I had expectations of crying myself to sleep huddled in a corner with my knees tucked into my chest while I rocked back and forth, cradeling a cheap box of wine, 3/4 empty. Turns out turning thirty isn't as bad as it seems. It was actually a glorious day spent with my babes (Kevin and Kassidy) up on the North Shore in Hanalei.
If you only have a short trip planned here on this gorgeous island of Kauai, the North Shore is a must on your "to do" list.
First off the ride up to Hanalei is spectacular and I always find myself asking Kevin, "Why don't we come up here more often?" The large albezia trees with there expanding canopys creates the rainforest effect that draws alot of people to Kauai. There is a beautiful waterfall on the drive up and gorgeous sprawling fields that have horses grazing in them. It really is postcard picture perfect. Then as you decend into the town of Hanalei you are greeted by the emerald green taro fields and gorgeous mountains that have skinny waterfalls and springs running down their faces and the pinnacles of these mountains are tenderly dusted with moist clouds that are passing through. The various shades of green ferns, flowers, trees, and other plant life that spackle the landscape are constantly changing shades as the sun changes vibrancy over them. It almost looks like the mountains are moving. It may seem cliche' to say, however, your not in Kansas anymore.
We started our day up there with a great lunch at the Hanalei Gourmet where Kevin got the fish and chips and I got a delicious veggie burger that had pine nuts and carrots in the burger mix. Both dishes came with french fries that were perfectly crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside.
We then headed on to the beach...a spot half way between the Hanalei pier and Pine Trees that had a perfect view of Puff the Magic Dragon (You know that song by Peter, Paul, and Mary about the dragon that lived by the sea in a town called Hanalei!). It was perfect! We set up our little shade tent for Kassidy and spent the next couple of hours hanging out laughing, talking, and swimming. We took Kassidy in the ocean and played with her in the surf. We showed her the Hanalei paddle team practicing and were treated to a huge rainbow from a passing shower over the mountains.
One of our very best friends Justin (who I will lovingly refer to as the "cub". If you knew him you would understand why we call him that) has lived on the North Shore for a long time and it is always a treat when we get the opportunity to hang out with him. So we met him at Pine Trees so he and Kevin could go for an evening surf session (Can you believe it?? Kevin went surfing and I'm pretty sure hell didn't freeze over!) after which we had a FABULOUS dinner at Kalypso's which is a restaurant located pretty much dead center Hanalei. This place has great food! I had the shrimp pasta that was loaded with shrimp, but what Kevin had would knock your socks off!! He had the crab crusted opakapaka that had some creamy chili sauce on it with mashed potatos and veggies. To die for!! Topped off with a chocolate suicide cake and a great glass of wine (which by the way, on Thursdays all of Kalypso's bottles of wine are marked half off!)
It really was a fantastic way to spend my thirtieth birthday with my man, my beautiful baby girl, and a good friend. I felt like the luckiest girl alive yesterday! It really would be a great day for anybody, like I said before, if you are here on Kauai for only a short time definately hang out for a day in Hanalei.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Maha'ulepu
Ahhh... what a beautiful 5th day of July!! One of my most favorite beaches to go to has always been the lovely beach of Maha'ulepu. Located in the sometimes smothering and touristy Po'ipu on the south side of Kauai it is pristine and relatively untouched except for the dusty, rocky road that leads you out there. Kevin, Kassidy and I met up with our friends and their baby today for a day of fun in the sun, under a spf 50 sunshade, with the babes. The sky crisp, the clouds puffy, and those wonderful trade winds were perfectly distributing warmth from the sun and cool from the ocean. A fantastic post Independence Day celebration on a gorgeous stretch of Kauai coastline.
