These were the words uttered by one Stephanie "Panama" Gingerich to us in May of 2009. Our response was a resounding, "Um, yeah!" Her grandparents had graciously offered them their timeshare as a wedding gift and Stefan and Stephanie had decided to make use of it. We organized our flights and car rental and waited patiently, or not so patiently in the case of Alisa and Stephanie for October 8th to arrive.
Thursday, October 8th - 2009
It was a very early morning. Dustin and I drove over to Gingerich East to meet up with their sainted neighbor Bob, who after only knowing the charming double S for a few short months offered to drive us to the airport at 5:30 a.m.! Our flights were scheduled to take us to Kauai with a very brief layover in Phoenix. On the flight, Stephanie and Alisa whiled away the time playing games, reading, watching movies and snacking while Dustin and Stefan caught some shuteye.
We arrived at Lihue Airport around 2:45 p.m. Kaua'i time. We picked up our bags and rental car (a snazzy Camry) and headed north on Hwy 56 toward Princeville.
We stopped off for rations at a Safeway and arrived in Princeville at 5:30 p.m. The timeshare was amazing! 
Unit 514 was to be our home for the week. It contained two very nice sized bedrooms with private bathrooms, a gorgeous kitchen with a wraparound countertop with a breakfast bar as well as a separate dining table, living room and private patio.After settling in, Dustin took charge of the kitchen and made an amazing dinner of lemon garlic chicken with chives, mashed potatoes, garlic and onion.
We drank a glass of wine with dinner out on the patio.
After dinner, we put on our swim suits and went exploring. We wandered the grounds and found the sand bottomed pool and took a swim. Later, we found a hot tub tucked behind a rock waterfall, made fully of stone with a sandy bottom. I made a joke about it being a spooky spot for a hot tub because it was so dark, but in actuality once you were sitting in the warm water with no lights shining on you, the stars were truly amazing and you could appreciate who bright the milky way was in the sky. After our dip, we headed back to the room and tucked in for the night.Friday, October 9th - 2009
We got dressed and headed to the resort activity planning session. After a light breakfast we headed out on an adventure. Our mission: To view the majestic Opaeka'a falls and Wailua falls. On the way through Kilauea, we stopped off at the lighthouse to take in the view.
We were on the lookout for the elusive Red-Footed boobie, noted for their sprawling crash landings. Which prompted the decision for Hawai'i trail names. Alisa would henceforth be known as the "Redheaded boobie". Stefan would become "Turtle", Dustin became "Cookie" and Stephanie's new moniker, "Coffee Bean". The inspiration for Alisa's trail name is probably obvious so it needs no clarification. Stefan was named for his green tabi shoes. Dustin the crew's chuck wagon cook and Stephanie proclaimed that she wanted to buy "barrels" full of coffee the moment she stepped off the plane.Leaving the lighthouse, we continued toward the Opaeka'a falls:
And Wailua Falls:
They were beautiful but too far away...we wanted to be in the action!After the waterfall viewing, we stopped in the town of "Old" Koloa. Here is the "tree tunnel" on the way to Koloa.
We had a delightful lunch at TomKats. The restaurant was an open air type of place with a large courtyard in the center where wild feral cats would meander. 
For lunch, Coffee Bean had the veggie sandwich, Boobie had the teryaki chicken sandwich, Turtle the fish and chips and Cookie, the "Hawaii Plate" with salmon salsa, pulled pork and poke. Poke was a type of fish native to Hawai'i I believe. This is also where we found the best beer the Boobie had ever had, Volcano Red, brewed on the big island and only available in Hawai'i.
After lunch we wandered through Old Koloa through a wee town square and learned a bit of the history of the town. Then it was on to Po'ipu beach where we donned our swimsuits and walked down the white sandy beach and into the ocean. 
The water was warm and delightful the bottom however, was a tad rough!
