Kauai 2019 - Background and Travel Day

It's official - I'm crazy about Kauai and I'm usually daydreaming about our past (and future) trips at any given moment. We spent the 4th of July there in 2016 and 2018, so when we were talking about where we would go for the holiday in 2019, my kids looked at me like, "duh, Mom - Kauai!" It didn't take much to convince me...

We have always stayed North or South on previous trips, but I started thinking about how many cute restaurants and shops are in Kapa'a. I also knew that to pull off an annual trip I would need to find inexpensive lodging, which Kapa'a has in spades. I am a condo snob, though, so if it doesn't have an updated bathroom and granite countertops, count me out. That's why I was thrilled to find this unit at Kailani, a small complex right across the street from the Safeway.  The whole building was recently renovated and the condo just looked darling, with tons of great reviews.

The owners were great to communicate with and I felt very confident that we would enjoy our stay there. I had read bad reviews of the complex on TripAdvisor, but those were from people who booked through a third party site and didn't do any research on the location or read the fine print on their rental contracts regarding cleaning fees, etc. I knew there was no beach right in front of the complex, but since we were planning to drive to our favorite beaches anyway, it was not a big deal. It's also a pretty small space (there's no dining area besides the bar and the outside table) but again, it wasn't a deal breaker for us.

We like to wrap up our trip with a stay at the Grand Hyatt in Kauai that we book with World of Hyatt points. After a trip earlier this year where I got Club-level access at a Hyatt Regency, I thought we would splurge on the same at GHK. Having easy access to snacks and light meals throughout the day is appealing when you have kids who alternately eat like sparrows or feast like lions.

Next, airline tickets. I had just gotten the United Business Ink card with an 80,000 point bonus so set to work meeting the minimum spend. I missed the statement close date, however, and ended up having to wait an extra month to get all the points. That was nerve-wracking, as I watched saver availability on the direct DEN-LIH and DEN-HNL-LIH flights disappear. Finally, points in hand in mid April, I booked DEN-SFO-LIH and LIH-KOA-DEN return. Not ideal, but better than not going at all!

Of course, a couple weeks after I booked our tickets, I checked again and there was now saver availability for the DEN-LIH flight, but I didn't feel like paying $300 to redeposit our points and rebook. Sam has the United Club card so we get to enjoy free snacks and a quiet place to wait so I don't mind connecting on the West coast. Unfortunately Kona doesn't have a club (or even very many food options) so that was less than ideal - but it's never fun to have to leave Hawaii, no matter what amenities the airport has!

I had actually booked a rental car through Costco Travel back in January in the off chance that a trip would come together, so I just needed to keep checking back every few weeks to see if the price dropped. Ultimately I got our mid-size SUV down from over $400 to just under $300.

Normally we don't plan a lot of paid activities, mainly due to the extra cost but also because our kids have been too young to do most of the really exciting ones. Last year, however, we sprung for the Captain Andy's Sunset Dinner Cruise on the Northern Star and it was so much fun.

Now that Jack is 8, both kids are old enough to do more adventurous activities, so I started looking at Chase Ultimate Rewards to see what I could pay for with Chase points. When I found the Princeville Ranch Adventures Horseback Waterfall Tour I knew that was just the way to see a part of the island we haven't yet explored. I booked it with 47,000 points, saving almost $600.

Then I had nothing to do but keep reading trip reports on the TripAdvisor Kauai forum to get ideas for restaurants and shops to add to our tentative itinerary.

Finally, July 2 rolled around and it was time to hit the road. Our flights were unremarkable, other than the freezing cold temperature on our SFO-LIH flight. We landed at LIH at 8 pm and I went to get the rental car from Alamo with Jack while Ryan and Sam claimed our bags. I had checked in online with the understanding that I would just pick up the car and go - but in reality there was more paperwork involved and it took longer than expected.

We swung back around the airport to get the rest of the family and then headed to Kapa'a. We were hungry but also tired so our first meal in paradise took place in the McDonald's drive-thru. We found the condo (there is a very small sign for the complex so you have to be on the lookout), unloaded our luggage and headed to bed, ready to be up early to explore.

