HAWAII (KAUAI) DAY #4: Beach & Snorkel Day

HAWAII (KAUAI) DAY #4

You thought our airline troubles were over, didn't you!?!

Surprise...

They weren't

Let's just say that that the following equation does not equal a stress free flight

5:30am departing inter island flight + return car rental at 4:30am + car rental place not telling you when you booked that they don't open until 5:00 am even thought YOU TOLD THEM that you will be returning your car at 4:30am + sit in the car and watch the minutes tick by until 4:50 am when one of their employees tell us that they will drive us to the airport + running to check in counter + being told that we are too late to check into that flight and that we would have to take the next one + few minutes later being told that we could make the flight but not sure if our bag would (yes we ended up checking a bag from here on out) + running through security + running to gate + having a full bladder + barely making flight (again) = S-T-R-E-S-S

That equation makes calculus feel like 8 year-old math.

Well let's just say we made it and Kauai is AMAZING.

Real, REAL AMAZING

In 2004 or 2005 when Clayton and I were doing the long distance dating thing we had this habit of taking stupid quizzes on the Internet and comparing our results.  One of the quizzes was "Which Hawaiian Island are you?"  We both had the same result: KAUAI.  Clayton promised me then that one day he would take me to Kauai.  6 years and 3 islands later we finally made it to our fourth island - Kauai.  

Kauai also holds a special place in our hearts because it was the first area that Clayton served in on his mission.  He has shown me pictures of this beautiful place that they call The Garden Isle, but I was not prepared for the beauty that it holds in real life.  As we drove to our hotel I couldn't help but be constantly on the lookout.  I would looked up at the steep, jagged mountains and could see waterfalls that were hundreds of feet high.  How cool is that!?! 

After we got all checked in we threw on our suits and hit Ke'e Beach.  This was one of our favorite beaches.

SIDE NOTE: I will say that a lot in my Kauai recaps.  Every beach we went to was "one of our favorites", except for one...and we hit A LOT of beaches.

Ke'e beach was particularly amazing because it was at the end of the road and the start of the Na Pali Coast.  However it was tainted by the loan UTAH Ute fan on the beach.  We snorkeled, read, talked and just hung out for a few hours.

Big cave at Ke'e

After Ke'e we headed over to Tunnels which was supposed to be one of the best places to snorkel on the island.  Also a favorite beach with amazing scenery/backdrops.  Snorkeling was a bit of a disappointment.  We didn't see much, but maybe the ocean was just having an "off" day.  We never did go back because we wanted to hit as many different beaches as we could (although if we would have had more time we would have). 

I thought this was something and grabbed Clayton all excited, but as it turns out a big seaweed covered stick is nothing to get all worked up over.

We stopped by Kauai Nut Roasters for some nuts.  I'll be honest we really stopped by because I love nuts and I love free samples.  They had around 20 different kinds of flavored nuts.  I was in heaven.  Clayton can't help but feel guilty being a mooch so we ended up buying a small bag. 

We also had lunch at Red Hot Mama's for some burritos that when we do go back to Kauai I will go definitely be going back for.  Muy Bueno.

As we headed back to the hotel we stopped at the Hanalei lookout.  Some say that this is where Puff the Magic Dragon lived.  This is where a lot of taro is farmed.  Beautiful.

For dinner we went to Tropical Dreams.  Oh. Wow.  You know a place is good when your "I could live without ice cream" husband is asking you to go back the next day (and almost everyday until we left).  It was sold in a little shop where they rent movies (do people still do that?) and sold ice cream.  The ice cream is made on the Big Island buy a lady who uses the cream from local dairies in Hilo.  Because she uses the good stuff (also called the fattening stuff), cream it is hands down the best Ice Cream I Have Ever Eaten.  Many times when you go get hard ice cream you can see all the flavors in the freezer.  However here they cover them up.  Which makes sense because when you put ice cream in your freezer at home do you leave it uncovered?  Of course not.  Not only do they make A+ ice cream but they are brilliant as well.  They have 9 locations on the Big Island, 1 on Kauai and 1 in SALT LAKE CITY UTAH!  Yes we are the only mainland location!  How sweet is that.  I even looked it up on the Internet to see if it was true and...it is.  Oh life is good!

And thus ended Day #4