Cookie kept spotting the fish under his feet. Two folks swimming near us mentioned a snorkel rental joint not too far off so Cookie and Boobie headed over to procure two snorkel sets for the week! The fish were everywhere! Swimming and eating in the rocky bottoms. We saw a fish that was fluorescent pink, blue and green. The fish from Finding Nemo that Wilhelm Defoe voiced (Angel fish?) as well as a "unicorn fish" as was dubbed by the Coffee Bean. It was a large fish with a giant protuberance over his forehead.We then dried off had a bit of a fashion show:
and got back into the car on our way to the Kauai'i Coffee Plantation where the Coffee Bean could follow through with her moniker's birthright. 
Near the front door to the gift shop, we noticed a guest book of sorts. Guests would essentially sign their name and date they'd toured the plantation on the leaves of this bush. The leaves were extremely thick and spongy so the names would live on for a time without the use of any ink. 
We sampled many varieties of delicious coffee, and took a self-guided tour through the plantation. 
This wall of flowers was just begging to be sniffed! Boobie was happy to oblige. 
Before leaving the gift shop (where the Boobie and the Bean were laden down with their coffee purchases) the Boobie asked the store clerk where was the best place to catch a sunset on the island. Donette suggested the Salt Pond Beach for the sunset, which was only a mere couple miles away in Hanapepe.We headed to the beach to scope it out, it looked great, so we headed into Hanapepe to secure some food and beverages. We parked the car and as we walked to the end of town we were greeted by an artist outside a gallery, cleaning out his brushes. He asked if we were looking for the Taro guy. Being relatively new to Hawai'i we asked what taro was, only coming up with visions of palm readers in our minds, he explained that taro is the Hawaiian potato and that there was a guy in town that made chips out of the taro. He said people came from far and wide for these chips. We thanked him and headed in the direction he'd pointed us.
As we rounded the corner we spotted a rather "weathered" looking house. Cookie didn't break stride as headed straight on in the open door. The Boobie turned to the Bean and whispered, "Aaand this is where we die".
The Taro man was a man of few words, but he chips were worth a thousand!
Cookie and Boobie went with the garlic taro chips and Turtle and the Bean went for BBQ potato. 
They looked exactly like a potato chip, but with purple markings throughout. They were absolutely delicious!With our stellar chips in hand, we went to investigate the the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge which we'd seen advertised as we'd pulled into town. The bridge did exactly what it said it would...swing.
We noted that the sun was starting to get lower in the sky and so we hightailed it back into town for dinner and drinks. Cookie, not wanting his crew to starve, spotted a gray truck with Mele's Kusina scrawled across the side and a menu of dishes on a whiteboard. Being fans of "Feasting on Asphalt" we knew good food was within!
We wandered up to the truck and was pleasantly surprised to see a cute teenager working the counter! Not what we'd pictured.
We placed our order, Bean got the szechwan shrimp, Turtle the Thai Curry shrimp, Cookie the coconut shrimp and the Boobie the fried chicken thighs with a brown sauce and rice. The RH Boobie headed into the most ghetto liquor store on the island for beer. With our food, brew and taro chips in hand, we made our way back to the Salt ponds beach.
We found a table near the water just as a gorgeous sun set over the water.
Remember friends to watch out for falling coconuts! 
Saturday, October 10th - 2009We woke to Cookie making scrambled eggs, bacon and potatoes. We enjoyed breakfast on the patio as rain fell just past the table. After breakfast we suited up and headed for Back Country Adventures for some amazing cave tubing. The rain was pouring down but we didn't care.
We made it to Hanamalu where we met Kay, Jason, Jason(a.k.a. Hawaiian Fabio) and Erin, our tour guides. They provided us with hardhats, lights, gloves and after a 20 minute ride through the brush, we arrived at the starting point for the tubing adventure. Everyone was given a blue tube except the Bean, she got the only orange tube, which had a smaller hole in the middle for the wee folk (namely children). With the rain still falling steadily, we floated on. We went though a total of 5 tunnels that were hand-carved by Chinese immigrants from California. Boobie had to rely on the kindness of strangers as her headlamp didn't work. So for her to see the walls of the cave and the ceiling, she'd just ask whoever was floating beside her to look to their left, up, etc. Everyone in the group was so friendly and willing to accommodate it as good as having a light of her own.