Up a River with Three Paddles

As expected, I was awake before the sun rose. I sat out on the lanai for a while, listening to the island wake up. I was eventually joined by the boys, who agreed to walk across the street and help me pick up groceries for the week.

We shopped for the basics of snacks and breakfast items, while the boys were excited to check out the inventory of fireworks. It's illegal to buy and light off fireworks in Denver, so the boys were overwhelmed with the choices at hand (even though those choices paled in comparison to the enormous Roman candles and other high flying fireworks I grew up with in the Midwest).

By the time we got back to the condo Sam was awake and ready to enjoy coffee on the lanai while easing into the day. I had sketched out a loose plan for the week, plotting new restaurants to try while we visited different areas of the island. Today's adventure was to kayak up the Wailua River and hike to Secret Falls after eating breakfast at Haole Girl Island Sweets bakery.

We packed up picnic items, sunscreen and the waterproof camera and drove south to Coconut Marketplace. The bakery is a little shop in the middle of the shopping center, but you can smell the sugar and butter before you see it!

We picked out ham and cheese croissants, mango almond croissants, vintage Hawaiian chocolate croissants and a macadamia nut sticky bun. Everything was so delicious, particularly the mango almond croissant - though the kids thought the chocolate was too bittersweet.

When we were finished we brushed the crumbs off our faces (and clothes, and table...) and continued on our journey.

On our first trip to the island Sam and I kayaked up the Wailua River from the river mouth. We were young(er) and more energetic but still it was a long journey - particularly when the upstream wind kicked up on our return downriver. But hiking to Secret Falls was a lot of fun and since the kids have been spending time in kayaks and rafts lately, I thought it would be a fun adventure for us all. 

I researched a number of rental companies and decided that it would be easier if we started from Kamokila Hawaiian Village, a recreated early Hawaiian Village (duh) that also rented kayaks and canoes and is located halfway up the river. It would also give us a chance to see an attraction we had never visited before. 

We did a quick drive by of Opaeka'a Falls on the way there - yep, they're still falling. The drive down to Kamokila is quite narrow and steep, so I can see why it's not on a lot of Must Visit lists. We made it down without too much drama and parked in the shade. 

Ryan immediately made friends with the giant resident cat and Sam and I set about filling out waivers and slathering on sunscreen. 

We didn't spend much time in the village other than to find the bathrooms but it looked interesting. Not so interesting that you would want to dedicate an entire day to it, but perhaps we should have taken a half hour to stroll through the other buildings. The staff didn't even push us to tour it other than pointing out the bathrooms - I think most of their business comes through renting watercraft. 

After watching the safety video we made it down to the dock and picked out life jackets from the rather meager (and stinky) selection, then moved to the boats. The river level was low so they were only able to string the boats on one side of the lagoon, so we couldn't get two kayaks (the other kayak was three or four boats back and somehow that was inaccessible?). 

The kids decided they both wanted to ride with Dad so I got a double kayak all to myself. I knew the village was closer to the trailhead to the hike but I didn't realize just how close - not 10 minutes after we launched, we turned into the kayak landing area. (Of course, that was still plenty of time for the kids to get on each other's - and Sam's - nerves). 

We pulled our boats up alongside the 50 or so already beached and wandered around looking for the trailhead. We walked up river until the beach disappeared and we had to bushwhack into the tall grasses to find the trail. (Hint: the trailhead is back where we first landed, not farther up the beach...)

We made it to the line strung across to help with the river crossing. The water looked mild and slow-moving but once we got in the current was deceptively fast and strong so I was grateful for the line. 

Kamokila gave us a dry bag for our stuff but it was not a backpack so Sam toted our gear all the way to the falls and back

The hike was much like I remembered it from 15 years ago - muddy in spots and crisscrossed by tree roots. We passed a number of tour groups - I'm sure they got some interesting history and information about the area but I was glad we moved fast and light on our own. 

