One of the Ten Best Hikes in the World

Many people were surprised when they learned I was taking Rosie, Rebekah and Andrew to Hawaii. I certainly did want to bring Rosie to this Paradise but I must say that one of the big draws was the NaPali Coast hike which is consistently rated as one of the ten best hikes in the world. The hike takes you along the rugged NaPali coast through some very difficult terrain but you are rewarded with drop dead views all along the way. The entire hike is 11 miles one way. We only did four miles but had a most unforgettable experience. It was without question one of the best hikes I have ever done.

Here are a few shots of the trail conditions -- challenging, muddy and steep in places. It is not a trail to be taken lightly and we were very grateful for our poles. Many hikers we encountered along the trail cast a covetous eye on our poles. The pictures below show why.


But the views throughout the hike were world class. The sheer green and rocky coast, with the blue water in the background were beautiful I'm anxious to come back some time in the future and do the whole hike. When we finished this hike we all went snorkeling at Ke'e Beach which is right at the trailhead. The snorkeling was fabulous -- countless colorful fish just off the beach where much of the musical South Pacific was filmed -- but it wasn't as good as the hike.

Shaved Ice, Monk Seals, Dolphins and Nemo!

Shaved ice with a layer of ice cream on the bottom - beats the old snowcones!
Beck and Drew tried boogie boarding with some pretty aggresive waves today.

We went down early to watch the sunrise and there lounging on the beach was a large monk seal. Then a little later on one of our walks down to the beach we watched the dolphins flirting with a kayak. They jumped out of the water and playfully teased the guys in the kayak.

Have you ever wondered where they get those fancy fish in the giant tanks you see in the Dr.'s office? Today we had a wonderous adventure learning how to snorkel here at Poipu beach and sure enough we were pleasantly amazed to see fish that were friends with Nemo! It truly was unbelievable! There were hundreds of all kinds of the most colorful fellows! They didn't seem to mind that we were swimming right there with them! In fact they were oblivious! It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. (Actually we hope to get to do it at least once more before we leave!)

I love you all

Hey everyone,
Just to let everyone know I have a new e-mail address:
horse9kids@gmail.com

I still have my hotmail e-mail too, you can e-mail me on either one, I really like g-mail, ti is so much easier to email and it is cool you acn chat to family or friends.
Everythign is going well at home, I am taking care of Tuffy.Sam, other pets, it is hard, I am diong well. I havein;t been feeling all that well, I think I caght a cold, oh well I will get better. I miss you all so much. School is giong well, I have one year left, I can graduate spring 2010, my adviosr said, I ahve 9 classes left, so I am getting clsoer nd closer. I ahve been working, babysitting alot, taking are of Tuffy, Sammy, ASL, etc. Tuffy is doing well, the vet is goign to float her teeth soon, and I will be able to ride soon the vet said. I will let you all knwo waht he said. I can';t wait to see you all soon and I am in the nursery now, it is fun. I love you all
love
Mels

The Grand Canyon of the Pacific

One of the most impressive sights on Kauai is Waimea Canyon which is often referred to as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific". It is indeed Grand, with brilliant red and green all around its giant steep walls and a few giant waterfalls on the horizon.

Here is good look at the canyon from one of the lookout points.


We took the Canyon Trail which was about four miles round trip, 1,100 feet of elevation gain with spectacular views of the canyon.

Here we are at one point on this beautiful trail.
The end of the trail is a waterfall which requires a little tricky footwork where one wrong step could land you 1,500 below the fall. Rosie and I decided we would go out there but the kids were understandably a little reluctant to follow. When Andrew saw us make it he decided he had to be out there but Rebekah did not want to come. This was the first time I can ever remember Andrew doing something that involved some physical, personal risk that Rebekah would not do. She has always been the fearless one. She eventually decided to make her way out there as well.

At the edge of the back of the falls.
Andrew in front of the beginning of the falls. Note Rebekah in the background.
Andrew and Rebekah at the edge of the Falls. The view was truly awesome.

We ended our exploration of the canyon by driving to one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen -- the Kalallua Lookout -- which overlooks the NaPali Coast. The clouds rolled in shortly after we got there so we did not get much time to enjoy it but here is one picture before the clouds covered everything.

Walking on Broken Glass

To come on this trip to Hawaii, Andrew and Rebekah had two assignments -- 1) Be in good enough shape to do the hikes and 2) Research Kauai and write a report with recommendations for three hikes they wanted to do and three beaches they wanted to visit. One of the beaches Andrew wanted to visit was Glass Beach -- a little known beach that is not mentioned in Guide Books and is just off one of the few industrial zones. We only had vague directions but when we found it this afternoon it yielded an unforgettable experience.

Andrew found out about it through a search on the Internet and was immediately intrigued and anxious to go. In his persistent way -- much like his older brother, Paul -- he has been bugging us about going there since we arrived here Saturday night. It is unlike any other beach in the world as much of the "sand" is sea glass. Billions of little and sometimes larger pieces of various colors of sea glass. As you walk barefoot along this beach, you are walking on glass but are in no danger of being cut as the sea and sand have rounded every piece off. We could not find one piece that was sharp enough to cut anything.