During the final tunnel, we were asked to turn off our lamps and enjoy total darkness while they told the story of the owners who'd made the maiden trek in inflatable kayaks without the aid of any light. You could truly appreciate their challenging adventure after that demo! After the fifth tunnel, the guides encouraged the tubers to splash around, stand on their tubes, etc. The Bean popped right up and stood for a good long time, followed by Cookie, Boobie and Turtle. At the take out point, the guides made the comment that the last tuber out of the water has to pay a penalty to the waters, namely be tossed overboard by the guides...guess who was the last one out? That's right, the Boobie took a swim at the hands of Jason and "Fabio".
We hopped back into our jeeps and drove a short distance to the secluded lunch area for a splash in the swimming hole (it was still pouring cats and dogs) and settled in to enjoy a picnic lunch of sandwiches, chips and cookies under a protective awning. On the ride back down to the base, we chatted with our tour guide Kay for some good places to get fruit, a little nightlife, secret waterfalls and such. With our new-found local tips, we set off to find a farmers market.
We found a farmer's market just closing up shop near Kilohana. We picked up some avocado, guava, mangoes, papaya and a coconut for Bean. Our bounty:
That evening we headed to Kapa'a to the Olympic Cafe for dinner, then back to the condo for some pool time before turning in for the night.
Sunday, October 11th -2009After the gorgeous sunset on Friday evening, we knew we needed to see the sunrise at some point on our trip. Our plan was to try every morning if need be until we found a clear day for a sunrise. On Sunday morning we woke before the roosters could even get us (which was typically at 5:00 a.m. right outside Boobie and Cookie's window). We made some coffee and hopped in the car. As was the case for the majority of the week, either Turtle or Cookie were behind the wheel. This morning, it was Turtle's mission to get us to Kealia beach before the sun! We parked just as dawn was starting to break and wandered along the beach.
It was peaceful as we were only four of a total of 8 people on the entire beach at that point. The sun gradually broke the horizon and we were blessed with one of the most spectacular sights these eyes had ever seen.
We wandered the beach for a while, ending up at the far north end near some black rocks. 
As we were taking in the sun, Turtle's back went ramrod straight and he paused for a moment just staring at the shallow water 10 feet in front of him. Boobie noticing this asked him what was up. He replied, "Did I just... Is that a.... I think I just saw a shark!" The Bean bolted over the rocks toward the water, all care for life and limb lost, she was going to see that shark by gum, raw feet and tetanus be damned. Sure enough, a wee shark was slicing through the water near a fisherman's line.
We played at the beach for a short time longer...
...and when the rumblings in our tummies became too loud to ignore, we hopped back in the car and into Kapa'a for some breakfast. After closing Boobie's wet capri pants in the trunk of the car to dry on our drive. 
We stopped off at a darling bakery where you placed your order through the screen door and was greeted by the baker herself. (Her name escapes us now.) With our pastries in hand, Turtle steered the car toward the Smith Family Tropical Paradise park. 
We dined with a few peacock's, some chickens and roosters.After breakfast, we continued south toward Waimea. Our journey for the day would take us up the steep and winding road toward the Waimea canyon, a.k.a. the Grand Canyon of Hawai'i.
Not sure what was going on here...
Safety in numbers.
We stopped at two lookouts to take in the view. 
As we wandered back to the car, Cookie noticed a couple lacing up their hiking boots. He scooted up into the trees and came back with a huge smile on his face. Boobie has learned over the years that this means Cookie is up to something mischievous. An adventure beckoned. The four of us put on our hiking boots, loaded up our rations and hit the trail without any idea where it would take us.
Along the way, various vistas were good stopping points to take in the views.
Turtle indicating how far we'd come from the car. 
After hiking for twenty or so minutes we came to a clearing that had multiple signs pointing in different directions, we all breathed a sigh of relief as this was proof that we were on a legitimate hike on mapped trails and not just walking out into the wilderness willy nilly. We opted for the "Canyon Trail" to see if it could get us closer to the giant waterfall. As we hiked on, we started passing other folks on the trail which let us breathe even easier.
As we came out of some thick brush, we found ourselves on top of a giant dirt outcropping, hundreds of feet up on the canyon wall with not a guard rail in sight.
