds about potential drought or anything, either. In the spirit of ‘Aloha’ – we’re all about sending and receiving positive energy.

Within 40 miles of home we notice an abundance of frost.

‘Whore-frost.’ David explains. At least that’s what I heard from where I was in the back seat.

“WHORE-Frost? Are you serious?” (in the spirit of Aloha, you know, being conscious of the ‘presence of breath’ and all, I’m seeing the presence of whore’s breath all over the trees.)

“Yes. Whore-frost. You know, (now he spells it) “H-O-A-R-frost”

“You mean there are two spellings in the English Language of the word, “whore?” (That’s the English language for you. Unnecessarily complicated and redundant.) Looking at the landscape “whore-frost” makes complete sense to me. Why is it necessary to invent a different word for this frost, a word that sounds just like ‘whore’ but is spelled differently? Wow! Bravo!! – Look at me using the spirit of Aloha within me – hearing what is not said, seeing what cannot be seen, and knowing the unknowable. (that it’s really whorefrost.)

But, okay, in the spirit of Aloha, and maybe, too, in the spirit of American patriotism

I’ll go with ‘hoarfrost.’ (We are blowing past Blackfoot now)

I capture a video next, I guess because I knew all those trees sailing toward us at 82 mph were not going to fit in a photo:

The hoarfrost leads us all the way into Idaho Falls.

It was nice to be home. Eric is so prepared he had even left his boxed wine in David’s truck so it was chilled and ready to imbibe as soon as he got home with it.

The next week turned colder than a witch’s tit. And we were pounded by snow. We must have shoveled at least six times.

Good thing we were in such good physical shape with all those hikes we took in Kauai.

How to keep the spirit of Aloha alive? Well, I’ve just been telling myself that this:

is just the Idaho version of this:

I’m incorporating that positive energy thing, and … how does that go again? “Hearing what is not said, seeing what cannot be seen and knowing the unknowable.” Yeah. Something akin to that.

Is it spring yet?

Tags:hoarfrost, Idaho, Kauai, The meaning of 'Aloha'
Posted in Idaho, Kauai, travel | 1 Comment »

‘Aloha’ Kauai!

March 2, 2014

Saturday, January 25, 2014 – our last day in Paradise. This evening we will catch the Red-eye from Lihue – land in L.A. tomorrow morning and then travel back home to Idaho.

We’ve washed up our tennies and have to be light-weights today – no vigorous muddy hikes!

David, Eric, and I start the morning in Princeville with one last hike down to Anini beach –

Trying to stave off melancholy….

We huff our way back up again

and take one last stroll along the Princeville golf course.

Oh, how we’ll miss Kauai!

The beaches…

The exploding surf

The birds of paradise – the Albatross and Nene geese…

the ‘bird of paradise’ and last, but not least (in numbers, anyway), the mighty foul, uh, fowl.

We’ll miss all those goofy, nearly indecipherable warning signs to tourists:

(Yes, we’re very afraid.) Snow boards?

We’ll miss the police station on the road to Hanalei

with that sign out front. It imparts such a feeling of … comfort?

We’ll miss the NO-GMO movement gaining momentum in Kauai –

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These GMO FREE signs pop up everywhere. No Genetically Modified Organisms! Have you heard of ‘Roundup ready’ crops? GMO corn, soy, sugar beets, cotton, alfalfa, and canola are designed to withstand huge applications of roundup. The same company (Monsanto) that makes the seeds also sells the herbicide (surprise, surprise). Except the weeds have adapted into super weeds which, in turn, has caused a steady increase in the use of roundup on the crops. There was a huge “March Against Monsanto” in Kauai on March 9th of this year – (check it out here). Because of the experiments taking place with pesticides and genetically engineered seeds on the west side of the island, Kauai is considered ‘ground zero’ internationally in the fight to stop these bio tech companies.

Here is a link to a you-tube video posted by a member of GMO Free Idaho(!!) entitled “Is Glyphosate Killing our Gut Flora?” You might want to watch it, especially if you or someone you care about suffers from a digestive illness or disorder. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is not harmless to humans, contrary to what Monsanto would have you believe.

While we’re on the subject, here’s another link to an article just published, “5 Reasons Monsanto’s Science Doesn’t Add Up” including the toxic effects of glyphosate, specifically in relation to kidney disease and failure.

I’m on a roll here!

Anyway, oh my goodness, we’ll miss the tropical hikes

Albeit, some of them kicked our butts. Bug-wise, we really only worried about close encounters with Kauai’s ferocious-looking garden spiders.

We’ll miss Eric ‘pouring on the charm’ – you know, like, when we’re out to dinner:

Okay Eric, so what’s on the agenda for this afternoon, our grand finale adventure on our last day in Kauai? How about a beach walk or something where we don’t injure ourselves or get our feet all muddy?

“Larsen’s Beach.”

“Huh?” My ears were expecting something a little more, you know, ‘Hawaiian’ sounding, like, Pu’u Poa Beach, or Po’ipu, Waipouli, Kaweonui, Kaluapuhi, Waiakalua, Kekaha, Nawiliwili … this being Kauai and all.

“You’re kidding. Larsen’s Beach?”

“Yep. At Larsen’s Beach there’s a nice walking trail that runs parallel to the beach.”

It’s early afternoon by now. We all pile into the car: David, Eric, Steph, Vic, and I. David is driving, Eric is navigating. After several wrong turns, Victor and I are scoping out the route to Larsen Beach on our i-Phones. Mostly out of a process of elimination we hang a left on this dirt road (this has to be it!) and drive till it ends – at this sign:

Yeah, we know, we know. Deadly unseen currents, the whole nine yards. We’ve found Larsen’s Beach.

It extends along the shoreline below.

We spot the trailhead and hike the trail through the grassy area to the end of the beach.

Wow! There’s even a picnic table. We pile around…

Surely Eric has beer in his back pack. We’ll know to bring a picnic next time. Hey, too bad we didn’t wear our bathing suits – we could’ve waded in the ocean one last time.

You know, like that guy.

Huh? … Hey, wait a minute, he’s naked!

I zoom my camera in a little, you know, to make sure my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me…

Well, he’s not completely naked. Did you notice his cap? See any tan lines? His vitamin D level must be sky-high. Yeah, like I’m going to go up and ask him…

“Eric, you rascal, you led us to a nude beach!”

“Yeah, and have you noticed that young nude couple over there near those bushes?”

“No, Eric, not particularly. Not until you pointed them out…”

Walking back out, Steph couldn’t remember where she had shed her sandals. That’s the extent of the clothing that came off of us.

Well, all I can say is, while vacationing in Kauai, you can learn a lot. And you will likely check some things off your bucket list.

You might even check some things off that weren’t on your bucket list.

Especially with Eric along.

Tags:Albatross, Annini Beach, Glyphosate, GMO Free Idaho, GMO Free Kauai, Kauai, Larsen Beach, March 2014 Kauai March against Monsanto, Nene Goose, Princeville
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