The boys really enjoyed picking up hibiscus flowers, but soon realized there was a limit to how many they could carry. We decided to leave them in a lovely pile for others to enjoy en masse. 

Finally, after 1.25 miles of scrambling we made it to the falls - which are obviously not-so-secret any longer. We picked our way over the large rocks surrounded the pool at the base of the falls and found an unoccupied fallen tree branch to rest on. 

The water coming off the falls was cold but it felt nice after the muggy hike. The boys splashed around in the stream while Sam swam out to the base of the falls and I perched on a rock keeping an eye on everyone. 

I had packed a picnic lunch but everyone was still pretty full from breakfast so we just nibbled on snacks and drank lots of water. Most of the tour groups packed up and left around the same time, so we had a few minutes of relative solitude (meaning there were only 50 people instead of 150) before we decided to make the return hike and paddle. 

We followed the trail all the way back to the boats where the trailhead deposited us right next to our crafts. Jack decided he would ride with me, but as I had only gotten one paddle, he was just along for the ride. 

We paddled farther upstream in search of the swimming hole, but it was not to be. I am not in good paddling shape, apparently, and Jack is really getting too big to not haul his own weight. We turned around and floated downriver towards Fern Grotto. Kayaks are not allowed to land at the boat dock, but there is a signed Kayak Landing Area slightly upriver so we hauled in and strolled through the jungle for a few minutes. 

As expected, the kids were underwhelmed by Fern Grotto and everyone was starting to get hungry so we turned back towards Kamokila. As we neared the village we saw a number of kayaks heading upstream, both from Kamokila and on tour groups starting at the marina, so we were glad to be getting off the river when we did.

I realized that our location on the East side put us in close proximity to a favorite local restaurant, Hamura's Saimin, so once we returned the gear and rinsed off the mud, we headed into Lihue. The kids don't remember our last visit here in 2013 so it was neat to reintroduce them to the Special Saimin, with pork belly, ham, hard boiled egg, and fish cake. We also got teriyaki beef skewers and the lilikoi chiffon pie, which was just dreamy. 

We had already been awake and going for a good long while at that point, so the boys asked to go back to the condo to play in the pool and Sam and I were happy to sit in the shade reading our books. 

I am always thinking about our next meal in an attempt to head off any hangry situations (mine or the kids'). After we'd been in the pool for an hour or so I asked Sam what he wanted for dinner as my original plan was to go to happy hour at Lava Lava Beach Club. He claimed he was still full from lunch and would be happy to have a frozen pizza for dinner, but I was not so eager. I started looking at other nearby options for a later dinner. 

Oasis on the Beach is the restaurant at Waipouli Beach Resort, right next door. It has never been on my radar due to the location, but I discovered that it gets rave reviews as one of the first restaurants on Kauai to really focus on local food, highlighting local farmers and fishermen. We've been leaving our kids at home alone for short periods this summer, so we decided that they would be happiest parked in front of the TV in the condo while we enjoyed a quiet adults-only meal at a nice restaurant. 

Around 5:00 pm Sam opted to go for a run and I bribed the children to get out of the pool by telling them we could go back to Safeway to buy fireworks for tomorrow's festivities. Ryan had discovered a rolling grocery cart in the condo closet and was anxious to put it to use so we changed clothes and walked back across the street. We picked out fireworks and a frozen pizza - and learned that 5:30 is an awful time to be in any Safeway the day before a holiday weekend. But we were patient and made it through the long line, with the boys clamoring to tell the cashier all about the army men who were soon to meet their demise. 

When we returned Sam was just finishing up his shower, so we went for a walk along the beach in front of the Waipouli Resort. We could see and hear Oasis on the Beach - it was pretty crowded and there was live music playing. 

The children swore they were just going to explore the shoreline (as they were not wearing swimsuits), but within five minutes were soaked to the bone. They then proceeded to dig in the sand, thus becoming wet AND covered in sand. 

Thank heavens Kailani has an outdoor shower right next to the path to the beach and we were able to rinse some of the sand off. We got the boys in PJs, settled them in front of the TV with pizza and, after showing them how to use a "real" telephone to call us if they needed anything, strolled back to the Waipouli and Oasis on the Beach.

