Guest post by Kristina - Part 1...

Hey Everyone! This is Kristina, Dave’s sister, and I am doing a guest post of our recent visit to Kauai to see Dave. Kauai is amazingly beautiful and such a fun island to explore. Since the island is pretty small, we got to see the entire island during our stay, which was pretty fantastic.

We started Day 1 with a 5 mile hike of the Waimea Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It spans about 10 miles and they take about 45 minutes of windy switchbacks to get to the view at the top. The day started out a little foggy, but once we got hiking, the views were amazing! The trail was super muddy and slippery because of all the rain the week before, but that made it fun. We were done by 2 and decided to head to Salt Pond Beach, which is an inlet with calm waters and picnic tables. Dinner was at a nearby cafe, and we had some fresh fish tacos and ribs, yum! We ended the evening in awe with the stars. If you are city folks like us, you know you can’t always see stars, even on a clear night. The stars in Kauai were unbelievable! Most I have ever seen.

Day 2, we didn’t have a set plan, so we decided to sign up for a last minute excursion. It was a 5 mile kayak down the Wialua river, and 2 mile hike to Secret falls. The kayaks were doubles and the river was surrounded by forest and mountains. Nate and I were in the lead and having a blast. When we got to the hike, we were warned about “waist deep mud”, again due to all the rain.  It was the most mud I have ever seen, and we trudged through it up to our knees. So much fun to experience a mud hike.  \We ended up at the waterfall for a swim and a rest, which was really nice. The waterfall was raging, but the water was cool. The day was a blast and I definitely recommend this tour for some outdoorsy fun!  We sat outside with live music for dinner, and it was a great end to the day.

Day 3 was probably the most fun. We woke up early and headed out on a catamaran snorkel tour of the Napali Coast. First off, catamarans are awesome! You can sit up on the front and see dolphins and get some sun. They served breakfast and then we got to snorkel. The water was a bit cloudy, but Nate and I got to see and a pretty large sea turtle, which made it all worth it.They are amazing to see up close. We cruised the Napali coast and on the way we saw tons of dolphins and whales jumping fully out of the water.  I’ve seen plenty of dolphins before, but seeing the whales play and jump was unreal. They are so large and great to see up so close. The Napali Coast is spectacular!  An absolute must see in Kauai. The staggering cliffs, waterfalls, and caves were amazing. We cruised back pretty fast and I sat up front and got sprayed with water; it was a blast! I highly recommend this or the sunset tour of the coast. Dinner was one of the favorites, The Port Allen brewery.  We finally tried Poke, and the ahi tuna was delicious!