Sunrise from the condo (Waipouli Beach Resort) on Sunday morning.
Loved the ripples in the sand.After a short morning walk, we headed over to church. The people were friendly and I love how the church is the same, even on the islands. There is actually a stake on the island! After church, we decided to head out for a Sunday drive to Waimea Canyon.
We came upon the cool little water canal in the red rocks on our way up into the canyon. Reminded us of Sedona!
Sometimes called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, this is Waimea Canyon. Pictures don't really do it justice.
You can faintly see the waterfall far away on the left.
A little further up the canyon road, you could see the falls a little better. We did not have time to hike to the top of the waterfall, but hopefully one day we will come back.
We came upon the cool little water canal in the red rocks on our way up into the canyon. Reminded us of Sedona!Sometimes called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, this is Waimea Canyon. Pictures don't really do it justice.You can faintly see the waterfall far away on the left.A little further up the canyon road, you could see the falls a little better. We did not have time to hike to the top of the waterfall, but hopefully one day we will come back.On the way to this lookout, we picked up a hitchhiker from Montana. He was very nice and I think we were all grateful that our paths crossed ways.
Pu'u o Kila Lookout (at the very end of the canyon road).
One of the wettest spots on Earth is a TRUE statement!
The ocean is sooooo far down there. Our plan was to hike to the Alaka'i Swamp.
One last picture before the clouds set in.
The ferns and greenery all around was pretty amazing.
This tunnel of trees was very cool.
The trail (Pihea trail) was made up of dirt (I mean mud), tree roots, and rocks (that just happened to be pretty slippery because of the clouds we were in). This combo made for a pretty "exciting" hike!
We took a quick sprint up to the Pihea Vista, but all we saw was whiteness. Oh well, it was very steep and adventurous, so gives us stories to tell.
The Pihea trail connected to the Alaka'i Swamp trail. Much of the swamp trail had these boards covered in wire (that would sometimes be sticking up just enough to try and trip us. Awesome! As if we needed any help in the not getting traction department!). 
It actually started raining on us for a while. Burrrr!
These steps were pretty steep. It is truly amazing that they could build this trail. Just getting the wood and materials to such a remote (and wet) location is astounding!
Steven enjoyed splattering mud all over his legs. Several of the planks were loose causing them to lift up when you would walk on them. As you stepped on or off, you would get a lovely bath of mud on your legs. Ahhhhh! (Not!)
These fern pods were super cool. They were EVERYWHERE!
Once they opened up, they were truly beautiful (and huge).
These steps were on our way back out towards the car. They just kept going on and on and on!!!!
Taking a break! Whew! All in all, despite not being able to see many amazing vistas (because of the clouds), we had a great time and we're glad we got to see this neat place.
Once we made it back to the car, we started heading back down the canyon road and came upon this beautiful lookout. This picture was taken just before subset at the Kalalau Lookout. Just breathtaking!
Pu'u o Kila Lookout (at the very end of the canyon road).One of the wettest spots on Earth is a TRUE statement!The ocean is sooooo far down there. Our plan was to hike to the Alaka'i Swamp.One last picture before the clouds set in.The ferns and greenery all around was pretty amazing.This tunnel of trees was very cool.The trail (Pihea trail) was made up of dirt (I mean mud), tree roots, and rocks (that just happened to be pretty slippery because of the clouds we were in). This combo made for a pretty "exciting" hike!We took a quick sprint up to the Pihea Vista, but all we saw was whiteness. Oh well, it was very steep and adventurous, so gives us stories to tell.The Pihea trail connected to the Alaka'i Swamp trail. Much of the swamp trail had these boards covered in wire (that would sometimes be sticking up just enough to try and trip us. Awesome! As if we needed any help in the not getting traction department!). It actually started raining on us for a while. Burrrr!These steps were pretty steep. It is truly amazing that they could build this trail. Just getting the wood and materials to such a remote (and wet) location is astounding!Steven enjoyed splattering mud all over his legs. Several of the planks were loose causing them to lift up when you would walk on them. As you stepped on or off, you would get a lovely bath of mud on your legs. Ahhhhh! (Not!)These fern pods were super cool. They were EVERYWHERE!Once they opened up, they were truly beautiful (and huge).These steps were on our way back out towards the car. They just kept going on and on and on!!!!Taking a break! Whew! All in all, despite not being able to see many amazing vistas (because of the clouds), we had a great time and we're glad we got to see this neat place.Once we made it back to the car, we started heading back down the canyon road and came upon this beautiful lookout. This picture was taken just before subset at the Kalalau Lookout. Just breathtaking!This beach is one of the longest stretches of beach on the island (12.5 miles long). The beach is unprotected from the ocean's force, so it has really strong with powerful currents and waves.
Sunset at Kekaha Beach Park.
Wa-owww!!!! Hitchhikers and amazing views!
ReplyDelete