I can now admit with all honesty that it was the most scared I have ever been in my life. Cookie with no fear of leaning over ledges had to swear upon a stack of Sports Illustrated magazines that he would not get closer than 10 feet from the edge.
While everyone else got as close as they could...
...Boobie hugged the trees as far away from the edge as humanly possible, all the while singing show tunes to herself to keep from flipping out. Boobie then noticed a trail going back in to the woods, she called to the others to let them know where she was headed and found herself headed into some thick brush. The other three caught up a moment later and they carried on for a few moments until they found this hidden waterfall. 
The perfect place to dip your feet in the water to cool off and enjoy a snack.After our breather, we headed back the way we came with Boobie out front leading the way back, unfortunately for her nerves, she missed the turn back up the hill and ended up at the top of the giant waterfall.
This waterfall to be exact:
I promptly sat my butt down so I wouldn't lose my balance. 
Then the three monkey's decided to get even closer, while the Boobies heart was threatening to pound out of her chest!With that, we headed back across the dirt outcropping and back into the brush toward the car. We emerged from the brush back at the parking lot, successful in our adventure, but very hungry and getting dehydrated as our water supply had gone to empty. We headed farther up the Waimea canyon to the state park where there was thankfully the statepark had a restaurant in the lodge waiting to fill us up and rehydrate us after a very grueling, but rewarding hike.
We then headed even further up the canyon to see the final of two lookouts of the NaPali coast. Back in the car we headed down the mountain on a different route, the Ko'kee Road ending in Kekaha. We picked up more water and decided our next adventure for the day.It is here that I will pause and admit that I, one Alisa McCarthy Gingerich a.k.a. the Redheaded Boobie am at fault for the one blemish on this entire magical vacation we were on. This one suggestion will live in infamy as the worst idea ever posed. The journey down the "Road That Shall Not Be Named" give a collective shudder to the group. For our purposes I shall tell you the name of the road, but it will never be uttered again. Polihale. There. I said it. We believe it is Hawaiian for the "Pothole Road Toward the Mouth of Hell".
The reason for the suggestion from Boobie was made because Kekaha is pretty much the farthest West you can go on Kaua'i with the exception of the Road that Shall Not Be Named ("the road" from here on) and Boobie, not wanting to miss one inch of the island, suggested to the group that since they were already this far south and west, they should hit it now. So they did. Once they reach the entrance to the road they were greeted, nay warned by a plethora of signs.
Being fools from Minnesota in a Camry, they thought they could best the road. Cookie pressed the pedal and the car, terrified for it's life, shuddered forward. "This isn't so bad!" Cookie proclaimed as they jumped and hopped over black rock gravel. Then the gravel stopped, the road turned to sand. The car chugged on, slipping and sliding a bit on the fine sand. "Still doing ok...", said Cookie. Then the road went from two lanes wide to half a lane with a drop off on the passenger side into a narrow and deep trench. "Ok, this isn't good." Cookie admitted. But we were determined. We figured a road this bad had to be passageway to the most amazing beach on the island, to keep the tourists out. We were determined. After a rather tense and nail biting time, we emerged into a parking lot of sorts with three other cars, all four wheel drive vehicles parked. We hopped out of the car, grabbed our towels and headed toward the beach to claim our reward.
The wind was fierce, flinging fine grit sand at our bodies at an alarming rate, the sand cutting into our skin as it hit. The waves were monsters at this far western locale, so high that swimming would have been a fool's errand. We immediately ran for cover back in the car, slamming the doors shut to give our skin some respite from the attacking grains. "Well, now what?" Cookie asked. "I guess we head back." Bean offered. "Yeah." Turtle agreed. "I'm so sorry you guys!" the Boobie apologized. After another harrowing journey back, we saw the gates of hell in front of us and knew this haunting place was soon to be behind us, Cookie practically floored it to get back to the paved asphalt. It was here that the road received it's Hawai'i trail name, The Road That Shall Not Be Named.We stopped off at Wal*Mart on our way back to the condo and picked up some Hawaiian shirts for the boys (the locals will tell you, it is the very best place to buy them) as well as some Korean BBQ sauce and chicken. We arrived back at base camp, put on our swimming suits and splashed in the water as Cookie, with a beer in hand, grilled up some delicious chicken poolside for some very hungry and weary travelers.
