womanonabicycle .....: 9th April 25 - Kauai : Canyon, Coffee and Tundra.

So I landed in Kauai (K'why) on the 8th. A 40 minute flight, it was like going to the Isle of Man. Ascend. Descend. Done.

On the trip I was sitting next to a teacher from California. We compared notes. As a new teacher he has to wait for 'tenure' which is (basically, apparently) ten years of working before he is solidly employed at which point, they can't sack him. Ten years! And the pay is super variable as they don't have a blanket pay policy across the states, it varies from state to state. All sounds very dodgy to me.

Anyway, when I arrived in Kauai I collected my camping car. Literally a car which is set up to sleep in. By the time I had it, been shopping, spoken three Australians whose rental car had broken down and found a place to stop for the night, it was almost dusk (about 7pm). I stayed at Salt Pond Point (I think it was called).

The only issues with wild camping are that I don't feel comfortable cooking outside, plus there is always the unfortunate problem of waking up in the morning with a full bladder and an empty phone battery, neither of which is super fun. So for nights 2 & 3, I booked a camp site, where luxuries such as toilets, showers and electricity exist. The joy.

Wednesday 9th was A Great Day.

I started off with a drive to the Weimea Canyon then a short hike to view.

The online description:

'also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, is a large canyon, approximately ten miles long and up to 3,000 feet deep, located on the western side of Kauaʻi in the Hawaiian Islands of the United States. Waimea is Hawaiian for "reddish water", a reference to the erosion of the canyon's red soil.'

it was really beautiful and impressive.

And a bit martian like.

Along the way I read the nature signposts.

The trail's namesake plant lives for 200 years and only flowers once in its lifetime.

Following that, I got back in the car and carried on. I thought I'd keep heading West (basically the road goes around the island in a circle, but you can't drive an aspect of the North-West part). It's not a big island.

I was going to a place called Polihale State Park. Stopped at a bird sanctuary.

There is a little red bird here, which I keep trying to take a photo of, but it seems super shy.. Here's the best I managed..

Which I think is called a Hawaiian Honeycreeper or Apapane.

I carried on.

The road swung by the Pacific Mission Range Facility. Gulp. 😬

And then the highway came to an end. You know that, because there is a sign which says 'End State Highway' also, they stop painting it.

I reached the Polihale State Park. The signage..

The road was potholed and very bumpy. Coupled with the fact that there had been a flood the day before, during which 50 people were trapped on the Kalalau Trail nearby, I decided not to go. Turned around and went back the way I came.

Start State Highway.

Generally I decide what to do through a mixture of looking at what's about, (sightseeing, geographical features) and asking people. Then I either book, or I just head off and see what takes my fancy. Today was a really amazing day, which served up a treasure of delights.

First off, I visited the Kauai Coffee Company. Which is owned by an Italian company and which was a sugar cane plantation until the 80s.

Fittingly, their symbol is a rooster.

Ye olde coffee grinder.

This plant looked beautiful, until I read that it's fruit smells of vomit.

The place was really great. There's a coffee tasting flight (I tried them all), a cafe with amazing ice cream (I had macademia), a gift shop and a walking tour. The tasting and the tour were free and the staff were exceptionally friendly. They were just laid back and with great energy.

There aren't many British people here, so the accent is a thing and people talk to me because they want to hear it. Obviously, rarely tongue tied, I happily oblige.

Two of them, Lisa and J.C. Were just very funny and I ended up having a right laugh.

J.C. and the 'good energy selfie' (His description).

THEN, and this was the absolute highlight of my day, I drove past the Kauai Animal Humane Society. Something niggled me to pop in, so I did. As it was humane (no kill), I thought I might make a donation. Anyway, turns out that if you want to borrow a dog and take it on a hike you can. Sooooooo...

I borrowed this bundle of cuteness and we went for a walk to the beach. Her name is Tundra and she is 10 months old. She's a rescue pup who 'lacks confidence'. The people at the shelter basically have a little chat with you and match you to a dog. We were perfectly paired!

But really, Tundra didn't want to walk, she just wanted to snuggle. So we just snuggled on the beach. Where we inadvertantly gate crashed a destination wedding.

It was such a lovely, lovely moment. There was a man playing Hawaiian music and singing (before switching to 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' as the couple approached), there were flower garlands and head touching for the grooms, there was a lot of emotion, there was sunshine and there was a dog.

I totally fell in love with her (sorry Betty). If she was in the UK, she'd be at mine right about now.

Tundra ended the day chewing a coconut shell, which then she fell asleep on, before I took her home. This dog will have no trouble getting placed. Interestingly, many people come from the states to take dogs from this shelter and they get flown all over.

I then headed to the camp site.

Parked.