Brian's Photo Tips, Volume 1

When taking an arm's-length self-portrait, remember to zoom out first.

Hawaii Diary: Waimea Canyon

Waimea Canyon is one of Kauai's many natural wonders. Stretching for over 10 miles from north to south, and over 3500 feet deep, it's highly reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, just not as big. Waimea Canyon State Park lines the western edge of the canyon, and at the north end, Koke'e State Park stretches another 4 or 5 miles to the north and east, covering the plateau at the top of the Na Pali coastline ridge. Unfortunately, with the steep mountain range along the Na Pali Coast preventing direct travel by car, we had to nearly circumnavigate the island to get there -- a 2 hour drive (over 70 miles) just to travel 11 miles, as the crow flies.

Our plan was to drive to Koke'e State Park, stopping at the canyon overlooks on the way, and then hike one of two loop trails: one went out to the ocean (halfway down the Na Pali coastline) and back, and the other ventured into the Alaka'i Swamp, giving us a taste of a remote rainforest near the wettest spot on earth. We couldn't decide which we preferred. While the coast loop would certainly have better vistas, the Alaka'i Swamp had the potential to be a more unique experience.

The weather was looking pretty good as we made our way to the canyon mouth on the south end, although it got cloudier as we continued north. There are numerous overlooks along Waimea Canyon Drive as you ascend the western canyon wall, with incredible views. Sadly, my photos show much more haze than I remember, and I apparently need to learn how to better use my camera's panorama feature, since there are all kinds of weird light and perspective distortions going on in the series I took. Anyways, we stopped at 3 or 4 overlooks, but I was getting nervous since more and more clouds seemed to be rolling in. I knew, based on our experiences earlier in the week, that rain clouds were likely to start rolling in at any time in early afternooon. If we didn't get going, we weren't going to see anything on either of our planned hikes..

We made our way toward the end of the road, which is home to the Kalalau Beach Lookout and the trailhead for the swamp loop. The lookout was beautiful, it was sunny at the shoreline and and we were just under the cloud deck that formed as the moist ocean air was forced up the valley wall. You could actually watch this happening. As we proceeded to the trailhead for the Alaka`i Swamp loop, we ascended into the clouds and everything was completely socked in. The parking lot at the end was also completely full, and overflowing well down the road. We decided to turn around and take the coastal loop.

As we parked at the other trailhead and started down the trail, it continued to get more cloudy. It was clear that if we didn't hurry, we weren't going to see anything, and a hiker coming the other way told us it was clouding up fast. We booked down the 3 mile Awa`Awapuhi Trail in just over an hour, and got to the viewpoint with about 5 minutes to spare. We only just barely got to look down into the Nu`alolo Valley before our viewpoint was also completely fogged in. There was nobody else there, and it was really rather serene and tranquil -- except for the helicopters buzzing around us every 10 minutes. We ate our lunch as the mist enveloped us, while listening to the helicopters zooming in and out of the valleys below.

After lunch we decided to turn back to the car instead of completing the loop, since there was nothing to see in the fog anyways. Good thing, too, since it started pouring rain after about 15 minutes. The rain was off and on for most of the climb back, through the muggy rainforest. We got back to the car and decided to try going back to Waimea Canyon, hoping the weather would be better further south and inland.

Sure enough, it was, and we followed a combination of trails to a cliff overlook, and the top of Waipo'o Falls. After following a gravel road for a while, we used a combination of the Cliff, Black Pipe, and Canyon Trails, to get to the falls. The route is very interesting, with the first section through the woods and then the next session along the top of an open ledge, with excellent views of the canyon. These 800-foot falls are visible from many of the Waimea Canyon lookouts, but the only trail goes across the top. Before the stream makes its plunge over the falls, it wends through a lush and tropical garden full of ginger plants. The flowers and fragrances were lovely, even if the plants are considered invasive and are taking over the whole area. There is not much to see of the actual falls from the top, but there is a great view of an interesting natural rock formation on the shoulder of the Ka`ou ridge.