Today the Maha'ulepu area is owned by Grove Farm (which is owned by Stephen Case, co founder of AOL and encompasses approximately 40,000 acres, purchased in 2000), which if you spend anytime here on Kauai you are bound to see those green Grove Farm gates. For all you history buffs out there here is a brief run down of Grove Farm and the land: In 1850, after the Great Mahele, which was the act allowing non natives to purchase Hawaiian land, Warren Goodale is the first owner. Goodale sells the land to James Marshall for $3,000 who holds onto it until 1856 at which time he sells to Judge Herman Wideman for $8,000. In 1864 George N. Wilcox takes over the lease and will run Grove Farm successfully from 1870-1933. Grove Farm was synonomous with sugar cane and while sugar cane cultivation in Hawaii has ceased operations, Grove Farm has diversified into cattle ranching, as well as other agricultural endevours such as taro, trees, corn...The Grove Farm land has also been subject to land development and if you spend any time on the south side you will see tons of resorts, shopping centers (some not even finished being built), and restaurants.
So why give you all the above information when I am really trying to highlight the beauty of a beach?? Well because there are rumors that said beautiful beach may one day fall victim to the same sort of land development as its sister coastline just to the west. Which would be a shame as almost the entire landscape is a cemetary and precious to the ancestors of those buried there. Not only that but it is home to a blind cave spider that is on the federal endangered species list as well as where the endangered monk seal likes to snooze. There are petroglyphs and sacred heiau and every once in a while you can see a local throw net fishing. There are tidepools with marine life thriving and I hope to one day very soon be able to share with my daughter the uniqueness and beauty of this place where the ocean meets the sand. How is anybody to teach the up and coming generation respect and love for the land when there is a resort standing where a sacred heiau once stood, or where pua pilo once grew??
I encourage you to visit a wonderfully fantastic website www.malama-mahaulepu.org This website is dedicated to the preservation and education of the true value of this particular piece of land and all of its natural resources. I also encourage you to visit Maha'ulepu and see for yourself how truely wonderful this place is just the way it is, completely untouched.
Today the Maha'ulepu area is owned by Grove Farm (which is owned by Stephen Case, co founder of AOL and encompasses approximately 40,000 acres, purchased in 2000), which if you spend anytime here on Kauai you are bound to see those green Grove Farm gates. For all you history buffs out there here is a brief run down of Grove Farm and the land: In 1850, after the Great Mahele, which was the act allowing non natives to purchase Hawaiian land, Warren Goodale is the first owner. Goodale sells the land to James Marshall for $3,000 who holds onto it until 1856 at which time he sells to Judge Herman Wideman for $8,000. In 1864 George N. Wilcox takes over the lease and will run Grove Farm successfully from 1870-1933. Grove Farm was synonomous with sugar cane and while sugar cane cultivation in Hawaii has ceased operations, Grove Farm has diversified into cattle ranching, as well as other agricultural endevours such as taro, trees, corn...The Grove Farm land has also been subject to land development and if you spend any time on the south side you will see tons of resorts, shopping centers (some not even finished being built), and restaurants.
So why give you all the above information when I am really trying to highlight the beauty of a beach?? Well because there are rumors that said beautiful beach may one day fall victim to the same sort of land development as its sister coastline just to the west. Which would be a shame as almost the entire landscape is a cemetary and precious to the ancestors of those buried there. Not only that but it is home to a blind cave spider that is on the federal endangered species list as well as where the endangered monk seal likes to snooze. There are petroglyphs and sacred heiau and every once in a while you can see a local throw net fishing. There are tidepools with marine life thriving and I hope to one day very soon be able to share with my daughter the uniqueness and beauty of this place where the ocean meets the sand. How is anybody to teach the up and coming generation respect and love for the land when there is a resort standing where a sacred heiau once stood, or where pua pilo once grew??
I encourage you to visit a wonderfully fantastic website www.malama-mahaulepu.org This website is dedicated to the preservation and education of the true value of this particular piece of land and all of its natural resources. I also encourage you to visit Maha'ulepu and see for yourself how truely wonderful this place is just the way it is, completely untouched.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Oh My Yoga!
If you would have asked me about doing yoga or anything yoga-ish a year ago, I probably would have rolled my eyes and made some remark about tree hugging, patchouli wearing, psudo "hippies". Although that remark would have been incredibly uneducated and soley based on the opinion of somebody who has never endured an hour of this unbelievable workout. What can I say? I'm hooked.
