No fear of heights allowed!

Hi friends! I hope everyone is doing well, and I love when I hear from each of you.  Since the last post, I've added another new fish to the books, which is very exciting out here in the furthest west town in America.  It’s called the blue striped snapper, and I’ve had the most luck with catching it at night as you can see from the pic.

I had my first of many visitors last week. Nikki stopped in on the way to her awesome adventure to teach English in Thailand.  We checked out the Waimea Canyon, Polihale Beach, a Luau, and took on the challenging 8 mile hike to Hanakapia Falls (I didn’t get lost in the jungle this time…)  But we also did a few new activities that I hadn’t checked out yet, the first being Ziplining through the mountains.  Our guides were pretty funny, and showed us some neat tricks, like how to go upside down!

We also Kayaked the Wailua, which is a serene river that runs through the mountains towards the Eastern shore of the island. After about an hour of kayaking, we pulled off to the side and hiked (through some deep mud) to the “Secret Falls.”  Our guide must have been third cousins with Bob Marley (yes, for the reasons that you're probably thinking...) but he was really fascinating and friendly, and told us a lot of interesting facts about the history of the island.

The most extreme activity of the week came this morning at 7am, when we jumped out of an airplane named Sharky…  It was Nikki’s first time Skydiving, and my third, although this was by far the best view (no offense South Jersey and North Georgia).

Whale season is in full swing, and we've been seeing them just about everyday for the past few weeks. Here's a cool pic from this morning of a tail slap off the South Shore.

Lots of good meals this week!  If I had to pick the top 3, I’m going with the syrup infused taro chips, the malasada (Portuguese sugar coated donut), and the ahi tuna tostada that we had this week.

On a side note, this is one of the weirdest chickens I've seen in Kauai so far…

Mahalo for reading, a hui hou!

New Years in the Swamp

So I had an awesome week at home with family and friends, and was fortunate enough to go to the Eagles-Bears game, and get in a day on the slopes with the boys.  I got back to Kauai just in time to miss the bitter cold front… hope everyone is staying warm! I decided to celebrate New Year’s Eve at EST, so 7pm HI time.  I woke up bright and early New Year’s Day for a hike with my co-worker John.  The Pihea-Alakai Trail started at the top of the Waimea Canyon, about a 45 minute drive from my house.  The first leg was along the ridge of the mountain, offering some spectacular views of the canyon and ocean.

Shortly thereafter, the trail got steep (downhill) and muddy, as we traveled into a more swampy area.   At times, there was boardwalk on the trail, which provided a nice break from the otherwise challenging terrain.  I got lucky enough to see a few native forest birds here and there, although never long enough to snap a picture, as they are quick and seem to avoid human interaction.  But here is an example of one of the more unique species.

Along the way, we also saw some old Telephone poles, which are remnants of a World War 2 communication system.  After about 4 miles (2 hours), we reached the end of the trail, and were treated to a great view of Hanalei Bay, which is all the way on the North Shore of the island.  All that was left was the 4 mile trek back…

I went fishing a few times this week, and on Friday I actually saw a whale (tail only) and a sea turtle from my spot on the rocks.  I also caught my first Ulua fish.  They can grow to be HUGE as seen in the picture below, but mine was just a little baby so I had to throw her back.  Either way, it’s always exciting to check a new fish off the list.

There was a big showing from Eagles fans at Kalapaki Joe’s on Saturday, so it was fun to watch the game with my fellow Philadelphians, although the outcome was obviously not what we all hoped for.  This week, I plan to book a trip to the Big Island for the end of the month, so more adventures to come. Mahalo for reading, until next time!

Weekend in Oahu

I'm going to have to start this post off with the "Meal of the Week." On Thursday, I went fishing after work and caught a Moi fish (same type I posted a pic of a few weeks back). These fish are known on the island as the best eating fish you can catch from shore, and I've been told that they were once reserved for royalty only. I brought it to the nice lady at the local store where I purchased all of my fishing gear at, to thank her for all of her help, and since I don't really know how to scale/gut/cook it. She brought me in the back, taught me how to scale and gut it, and then graciously gave it back to me to bring home and cook. It was delicious, although fish always taste better when you catch it yourself...

This weekend, I took a quick trip over to Oahu, and stayed with my friend Andy's girlfriend Anna in Honolulu. We went to a local spot called Side Street Inn to eat Friday night, and then out to the bar with some of her friends, who were all very friendly.  Oahu is very different from Kauai, and Honolulu is much like any other major city, so this was a much needed change of pace for me. Saturday morning, I got up early and did a short hike to the top of Diamond Head Crater. The views were really awesome.

