Short Walks

Not all of our outdoor time spent on the island of Kauai was during the longer walks, like those we've shared in prior weeks.  Some of our excursions were, admittedly, trips by car to visit locations followed by some, but not much, walking.

A good example would be the time we spent at the Waimea Canyon.  This is one of our favorite places on this beautiful earth, but it does require a fair amount of effort to hike on the trails there.  Yes, we did enjoy the Iliau Nature Loop, but that barely qualifies as much of a walk, from our perspective.  To be perfectly clear, the nature loop was worth every moment we spent there, it just wasn't a big hike.  It wasn't until we pushed the boundaries on Tammy's rehab that we got a real walk in when we took the Canyon Trail to the Waipo'o Falls.

There are also many places to stop on the way up to Koke'e State Park that are quite enjoyable but were not exactly hikes.  One of our stops was the Pu'u Ka Pele picnic area.  And while other folks were trotting across the road to take pictures of the canyon, I was enjoying talking to the trees a bit.

A line of trees block the line of sight from the road to the picnic area and the area under the canopy of these tall trees was quite dark - especially on a day that featured clouds and rain.  Of course, I didn't play with the camera settings enough to reflect what it was actually like, but I still like how this photo came out.  It's almost as if the trees are marching in a line either towards us.  

I am guessing that these are Monterey Cyprus (if someone knows better - please tell me) and this first tree in the picture was the largest in the group.  I suspect if Tammy and I stood on either side and tried to touch hands we would not manage doing so.

When the sun would peak though a bit, the droplets of water would shine on the needles of the trees.  If I had been a bit more patient, I suspect I would have gotten many interesting pictures.  But, this is one of those moments in our trip where we had to watch the time AND the weather.  So, I snapped the shots I could and we moved on.  (Most of the pictures were deleted because they didn't really do anything for me - alas!)

Most people stop at this picnic area so they can cross the road and view the Waimea Canyon and Waipo'o Falls.  Which, of course, we always do when we are near any overlook for the canyon.  But, I still think people miss so many good things when they rush to get to the "grand spectacle."  

Let me put it this way.  I got a feel for how small I was compared to these trees.  Then I walked to the canyon and realized that the trees on the OTHER side of the canyon in the next picture could easily be just as big as these trees are!

The weather had been fairly wet in the days prior, so the waterfall was nice and full.  There are certainly times when there isn't much more than a trickle dropping over the edge to the canyon below.  But that was not this day. THIS day was one where there was plenty of water and we could (and did) spend lots of time at the various overlooks just enjoying what we were seeing.

And no, it didn't really matter all that much when the misty rain got us a little damp in the process.

We drove down the highway from Waimea to Hanapepe and Kalaheho numerous times, but we had not stopped at the overlook for the Hanapepe Valley.  There are good reasons for this - among them is the reality that the road can be busy.  Then there is the practicality that we were often going by when there was another goal in mind.

Get to the farmers market.  Go to the canyon.  etc etc.

It was simply too easy to just say we would do it next time.  Well, the next time finally happened on a day when the sky was beautiful and the sun was not directly overhead.  It was nice to see the Hanapepe Valley with the depth that shadows can provide.

As we often do, we stayed at the overlook long enough to see many other people come and go.  We watched, amused, while one young woman handed her phone to her boyfriend(?), quickly struck a pose, and then grabbed the phone back to inspect the photo.  Satisfied, she hopped into the vehicle so she could post the picture on social media (I am guessing) and they drove away.

I'm not sure either really looked at the valley. 

Opaeka'a Falls is an easy stop that we usually make when we are on our way back from the Kuilau Ridge Trail.  There is a well-kept parking area with restrooms and plenty of room for the tour buses to stop as well.  We like to pull in when the parking area looks pretty calm so we can hang around for a while and not be overwhelmed by a throng.

Opae are freshwater shrimp and the name Opaeka'a can be translated to something like tumbling or rolling shrimp.  I suppose if I were a freshwater shrimp and I went over these falls, there would be a fair amount of tumbling and rolling going on. 

From a picture-taking perspective, the overlook is nice, but it can often be hard to get the framing, lighting and background to all work together.  But, I keep trying!  And before you think all I do is look at this falls through a camera lens, that would be incorrect.  I stare happily at the falls for a while and then look around at the beauty that surrounds it.  After awhile, I decide I should try taking pictures again.

I point and shoot hoping that maybe the lighting is better this time or perhaps the clouds will clear a bit in the background so you can see those mountains too.  Whatever.  It makes me happy and keeps me paying attention to what the world is saying to me.

There is a lookout point just outside of Lihue that overlooks the Hule'ia (river) and the Great Fishpond of Alakoko.  Many simply refer to it as the Menehune Fishponds.  The work to restore and maintain this area is ongoing and it has been interesting to see some of the changes over time.

Hāʻupu was overlooking this river valley, standing on the far end.  This time around, there was no rain hat, so we weren't terribly concerned about rain.

There really isn't much walking to be done at this location.  The overlook is essentially where you park.  I suppose you could walk down the side of the road for a bit, but that's not as attractive as just standing and appreciating the valley below. 

Maybe someday we'll find the right person(s) to get permission to visit that valley? 

I could say some of the same things for the Hanalei Wetlands.  There is a pull-off from the road and you can get out and enjoy the view of the taro (kalo) fields.  We were able to take note of the large number of water birds that coexisted with this food growing system.  

I am not certain how much I would enjoy growing a crop that loves these kinds of conditions.  My initial reaction is negative, considering how grumpy I get when things are really wet at the Genuine Faux Farm.  On the other hand, this is what kalo (taro) wants.  Often the crops we grow do NOT want this, which explains at least part of my attitude.

We finally stopped at a location we kept telling ourselves we would visit, but never seemed to find the time to do so.  Our first exposure to it years ago was prior to the site undergoing some significant changes.  Pa'ula'ula (also known as the Russian Fort Elizabeth) has undergone both physical and cultural rehabilitation - if I may use that word.  The Hawaiian name and the accompanying story has been placed into a prominent place, just as it should be.  Perhaps I'll spend a future blog on that topic and explain further.

I took a walk into the fort, following the indicated path.  This led to a stairway where I could stand at the highest point looking out to the water.  It was readily apparent why this would be a strategic location.  But my mind didn't rest on that thought as my attention was grabbed by the sunset. 

And there you are, our offerings for a "walk there again" this Wednesday.  I hope you enjoyed it.