Waimea Canyon

Today we drove up Waimea Canyon which is along the west shore of the island. Again, the diversity of these islands is amazing. We discovered that the west shore is dry, much different than even the south shore where we're staying. It's not that far away (20 minutes?). When we first entered the canyon, we noticed that the soil was red and the vegitation much drier. It felt like we were in southern Utah. Once we got into the canyon it became greener.

We stopped at a couple lookouts, the first allowed us to see Waimea Canyon, an amazing sight. Imagine the Grand Canyon on a smaller scale. We could see waterfalls across the canyon as well as helicopters for those willing to pay for a closer view. We stopped to eat our picnic lunch at a pullout along the way. The final lookout allowed us to see along the Na'pali coastline. It was breathtaking. Na'pali is considered the crown jewel of the Pacific and it's not accessible by car. While we were up there it was raining a misty rain and the cloud cover was pretty thick. It was quite foggy but I took a couple of pictures.

Lisa and I are treating ourselves to a boat ride along the Na'pali costline tomorrow morning. It's expensive so we decided not to take the whole family. The kids feel cheated that they don't get to go but they'll probably be just as happy in the ocean or at the pool (and we'll be $600 wealthier).

On our way home we sampled another version of shave ice (not shaved ice). This one was Jo Jo's in Waimea and it was good. I've come to like the tropical flavors. I had mango, lilikoi (passion fruit) and guava. I've abandoned my blue guidebook because I discovered that everyone else on the island bought the same book before they came here. All of the recommended places seem to be ruined. One's own instincts are always the best way to go, anyway. Right?

**I do have photos and they're amazing. Just can't access them due to battery issues (see below).