Kauai

The bus for the Polynesian Adventure Tours picked me up at 5:30 AM sharp on Friday morning to take me to the airport for the tour. I had booked and paid for the tour earlier in the week. Since airfare was included in the tour price, it was a bit expensive. I didn't want to miss the bus. I was a little worried about getting up that early, and simply horrified when I awoke and saw my alarm clock blinking 12:00. Yep, the power had been off in the hotel sometime during the night. Fortunately, the outage had not affected the wake-up call system. So, after a 45 minute ride to the airport, the usual hour wait at the airport, and a 45 minute flight, I made it to Kauai.

(Note: pictures are about 35K - 50K in size.)

Waimea Canyon
	Although Waimea Canyon is not the highest mountain peak on the island, it offers a spectacular view. The highest mountain is Mt. Waialeale. It rains over 600" annually on the one side, and next to nothing just six miles on the other side.
	At 3400 feet high, the area is often covered in clouds. The view looks similar to the pictures I've seen of the Grand Canyon, except this canyon is covered in vegetation.
	More canyon photos.
Scenes along the way
	A coffee plantation (I think). Pineapples and coffee are a couple of the main crops grown on the islands. Pineapples are everywhere, while the coffee is just beginning to take off. Sugar cane is only grown a few places. It is cheaper for the USA to import sugar.
	Spouting Horn blow holes. As molten lava flows, the outside cools faster than the inside. This can leave tunnels and cavities. At the water's edge, the waves wash into the tunnels and squirt out holes. These holes were not very active at the time we were there. Maybe the tide was out.
	Golf is a popular sport in Hawaii. There was a pro game somewhere in Hawaii the week I was there. We stopped to eat lunch at this course's clubhouse. Yes, the sky and water were really that blue.
Wailua River Cruise
	The Wailua River cruise was a bit of a disappointment. We travelled 1.5 miles in a noisy boat. The ride was comfortable, but the noise was so great that I couldn't really hear what the tour guide was saying along the way. The only thing I could make out was that the king had planted the dense trees along the river and his along borders to keep out his enemies.
	At the one end of the boat ride was a short (and I mean short) hike to the "famed Fern Grotto." I expected a bit more. The cave beneath the cliff covered in ferns was carved out by the waterfall that used to fall over the cliff. The river was diverted for irragation. We did see a couple get engaged here. Ahhhhh, how sweet.