Gouldhome, Hawaii, July 22

July 22

Today's trip was Waimea Canyon. It was very similar to the volcano trip in a way. We would stop at each overlook on the way up and mill around looking at the beautiful views. Joel probably started feeling like a tourist again, but then he is a tourist. Each view was spectacular.

The canyon looked like it was made of sandstone, with layer upon layer built up, but of course it wasn't. It was layer upon layer of lava. And it was all red. In fact the whole valley down below has bright red dirt. They even make t-shirts out of it, i.e. they use the dirt as a dye. Supposedly it stains the clothes permanently.

The road winds its way up the side of the old volcano. And ends at a lookout. This overlooked Kalalau Valley, part of the Na Pali coast.

The Pihea Trail starts at the end of the road. We decided to hike down it until we got to the Alaka'i Swamp. The first part of the trail followed the ridge, with constant overviews of the valley below. The trail would be quite difficult if it was wet, but it was bright and sunny out, so only a little slick.

After about .75 mile we started to get into some trees. This made hiking much cooler. Despite the strong winds the hiking was hot, with the sun constantly beating down on us. We finally got to the top of Pihea Mountain. More spectacular views. Then we continued on to the swamp.

I expected swirling mists and dripping ferns. But it wasn't. We were there for one of the very few times that it was bright and sunny all day long. The moss looked a little dried out and not a wisp of fog was in sight. Not the mysterious views I expected, but still quite interesting.

When we got to the start of the swamp trail. We took a rest. We saw a dog trot off down one of the trails, but no owner in sight. On the way back we found the owners with quite a few dogs. They were out hunting wild pig.

All their dogs were mutts. Dad liked part Visla, but I liked a puppy that was black. I couldn't tell what was in it though.

All the guys took off ahead, but Beth had a little trouble with the hills, so I stayed back with her. She insisted on walking right on the trail edge, where it drops right off. One misstep and you fall quite a ways down into the valley below. Hard for a mother to take.

But we made it back to the car and chugged some more water. Then it was all the way to the bottom without stopping. Mom decided to go with Damon. They were going to stop at a coffee farm for the tour before they went back home, but we were ready for the condo.

We stopped at the supermarket on the way back to get some honey for Ben and meat for dinner. I wanted chicken, but their chicken looked awful (IGA). There are three supermarkets in town. The IGA is practically across the road. The Safeway and Foodland are right next to each other farther down. The Safeway is ok. The best for veggies is Foodland.

Joel cooked the steak at the barbeque area by the pool, while I made some broccoli at the condo. Then we waited for mom to get back so we could eat together.