Kauai East Side - Waterfalls and Nature Preserves

August 5, 2011, Kauai. Just south of the small town of Wailua, Hawaii, off the coastal Kuhio Highway, we took one of the few roads leading inland towards the State parks and forest reserves that comprise most of the wilderness in the center of the island. We were on Kuamo'o Road, in the Wailua River State Park. Our first stop was a lookout over the Wailua River and valley, next to which stood one of Kuaui's many ancient rock formations known as a heiau (place of worship). The Poliʻahu Heiau, where we stood, was a luakini temple, a sacred venue where native Hawaiian chiefs offered bloody sacrifices of humans and animals. Now the only offerings are spotted doves and chickens that wander the parking lot, so we went on up the road to the great Opaeka'a Falls, named after the shrimp that were once in the stream. We had to share the viewing platform with a bus full of tourists, so we moved on farther up the road, past a Hawaiian village on the river, past more modern neighborhoods, and into the Lihue-Koloa forest reserve.

Common mynas lined the road and we passed by a cattle egret displaying his rhythmically moving neck. The road ended in a parking lot. On the other side of a rushing creek, a dirt road climbed farther into the reserve. With our waterproof hiking shoes, we crossed the creek and hiked into the forest. My reward was a white-rumped shama and a good amount of beautiful trees. Had it not been for another creek to cross and a hungry stomach ready for lunch, we might have gone farther in.

Our last excursion of the day was to see the tremendously huge Wailua Falls. Farther south down the Kuhio highway, there is a turnoff on Maalo Road, which winds back north into the Wailua River State Park and ends at the falls lookout. The roadside lookouts are the closest views to these falls--there are no trails and no safe access. But they certainly were close enough. Only the photos can describe the magnitude, the power, and the beauty of this classic Hawaiian waterfall:

There were many roads in the east side forest reserves we didn't travel, and many more acres of reserves with no roads and no access. This remoteness keeps most of Kauai an unspoiled natural treasure protected by State and federal refuges, parks, and reserves--one of the reasons it was my island of choice. 

An Excellent Adventure in Kauai [part 2]

[continued]
After our exhilarating Raft Expedition, we went looking for a nice dinner. After hearing some live music (always a drive for Randi and me), we stopped at the Wrangler's Steakhouse, a really nice cowboy steak place. They have a great clam chowder which we ate with pure comfort on the deck, which overlooks a nice little town (Waimea). While we ate, we heard this authentic Hawaiian singer, crooning ballads. Very nice. We opted to split a Pupu platter with Sashimi, Shrimp Cocktail, Calamari, Crab Cake & Steak. Always order the steak medium rare. It was more than enough for us two, and we wound up taking some back to our hotel (and a nice hot tub).

The next day was our anniversary, so we went south to Poipu to snorkel a bit, which was spectacular. They were fish within arm's reach with mottled rainbow colored skin, green fish with white stripes, solid black fish with a luminescent stripe up it's back. And lots of chickens, of course. After the beach, we needed a nosh, and where else to go: Brennecke's . We devoured their Kama‘aina Pupu Platter [Ceviche, fresh ahi sashimi, Brennecke’s smoked fish, shrimp and king crab]. The ceviche was spicy and fresh, the sashimi is always a treat, and I had to try the famous Kauai smoked fish. It was to die for.
After lunch, we went driving up the Waimea canyon overlook road.
This overlooks the biggest canyon in the Pacific. It is spectacular! We definitely want to return to hike in on the trail which takes you down from the heights, to the Alakai swamp.


After driving and hiking around and generally having a kick ass time, we decided, sadly, that we had to drive back. We then found out that most places close before 8 pm (and many before 5 pm). So we were overjoyed when we found a great authentic taco place, Paco's Tacos (just before they closed). Sitting outside, enjoying the moderate night air, we split a two enchilada plate with some enormous horchatas. Very good spicy sauce and true Mexican flavor. Sabroso...

Monday was our last full day in Kauai, and we still had not hiked up the Ne Pali coast trail. On the way there we stopped at the Kilauea Lighthouse, which is now a wildlife refuge. It was well worth a stop, and we got to see booby's, tropic birds, shearwaters and nenes (local geese). And a very nice view up and down the coast.