Monday, October 12th - 2009 We woke this morning and enjoyed some breakfast at the condo before setting out for the day. We drove for a bit trying to find a hidden waterfall that Bean and Boobie had found on a postcard, but instead finding a hidden beach.
After swimming for only a few moments, Boobie's Spidey Sense started prickling as she noticed a man made lean-to on the beach with people living in it. There was a path leading from the lean-to right up to where there car was parked by itself where she'd noticed broken car window glass when she'd gotten out. The others agreed to head back and find another beach to swim. This lead the group to the charming town of Hanalei. Boobie and Cookie headed for the water as Turtle and Bean explored the pier. 
The waves were crashing and the group whiled the time body surfing and jumping waves in the most gorgeous setting imaginable.
After a few hours we rinsed and toweled off and headed back to the condo to get cleaned up for our sunset boat tour. We made it down to Port Allen just as the boat was set to leave the dock. We headed out to sea for the tour of the NaPali coast.
What they don't tell you is that the boat is flying over the waves. We started out in the front of the boat but after soaking our clothes, we headed to the back to dry out. 
On the way the boat slowed and we were greeted by a large group of spinner dolphins who were swimming along with us. 
They splashed and flipped in the water in greeting. Finally we reached the coast and were rewarded with some breathtaking views of the uninhabited side of the island.
The crew on the Holo Holo charters were such good sports, very positive and friendly guys. One was asking the guests if anyone had been to Polihale Beach. Every single person on that boat shook their heads "no" with the exception of the four of us yahoos. He laughed and asked us what we thought, we told him our tale of woe. He then told all of us the secret to surviving the road, "Be sure to pack a Hawaiian survival kit if you travel to Polihale," he said, "The kit contains the following, one case of beer in green bottles. When your car breaks down on the road, put the case of beer on the top of your car and the local boys will come and get you!" :) Sound advice.On the way back, the boat took a more leisurely speed and we were able to eat and drink. As the sun was setting we enjoyed a champagne toast.
We arrived back in Princeville and found that we still had some room in our stomachs so we decided to visit a restaurant right near home, the Paradise bar and grille. The restaurant was quiet when we arrived and we were given the primo table right in the bar, the table was a salvaged surfboard and our server handed over the remote for us to turn on anything we like, Boobie selected none other than the very best channel on the airwaves, Food Network as we tucked into our burgers.Back at the condo we swam and settled in for the night.
Tuesday, October 13th - 2009
This was the day the dream team split up for the day. Turtle and Bean caught an early morning flight to Oahu to visit the Bean's family. Cookie and Boobie enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Eggberts in Kapa'a. The mission for the day was to find a hidden waterfall depicted on one of Boobie's postcards Ho'opi'i falls. Using only the postcard and Kaua'i visitor's guide we set out. The visitor's guide had some direction to the road where the trail started, but not a whole lot of detail. Cookie and I located the road, but the trail was no where to be found. It was then that we caught our first break, a 30 year old man and his little son were hurrying down the road in our direction. We asked him if he could point us in the right direction, he showed us the start of the trail, we thanked him and headed off on our adventure.
The trail took us through a bit of farmland before delving down into a thick brush creek bottom. The tree cover was exceptionally dense as we made our way down. We found the upper falls, within 10 minutes of hiking.
As our travel guide book suggested, we followed a trail along the creek in search of the elusive lower falls. The very one that was depicted in the postcard Boobie held in her hot little hand. As we meandered along the trail we turned a corner and were met with an impassable downed tree. The branches and brush were too thick to make our bodies slide through so we decided to backtrack to a lower trail along the water. We followed the dwindling trail until it thinned to nothing at the edge of the water, still no falls in sight. Again, we backtracked back to the fork and decided to opt for high ground. As Cookie was carrying our pack, the fleet-footed Boobie headed up to scout. Cookie heard a whistle above him, a sign that the trail lead on, and he followed. At the top of the bluff, we came to a clearing with a trail beginning again to our immediate left. We followed the new trail back down and into the most amazing canopy of trees we had ever witnessed. As we cut a trail through the ankle deep foliage we started to have our first inkling that we were on the right path, we could hear rushing water ahead in the distance.
