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After checking out the surfing we went farther north to where the world famous Hawaiian “shrimp shacks” are located.  Sumi, 8 months pregnant at the time, declined to partake in the deliciousness.

I had the garlic and butter shrimp and Susan had the spicey garlic.  If you don’t like garlic, I don’t think you had any options.  We were mighty hungry, and it was sooo good.  Totally doused in butter and literally a pound of garlic – it was probably best Sumi didn’t get a plate as her baby would have been born with heart disease from all the cholesterol.

If we get back to Oahu next year, we will be sure to sample the prawns.  For you easterners (hey, I had never heard of them either) a prawn is what I would call a mammoth prehistoric shrimp, ranging in size anywhere from a banana to 15 pounds of shrimpy delight.

Keith rented a boat from the Navy Marina our first weekend in Oahu.  We took it out about 5 miles to a massive sandbar in the middle of the ocean.  There must have been 30 or 40 other boats ‘parked’ around the edge of the sandbar.  You would walk for 1-2 miles in ankle to knee deep water to a remote island in the distance.  We didn’t have time for the walk,  but it was very serene.

We did some snorkeling while we were there.  The drop off was almost straight down – 400 feet to the bottom.  There wasn’t much coral although I did see a few big fish.  None big enough to eat me.

During our second week in Hawaii, we took a quick 30 min flight to Kauai, which is a small, lush, nature lover’s paradise. It has waterfalls (the opening to Fantasy Island was filmed here), hikes galore, beaches, and lots and lots of roosters. Apparently, there was a period when farmers let their animals go, and the roosters flourished. They have no natural predators (no snakes in Hawaii, coyotes, etc) so they are seriously everywhere….at the beach, in the mountains, at the parks, on the hotel grounds. I will forever associate Kauai with roosters.

Native warriors used to jump off Opeaka’a Falls to prove their manliness.  Thank goodness for beer and football today.

The name Opaeka’a means rolling shrimp; the name dates back to days when the native shrimp were plentiful and could be seen in the base of the falls.  It is one of the few waterfalls that can be viewed from a road.

The first day in Kaui Susan took a nappy nap and caught up on some serious jet lag, while I downed enough caffeine to kill a small rodent – perhaps one of the many chickens that invaded this island.  Into the rental car and down the road I went with my trusty tour guide, the 20 page brochure that we picked up at the airport just after we landed.

One of the spots I visited that day was called “Shooting Spout”.  Over thousands of years waves from the ocean rushed into lava tubes.  Eventually water broke through the surface and shot upwards toward the heavens.  This phenomena looks and sounds a lot like a whale blow hole.

The drive up to Waimea Canyon provided stunning views of the 3,000 ft canyon and a lot of  red mud and rock.  There are waterfalls all around, even running through this little area, which looks like an oasis in a desert!

We found out about this hidden rope swing and waterfall that locals like to frequent, and of course, that piqued our curiosity so we went searching for it.  I was a little dubious during the hike in, since the trail was not maintained (the grass was taller than us!) but it was all to shelter the privacy of this magical water playground!

Susan and I decided to hike 6 miles to the top of a waterfall.  I thought it was only 3-4 miles, and the trail started off really easy so I took my entire camera bag (weighing in at about 20 lbs for any of you who have picked that beast up).

After the first 20 minutes Susan said she wanted to go back, but after another 20 minutes of complaining she had hit her stride and would march on for another 1.5 hours one way.

We hiked through desert like areas, rain forest, woods, valleys, and finally… to the top of the falls.  It was a 200 foot drop and I was sitting with my butt 20 inches from the edge holding my camcorder and trying to take it all in.  No guard rails here baby – Crazy!

We went to Kealia Beach for day two of surfing in Kaui.  I was on a much smaller board and definitely struggled to get up and balanced.  It would be another day until I started to really master it, and by then it would be time to come home 🙁

Hawaii is known as the rainbow state and it’s with good reason.  Almost everyday in Oahu you see a rainbow.  Not quite as much in Kaui, but the sunsets there were absolutely amazing.  I grabbed these shots one night at dusk.  The sky had these beautiful layers of blue, pink, and lavender.