My interest in this activity began when a friend of mine started taking pre natal yoga while we were both pregnant. Now I went from somebody that, pre preganancy, was running 4 miles a day and riding my bike to work, to somebody that resigned to sitting on her super comfy couch with a pint of Ben n Jerry's for the duration of the 41 1/2 weeks that I was pregnant. Probably not the wisest choice seeing as here I am almost 4 months post natal and pretty unhappy with the way my body is looking. But alas, there is a light at the end of that chocolate coated, cream filled, tunnel.
That light comes in the form of a petite blonde named Samantha Fox who for the past 4 Tuesdays, has given me hope that there is a very real possibility that I might glide (without the aid of crisco or pam cooking spray) back into those torn and tattered Levis that give my booty the right amount of lift. For an hour Samantha combines her knowledge of yoga, pilates, and gyrokenisis (sorry about the spelling!) to get me to stretch, strengthen, tone and take a deep breath thus giving me hope that my body will eventually, with a little patience and alot of sweating, return to it's normal pre baby size. What really helps me are the inspirational words (gratitude, joy, light... just to name a few) she uses to ensure that my body is receiving the most optimal workout possible. I've left each one of her classes feeling uplifted, calm, and eternally grateful to Kevin for allowing me to go to these classes, for my daughter, for my friend that introduced me to this great teacher, and to Samantha for this lovely gift of hope.
I do have to say though, this class isn't a walk in the organic farm wearing birkenstocks, lemme tell ya! My legs are as limp as a wet spaghetti noodles. The small act of picking up my wallet and water bottle off the ground after the class is over usually requires a small internal cheer, and my stomach muscles feel like The Incredible Hulk looks. Although the way they feel and the way they look are two COMPLETELY different things (because they still resemble tapioca pudding...white, lumpy, and jiggly!). But again, there is hope!
So if you are visiting or are lucky enough to live on Kauai and want an incredibly mind, body, and soulful workout, check out any of Samantha's classes on her website at www.kauaiyogaandfitness.com. It's more than just a class, it's an experience! But please leave the patchouli at home.
My interest in this activity began when a friend of mine started taking pre natal yoga while we were both pregnant. Now I went from somebody that, pre preganancy, was running 4 miles a day and riding my bike to work, to somebody that resigned to sitting on her super comfy couch with a pint of Ben n Jerry's for the duration of the 41 1/2 weeks that I was pregnant. Probably not the wisest choice seeing as here I am almost 4 months post natal and pretty unhappy with the way my body is looking. But alas, there is a light at the end of that chocolate coated, cream filled, tunnel.
That light comes in the form of a petite blonde named Samantha Fox who for the past 4 Tuesdays, has given me hope that there is a very real possibility that I might glide (without the aid of crisco or pam cooking spray) back into those torn and tattered Levis that give my booty the right amount of lift. For an hour Samantha combines her knowledge of yoga, pilates, and gyrokenisis (sorry about the spelling!) to get me to stretch, strengthen, tone and take a deep breath thus giving me hope that my body will eventually, with a little patience and alot of sweating, return to it's normal pre baby size. What really helps me are the inspirational words (gratitude, joy, light... just to name a few) she uses to ensure that my body is receiving the most optimal workout possible. I've left each one of her classes feeling uplifted, calm, and eternally grateful to Kevin for allowing me to go to these classes, for my daughter, for my friend that introduced me to this great teacher, and to Samantha for this lovely gift of hope.
I do have to say though, this class isn't a walk in the organic farm wearing birkenstocks, lemme tell ya! My legs are as limp as a wet spaghetti noodles. The small act of picking up my wallet and water bottle off the ground after the class is over usually requires a small internal cheer, and my stomach muscles feel like The Incredible Hulk looks. Although the way they feel and the way they look are two COMPLETELY different things (because they still resemble tapioca pudding...white, lumpy, and jiggly!). But again, there is hope!
So if you are visiting or are lucky enough to live on Kauai and want an incredibly mind, body, and soulful workout, check out any of Samantha's classes on her website at www.kauaiyogaandfitness.com. It's more than just a class, it's an experience! But please leave the patchouli at home.
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