The forest floor gave way to a rocky outcropping with a trail running along the edge, through the trees below we could see the secret falls! We'd made it! Now, how to get down! We found a small but very steep trail down to the edge of the falls and using our the roots of trees and our rear ends, we made it! Our very own private swimming hole!The rain was falling lightly as we wandered out onto the rocks at the base of the waterfall, but we didn't mind a bit. We popped off our hiking clothes and with our swimsuits underneath splashed on in. It was the most peaceful and relaxing place imaginable.
After our swim we snapped a few pictures at the base of the falls and packed up for the hike out. 
The return trip was much more manageable as we knew how to avoid the dead end trails and as we emerged from the brush back at our car, we were quite a muddy sight. 
So, we did what any good Kaua'i local would do, we headed for the nearest beach, Kealia to wash off in the ocean.
We scrubbed ourselves off, wrapped our beach bum selves up in some towels and hit the open road. We decided to explore the Northwestern side of the island just past our home away from home Princeville. We stopped off for some lunch in Hanalei at Tropical Taco. 
It was a shanty of sorts with three things on the menu and a daily special. Cookie had the fish tacos and Boobie had the daily special, we sat on the front deck of the shanty at a counter overlooking the bustling street of Hanalei enjoying our food. 
Next we headed farther up the road to check out Ha'ena Beach. The waves were too high for swimming and even wading so we opted for a nice walk on the beach. The clouds were low in the sky and a stormy dark gray, Boobie's absolute favorite.Back in the car we were still headed farther west toward the end of the road, Ke'e Beach. This beach too was a no swim zone that day due to the waves, but we took a peek at the caves and noted that this was the trail the group was planning to take the following day to the hidden beach Turtle had visited years prior. It looked like a challenge, but we were ready for it.
We knew we wanted to visit a beach that we could make use of our snorkel gear, and word on the island was that the very best beach for calm waters was Anini beach near our condo. We'd driven past it earlier in the week as we were exploring and decided it would be a good fit. We were right! The reef went hundreds of yards out from the shore where the waves would break causing a calm pool of shallow water perfect for snorkeling. We spent a few hours splashing around following giant sea turtles and beautiful schools of fish before rinsing off and heading back to the condo to freshen up and get ready for dinner.
We decided on Italian for dinner and cozied up at Pizzetta, an open air restaurant with fantastic Italian food. Dinner ended with plenty of time to get to Lihue to pick up our travel weary companions. They had enjoyed a wonderful day of touring and visiting the sites of Oahu with the Bean's family.
All in all, a very delightful day.
Wednesday, October 14th - 2009
Our last full day on the island and we were determined to make the most of it! We packed up our snacks, our hiking gear and plenty of water and headed back up to Ke'e Beach, a.k.a. the end of the line. Our plan was to hike down the 11 mile Kalalau trail to the Hideaway's beach, formally known as Hanakapi'ai Beach which is 2 miles in on the Kalalau trail. The terrain was extremely muddy with large boulders that required careful navigation.
The views of Ke'e beach below were breathtaking. 
We whiled away the time shaking guava fruit free from it's trees and enjoying them as we walked. 
Cookie developed a deep love of the fruit throughout the week. 
As we hiked along we were impressed by the amount of travelers that we encountered from all over the globe, each one had such a positive attitude and a kind smile that we felt like we were all in this thing together!After a couple hours of hiking we caught our first views of the gorgeous Hanakapi'ai beach below us.
The trail began it's slow traverse down the cliff to meet the sand. As we reached the bottom we read the warnings of the water, numerous people had been swept out to sea and swimming was completely forbidden. Coming from a long hike in 80+ degree weather, this was not the news we were hoping for, but still we pressed on. To our great surprise and joy, we discovered a large creek bubbling over boulders from the waterfalls on the mountain and out into the sea. We slipped right in to cool off. The boys enjoyed scaling the rocks and exploring while the girls settled in to a nice pool to relax. 