We proceeded up the north coast to the town of Hanelei, where we found a place recommended by Randi's colleague Esther. This is the semi-famous Tahiti Nui, and we munched on a veggie pizza. The funny part is the restaurant had big bottles of sun tea all around the patio, so that everyone asked for iced tea (including me), but the waitress had to keep saying "There is no tea..yet". This town has a very laid-back quality like a northern California coastal village, but with more surfers.
[to be continued]

An Excellent Adventure in Kauai [part 1]

First I need to recommend our hotel. The Aloha Beach Hotel is a very nice hotel if you don't need all the "resort" stuff. No golf course or swim up bar or luas on the beach. Just a nice room with a nice pool and spa, overlooking a spectacular view of the coast and the ocean beyond. The manager gave us a free upgrade to a junior suite, which included a small kitchen with sink, plates, cutlery and glasses, a microwave and (not sure why) 2 mini fridges. It also sported a very spacious king bed a sofa a desk and a little table with chairs which we ate on often. It had a DVD player (and a DVD now kiosk) and decent sized (no flat screen! horror! ha ha) TV, but really we didn't come for that...

They are chickens everywhere on this island and our room opened right onto a grassy area overlooking the beach. Chickens!














The first thing we did after checking in to our room was find a good restaurant. The Pacific Island Bistro is next to the Safeway in Kapaa, and is not much to look at from the outside. But it was a treat for us weary travellers. We had a nice seafood soup, crab-cheese puffs, some crispy juicy duck and scallops. They had an interesting menu option where you could pick what you wanted in terms of meat, sauce and other items and the cook would prepare it for you. This was very conveniently located so we got water at Safeway enough for the whole trip, and a bunch of stuff at the ABC store (a Kauai chain). Mmm dark chocolate Mac nuts...

The next day we started near our hotel for breakfast at Eggberts/Hula Girl in the Coconut Grove Plaza. The breakfast here was so good we came back for more in our short 6 day stay. We had a delicious fresh seafood omelet, and we also split a stack of 2 giant pancakes with mac nut, papaya, mango and banana (for some reason they charge 1.50 for each of those, but they do warn you.) With the awesome smooth roasted Kauai-Kona coffee (to which I added plenty of half and half and coconut syrup), and, for me, a side of bacon, this made a very nice start to our first whole day on the island.


That's good caafee!













After roaming around looking at waterfalls and such we were looking for a nice place to celebrate my birthday. We also wanted to see if we could make the walk to Kapaa (we could but we decided not to) as we thought we might do some bar hopping, and didn't want to drive back to our hotel. We did find a place near the same shopping center with live (ok slightly cheesy but fun piano) music, the Lemongrass Grill. We opted for the cioppino, but strangely they served this with rice. Asian influence? It was well spiced with generous amounts of fresh fish, shellfish and crab. We also got some great calamari. A little pricier ($30), but very nice. We split a bowl of Kona coffee ice cream. When that was gone (mmm yum), they were singing happy birthday to another table, so Randi prompted our waiter that it was my birthday. So the piano player played Happy Birthday for me and the waiter brought us a huge piece of hula pie. This was like a giant oreo cookie, if the filling was made out of a light sweet vanilla ice cream and the crust was out of this world chocolate. Naturally this made Randi sick to her stomach and knocked me out for the night. (Sugar does this to me as I have hypoglycemia). But it was so good!

Randi and I had booked a Na Pali coast raft expedition (Capt Andy's) for Saturday, so we ate some of our leftovers and drove halfway (about 1 hour) around the island to Kikiaola Harbor in Kekaha. We climbed aboard the raft with 2 outboard motors and took off to circle around the awe inspiring jagged cliffs of the Na Pali (literally "The Cliffs). A little bumpy ride, but you are right on the ocean, riding through huge swells, and seeing dolphins, sea turtles, pelicans, frigate birds, and other wonders. I have to give praise to our outstanding crew: Junior, our captain, and Sterling, his shipmate. Also Steven from the sister ship performed an impressive coconut openning demonstration when we landed on a remote beach. All were friendly, professional, and cool. I really enjoyed it when we stopped for snorkelling, the fish were quite beautiful with rainbows of color and luminescence. After going into some sea caves along the way and seeing dramatic waterfalls, we did land on a beach, where we had a nice lunch. They really go all out, with sliced kiwi, pineapple, melon, fresh salad, rice, huli chicken, and kalua pork. All with cold drinks made for a pleasant picnic. This beach contains a sacred site and it is rumored that Kauain kings and queens for buried in the cliffs, but no one really knows where. According to a story related by Sterling, when a king died, a warrior was selected to bury him. Then this warrior had to kill himself to ensure the king's mana (power) did not wind up in the wrong hands.