We were quickly seated at an outside table - the live music had ended and the crowd thinned out so we had our server's full attention and never waited long for drinks or service. The special was fresh ahi tuna; I ordered a mai tai and Sam had the house-made ginger beer. It was a delicious meal and we enjoyed talking story with our server (an older guy who had lived in Colorado and went to the University of Denver for a while long ago) and listening to the waves crash on the shore. 

Full and really tired, we made our way back to the condo, tucked the kids in and went to sleep, ready for another full day of adventure tomorrow. 

Independence Day

Thursday, July 4 dawned bright and early, as usual, but I had extra reason to be too excited to sleep - we were going on an adventure with Princeville Ranch that I had been looking forward to for months! The boys were very excited too, as they had been waiting a full year to return to Hanalei and set off fireworks. We were going to be gone a full day, so we packed the car full of beach gear, hiking gear, fireworks, and so many snacks. Initially I was worried about getting to Princeville for our 8:45 am check in, but I needn't have worried as we were up before the sun again.

Once the car was loaded we drove to Java Kai for breakfast. The line snaked out the door but the boys had books to read (in fact, there were many occasions on this trip where we had to drag them away from their reading to go have Hawaiian adventures) so they snagged a table and waited, noses happily buried.

I opted for the breakfast sandwich while Sam chose the papaya and granola with a bagel and we ordered a plate of waffles for the kids to share (conveniently enough, the order came as two mini waffles). I also got my Hydroflask filled with hibiscus black tea while Sam had a regular coffee.

  

Everything was fresh and delicious and we enjoyed sitting out front watching Kapa'a wake up. When we were finished we walked around the back of the building to Kauai Juice Company to refill the Hydroflask with their delicious kombucha. 

The boys love sampling all the flavors and since it was Thursday, we got a free shot with our order. Sam bravely downed the turmeric, carrot and chili pepper water in one gulp. I wish I had gotten a picture of his face after that flavor bomb...

I was tempted to buy another stainless growler like the one we picked up last summer, but really - how many kombucha growlers does one family need?!

Fed and juice-filled, we climbed back in the car and headed north. I had finally downloaded the GyPSy app for Kauai - we've used it on Maui and the Big Island, but I didn't think we needed it for Kauai. The kids (and us) really enjoy listening to the narrator and it's a nice change of pace, so I wasn't surprised when Ryan asked to listen to it.

Princeville Ranch had called me a few days earlier to confirm our reservation and give us driving directions. I vaguely recalled seeing the signs and banners for the check in area, but couldn't quite pinpoint the location - and of course I didn't write anything down. I knew we didn't check in at the stables themselves, but once we drove past them, I second-guessed myself as to where we were headed. A few moments of backtracking finally got us to the check in location, where we were then directed to drive back to the stables. It seems like this process could be a little more streamlined, for sure!

Anyway, we finally got to the stables to meet our guide Hi'ilani and the other family (parents and a teenager) who we would be riding with. I have little horseback riding experience and the kids have never been, but Sam worked on a ranch when he was in school in Montana. He initially planned to pack his cowboy boots and jeans until I convinced him that the hiking and waterfall part of the adventure would be better accomplished in the Keen sandals we rented from the check in desk.

Hi'ilani gave us a brief lesson on using the reins, but honestly, these horses were so tame and gentle they could have done the whole ride without any input from us! Jack was a little nervous at first and told me he wanted to ride with me, but they put him on a sweet horse name Sarge and he was good to go. Ryan surprised me with his enthusiasm - I don't think the big grin left his face the whole time. I also had a big grin as Sizzler was the perfect size and temperament for me.

The ride is billed as "not just another nose-to-tail ride" and indeed we were told we could spread out off the trail - but the horses were perfectly happy to stay right on the packed path and it was a bit of an ordeal to get them to go anywhere else.