After our long soak, we scrambled over the rocks and down onto the beach to take in the awesomeness of the waves. As we walked along, the water would crash over the sand and over our feet. We knew the warnings were for good cause as we felt the power that a mere four inches of water had at our feet as we struggled to stay on land. 
We enjoyed some snacks before packing up our belongings for the trek back. As is usually the case, the hike back was a bit easier and seemed to go a bit faster as we knew what to expect. Before we knew it we were back at Ke'e beach showering off the mud that we had collected during our hike.
After cleaning off, we stopped by the Waiakapalae Cave to explore.
Then back back into Hanalei to enjoy some burgers at Bubba's Burgers. 
We'd been eyeballing the restaurant all week and were not disappointed, the food was delicious! We enjoyed it much the same way Cookie and Boobie had enjoyed their food at Tropical Taco, out on the patio countertop, facing the sights and sounds of Hanalei. We'd told Turtle and Bean how awesome Anini beach had been the day before and if they felt like snorkeling we should go there next, they were definitely up for snorkeling, so off we went. The water was just as calm and tranquil as it had been the previous day, once again we spent a couple hours splashing around in the calm waters before rinsing off and heading back toward the condo.
We stopped off at the Princeville Foodland for some dinner rations. Cookie and the Bean headed inside while Turtle and the Boobie sat on the trunk of the car in their swimsuit and towels, taunting the roosters pecking around the car. For dinner, Cookie once again outdid himself with Opi fish fried and a baked chicken boobie for the Boobie.
We washed our muddy clothes that night and the Boobie thought it would be a good idea to put her hiking boots in the dryer for the flight home the next day where she'd be wearing the soggy footwear, after the third time the boots kicked open the dryer door, she opted for the slower hair dryer approach.
We took a final swim in the pool and a soak for our muscles that night after dinner.
Thursday, October 16th - 2009
Woke up this morning and it was an all you could eat buffet to get rid of food as we packed up our belongings and said a fond fair well to the condo. Our flight home wasn't set to take off until 11:00 p.m. so we had a lot of time to waste as we saw fit. We'd decided the day before that we'd head back to Hanalei to do some shopping and enjoy the town a bit more, we stopped in for a pint at Kokomo's Cafe before heading south back to Princeville to explore the Queen's Bath.
The tide pools were amazing to watch. With each wave that came in a handful of giant sea turtles would swim in to the inlets 20 feet below.
We made our way back to the car and headed south toward Po'ipu beach to return our rented snorkel gear. We stopped off in Kapa'a to enjoy a delicious lunch at Mermaid's cafe. Just a shack with a counter around the outside and amazing food within. 
We'd seen it throughout the week and hadn't paid it much attention, I'm so glad that we finally decided to stop. After lunch we stopped in the ABC Store to pick up a case (I kid you not) of Mauna Loa Dark Chocolate Macadamena Nut Coffee Chocolate bars. The Coffee Bean had discovered them after our trek on the Waimea Canyon. They are amazing. The four of us HIGHLY recommend them.Back in the car we continued South. We dropped off the snorkel gear and wandered through a open air mall of shops to pick up any last minute souvenirs. As we got back in the car, we noticed the sun was going down and we had the perfect opportunity to catch one last Hawaiian sunset before we headed out. Turtle the ingenious tour guide told us to get in the car quick, he could get us to Spouting Horn to catch the sunset if we hurried. His nimble feet working the pedals, we made it to the park with moments to spare, each of us throwing open our doors just as he pulled into the parking space. The sunset did not disappoint, it was breathtaking.
After the sun had set, we enjoyed a worthwhile performance from the spouting horn until before deciding that it would be the perfect time to go back to Koloa to Tomkats for a bit of food and a pint.
Tomkats had a playoff game on the TV and Red Volcano beer on tap, all was well! After our stint at Tomkats, we wandered Koloa for a bit, stopping off for some ice cream before hopping in the car back to Lihue. We turned in the car and sprinted for the plane, getting there in the nick of time.As the flight took off, we settled in to reflect on the most perfect vacation we had just enjoyed.
Thus ends our tale of When Gingerich North and East Meet Kauai.
Remember:
