Hawaii - Day 5

 We were up at the crack of dawn this morning.  Actually got up before dawn.  We had to leave Emmi's apartment by 4:30 to get to the airport and board the plane to Kauai.  When we arrived, we picked up our rental Jeep and headed out.  

The plane wasn't crowded at all so we were all able to have a row to ourselves and sit by the window.  The flight took a total of 20 minutes from take off to landing.  Barely got in the air and they started the decent.

Emmi surprised us by renting a Jeep for our two day stay.  We all piled in and off we went.

Our first stop was to a Bakery for some breakfast snacks.  

 Our next stop was to go across a swinging bridge.  Wasn't very exciting but was on our list of things to do.

Mallory wanted to stop by a huge painting of Lilo and Stitch.  Of course there is always shopping along the way.

I saw this and had Lynda Ann snap a picture.

From there we took a tour up through the mountains to see the Grand Canyon formed on this island by the volcano.  Very interesting.

When we got to the top of the mountain I mentioned to Annie that it was Lila Mae's b birthday and I hoped we would see a rainbow so I knew she was looking down on us.  Well, guess what!  A rainbow appeared!  So amazing and a bit teary for me.  I do love rainbows and I love my sister, Lila Mae and miss her greatly.

When we got down from the mountain ride we stop at a local dive for Mexican food.

We were getting more and more tired as the day went on but we wanted to make one more stop at the ocean to see if we could catch some sea turtles.  Well to our surprise we saw about 20 or them!  So exciting.

Had to take a picture of these baby chicks.  They are all over the island, literally!

After we left the beach we headed to our hotel.  It was good to be finally able to get out of the car and unpack and settle in for the night.  And we saw yet another rainbow on the way to our hotel.  

On our way back to our hotel.  Amazing day in Kauai.

Hawaii - Day 4

 Today was a full day full of fun adventures.  Our first stop was the North Shore.  

Lots of surfers and lots of huge waves coming in.  We were also lucky to see turtles.  That is always a bonus.  I do have some pictures but they don't show up very well.  We would try and grab a quick photo as they would stick their heads above the water to catch a breath and then back down they would go.

Cute picture of the three girls.  

We hung out on the beach for quite a while and then slowly made our way to the shopping areas where we were able to find lots of treasures.  We noticed there are chickens and roosters running wild and free all over the island.  Everywhere you look there are roosters and chickens.

We also went to some places where Lost was filmed.  This place is called Dharmaville in the movie but now it is known as Karen Point State Park.

In the early afternoon we drove to Haleiwa and had lunch at Seven Brothers for the most delicious hamburgers on the planet.  

We left there and hit all the stores down the street.  We also stopped at Matsumoto Shaved Ice for a treat.

One of the stores we went in to was a store called Snoopy's Surf Shop.  We found lots of fun treasures in there.  

We made a stop at the Dole Pineapple Plantation and again found all kinds of treasures but also learn things about the pineapple fields and how the pineapples grow.  Also stumbled on the new thing that is becoming famous in Hawaii - and that is chocolate beans that they are now growing in Hawaii.  

Having a little treat before going on the train ride.

Picture of a new pineapple beginning to grow.

Pineapple fields and a gorgeous mountain and sky.

We saw this truck as we were leaving the area.  Someone is certainly getting in the mood for Halloween!

Our last stop was to visit Mildred Wong.  She is a member of the church and is one that Neal and his companion taught many years ago.  Neal has kept in close contact with her and wanted us to go visit her.  It was a quick visit but I think meaningful for her and for us.

This is the home she grew up in.  She was about 9 or 10 when Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese.  She clearly remembers growing up on the island during the war years.

After we left her home we drove around the area to find the stake center.

As we walked through the area we noticed hundreds of parakeets flying around and making all kinds of noise.  They started as pets and either were released or they escaped and have literally reproduced.  They have become a nuisance because they have multiplied so fast and there are thousands of them.  The picture doesn't come close to doing justice to what we saw and the noise they make.

We have finally made it home safe and sound thanks to Emmi's driving.  We are all exhausted and need to get to bed because we have to be up and out the door at 4:30 a.m. to catch our plane to Kawaii.  We will be staying there for two days.  Tune in for more exciting adventures!