After that, I drove up to the North Shore and went swimming with the sharks. While the first group was in the water, the group of us that were still on the boat got very lucky and saw a few whales surface. When it was our turn to enter the water, I surprisingly wasn't nervous at all. The water was extremely blue and clear, and there were sharks everywhere. They were mostly Galapagos sharks, anywhere from 6 to 15 feet. We were out in an area where crabbers often go, so the crew told us that the sharks have been conditioned to associate the sound of the boat's engines with food (crabs that don't meet the size limits and get thrown overboard). But I never once saw one of them make an aggressive move of any sort. It is really cool how close you are to them, with just some metal bars between you.

The crew told us that there was a big surfing competition a few miles away at a beach called Banzai Pipeline. Well, apparently this was pretty big surf event, and the road going there is 1 lane, so the "few miles took" me almost 2 hours... But it was a very nice drive, passing by some really cool beaches, and extremely expensive looking houses. The drive proved well worth it, because the event was really something else. I was shocked to see the thousands of people on the beach, as well as how close I could stand to the water. At one point, Kelly Slater walked by me and I got a great picture. Kelly Slater by the way is known as the hands down greatest surfer of all time (7 time world champ), and is still doing it in his 40s. The waves were massive, many well over 20 feet, and far bigger than I have ever seen in person. I got there just in time to see the two Semi Final heats, and the Finals, so it was some great surfing. Each heat was 35 minutes, and the surfers got to use their two top scores. Whenever someone dropped into a big wave and briefly disappeared into the "pipe," the whole crowd kind of gasped and held their breaths, and if the guy emerged still standing, the crown went wild. Overall, very different and worthwhile experience. I think I heard the word gnarly well over 50 times...

After that, I headed back to Honolulu and went to a BBQ with Anna and some of her friends. It's very cool to hear people's stories about how they ended up in Hawaii. Some grew up there, some moved for school or work, and some just wanted to try something new. Sunday morning I went to Pearl Harbor, which was a very humbling and captivating experience. The tour started with a half hour long video, which explained the events leading up to Pearl Harbor, footage from the attack, and the events that followed. Then, a boat captained by the US Navy took us out to the USS Arizona Memorial, which sits on the water on top of the actual sunken wreckage itself. The smell of oil which still seeps from the ship was surprisingly strong. It was fascinating to hear some of the stories from the park rangers. The one that stuck with me was the fact that many of survivors from the USS Arizona's crew (of which 1177 perished and 335 survived) choose to be laid to rest with their fallen brothers. So when they pass, they are creamated, and after a ceremony aboard the memorial, a Navy diver brings their urn down to the wreckage to be laid.

After Pearl Harbor, I caught a glimpse of a few of the NFL games over lunch, and then headed to the airport and back to Kauai. Oahu was awesome and I'm going to try and make it back in a few months if I can, as there are some awesome hikes I would like to try. I'll be home the two weekends for the holidays (very excited to see everyone!), so next post won't be for a few weeks. Mele Kalikimaka everyone!

Well worth the hike

Another busy week at work! The installation piece of the effort is wrapping up, and the test program is underway. It will culminate with a final test in a few months where the system has to detect and destroy a missile - pretty cool stuff. There was a ceremony on Friday to kick off the test program. A lot of navy brass were in attendance, and it was neat to hear them discuss the background of Aegis Ashore and how the Navy came to run a land based operation (usually would be Army). I also found a group of guys on base that play pickup basketball a few days a week during lunch, so I'm real excited to get back on the court. Pretty cool view from the court.

Saturday was the highlight of the week, and my time here thus far. I undertook the challenging hike to Hanakapi'ai Falls, along a portion of the Kalalau Trail, which is a 12 mile trail into a region of the island that is not accessible by car. It's that green part on the northwest side of the island.

I got up at 5am for the 2 hour drive to the
north shore, and was on the trail by 730am before people started to show. The first stretch of the trail was along the cliffs of the Napali coast - the views were awesome. Lots of changes in elevation, and lots of rocks and small streams to traverse, but overall not too bad. The first 2 miles took me about an hour and lead to a small, secluded beach. When I got there, it was just me and few people that had camped overnight - very serene.  I didn't go for a swim, partly because of the extremely intimidating signs saying how many people have died swimming, partly because of the 15-20 foot waves I was staring at, and I think mostly because I was just excited to get to the waterfall.