Since it wasn't obvious where to cross the stream, and it was going to be getting dark soon, we decided to head home. Rather than stopping for dinner on the way, we drove home first to get cleaned up. For dinner we tried Pau Hana Pizza in Kilauea, next door to the Lighthouse Bistro and recommended in several guidebooks. There were a couple of tables outside, but not much of a dining area, so we decided to get takeout and bring it back to the condo. The menu had some interesting flavor combinations, and the pizza was generally pretty good, but kind of expensive and not terribly memorable.

Reminder: Edith and Brian each have more photos and videos in their Flickr albums. There's no room for them all on the blog!

Hawaii Diary: Queen's Bath, Lighthouse, Waterfalls, Merriman's

We packed a whole bunch of random stuff into Monday.

Among the places suggested by the lady at the snorkel shop for first-timers was Queen's Bath, a tidal pool not far from our condo (not my photo -- borrowed from Flickr). Queen's Bath seems like a good place to get swept out to sea and drown in the winter, but in the summer at low tide, the pool is clear and calm. The snorkel lady described it as a "fishbowl", uninteresting for advanced snorkelers but an decent place to get started. The pool is down another steep dirt path that was very muddy, since it had been raining for a few days. When we arrived there was nobody in the pool, but a few people standing around it warily, wondering how to get down to the edge and whether to obey the numerous warning signs. Eventually one intrepid swimmer blazed the trail for the rest of the group.

Learning to snorkel is not hard. At first, it is easy to panic and hyperventilate a little bit, since you're not used to breathing with your face under water. However, once you get used to it, it feels pretty natural. The Queen's Bath was as advertised -- more or less a fish bowl. It's not very big, but there were several interesting species of fish, some of which were obviously used to interacting with people (you have to mind your fingers a bit).

We stayed there for maybe 90 minutes and went home to grill some hamburgers for lunch. Our friends A and C had strongly recommended Merriman's Restaurant on the big island for a fantastic 5-star dinner. We didn't have time to get to the restaurant while we were there, but I saw on their website that they had a new Kauai location, so we decided to try and go on Monday night. I called at lunchtime to make a reservation, and it was surprisingly easy, considering how popular the big island location was rumored to be. I asked for dinner for two at 7:30 and they said "sure, no problem."

We planned out a few things to do on the way there during the afternoon, since the Kauai location is in Poipu, on the south side of the island, an hour from our condo. First on the list was a return to the Kilauea Lighthouse, which was open until 4 PM. The lighthouse marks the northernmost point in Hawaii and was operational from 1913 to 1976, when it was replaced with an automatic beacon. It is part of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, serving primarily as a bird sanctuary for a variety of land and sea birds. There are hundreds of birds, of at least a dozen different species, that regularly circle around the cove next ot the lighthouse, including boobies, albatrosses, shearwaters and nene.

We spent at least an hour at the lighthouse, including a ranger-led "tour" which consisted of walking over to the edge of the overlook and having an informal but very educational discussion about the various birds that nest nearby. There is also a small museum about the lighthouse, and several excellent views of the coastline.

After the lighthouse we stopped at the 'Opaeka'a Falls overlook, which was nice enough but not very exciting. Then we made our way to Wailua Falls overlook, which is several miles up a side road, through an old sugar plantation. You can get closer to these falls, and I thought it was a more scenic area than 'Opaeka'a Falls. There was also some very interesting sun/cloud formations in the west, as the sun started to set. Since we were reasonably well-dressed for dinner, we didn't try to make our way down to the base of the falls using the "illegal" path.

After we had our fill of the waterfalls, we continued to Poipu, but we were still at least an hour early for our 7:30 reservation. Our map referenced something called Spouting Horn Blowhole, and we went to check it out literally just as the sun was setting. The blowhole is kind of neat, spraying into the air with each large wave.

