Hawaii: Day 4 (Kauai)

Another totally amazing day in Kauai - we got to do a lot more than we thought we would because the rain held off for the most part!

First stop was bagels at Rainbeau Jo's; it used to be a food truck and recently got premises. Our hotel staff recommended it. Our favorite was the pesto schmear - why isn't this available everywhere??

The owner at the bagel shop recommended some waterfalls for us to visit, including Wailua Falls and Opaeka'a Falls, which we did visit...

Elusive chicken + waterfall shot - maybe only in Hawaii?

He also recommended the Wailua Country Store, which had a great selection of fun gifts but also groceries and other consumables. We picked up an ube cinnamon roll and a cookie for breakfast or lunch tomorrow.

Spam candle I almost bought at the Wailua Country Store

Continuing on the bagel guy's recommendations, we stopped at Keahua Arboretum, which had some really cool trees with rainbow bark. They were like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.

Trees in Keahua Arboretum

We didn't get too far here because it did start to rain, which was our cue to head out. We went back to the hotel and it had stopped, so we took a walk and a bike ride along the ocean path. The bike rental came free with the hotel stay, which was nice because our hotel (a Hilton Garden Inn!!!) had free coffee but no free tea. Discrimination!

The bike path, though, was worth it - we rented some cruisers and took them up the path and back down, seeing lots of views. It was very sunny at that moment, so hopefully my sunscreen held out. The bike ride was probably my favorite thing we did all day.

After the ride, we headed back down to Lihu'e to have lunch with my favorite teacher of all time, Joe Miller (who in my head I still call Mr. Miller), the man who inspired me to be a history major and become somewhat of a WWI / WWII buff. He was funny, kind, and always so smart. 

Turns out he is still all of those things; we have kept in touch over the years and I knew he had retired to Kauai, so I knew whenever I made it here, I wanted to say hi.

Celebrity sighting

We caught up about old times and the present; I also shared the photo with my high school class Facebook page, where lots of people reacted and shared their stories of how he inspired them.

Next was a trip up to Hanalei on the north side of the island, where we got ice cream at Pink's (two flavors with macadamia nut for the win), bought beautiful artisan crafts at Kavaiki, and got cocktails at Tahiti Nui (another mai tai for Dave, a mezcal drink called a Smokin' Bryant for me). Lots of surf shops we weren't into, but clearly a lot to browse. 

We had managed to secure a reservation at Ama, a ramen joint in Hanalei. We split the green papaya salad (a favorite of mine anywhere) and each got a ramen. The setting is stunning; it's on the edge of the forest and you get to look at the beautiful hills and mountains to the south.

On the way out of town after dinner, Dave found a short hike to something called "secret beach," which I made fun of but apparently it was secret because we were the only people there for this stunning sunset.

"Secret Beach"

We watched the waves for a bit and had to head back because the trail was super dark; as it was, I had to turn the flashlight on my phone to avoid all the frogs!

Too short a time in Kauai; we got to see a lot, but there were hikes Dave didn't get to do, and we liked it even better than the Big Island. Next time we might spend the whole time here. 

Tomorrow, off to Maui!