First days on Kauai

Off to a fine start here on the island I've been keeping busy enough that I am well behind in the blog, so here's a quick update for now. For now I don't think doing a daily post is important so it'll be in fits and starts. I have a minimal setup here for blogging centered around an ancient MacBook Pro (OS X 10.4) formerly retired and the last thing I want to do is spend hours each day on a laptop. In time I will try to upgrade and get a work flow going, but minimalism fits the lifestyle here well.

Some amazing first sights already: just arriving at Glass beach on Monday, immediately my friend pointed out the considerable splash of a whale breaching out at sea. I saw it easily though it was well out there (no time for a photo) and it must have gone deep because we didn't see much further action. It's early in the season so very lucky to have sighted it. I should be here through the prime whale watching season it turns out.

Glass beach before sunset

Tuesday went up to Koke'e State Park for one of the breathtaking hikes out over the Na Pali coast. I will write up the hike later as another post of its own, but here's a quick description. Koke'e is at about 4000 feet elevation sitting atop the Na Pali coast with tall steep ridges extending out and down toward the see, walling off the many valley wedges that comprise the coastal area on the western side of the island. I headed down the Nualolo Trail leading out over the western edge of the Nualolo Valley to an outlook ending in a sheer drop off. Retracing a bit, the Nualolo Cliff Trail (Update: unfortunately, the cliff trail is now closed indefinitely) leads around the Nualolo Valley connecting to the Awa'awa'puhi Trail which leads to the next outlook up the coast west of the Awa'awa'puhi Valley. The three trails form a loop with spurs leading over tall thin ridges out to the ends of the outlook points, circling the Nualolo Valley on three sides.

All day long the weather shifted from overcast to misty to sunny and back and forth as clouds both white and dark drifted overhead with some patches of blue sky. Back to the car by mid-afternoon, the sun really came out so I hopped in the Jeep and headed to the Kalalau overlooks further up the road, as it turns out just in time.

Kalalau is a very special place in many ways, as the heart of the Na Pali coast it's the picture of exotic tropical paradise and also quite inaccessible, but you can drive to within a short walk of the top of the mountains that encircle the Kalalau Valley and clouds permitting easily catch a gorgeous view of it. While postcards may show the full-on sunny view, yesterday we were treated to an unusual sight. Gaps in those moving clouds by late afternoon shed moving spotlights on the valley walls producing an unusual effect that my photos hardly do justice to, but you get the idea (and I have hand-held video coming). Here's what it was like. And as often happens, within minutes the misty clouds poured in and it was a white-out: imagine those foreground plants with white fog behind.

Kalalau Valley

The road to Koke'e leads up the western edge of the Waimea Canyon which is quite a sight itself. Heading back down the mountain I did a double take from a glance where the road affords a view of the canyon: those drifting clouds that brought mists had moved west and as the sun began to set creating a gorgeous rainbow right of the canyon.

Waimea canyon rainbow

 A couple also from the Pacific northwest that I'd met a couple of times on the trail earlier drove up but the rainbow was one by then. Further downhill I checked the sunset out from the bluffs over Waimea but the clouds were on the horizon so nothing too spectacular to see; however, the full moon was a sight.

See more photos of the past couple of days here: some downtown Hanapepe scenes, more hiking shots, etc.