We still had a little bit of time to burn and we drove around the Poipu area, which is probably the biggest resort area on Kauai. It was surprising to see several large condo projects under construction (some in the very early stages), considering the real estate downturn. The whole area felt much more "commercial resorty", in the style of Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach, than the area around our condo in Princeville. It was not over the top, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. We found ourselves wishing there was a little more going on up on the north side.

We stalled for long enough that we felt we could go to the restaurant and have a cocktail at the bar before our reservation for dinner. Merriman's Poipu is in a brand new shopping malllifestyle center that is mostly vacant, but starting to fill in. The restaurant is on the second floor and you climb up a grand staircase to reach the maitre d' stand. It's 7 o'clock and we say we just want to have a cocktail at the bar, and they look kind of confused, but bring us over to the bar. As we walk over to the bar it's clear why they are confused -- the room is not more than one third full. After discussion with the bartender over a couple of excellent mai tai's (one real, one virgin -- all fresh-squeezed juice), he explains that they'd just opened three days ago.

Even though it was obvious that the staff was still learning the ins and outs of running a restaurant (we were seated near a waitstaff terminal, so we could see some stuff going on behind the scenes), they were doing well, and there were no problems at all. The wine list was extensive and the manager/sommelier (not sure which) was knowledgeable and helpful. The menu is designed around the idea that as many of the ingredients are sourced from the islands as possible, ideally from the same island as the restaurant. The bartender said that Peter Merriman was still working on his Kauai connections, but there was a ranch just a few miles away that was providing lamb and beef, for example.

Sadly, it's taken me so long to write these blog entries that I don't really remember what we ate, besides our entrees. We shared some kind of salad appetizer and then Edith had some braised beef, while I had a lamb dish that was so good that even Edith liked it. We also had a dessert that involved a cake(?) and some kind of homemade ice cream. I know that doesn't make the meal sound very exciting, but the food was all terrific and we had a great time. There are some sample menus on their website if you want to get an idea of the rest of the cuisine.

After that my designated driver drove us home. :-) Lucky for you, dear readers, the next few days are full of hiking excursions that will probably lend themselves to photos better than text.

Hawaii Diary: False Starts

Sunday we tried and failed to go to several different attractions around the north shore of Kauai, because they were all closed for various reasons. We did get a better feel for where things were, but nothing particularly notable happened. I am pretty sure I can still write over 500 words about it.

We started off Sunday wondering if we could find the nearest beach to our condo. There was no direct beach access from our condo area, and the nearest beach we saw mentioned in any guides or maps was Hideaways beach. We decided that we just wanted to walk and scope it out, rather than spend the morning there, but I don't remember why. It ended up being a 15 or 20 minute walk from our condo, and hard to find since the access was hidden at the end of a parking area within another condo complex. Only a "private beach access" sign gave any sign that it was there.

A steep and slippery walk down the cliff ended in a small picnic area, with a short dirt path down to the actual shoreline. It was an attractive and secluded beach with nice views, but it was hard to tell how good it would be for swimming. There were many rocks on near the shore, and it was hard to see whether there was a good reef for protection against waves. The view across Hanalei Bay was excellent, and there were some surfers way off in the distance.

After returning home and eating lunch, we tried to go to Limahuli Gardens, which is on the northwest corner of the island, near the end of the road. The road (Route 560) is mostly narrow and winding, with at least a half dozen one lane bridges between Hanalei and the end. It's only 7 miles and about 15 minutes to drive, but it feels longer. After finally getting to the gardens, we found out they were closed on Sundays. D'oh! Should have called first.

With that plan busted, we decided that maybe it would be a good time to get snorkel gear for the week. Several people had recommended that we try snorkeling, since it is easy, low-impact, relatively cheap, and very fun. The condo activities coordinator pointed us to the local adventure supply shop, with rates of around $25 per week. However, Edith found an ad in one of the activities guides that claimed to have rentals for $9 week. We were pretty sure this was a teaser offer, but after calling them and having the woman rattle off 4 different options, all of which sounded cheaper than $25, we decided to go down and talk to her. Only problem was that it was in Kapa`a, 30 minutes away including the island's worst traffic, but we figured we'd add the Kilauea Lighthouse onto the itinerary on the way home to make it worth it.