Still, it was such an incredible experience! We got to see part of the island we wouldn't have access to otherwise, and Hi'ilani was friendly and kind, giving gentle instruction when needed. What made this ride even more fun was that about an hour after we started riding, we headed down a curving path to a hitching rail, where Hi'ilani tied up the horses and helped us dismount. We then hiked up and then down stairs carved into the hillside that led to a waterfall and swimming hole. Along the way, Hi'ilani picked and sliced a mountain apple for us to taste.

Unlike Secret Falls, we had this swimming hole all to ourselves. Also unlike Secret Falls, the pool at the base was 30 feet deep, so there was no easing in - you had to just go for it. We were allowed to climb up behind the waterfalls and all around the rocks - which were really slippery, so we had to mind where we put our feet. After riding in long sleeves and pants across open fields, it felt great to strip down to our swimsuits and cool off.

While we splashed and climbed and explored, Hi'ilani set out sandwich fixings, chips and cookies for lunch.

We ate and then changed back into our riding clothes for the return hike and ride. I thought we would go back the way we came (and was dreading climbing all those stairs we had hiked down) but it turns out we had one more adventure ahead of us. We climbed stairs that took us to the top of the falls, where we clipped harnesses (human, not horse) to a safety line and then crossed the stream.

Once across the stream, we clipped our harness to a pulley system that ratcheted us up a small cliff, Hi'ilani on belay below. We hiked along the stream, crossing back over once again, before climbing stairs up to where the horses were tethered.

We rode back to the stables with clouds gathering over the mountains, which cooled us off nicely and made for a dramatic photo backdrop.

Tired but happy, we returned the rented shoes, tipped the staff, and piled in the car to head to Hanalei with a stop at the Princeville Foodland grocery store on the way.

While the kids were excited to shoot off fireworks, I was excited to spend time with Cynthia and Wayne, a couple we had met back in 2016 when they rented the cottage next to ours on Baby Beach. I had already "met" Cynthia on TripAdvisor and I appreciated her thoughtful responses to forum posts. Retired, they have the great fortune to spend 3 weeks every July on the island, and have raised their kids and grandkids on the tradition.

When I started planning this trip, the first thing I did was message Cynthia through TripAdvisor to find out when they would be in Hanalei (our 2018 travel dates didn't match up and I was so disappointed). Happily, they already had their reservations for a little beachfront cottage in Hanalei and invited us to spend the 4th with them and their family.

We braved the Foodland to pick up grillables (and a package of firework tanks that Safeway hadn't had) and drove to Hanalei. The county is still repairing sections of road that were damaged in the April 2018 floods (and then re-damaged in later weather events) so there was a bit of a slowdown between Princeville and Hanalei, but we didn't have to stop.

Cynthia and Wayne met us with open arms and we immediately headed to the beach, where we met their kids, who are our age. Hanalei Bay is one of my kids' favorite places to boogie board because the waves crash relatively gently on the sloping shoreline, but today the bay looked like a swimming pool. Ryan and Jack didn't care, they were in the water before we could even set up our beach chairs.

We chatted with everyone while the boys splashed around, commenting on how few people were at the beach today. Last year there were crowds circling the bay and parking was a nightmare, but it did not seem to be the case this year (and I'm not complaining!). At one point I walked over to Big Save to get hot dog buns, and while the store was busy as you would expect on a holiday, it was not jam-packed.

By the time I returned to the cottage, the grill was on and dinner was in the final stages of preparation. Ryan and Jack could not contain their excitement and barely touched their food before heading back to the beach with Cynthia's teenaged grandkids to set up the battles.

Finally we all went down to start the bonfire and get the firework party started. We were joined by some local families who live nearby who Cynthia and Wayne have befriended in their years of visiting. Then it was every Army man for himself. 

My favorite part of the fireworks is watching the glorious sunset behind Bali Hai 

Every time we thought it was the last fountain or last package of sparklers, another one appeared, so the boys were kept busy for a good long while. Again, we couldn't help comment on how few people were on the beach compared to last year. We were farther down the beach this year, but even looking back toward Pavilions we could see fewer groups setting off fireworks.