[To be continued]

California's Heartland on 4th of July

July 4, 2011, we continued our 4th of July random ride. We camped at Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area, a beautiful spot on the Sacramento River with premier birding and affordable camping for families with kids. What a shame that it is one of the State parks slated for being closed in September due to budget cuts. State parks enrich families and children, nurturing a future generation of nature enthusiasts. They provide recreation, conservation, and a strengthened economy, yet are the first to go in a climate of cutbacks. If I knew of a grass-roots effort to keep them open, I'd be the first to join and spread the word.

Near the town of Corning, the Olive Pit is an obligatory stop for olive enthusiasts like my husband. From there, we found ourselves celebrating American history on the historic Highway 99. Lunch was at The Last Stand Bar and Grill in Willows, which is the last stand-up beer bar and burger joint in the state. The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring Sacramento Valley orchards and, to my delight, birding at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge (the auto tour) and the Delevan National Wildlife Refuge. Colonies of tricolored blackbirds greeted us at Delevan, which is exciting now that I'm a citizen-scientist surveyor of the species. But the truest highlight of the trip for me was stumbling upon an active osprey nest near Hamilton City. The chick was standing tall and carrying on with begging calls while its parents were undoubtedly out foraging on the Sacramento River.

For evening fireworks we settled in the all-American town of Red Bluff, the gateway between Lassen National Park and the Humboldt County coast. We had dinner at Shari's, a classic little chain diner. The Tehama District Fairgrounds hosted Motocross and fireworks, in a city-sized-small-town culture so representative of our nation. Sometimes I'm not sure which is more fun to watch -- the event or the people attending it. It was a classic 4th of July.

Riverfront Parks and Chinese Temples

4th of July Random Ride. A family tradition we created many years ago--a travel game with rules that takes us to places we ordinarily would never go. No decisions, no reservations, no specific destination, we just get in the car and start driving. Road ends, turn right. That road ends, turn left. Then right. Then left. The idea is not so much to drive, but to stop impulsively and do or see whatever we want to as we come across it or "divert" to something we know is nearby. It's chill. And it's fun. It's a great way to experience our surroundings, uncharted territory in cities or back roads, and we stumble upon what is truly America.

This year we started in Marysville, California, at the duckpond on the corner of Hwy. 20 and Hwy. 70. We had a good American lunch at the brewpub & grill by the lake, then the ride took us down to the riverfront park where the Yuba River meets with the Feather River. A short walk took us down to the shores we pass over hundreds of times when driving the bridge from Marysville to Yuba City.  Then we were in the old city of Marysville. We stumbled upon the historic Chinese temple that Huell Howser featured in California's Gold.  The Bok Kai Temple was established in the 1800s, when Marysville supported a large Chinese-American community who traded goods along the Yuba River. Many floods and renovations later, the temple is still in use as a place of worship, but is also now an historical monument open to the public. The tour guide took us through the building and pointed out historical paintings that were just recently discovered by renovators. The dragons painted high on the walls were there to offer protection. All that's left of the once booming China town, is this temple and a Chinese-American museum down the street. The dragon parade is still an annual event, however, so some traditions live on.

From Marysville we traveled Hwy. 70 to Oroville, stopping for some fresh peaches at the Sodaro produce stand. Though entirely random, we were on a theme. Our next stop was the Riverfront park at the Feather River in Oroville. Facing extreme heat we welcomed the sight of fountains coming up from the ground to cool us down. Then a small riverside hike allowed us to enjoy the riparian shoreline. Oroville is a river town just at the foot of the Sierras, and is also rich with history. A jog through the old city brought us to yet another historic Chinese temple.  The Oroville Chinese Temple was put into use in the 1860s. No longer used by the Chinese, it is open to the public. Before this trip I was not aware of the history of Chinese Americans in these towns, and how greatly they contributed to developing our State, even while under discrimination.

We found ourselves following the "green tour", a bus-line tourist route that shows the greenest and prettiest sections of Oroville. A canopy view of the Feather River and a small hike to a mind-boggling view of the Oroville Dam spilling tons and tons of water down its cement wall topped off the day. We finished with dinner at the Gold Country casino. While the buffet was rather pricey, the cafe served a satisfying platter of ribs and chicken for 4th of July.