From when we went to see Spamalot last summer. I'm testing out the new blogging software to see if it is faster than the other. 

We'll have to tell you about this...

Maybe we'll stay HERE next time...

You thought we were done!

So today we went "snorkeling" (without the snorkel gear). This is a beach that has a huge reef about 200 yards out, so the water is relatively calm and it is relatively shallow. There were times when I was at chest-high water and took a step into nothing! But it was very fun. We saw some fish even without the snorkel gear. John left some flesh there when he crashed into the rocks (the blood didn't attract any sharks, though). It's two hours later and he's still bleeding from it. Fun!!! I only had minor scrapes and bumps. No pictures of me in a swimsuit, either. I didn't want to scare anybody!

Paul and JoAnne just went into town for about an hour (more on that when we get home). When they return we're going to go see a Papaya plantation, go shopping (haven't found souveniers for Lofgrens yet), go to Bubba's Burgers (supposedly the best burgers on any of the islands), and then to the airport.

See you all soon!

No pictures this time

Today is Tuesday. We don't know what we'll be doing for the day, but at 6:00 we are headed to the airport to come home, so this will probably be our last posting for this trip. We've had a great time and seen a lot of really beautiful scenery. We have a lot more to tell when we return. We fly overnight and return to Omaha at about noon on Wednesday. I'm sure we'll be totally and completely exhausted.

Hope you are all well.

Riverboat Cruise - eh ...










but ... the boat (named Walter) took us up to this lovely site,

the waterfall in front of Hawaii's second most popular tourist destination (made popular by, who else, Elvis) ...






the Fern Grotto.









"De Plen, De Plen"

Yes, Fantasy Island (yet another waterfall in Hawaii).



We're tired, Good-night!

Saturday and Sunday in Kauai

Saturday night we wanted to go see the "Queen's Bath", a shoreline that sounded interesting. We called the front desk to get directions and were told, "We won't give you directions. It is too dangerous. You can go other places to see the ocean." So, of course, that made us want to go more. We found it on the map and, in our flip-flops (NOT a good idea) we HIKED down the mountain to the shoreline. It was very treacherous, dangerous, and beautiful. Due to the recent rains and mudslides, we slipped often. But it was worth it. We saw another waterfall, and then the rocky cove where the water violently hit the rocks -- sounded like thunder.


Sunday we had a busy traveling day. We first drove to the other side of the island to go to the "Grand Canyon" of Kauai. While we have had rain every day since we've been here, the other side of the island still looks very dry, even after mudslides. The soil here is quite red, and the canyon is amazing. It is hard to believe that just beyond the canyon you can see the ocean (some of the pictures may show that if you look hard enough). Here are some pictures of the canyon.
















We then went to the ocean to see the "Spouting Horn". It is where the waves are forced through holes in the rock and create sorts of geysers.









All over the island there are chickens and roosters. They say that they were brought here a long time ago by some Phillipinos. Anyway, they are all over the island and I think they are "protected".

So, we have gone around the island the past couple of days saying, "Look! A chicken!"




Finally, we went to a waterfall up another canyon. Lots of winding roads today, lots of Dramamine...JoAnne did a great job of driving, so I actually only took one.

Some pictures...

Here are some pictures of our day (Saturday)... You can click on each picture to see it larger.

Look for the waterfall in the middle...












Here we are with John's parents outside a small church.









Look! It's the Geico Gecko!








John and Linda on the beach...







One of the coolest caves I've ever seen. If you look closely, you will see John and his dad emerging from it (the two in the middle).












Linda in front of the lighthouse on the island of Kauai. (very cool!)











Another picture of the lighthouse.








I took this by holding the camera over the cliff where the lighthouse stands. The view reminded me of the Cliffs of Mohr in Ireland.







This is looking south from the path leading to the lighthouse. If you can see little white dots all over the hillside, they are birds of all sorts. This part of the island is a wildlife sanctuary and bird refuge. We saw flocks of albatross and other birds I've never seen before.






Also taken from the lighthouse site, this time looking the other direction (north).

The view...

Here is a picture of the view to the northwest...(I stole the picture from the internet...)



It's about 73 degrees here, and a nice breeze is blowing. If we look out the other side, we see a beautiful golf course and the ocean.

This is the island where they film Lost, and where they filmed many films like Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, 7 days and 7 nights, among others. It's absolutely beautiful -- mountains and ocean -- what more could you ask for? (Okay, besides being able to go somewhere else without having to take three flights to get there).

More later!

We're finally here...

Well, our flight from Las Vegas had a headwind the entire way. About 3 hours into the flight we hit turbulance, and it didn't stop until we landed in Honolulu (3-1/2 hours after that). I was happy to be on land again, especially since it was cloudy the entire time, so I couldn't see anything out the window.

We spent the night in Waikiki at the Ohana West hotel. This morning we got up at 5:15, had breakfast at Jack-in-the-Box, and then boarded a flight to Kauai (Princeville). We're in the condo now, deciding what to do first -- waterfall? snorkeling?

We'll post pictures after we take some!

We're sitting in Las Vegas

This is an interesting place to people-watch. Everything from families to hookers, and the constant noise of slot machines. (Nobody has won anything while we've been watching...)

It was VERY bumpy on the way in, and my stomach is MAD!! (Lauran, you would have hated it!) The plane is now going to board to Honolulu, so we're signing off now. We'll get into Honolulu at 6:25, then catch another flight on Aloha Airlines to Lahuie (on the island of Kauai). I hope those are smoother!

Hawaii, here we come!