There was a party starting at Pine Trees park with disco lights and electronic dance music that kept drawing the teenagers away, and knowing we still had to drive back to Kapa'a tonight, we cleaned up the fireworks mess and loaded everything back into the car.

We had plans to visit Ke'e beach on Saturday, so we said goodbye to everyone and made plans to see Cynthia and Wayne again in a couple days.

The drive back was uneventful at 10:30 pm and we were soon tucked in bed, pleasantly exhausted from another day's adventures.

Of Beach Glass and Books (and Boogie Boarding)

Friday morning dawned not quite as early as previous days, but still earlier than we're normally awake. I have the Gaiam yoga app on my phone so Sam and I went down to the grassy area next to the Kailani pool to do a 30 minute stretching session while the boys lounged around and ate cereal.

This was my view from corpse pose:

We planned to head south today, so after Sam and I ate some yogurt and cereal we loaded up the car again (well, we had left much of the beach gear in the car so it was getting quite fragrant and sandy!) and got on the highway headed south. 

Incidentally, one of the reasons I wanted to stay in Kapa'a this time was because of the conventional wisdom on TripAdvisor that traffic is just terrible through the town and it's impossible to turn left on to the highway at any point. I decided to play the guinea pig for the sake of research, and I'm happy to report that even in early July as the high season is ramping up, we had no problems getting through/around town at all. We did manage to avoid rush hour, but it's just common sense to avoid most places at rush hour!

Anyway, so we turned the GyPSy app back on as we drove towards Poipu and the narrator (we named him Bob) starting talking about local foods. When he got to malasadas, I told Sam to grab his phone and google "malasadas Kauai" to see if there were any bakeries between us and the South Shore that we could stop at. 

Conveniently enough, the Kauai Bakery at the Kukui Grove Shopping Center was just a few miles farther down the road so we made a quick detour to stop for some fried pastry goodness. They only had a few in the display case but had a full sheet on the back table they were in the process of filling, so we each got one - the boys chose plain with cinnamon and sugar and I opted for strawberry cream-filled. I ordered a vanilla latte and Sam asked for drip coffee - which they didn't have, but could happily make him an Americano (espresso diluted with water - WAY stronger than a regular coffee). 

The malasadas were fine, but not the hot deep-fried goodness we used to get from the lady who had the green shack outside Kmart. Those were divine! However, we were happy enough with our carb bombs and returned to our original route. 

As we drove past Poipu, Bob the GyPSy narrator started talking about Glass Beach and the boys said they wanted to go there, so we took a left at Ele'ele and drove around behind the big industrial tanks at Port Allen. Sam and I had been there on our first trip and found some really lovely pieces of smooth beach glass and explored the old Chinese cemetery that overlooks the beach, but it didn't occur to me that my little magpies would want to explore it. This visit yielded more in the way of broken beer bottles rather than fishing floats, but they were happy enough searching for all the colors. 

I warned them that we shouldn't take any pieces of glass, much like we wouldn't pick flowers or take rocks on hikes, but a couple still made their way into small pockets. 

The kids have never been to Salt Pond Beach Park so I thought we would head there next and see how the waves and snorkeling conditions were. Turns out the Junior Lifeguard camp was taking place there that day, and there were local families who have obviously set up camp the night before and were going to celebrate all weekend long, so the beach felt a bit crowded, even though there were very few people actually in the water. 

There were also no waves, so the boys declared it no good for boogie boarding. We piled back in the car and drove back towards Poipu. I wanted to stop in Hanapepe and visit the Talk Story bookstore - in ten visits we've never made it there. There was construction on the old bridge and we ended up getting routed onto a detour that wound up around behind town, and ended at a river crossing (no bridge). If we had been driving Sam's big truck we would have had no problems fording the river but I didn't want to risk it in the rental Rogue (ironic, given the model name). 

So we turned around, waved at the construction workers again, and got back on the highway to take the main entrance to Hanapepe - now that's a tricky left-hand turn, with the blind corner and the endless stream of traffic.