Then came the 2 mile stretch into the rainforest. This stretch of the trail isn't really a trail, except for a few pink ribbons someone has tied around trees every 5-10 minutes of the way, which saved my butt a few times as it was very easy to get lost. I ventured in, and the terrain quickly became much more difficult. Very rocky, very slippery, very steep. There were also five or so times where I had to traverse a stream / river (depending on how much it has rained). It rained a lot this week... I found myself waste high at times, fighting a strong current. Kind of scary to be truthful.

I lost track of the pink ribbons at one point, and briefly felt the fear that I was literally lost and alone in a rainforest. I guess because I was! But after 20 minutes or so of some backtracking, I found the pink ribbons again and pressed on. And finally, I turned a corner, and saw this.

I almost slipped on my rear end running the rest of the way! It was an amazing sight. A 300 ft waterfall, a large pool to swim in, and I was the only one there... I found a little cave to block my things from the strong mist coming off the falls, ate some lunch, and went for a swim. The water was cold and refreshing. After about 15 minutes on my own, a few others started to trickle in, which was good because I was able to get in some pictures. The hike back was exhausting, as my body was worn, and the sun was high overhead. But 8 miles, 5.5 hours, 6 water bottles, and 2 sandwiches later, I finally made it back to the car. This was one of the more challenging things I have ever done, but very well worth it.

Sunday I found myself back at Kalipaki Joe's at 8am to watch the Snow Bowl - another awesome win by the birds! I also played some beach volleyball with a few people from the base, but boy were my legs dead from the hike. After that I stopped by a BBQ that a co-worker was having to thank and say goodbye to all of the team members that have been here working hard on the installation effort for a few months and are leaving this week. Meals of the week: just a classic fish and chips (probably tasted so good because it was right after the hike) and smoked ahi tuna with pepper flakes.

Next weekend I am going to the island of Oahu to check out Honolulu, Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor, and whatever other adventures I can find. I am staying on the couch of a friend of a friend (Andy's girlfriend for my Atl readers), so hoping she has some good tips for me. And the following weekend I'll be home for
Christmas! A HUI HOU

Time for a Luau

Sooo about 25 folks (Lockheed employees + family) went to a luau for Thanksgiving at the Grand Hyatt hotel, which I must say is one of the nicest hotels I've ever seen.  The luau was lots of fun, AND it was all you can eat and drink.  One of the servers got stuck walking back and forth between our table and the bar re-supplying our table with Mai Thais all night.  And the food was great.  They had the classic luau roasted pig, plus teriyaki steak, bbq chicken, tons of sides, and they even put out turkey and stuffing!

The show was quite entertaining as well.  There was a pretty funny host (who was half Hawaiian, half New Jerseyan, oh yeaaa), a band, male and female dancers, and a fire thrower, which was my favorite part of the show.

It rained quite a bit this weekend, but I did find some time to bike, surf, fish, and explore a little.  I went to see Spouting Horn, which is a place where water rushes under a lava shelf in the rocks and bursts through a small opening at the surface.  On big waves, it was shooting like 30 feet, pretty neat.  I also checked out a place called Glass Beach, where pieces of finely crushed glass wash to the beach from an old off shore dumping site for cruise ships.

Meals of the week (besides the luaua): I finally got to try a Puka Dog.  This places bakes their own Hawaiin sweet bread, and then they impale it on a hot rod, leaving a nice little slot to drop a hotdog down into.  Then comes the choices... For the dog: Polish Sausage or Veggie?  For the garlic lemon secret sauce: Mild, Spicy, Hot or Lava?  And for the Hawaiian fruit relish: (yes I said fruit relish for your hot dog) Mango, Pineapple, Papaya, Coconut, Banana, or Star Fruit?  And it comes with a side of Auntie Lilikoi’s Hawaiian mustard, which was actually my favorite part.  Interesting meal to say the least, but very tasty!  I also went to a little hole in the wall place to try Saimin, which is a very popular Hawaiian noodle soup.  I got mine with shrimp tempura on top.  Nothing crazy, but still very tasty.

I got up at 7am Sunday and returned to Kalipaki Joe's for the Eagles game.  I think I may have been the home jinx... But I'll take the wins! And I booked a trip to the island of Oahu for mid December, so I'm pretty excited for that.  Hoping to do a hike and maybe go deep sea fishing next weekend, depending on weather.  A hui hou - until next time!