The $9 offer was indeed a teaser, it was for the really basic, K-mart quality package. After explaining all the different types and how to get started, she eventually talked us into getting one of their better packages, again for $25/week. After all of this discussion we went to the lighthouse... which was closed at 4PM. We took some pictures at the overlook, but more on the lighthouse in a future entry.

Just as well that the lighthouse was closed, since it started raining again and we had to retreat to the car. We drove down to `Anini Beach, which was recommended to us for learning to snorkel and decided to go back later in the week. We headed home and tried to figure out dinner.

Our choice was the Lighthouse Bistro in Kilauea. Some Internet reviews seem to be mixed, but Frommers gave this restaurant a good review, and we had a very good experience. I had fish for like the third time in 4 days (ginger crusted Ahi, I think) and Edith had the Bistro Chicken (chicken with mac-nut and panko crust, with mac-nut pesto). Both were tasty and nicely presented. They had music on another night when we were in the same shopping plaza. We recommend it.

Hawaii Diary: Travel Day

Saturday we were to leave the big island for Kauai. We'd been in the tropics for three days and hadn't hit the beach yet, and we had a little time before our flight, so we tried to find a beach somewhere north of the airport. There were several turn-offs from the highway that looked promising, if we had more time or a 4x4 instead of a sedan, but the one we tried to get to was going to take too long. Recommendation: if you want to go to obscure beaches or other remote spots anywhere in Hawaii, spend the extra $$$ on a Jeep or other similar vehicle. You can walk or crawl your sedan in many cases, but it'll be easier if you have the right car. We turned around and ended up driving all the way to Waikoloa, where we eventually got to the "beach" at the Waikoloa Hyatt Resort. The Hyatt seemed like a nice place, but not really our thing, a little too Disney World-y.

Thanks to the wonders of modern airline travel, we had to waste a huge chunk of our day traveling, even though it's only about 250 miles between Kailuha-Kona and Lihue airports. Between the rental car return, check-in, security charades, flights, layovers and rental car procurement at our arrival, it took almost five hours. We flew on Mokulele Airlines (who?), a small Hawaii inter-island carrier that had recently (2008) gotten into serious regional jet passenger service. Their corporate history was complicated, but I was eventually convinced that they were legit. They got positive reviews on the web, they offered flights at the time I wanted, and for the same price as everyone else ($99). The flights were completely uneventful, which is perhaps the highest praise you can give an airline these days. Bonus points for attempting to serve me a coffee on the second leg between Honolulu and Lihue, where we spent about 20 minutes in the air. Mokulele subsequently merged with go! Airlines right after we left, who has mixed reviews, so who knows what the service will be like in the future. Doesn't matter much to me anymore, though. By the way, I love the big green courtyards inside the Honolulu Airport.

I would like to take this opportunity to complain about Alamo Rent-a-Car. We were stuck with them for the week on Kauai because they are one of the random vendors you may receive on Hotwire. Most of the Hotwire alternatives would be considered upper-class car rental agencies, except for Alamo (who is universally hated on the web), and I took my chances when the lowest rate was I could find was through the hotwire.com website.