Finally we made it into town, found a parking spot, and walked down to the bookstore. Oh, what a bookstore! It's the westernmost bookstore in the United States, and it has a great variety of stock from brand new bestsellers to used backlist, to vintage finds and plenty of books about Hawaii. Ryan and Jack found two novels they wanted in the kids' section, and my husband picked out Captive Paradise: A History of Hawaii, which he said is really good but rather slow reading (not as slow as Michener's Hawaii, but still slow). 

In hindsight, this would have made a great souvenir. I actually really like SPAM...

I'm so used to getting books cheap at our neighborhood thrift store or free through the library (and library app) that I couldn't justify paying $10+ for a book I would only read once, so I picked up a book of Hawaiian crossword puzzles. All told, I was happy to spend a chunk of our souvenir money on books - supporting a local business - instead of knickknacks and random crap that would end up in the bottom of a drawer somewhere. 

We also stopped at the jewelry/knickknack story next door, where Ryan's souvenir money was apparently burning a hole in his pocket. He picked out a beaded shell necklace and matching bracelet, which I gently suggested was perhaps more feminine than he would like but he was adamant about his choice (modern parenting FTW). He was thrilled to discover that the bracelet could attach to the necklace to make it even longer, so it was a hit. 

At that point Jack started to complain with all his might - he claimed I had baited and switched them by saying we were going to the beach but instead SHOPPING - so I told everyone we were on our way to Kiahuna beach in front of the Sheraton, where I knew we would find big waves to pound their little boogie boarding selves right into the sand. I just needed to make one stop first...

Last summer we took a sunset dinner cruise with Captain Andy's (I HIGHLY recommend it). On our way to Port Allen we passed Warehouse 3540, which I had read about in passing on some blog or trip report. We didn't have time to return on that trip, so I wanted to make sure it made the list this trip. 

I'm a sucker for a good farmer's market/craft fair and this one had the distinct advantage of being housed in a large warehouse - so while it was still hot, at least there was shade. The boys got in line for Fresh Shave shave ice while I went in to do a little shopping. I had gotten quite sunburned the day before at the waterfall and at Hanalei Bay, so I went looking for an after sun spray - and found it in the first shop I entered, Hawaii Says Hi. I talked story with the owner, a lovely woman originally from Glenwood Springs, CO. We talked about whitewater rafting and skiing and then her boys, who are each a year older than mine, came in. While mine were on skis starting at age three, hers have been surfing since before then!

I bought a little bottle of after sun spray (a mix of water, aloe, and witch hazel with lavender and spearmint essential oils I could have made at home but at that moment felt so heavenly - even at $14 for a 2 oz bottle!) and wandered off to other shops. The boys and their shave ice found me at a jewelry shop (Lily Koi) and Ryan helped me pick out a necklace with a single marble-sized freshwater pearl strung on it. 

That tapped my souvenir budget, so we returned to the car and drove to Kiahuna. We got the last open parking spot in the public lot near the Sheraton and the boys took off for the water. The beach was crowded, the water was crowded, but at least no one was playing music near us (my biggest pet peeve this side of misused apostrophes) and the waves were cranking. 

I had originally planned to get lunch at the food trucks at Warehouse 3540, but it was so hot nothing sounded good. I had packed some snacks for the beach, but eventually real hunger set in. If we had eaten lunch before going to the beach, we probably would have made it to my next plan - seeing local band Falling Down Romance perform at Kauai Island Grill in Kapa'a at 6 pm. 

As it was, we barely made it to 3 pm, so we decided to just hit the happy hour menu. The boys enjoyed the many geckos who visited us and the food was pretty good (I think - the happy hour drinks were REALLY good). Ryan and Jack were excited to get virgin lava flows, which now make up a specific line item in my vacation budget...

Stuffed and sunburnt, we drove back to Kapa'a. No one had much energy to do anything, so we showered off the layers of sunscreen and sand and then decided to just veg in front of the TV with a few episodes of the Netflix show How to Train Your Dragon, which the boys have been obsessed with this summer. We called it a night fairly early, as usual.