surviving Kuaui

We just had the most extraordinary adventure on the island of Kauai. It rained like it had not rained in decades, according to locals--massive, torential rains that flooded rivers and broke a dam, unfortunately ending in tragedy for a couple of people. The last time I took the kids to a tropical island we found ourselves in the middle of Hurricane Charlie, so we have some experience with living through major weather conditions while vacationing. We were staying near a stream, and near the end of the vacation we were asked to evacuate the flood zone, but it was to an even nicer condo with an ocean view, so this was not a bad move for us. I have to say, though, that even with all of that, we had the most amazing time. The island is one stunning scene of beauty after another. And when you go underwater, there is even more to be in awe over. This photo is taken from a catamaran trip along the western side of the island called the Na Pali coast, where cliffs soar to the skies and hundreds of waterfalls cascade from the cliffs. At one point we were in the middle of a pod of humpback whales, and spinner dolphins surrounded us, leaping and playing, at another. I'd never seen a whale. It was breathtaking. Earlier in the week we visited Wiamea Canyon, called the Grand Canyon of Hawaii, and again, were nearly stunned into silence by the beauty of it all. We got to snorkel some, which is our favorite thing to do on vacation, and saw some amazing South Pacific fish we'd never seen in the Carribean. The man-cub got to fulfill a life-long dream by taking surfing lessons. We saw tremendous waterfalls, amazing gardens, rocks, spray, a monk seal sleeping on the beach, birds of all varieties, the raging ocean in all it's wonder. It was one of the most amazing trips I've ever taken.