I didn't explicitly mention that our Budget Rent-a-Car experience on the big island was fair, fairly painless, and trouble-free, but it felt that way at the time. The line was short when we arrived (10PM on Wednesday) and they didn't give us the hard sell on the usual rental car add-ons. The Alamo experience was much less pleasant. It started with a 20 or 30 minute wait in line at the counter, although if I'd known better, I would have used the self-checkin kiosk that was hiding in the corner. The counter agent was vaguely sleazy and gave the hard sell on every potential add-on. Approximate conversation:

Agent: Would you like to add any additional drivers?
Me: Is it free to add my wife?
Agent: It's (some ridiculous amount) extra, Hawaii state regulations.
Me: Oh, on the big island it was free.
Agent: [pause] ... They must have added it on to the rate.
Me: Whatever. I'll drive alone.
Agent: Would you like the collision damage waiver?
Me: I decline everything.
Agent: How about the [blah blah] waiver?
Me: I decline everything.
Agent: How about the Loss Damage Waiver?
Me: I decline everything.
Agent: Are you sure? If you have an accident, it could cost you hundreds of dollars.
Me: I decline everything. My AMEX covers loss damage.
Agent: It's a good deal1 If you have an accident, we have to ship the car to the mainland for 6-8 weeks and it's a couple thousand bucks.
Me: I decline everything!!! My card covers this!!
Agent: Most credit cards don't cover this.
Me: #@%#@!! I DECLINE EVERYTHING!!!!!!!111oneone

Finally he acquiesces, and sends me to the lot to pick my car, since I supposedly have my choice from the available mid-size cars (since that is what I booked). The mid-size row is empty except for a blue Chevy Cobalt that has more dings, scratches, and missing interior plastic bits than either of the 7-year-old cars that we own at home. Seriously. Not to mention that a Cobalt is not what most people would call "mid-size". Arguing with the lot staff failed to accomplish anything, and not being willing to wait another 30 minutes (at least) in line inside, I took about 30 pictures of every ding, scratch and missing part, and X-ed out the entire "pre-existing condition" diagram on the rental agreement. The guy in the booth at the lot exit (DO NOT ENTER -- SEVERE TIRE DAMAGE) was not amused when I complained, but I didn't think he would be. He did sign the stupid form, though. The car ended up being fine (if slightly underpowered on the uphills), but this is was not a warm fuzzy experience. Avoid Alamo, or Hotwire if you're not feeling lucky.

After all of this, we eventually left Lihue Airport for our condo in Princeville, a destination on the north shore of the island that blurs the line between town and real estate development. It's about 45 minutes from the Lihue airport. My parents were generous enough to give us a week-long condo rental for our honeymoon, courtesy of RCI and our timeshare weeks in Hilton Head that we no longer use. I won't go into the RCI swapping shenanigans that resulted in our landing in Princeville, but we ended up with a unit at The Cliffs at Princeville for the week. We were assigned to a second-floor condo in building 3, on the mauka (mountain/non-seaward) side of the property, which was recently renovated. The interior was very nice inside, except for a severe lack of lighting at night. We wondered if a table lamp was missing or something. The rest of the grounds at The Cliffs were very nice -- decent pool, ocean view (if you walk across the property) and the usual set of amenities for a complex of this type. The staff was friendly, especially the overly enthusiastic Activities Manager, and we were very happy with the accommodations.

We hit the local supermarket to stock up on provisions for the week, and after looking at a couple of local dining options, ended up at a completely generic and unremarkable bar and grill at the Princeville shopping center. I can't even remember the name. I don't know if it was allergies or jet lag or something I picked up from the planes, but I was not feeling so great, and we weren't feeling very adventurous for dinner. We crashed right after that.

Hawaii Diiary: Kona Coast

After spending half of the day before on the road, we decided to stay in the Kona Coast for our second full day on the big island. We first hit Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, formerly known as the "City of Refuge", but renamed to the Hawaiian name in the 1970s. The park rests on a lovely peninsula about 30 minutes south of our hotel.

In early Hawaiian times, warriors who were defeated in battle, or others who broke kapu (ancient laws), could find refuge in the Pu'uhonua, which is an area surrounded by a Great Wall and protected by the spirit of Chief Keawe`ikekahiali`i o kamoku (his friends called him Keawe). Consider that battles were to the death in olden times, so if you were losing, you ran for your life. The kapu were a set of laws forbidding various activities involving the Chief, or having some other spritual bent, and violating the kapu also meant immediate death. In either case, if you were able to evade the angry mob coming after you long enough to get to the Pu'uhonua (either by scaling the 10-foot high and 17-foot wide wall, or by swimming across the bay to reach the beach), you would be safe, since the Pu'uhonua was considered to be sacred ground. You would then be absolved of your sins by a priest and allowed to leave freely. It's not clear how the angry mob was supposed to know that you were saved, but whatever.

