Hawaii: Day 3 (Kauai)

Alas, we said aloha (the goodbye kind) to the Big Island this morning, flying over to Kauai for a few days. On our way out of town, though, I did take Dave back to Ken's, where he ordered the pocho loco and made the Hawaiian ladies very happy.

For lunch on Kauai, we visited the Koloa Fish Market for some poke. The ladies in the shop recommended the medium size for an adult, which gets you two different poke mixes, two sides, rice, and a topping. I got sushi rice with ahi-avocado poke and spicy Korean poke, and kimchi cucumber + edamame for the sides. Mmmmm. There was quite a line and you can't eat it on the property, and there don't seem to be good options nearby, which was the main annoyance. The poke was outstanding.

Poke two ways at Koloa Fish Market in Koloa, Kauai

We had planned on visiting Waimea Canyon tomorrow, but the weather is supposed to be rainy, so Dave suggested doing it today. We had a convertible rental car and drove over to visit the overlooks and do a hike.

Waimea Canyon overlook

We really didn't know how cool this place was - it's like the Grand Canyon but with greenery in the crooks and crannies. 

Dave found a really cool hike for us to do, which led us up and over some hills and into the canyon itself. This is as close as I was willing to get to the edge:

Midway through the hike

There were absolutely stellar views, as well as a waterfall at the end. Oddly, the tropical forest was full of strangely common birds - common cardinals (caught a male and female pair), a red crested cardinal, and, of course, the ubiquitous wild chickens that populate the island. 

Chicken on the trail

In fact, one chicken seemed kind of lonely and followed me and Dave for a while. I called him Rodney. It was kind of strange to hike down the trail with him trailing us. 

We had planned on borrowing a dog from the Kauai Humane Society for a hike, which you can do from 10 a.m. to noon, which is before we landed. So, instead of walking with a furry friend, we walked with a new feathered friend.

After a physically and emotionally (for Val) exhausting hike, we stopped for beer and Brussels sprouts at Kauai Beer Company. Nice lagers!

We're staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Kauai Wailua Bay, which is now a Hilton property but is obviously old school and retro (in a good way). Lots of little perks, including ukelele lessons and other things.

More tomorrow!