Here is a picture of Andrew holding a randomly picked up handful of Glass Beach "sand". Note the many colors and that virtually every piece is glass.

Note the glass in this shot of Rebekah's hand. It is like this for about 200 yards along this beach where we only saw a couple of other people the whole time we were there.


Note the glass shimmering in the sun as Andrew and Rebekah search for large pieces and different colors. All the "sand" you see in this photo is sea glass.

Eventually they decided to play in the water and find the pieces as they washed up on the beach.

After hours at the "best beach" they had ever been to, Rebekah and Andrew finally got so hungry they decided it was time to go. As we took the short walk back to our car this brilliant rainbow was in the north sky bringing a fitting end to a terrific day.

WALK

Here it is guys. I had Brandon take some fabulous photos with his wide angle.

Kauai is Spectacular

We arrived late Saturday night in Kauai after a long day of travel. Our expectations for this place were very high and so far we have not been disappointed. It is spectacular. Yesterday morning Andrew and I got up to watch the sunrise on Poipu Beach. It was named by the Travel Channel as the best beach in the country and others have named it the best beach in the world. Best of all it is just a three minute walk from the home we have rented.

Here is Andrew on Poipu Beach at sunrise.

After we attended Sacrament Meeting Service down the road a few miles (I had on a white shirt and tie and was clearly overdressed) we all went for another beach hike. Here is Andrew and Rebekah at Poipu Beach Their companion is one of the ubiquitous chickens -- apparently they got word of the Travel Channel Rating -- a rooster started crowing at 3:30 AM outside our house. They are everywhere.Rosie, Andrew and Rebekah

The sunset last night was even better than the sunriseRebekah and Andrew are holding up the sun to keep it from setting and bringing an end to an incredible day.
Rebekah and Andrew outside the house we rented, Nanea Kai, by the rental car we were given by Avis. It got Rebekah very excited -- a Mustang convertible. We love this home and it is plenty big for four more people. We were talking this evening about having a family reunion here and renting the identical house next door so all of us would fit. What do you think?

GOT PUMAS ON MY FEET

This is the best photograph I have seen in months.

Snowshoeing

It's hard to believe right now when there was a high of 62 today and we have the door open and a warm breeze is blowing through our house, that just two weeks ago there was a foot of snow falling in Bloomington. But there was. And we have the pictures to prove it.

Indiana University shut down for the first time in 30 years and we took the opportunity to go snowshoeing. This is the first time we've been able to use our snowshoes since we moved here and we were pretty excited.

We drove out to Griffy Lake and hiked around some wetlands and along the river bottoms for a good bit until we decided to hike up some of the ridges that undulate all over this landscape. Hiking up was pretty fun - we even had to do a little switchback action which doesn't really characterize hiking in these parts. But going down the ridges was even greater fun. We had a really great time and Joyce alternately looked peacefully around, ate some cheddar bunnies and raisins and then slept (on the best part - up and down the ridges). You can see her little legs hanging out of her sort of hideous purple snowsuit a friend handed down to us.

Can you see my glee?


By the time we returned from South Carolina (for John's grandmother's funeral) the snow was just about gone. Which meant we could take Joyce out for a run. She's the best, look at her:

What Joyce Does When She's Bored

Lately Joyce has picked up some new skills. She found a pencil while crawling around and proceeded to do this . . .

until she'd created this masterpiece:

During times when she is forcibly restrained (riding in the car) she likes to read and occasionally ingest books. It keeps her mind off the fact that she can't move when she wants to. John snapped this picture of her while we were out and about.

Groundhog Day

For many years we have had a tradition of celebrating Groundhog Day with a party that included great food and watching the outstanding Bill Murray movie, "Groundhog Day". This tradition was started by my brother Rob and our family picked it up. In fact, I recall flying all the way from Portland, Maine to Providence, UT to attend Rob's Annual Groundhog Day Party one year) Usually the party is at our home and we invite a few friends to celebrate with us. However, last year we held it in Bloomington, IN, as Rosie and I were at Julie and John's house celebrating Joyce's birth. One year we held it in Orlando, FL when we were there for a trip to Disneyworld.

This year it was here in Enumclaw. Andrew and Rebekah decided they wanted to make a cake with a Groundhog for the celebration. Those two are creative enough to make just about anything. Rosie made some excellent homemade pizza for dinner. We had a great evening and as always laughed at the movie and Phil Conners experiences helped reinforce our knowledge that happiness and peace only come through service and love.

Dad

SPECS

Someone in the craft department made these glasses today at work and my fellow working professionals and I all had a laugh trying them on. To make your own, cut out two eyes and the brow region (think Truman Show) from a large face in a magazine. Punch two holes in the pupils so you can see out of them, and then tape them to the inside of some old spectacle frames. You're sure to have an uproarious time.

me

Isabel

Abbey

Baby Jeffrey

Tanya