Next to the Pu'uhonua are the Royal Grounds, used by a series of chiefs and kings several hundred years ago. The grounds originally housed a bunch of thatched buildings, freshwater fish ponds (for food), and the royal canoe landing. Many of the buildings are now gone, although the National Park Service has recreated several of them in full size or scale models. The royal boat ramp was popular with green sea turtles. Not sure if the turtles were prosecuted for breaking kapu in ancient times, but the canoe landing was traditionally reserved for the chief only. Everyone else had to use a different one up the coast.

The park was attractive and educational, but not very big. We finished the self-guided tour in about an hour or 90 minutes. We planned to have lunch at The Coffee Shack, on Route 11 just south of Captain Cook, but there was a traffic jam approaching the restaurant, and eventually we were forced to turn around by emergency workers. It looked like there was some kind of accident at or near the restaurant. We made our way around the problem using very twisty back roads, and eventually landed at the Nasturtium Cafe for lunch. This small roadside restaurant (and I do mean roadside -- the front outdoor dining area is right next to the road) specializes in "healthy gourmet", with lots of organic-type stuff, all made from scratch. Considering the roadside accommodations, we opted for the new indoor space in the back, which was much quieter, if perhaps not quite in its final design. Anyways, the owner (also our server) was very friendly and lunch was very good, even if I can't remember what we had. I think I had a buffalo burger. Edith decided that salads are always better in Hawaii than back home.

Kona is well-known for its coffee, and after lunch we visited the Kona Blue Sky Coffee Company in Holualoa. The Twigg-Smith family has been growing all their own coffee on 400 acres for several generations. We watched an informational video while guzzling lots of free samples (B only), and the shop manager gave us a tour of their garden near the visitor's center. Unfortunately, there was not much of a legitimate tour going on while we were there -- no visiting the actual orchards, or activity in the roasting room. The coffee is quite good, though. Holualoa is also home to a collection of art galleries, which we spent an hour or two strolling through. A few were closed for some reason, maybe because there weren't many shoppers around on his Friday afternoon, either.

That completed our planned agenda for the day. Good thing, too, because we were feeling a little wiped, either due to delayed jet lag, or a caffeine crash. We went back to the hotel to take a short nap, and when we woke up, there was a beautiful sunset setting up. We wandered up and down the shore (and onto the neighboring golf course) for a while. I think my new camera takes very good pictures in "sunset mode"!

As I mentioned in an earlier posting, we were quite pleased with the Sheraton Keauhou Bay hotel. The location, right on the water, can't be beat, except if they had a sand beach and reef for snorkeling on site. Our room was reasonably large and recently updated. The bar/lounge was a comfortable place for some cocktails, open to the outside, with several levels of seating so that everyone can see out to the ocean from their table or couch. There is a patio area attached (where weddings probably occur), and there is manta ray viewing from the patio after dark. The hotel shines spotlights into the water, which attracts extra algae blooms, which attract the rays. We weren't able to see any, but there were several boats full of divers exploring the area after dark, so I assume it's working.

The entire hotel seemed to be trying to be kid-friendly. There was a movie night in the courtyard, the awesome pool, and other activities available. Kids seemed to be welcome in the bar, since there were a number of families there along with us, with no issues. This kid-friendliness is good or bad, depending on your point of view, but considering our situation, we viewed it as a good thing and would be happy to go back if we could get another deal.

Sadly, we couldn't stay longer. We ended up just grabbing a bite in the bar for dinner and crashing again after doing some packing. We had to leave for Kauai on the next day!