GO TUBING!!

How many people can say, "I sit in a tube, float down an old irrigation ditch, and get paid for it."? Not many I presume, however I was lucky enough to say that for 3 1/2 years while working at Kauai Backcountry Adventures. That's right, for 3 1/2 years I was lucky enough to take guests up into the interior of Kauai and float them down an irrigation ditch that was once used for watering sugarcane on the Lihue Plantation, which closed in November of 2000.
We would take guests up on 6 wheel drive Pinz Gauers (Swiss military vehicles) giving history of the land, flora, fauna, and the not so occasional bad joke (although we prefer to call it "cheese"). The views on the ride up are rare to the everyday vacationer as all the land(17,779 acres) is private property and Kauai Backcountry Adventures are the only ones with access. You get to see awsome views of Mt. Wai'ale'ale (the wettest spot on earth) and learn how the water for the ditch originates in the sky to the mountain, to the swamp, to the waterfall, to the river, and into the ditch. It's a great photo opportunity! Once in the ditch you float through 5 seperate tunnels, the longest being about a half mile. You get to wear a super neat-o helmet with an even cooler headlamp so you can see what your floating through. Your in the water for about 45 minutes to an hour stopping a few times for safety and once to tell you a story in the middle of the longest tunnel. At the end of the ditch, the drivers will pick you up and take you to the picnic area/ swimming hole where you are givin a sandwich, cookie, chips and water and you can swim in the natural swimming hole. It's a three hour tour (cue Gilligan's Island theme music) and will run you $100 plus tax. There is a 300lb weight limit (that's the manufacturers reccomendation for the weight limit on the tube) and if you have kids they MUST BE 5 years old AND 43 inches. (I'm gonna hop on my soapbox for just a second...Now this is an incredibly safe ride however, if you have a 4 year old don't ask them to lie about their age, while I'm sure they are a very mature 4 year old, a strong swimmer, and they probably would be able to handle being in dark tunnels for 70% of the ride, those standards are in place for the SAFETY of the guests and by making your child lie about their age, if something were to happen, the safety of the your child, other guests, and the guides would be compromised. Sorry, just had to put that out there!)
Now the tour sells itself as far as tours go, I mean where else are you gonna go tubing in Hawaii?? What really makes this tour so unique and so special is the staff. Of course you could be reading this thinking that my opinion is slightly biased and I would have to say that you are right to some extent. Kauai Backcountry Adventures has been very good to me and I am extremely loyal to the owners, management, and staff. This is the best group of approximately 50 people I have had the priviledge to work with. While this cast of tour guides are the biggest group of clowns you could possibly meet, they are also the most compassionate, funniest, knowledgable, and talented group of people to spend three hours with each one incorporating their own uniqueness to their tours.
You can reach Kauai Backcountry Adventures at 808-245-2506 or look them up on the web. BOOK THIS TOUR!!!!! You won't be disappointed, I promise.

Sunsets on the Westside!

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west and when it sets on the west side of Kauai it puts on a magnificent show that can only be explained in one word, HEAVENLY!! One of my most favorite memories since living here occured when Kevin (the love of my life) and I first moved here and were living in Waimea, right next to the river mouth. We were driving home as the sun began to set. Instead of pulling into the driveway of the ramshackle "house" we were renting, we pulled up to the river mouth to watch the sun go down. The sky was arranged with perfectly puffy clouds that spanned the entire skyline all the way to the horizon. The view from the Kevin's 86 Toyota pick up (affectionately named The Green Tamale) was the perfect balance of sky, cloud, ocean and sunlight. The dozen or so beams of light that broke free from the spattering of clouds grazed the ocean's surface as if God herself were searching for something she dropped and she needed the light to find whatever it is she was looking for. As the sun began to make its final decent into the ocean, the sky unfolded and turned the most awsome shade of pink. Not just any pink mind you, I'm talking cotton candy on steroids, 80's day glo, pepto bismol, the worst sunburn my irish skin has ever experienced, PINK! Everywhere you looked from west to east or north to south, the entire sky was gloriously pink. We both sat there in the Green Tamale utterly speachless (and for those of you who know Kevin, know that Kevin and speachless usually don't end up in the same sentence!). So if you are reading this and wondering what to do on a fabulous evening on Kauai...I recomend driving to the sunny west side of the island, (Waimea rivermouth, Kekaha beach, or my absolute favorite, Polihale!) bring your favorite beverage and pupu, pull up a nice mound of beach sand, take a deep breath, relax and take it all in! Enjoy!---Kat

First Entry

Hi, I'm Kat! I have been extremely lucky to live on Kauai since 2003 and have met some great people, seen some amazing sights, eaten at some great restaurants, and have developed some new hobbies. So the purpose of this blog is for you to enjoy and maybe get some ideas about what to do, where to go, where to eat and merely explain why Kat loves Kauai. I hope you enjoy